| [Sennet. Enter KING RICHARD III, in pomp, crowned; BUCKINGHAM, CATESBY, a page, and others] |
|
| KING RICHARD III | Stand all apart Cousin of Buckingham! |
| BUCKINGHAM | My gracious sovereign? |
| KING RICHARD III | Give me thy hand. |
| [Here he ascendeth his throne] | |
| Thus high, by thy advice And thy assistance, is King Richard seated; But shall we wear these honours for a day? Or shall they last, and we rejoice in them? |
|
| BUCKINGHAM | Still live they and for ever may they last! |
| KING RICHARD III | O Buckingham, now do I play the touch, To try if thou be current gold indeed Young Edward lives: think now what I would say. |
| BUCKINGHAM | Say on, my loving lord. |
| KING RICHARD III | Why, Buckingham, I say, I would be king, |
| BUCKINGHAM | Why, so you are, my thrice renowned liege. |
| KING RICHARD III | Ha! am I king? 'tis so: but Edward lives. |
| BUCKINGHAM | True, noble prince. |
| KING RICHARD III | O bitter consequence, That Edward still should live! 'True, noble prince!' Cousin, thou wert not wont to be so dull: Shall I be plain? I wish the bastards dead; And I would have it suddenly perform'd. What sayest thou? speak suddenly; be brief. |
| BUCKINGHAM | Your grace may do your pleasure. |
| KING RICHARD III | Tut, tut, thou art all ice, thy kindness freezeth: Say, have I thy consent that they shall die? |
| BUCKINGHAM | Give me some breath, some little pause, my lord Before I positively herein: I will resolve your grace immediately. |
| [Exit] | |
| CATESBY | [Aside to a stander by] |
| The king is angry: see, he bites the lip. | |
| KING RICHARD III | I will converse with iron-witted fools And unrespective boys: none are for me That look into me with considerate eyes: High-reaching Buckingham grows circumspect. Boy! |
| Page | My lord? |
| KING RICHARD III | Know'st thou not any whom corrupting gold Would tempt unto a close exploit of death? |
| Page | My lord, I know a discontented gentleman, Whose humble means match not his haughty mind: Gold were as good as twenty orators, And will, no doubt, tempt him to any thing. |
| KING RICHARD III | What is his name? |
| Page | His name, my lord, is Tyrrel. |
| KING RICHARD III | I partly know the man: go, call him hither. |
| [Exit Page] | |
| The deep-revolving witty Buckingham No more shall be the neighbour to my counsel: Hath he so long held out with me untired, And stops he now for breath? |
|
| [Enter STANLEY] | |
| How now! what news with you? | |
| STANLEY | My lord, I hear the Marquis Dorset's fled To Richmond, in those parts beyond the sea Where he abides. |
| [Stands apart] | |
| KING RICHARD III | Catesby! |
| CATESBY | My lord? |
| KING RICHARD III | Rumour it abroad That Anne, my wife, is sick and like to die: I will take order for her keeping close. Inquire me out some mean-born gentleman, Whom I will marry straight to Clarence' daughter: The boy is foolish, and I fear not him. Look, how thou dream'st! I say again, give out That Anne my wife is sick and like to die: About it; for it stands me much upon, To stop all hopes whose growth may damage me. |
| [Exit CATESBY] | |
| I must be married to my brother's daughter, Or else my kingdom stands on brittle glass. Murder her brothers, and then marry her! Uncertain way of gain! But I am in So far in blood that sin will pluck on sin: Tear-falling pity dwells not in this eye. |
|
| [Re-enter Page, with TYRREL] | |
| Is thy name Tyrrel? | |
| TYRREL | James Tyrrel, and your most obedient subject. |
| KING RICHARD III | Art thou, indeed? |
| TYRREL | Prove me, my gracious sovereign. |
| KING RICHARD III | Darest thou resolve to kill a friend of mine? |
| TYRREL | Ay, my lord; But I had rather kill two enemies. |
| KING RICHARD III | Why, there thou hast it: two deep enemies, Foes to my rest and my sweet sleep's disturbers Are they that I would have thee deal upon: Tyrrel, I mean those bastards in the Tower. |
| TYRREL | Let me have open means to come to them, And soon I'll rid you from the fear of them. |
| KING RICHARD III | Thou sing'st sweet music. Hark, come hither, Tyrrel Go, by this token: rise, and lend thine ear: |
| [Whispers] | |
| There is no more but so: say it is done, And I will love thee, and prefer thee too. |
|
| TYRREL | 'Tis done, my gracious lord. |
| KING RICHARD III | Shall we hear from thee, Tyrrel, ere we sleep? |
| TYRREL | Ye shall, my Lord. |
| [Exit] | |
| [Re-enter BUCKINGHAM] | |
| BUCKINGHAM | My Lord, I have consider'd in my mind The late demand that you did sound me in. |
| KING RICHARD III | Well, let that pass. Dorset is fled to Richmond. |
| BUCKINGHAM | I hear that news, my lord. |
| KING RICHARD III | Stanley, he is your wife's son well, look to it. |
| BUCKINGHAM | My lord, I claim your gift, my due by promise, For which your honour and your faith is pawn'd; The earldom of Hereford and the moveables The which you promised I should possess. |
| KING RICHARD III | Stanley, look to your wife; if she convey Letters to Richmond, you shall answer it. |
| BUCKINGHAM | What says your highness to my just demand? |
| KING RICHARD III | As I remember, Henry the Sixth Did prophesy that Richmond should be king, When Richmond was a little peevish boy. A king, perhaps, perhaps,-- |
| BUCKINGHAM | My lord! |
| KING RICHARD III | How chance the prophet could not at that time Have told me, I being by, that I should kill him? |
| BUCKINGHAM | My lord, your promise for the earldom,-- |
| KING RICHARD III | Richmond! When last I was at Exeter, The mayor in courtesy show'd me the castle, And call'd it Rougemont: at which name I started, Because a bard of Ireland told me once I should not live long after I saw Richmond. |
| BUCKINGHAM | My Lord! |
| KING RICHARD III | Ay, what's o'clock? |
| BUCKINGHAM | I am thus bold to put your grace in mind Of what you promised me. |
| KING RICHARD III | Well, but what's o'clock? |
| BUCKINGHAM | Upon the stroke of ten. |
| KING RICHARD III | Well, let it strike. |
| BUCKINGHAM | Why let it strike? |
| KING RICHARD III | Because that, like a Jack, thou keep'st the stroke Betwixt thy begging and my meditation. I am not in the giving vein to-day. |
| BUCKINGHAM | Why, then resolve me whether you will or no. |
| KING RICHARD III | Tut, tut, Thou troublest me; am not in the vein. |
| [Exeunt all but BUCKINGHAM] | |
| BUCKINGHAM | Is it even so? rewards he my true service With such deep contempt made I him king for this? O, let me think on Hastings, and be gone To Brecknock, while my fearful head is on! |
| [Exit] |