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Richard III

Act 2, Scene 4

London. The palace.
 
[Enter the ARCHBISHOP OF YORK, young YORK, QUEEN ELIZABETH, and the DUCHESS OF YORK]
 
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK
        T    T   .   T           ,        ,       ,         ->
      Last night I heard | they lay | at Sto|ny-Strat||ford,
       ,      2      ,        ,         ,        ,
      And | at Northamp|ton they | do rest | tonight:
         ,              ,   ,           ,         ,
      Tomor|row, or / next day,| they will | be here.
 
DUCHESS OF YORK
          ,          ,         ,         ,           ,
      I long | with all | my heart | to see | the prince:
          ,      2     ,      ,            ,       ,
      I hope | he is much | grown since^|last I | saw him.
 
QUEEN ELIZABETH
                ,   ,         ,        ,         ,
      But I / hear no,| they say | my son | of York
           ,       ,     ,         ,          ,
      Has al|most ov|ertane | him in | his growth.
 
YORK
       ,    ,                       ,    ,        ,
      Aye moth/er, but | I would / not have | it so.
 
DUCHESS OF YORK
                 ,   ,        ,        ,         ,
      Why my / good cous|in, it | is good | to grow.
 
YORK
           ,          ,         ,        ,          x
      Grandam,| one^night | as we | did sit | at supper,
          ,      ,         ,         ,         ,
      My unc|le Riv|ers talked | how I | did grow
        ,      2      ,         ,        2      ,         ,
      More than my | brother.| Aye, quoth my | uncle | Gloucester,
              ,            ,       ,     ,                  ,
      Small herbs | have grace,| great weeds / do* grow^|apace.
            ,          ,         ,           ,         ,
      And since,| methinks | I would | not grow | so fast,
       .  T     T     Tx            ,          ,            ,
      Because sweet flowers | are slow,| and weeds | make^haste.
 
DUCHESS OF YORK
              ,             ,          ,       ,          ,
      Good* faith,| good* faith,| the say|ing did | not^hold
          ,          ,        ,          ,         ,
      In him | that did | object | the same | to thee.
          ,           ,          ,           ,         ,
      He was | the wretch|edst thing | when he | was young,
           ,        ,        ,         ,      ,
      So long | a-grow|ing, and | so leis|urely,
            ,          ,           ,          ,         ,        2->
      That if | this rule | were true,| he should | be gra||cious.
 
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK
           ,        ,         ,       ,          x
      And so | no doubt | he is,| my gra|cious madam.
 
DUCHESS OF YORK
          ,        ,        ,          ,        ,
      I hope | he is,| but yet | let moth|ers doubt.
 
YORK
           ,        ,        ,         ,       ,        ->
      Now by | my troth,| if I | had been | remem||bered,
      ,        2       x         ,         ,         ,
      I | could have given | my unc|le's grace,| a flout,
           ,            ,      ,         .   T    T      T
      To touch | his growth,| nearer | than he touched mine.
 
DUCHESS OF YORK
       T   .   T     T
      How my young York,
                             ,       ,           x
                         I prith|ee let | me hear it.
 
YORK
       ,            ,        ,       ,         ,
      Marry |(they say)| my unc|le grew | so fast,
            ,           ,        ,         ,           ,
      That he | could gnaw | a crust | at two | hours^old,
              ,           ,         ,          ,        ,
      'Twas full | two* years | ere I | could get | a tooth.
       ,           ,                 ,       ,        ,
      Grandam*,| this would | have been | a bit|ing jest.
 
DUCHESS OF YORK
          ,        ,       ,          ,           ,
      I prith|ee pret|ty York,| who told | thee this?
 
YORK
        ,              ,
      Grandam*,| his nurse.  \\
 
DUCHESS OF YORK
            ,          ,          ,          ,           ,
      His nurse?| Why she | was dead,| ere thou | wast born.
 
YORK
            ,          ,       ,        ,          ,       2->
      If 'twere | not she,| I can|not tell | who told || me.
 
QUEEN ELIZABETH
          ,       ,        ,              ,     ,
      A parl|ous boy:| go to,| you are / too shrewd.
 
