Shore. Jane, be content!

Our woes are now alike.

With one self rod thou see'st God doth us strike.

If for thy sin, I'll pray to Heav'n for thee,

And if for mine, do thou as much for me.

Jane. Ah, Shore! is't possible thou canst forgive me?
Shore. Yes, Jane, I do.

I cannot hope thou wilt.

Jane.
My fault's so great, that I cannot expect it.

Shore. I'faith, I do, as freely from my soul,

As at God's hands I hope to be forgiven.

Jane. Then God reward thee! for we now must part: I feel cold death doth seize upon my heart.

Ah! he is come to me. Lo! here he lies;

I feel him ready to close up my eyes.

Shore. Ah, Jane! he that the depth of woe will see, Let him but now behold our misery!

Jane. Oh, dying marriage! oh, sweet married death!
Thou grave, which only shouldst part faithful friends,
Bring'st us together, and dost join our hands.

Shore. Oh, living death! ev'n in this dying life!
Jane. Yet, ere I go, once, Matthew! kiss thy wife!
Shore. Ah, my sweet Jane! farewell, farewell, poor soul!
[She dies in his arms.

KING RICHARD III

PERSONS REPRESENTED

KING EDWARD THE FOURTH.

EDWARD, Prince of Wales, afterwards King

Edward V.

RICHARD, Duke of York

GEORGE, Duke of Clarence

sons to

the king.

brothers to

RICHARD, Duke of Gloster, afterwards King ( the king.

Richard III.

HENRY, Earl of Richmond, afterwards King Henry VII.
CARDINAL BOURCHIER, Archbishop of Canterbury.

THOMAS ROTHERHAM, Archbishop of York.

JOHN MORTON, Bishop of Ely.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM.

DUKE OF NORFOLK.

EARL RIVERS, brother to King Edward's Queen.

MARQUIS OF DORSET and LORD GREY, her sons.

EARL OF OXFORD.

LORD HASTINGS.

LORD STANLEY.

SIR RICHARD RATCLIFF.

SIR WILLIAM CATESBY.

SIR JAMES TYRREL.

SIR JAMES BLunt.

SIR ROBERT BRAKENBURY, lieutenant of the Tower.

The Lord Mayor of London.

ELIZABETH, queen to King Edward IV.

DUCHESS OF YORK, mother to King Edward IV., Clarence,

and Gloster.

KING RICHARD III

ACT I

SCENE I.-London. A Room in the Palace.

Glo.

Enter GLOSTER.

Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York; And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house In the deep bosom of the ocean buried. Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths; Our bruiséd arms hung up for monuments; Our stern alarums chang'd to merry meetings, Our dreadful marches to delightful measures. Grim-visag'd war hath smooth'd his wrinkled front; And now instead of mounting barbéd steeds To fright the souls of fearful adversaries— He capers nimbly in a lady's chamber

To the lascivious pleasing of a lute.

But I, that am not shap'd for sportive tricks,
Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass;
I, that am rudely stamp'd, and want love's majesty
To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;
I, that am cúrtailed of this fair proportion,
Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
Deform'd, unfinish'd, sent before my time
Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,
And that so lamely and unfashionable,
That dogs bark at me as I halt by them ;-

Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace,

Have no delight to pass away the time,
Unless to spy my shadow in the sun,
And descant on mine own deformity:
And therefore-since I cannot prove a lover,
To entertain these fair well-spoken days—
I am determinéd to prove a villain,
And hate the idle pleasures of these days.
Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous,
By drunken prophecies, libels, and dreams,
To set my brother Clarence and the king
In deadly hate the one against the other :
And, if King Edward be as true and just
As I am subtle, false, and treacherous,
This day should Clarence closely be mew'd up,
About a prophecy, which says that G

Of Edward's heirs, the murderer shall be.

Dive, thoughts, down to my soul :-here Clarence comes.

Enter CLARENCE, guarded, and BRAKENBURY.

Brother, good day: what means this arméd guard
That waits upon your grace?

Clar.

His majesty,

Tendering my person's safety, hath appointed

This conduct to convey me to the Tower.

Glo.

Upon what cause?

Clar.

Because my name is George.

Glo. Alack, my lord, that fault is none of yours; He should, for that, commit your godfathers :

O, belike his majesty hath some intent

That you

shall be new-christen'd in the Tower. But what's the matter, Clarence? may I know?

Clar. Yea, Richard, when I know; for I protest

As yet I do not: but, as I can learn,

He hearkens after prophecies and dreams;

And from the cross-row plucks the letter G,
And says a wizard told him that by G
His issue disinherited should be ;

And, for my name of George begins with G,
It follows in his thought that I am he.
These, as I learn, and such-like toys as these,
Have mov'd his highness to commit me now.