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Richard III

Act 2, Scene 3

London. A street.
 
[Enter two Citizens meeting]
 
FIRST CITIZEN
            ,        ,          ,     2  ,         ,
      Good mor|row neigh|bor: wheth|er away | so fast?
 
SECOND CITIZEN
         ,        ,         ,        ,        ,
      I prom|ise you,| I scarce|ly know | myself:
        ,              ,        ,
      Hear you | the news | abroad?
 
FIRST CITIZEN
       ,                ,         ,
      Yes, that | the king | is dead.  (tri with prev)
 
SECOND CITIZEN
            ,      2     ,      ,        ,            x
      Ill news | by our la|dy, sel|dom comes | the better:
          ,        ,             ,        ,       ,
      I fear,| I fear,| 'twill prove | a gid|dy world.
 
[Enter another Citizen]
 
THIRD CITIZEN
        ,          T    T
      Neighbors,| God speed.
 
FIRST CITIZEN
                              T       2      ,       ,
                            Give | you good mor|row sir.
 
THIRD CITIZEN
                   ,    ,         ,          ,          ,
      Doth the / news hold | of good | King^Ed|ward's death?
 
SECOND CITIZEN
       ,                 ,    ,          ,          ,
      Aye sir,| it is / too true,| God help | the while.
 
THIRD CITIZEN
            ,         ,        ,        ,          ,
      Then mast|ers look | to see | a troub|lous world.
 
FIRST CITIZEN
           ,    .   T     T    T          ,            ,
      No* no,| by God's good grace,| his son | shall reign.
 
THIRD CITIZEN
       ,             ,            ,         ,       ,
      Woe to | the land | that's gov|erned by | a child.
 
SECOND CITIZEN
          ,           ,       ,        ,       ,
      In him | there is | a hope | of gov|ernment,
             ,        ,         ,       ,      ,
      Which^in | his non|age, coun|cil und|er him,
           ,         ,         ,         ,          ,
      And in | his full | and rip|ened years,| himself
           ,             ,          ,          ,        ,
      No doubt | shall then,| and till | then gov|ern well.
 
FIRST CITIZEN
           ,           ,       ,   ,             ,
      So stood | the state,| when Hen/ry the | Sixth
      <-          ,          ,       ,         T     T    T
        Was || crowned in | Paris,| but at | nine months old.
 
THIRD CITIZEN
        ,           ,              ,           ,           ,
      Stood the | state so*?| No* no,| good friends,| God^wot
            ,           ,         ,      ,        ,
      For then | this land | was fam|ously | enriched
            ,           ,     ,         ,          ,
      With pol|itic / grave couns|el; then | the king
            ,   2    ,       ,        ,          ,
      Had virt|uous unc|les to | protect | his grace.
 
FIRST CITIZEN
           ,          ,      ,    2       ,    2       ,
      Why so | hath this,| both by his | father and | mother.
 
THIRD CITIZEN
       ,    2       ,          ,         ,        ,
      Better it | were they | all came^|by his | father:
          ,        ,        ,            ,        ,
      Or by | the fath|er there | were none | at all:
           ,   ,        ,           ,          x
      For em|ula|tion, who | shall now | be nearest,
             ,         ,           ,        ,         ,      ,
      Will touch | us all | too* near,| if God | prevent || not.
      ,              ,    3  3        ,         ,
      O / full of | danger is the | Duke of | Gloucester,
                   ,      ,          ,           ,           ,
      And the / queen's sons,| and broth|ers, haught | and proud:
            ,          ,        ,          ,         ,
      And were | they to | be ruled,| and not | to rule,
             ,       ,           ,       ,       ,
      This sick|ly land,| might sol|ace as | before.
 
FIRST CITIZEN
              ,         ,          ,            ,         ,
      Come* come,| we fear | the worst:| all* will | be well.
 
THIRD CITIZEN
              ,           ,      ,            ,            ,
      When clouds | are seen,| wisemen*| put^on | their cloaks;
             ,        T     T     T     ,         2     ,
      When great | leaves fall, then | winter | is at hand;
                  ,    ,          ,          ,          ,
      When the / sun sets,| who doth | not look | for night?
          ,        ,       ,           ,          ,
      Untime|ly storms,| make men | expect | a dearth:
           ,         ,              ,    ,        ,
      All may | be well;| but if / God sort | it so,
             ,          ,       ,        ,       ,
      'Tis more | than we | deserve,| or I | expect.
 
SECOND CITIZEN
       ,             ,         ,          ,         ,
      Truly,| the hearts | of men | are full | of fear:
          ,        ,       ,         ,       ,
      Ye can|not reas|on (al|most) with | a man,
             ,          ,     ,         ,         ,
      That looks | not heav|ily,| and full | of dread.
 
THIRD CITIZEN
          ,          ,          ,       ,            ,
      Before | the days | of change,| still is | it so,
        2       ,   ,    T      T     T          ,
      By a di/vine in|stinct, men's minds | mistrust
          ,      ,        ,        ,         ,
      Pursu|ing dang|er: as | by proof | we see
           ,       ,         ,        ,    2      ,
      The wat|er swell | before | a boist|erous storm:
            ,         ,        ,     ,          ,
      But leave | it all | to God.| Whither | away?
 
SECOND CITIZEN
       ,       ,          ,   ,               ,   2
      Marry | we were | sent for / to the | justices.
 
THIRD CITIZEN
           ,       ,          ,         ,     ,
      And so | was I:| I'll bear | you comp|any.
 
[Exeunt]

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