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK
             ,       ,        ,       ,          ,
      Good* mad|am, be | not ang|ry with | the child.
 
QUEEN ELIZABETH
        ,         __     __
      Pitchers | have | ears.  \\
 
[Enter a MESSENGER]
 
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK
             ,        ,      ,     __     __
      Here comes | a mes|senger:| What | news?
 
MESSENGER
             ,         ,          ,          ,       ,
      Such^news | my lord,| as grieves | me to | report.
 
QUEEN ELIZABETH
            ,           ,
      How doth | the prince?
 
MESSENGER
                              ,   ,                  ,
                            Well mad/am, and | in health.
 
DUCHESS OF YORK
        ,    2        ,
      What is thy | news then?
 
MESSENGER
                                     ,               ,    ,
                               Lord^Riv|ers, and / Lord Gray,
            ,        ,         ,      ,
      Are sent | to Pom|fret, and | with them,
           ,        ,         ,     ,
      Sir Thom|as Vaugh|an, pris|oners.  (tetra with prev)
 
DUCHESS OF YORK
       ,             ,        ,
      Who hath | commit|ted them?  (pickup)
 
MESSENGER
            ,       ,        ,               ,      ,
      The migh|ty dukes,| Gloucester | and Buck|ingham.
 
QUEEN ELIZABETH
            ,        ,
      For what | offense? (picked up)
 
MESSENGER
           ,        ,       ,        ,          ,
      The sum | of all | I can,| I have | disclosed:
       ,     2        ,            ,         ,       ,
      Why, or for | what, these | nobles | were com|mitted,
          ,        ,         ,       ,          ,
      Is all | unknown | to me,| my gra|cious Lord.
 
QUEEN ELIZABETH
           ,      ,         ,     ,        ,
      Aye me!| I see | the ru|in of | my house:
           ,      ,            ,          ,        ,
      The tig|er now | hath seized | the gent|le hind,
         ,        ,     ,       ,        ,
      insult|ing tyr|anny | begins | to jut
        ,         ,     ,         ,          ,
      Upon | the in|nocent | and awe|less throne:
       ,             ,          ,          ,     ,
      Welcome | destruc|tion, blood,| and mas|sacre,
         ,        ,      ,         ,        ,
      I see |(as in | a map)| the end | of all.
 
DUCHESS OF YORK
         ,        ,        ,      ,          ,
      Accurs|ed, and | unqui|et wrang|ling days,
           ,     ,         ,           ,        ,
      How ma|ny of | you have | mine eyes | beheld?
          ,         ,          ,        ,          ,
      My hus|band lost | his life,| to get | the crown,
           ,      ,         ,         ,            ,
      And of|ten up | and down | my sons | were tossed,
           ,       ,          ,            ,          ,
      For me | to joy,| and weep,| their gain | and loss.
           ,      ,        ,       ,         ,
      And be|ing seat|ed, and | domest|ic broils
            ,       ,            ,          ,       ,
      Clean^ov|er-blown,| themselves | the con|querors,
            ,      ,           ,      ,     2      ,
      Make^war | upon | themselves,| brother to | brother;
        ,          T      T  .   T      __    ,      ,   2
      Blood to | blood, self against | self:| O pre|posterous
            ,       ,   __     ,          ,        ,
      And frant|ic out|rage,| end thy | damn|ed spleen,  (hex with prev)
          ,        ,         ,         ,          ,
      Or let | me die,| to look | on death | no more.
 
QUEEN ELIZABETH
               ,        ,         ,         ,     x
      Come*, come | my boy,| we will | to sanc|tuary.
       ,            ,
      Madam,| farewell.
 
DUCHESS OF YORK
                          ,             ,         ,
                        Stay, I | will go | with you.
 
QUEEN ELIZABETH
            ,         ,
      You have | no cause.
 
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK
                               ,         ,     ,
                           My gra|cious la|dy go,
           ,         ,           ,        ,           ,
      And thith|er bear | your treas|ure and | your goods,
           ,     ,              ,       ,          ,
      For my | part, I'll | resign | unto | your grace
            ,        ,         ,       ,        ,
      The seal | I keep,| and so | betide | to me,
           ,       ,       ,         ,         ,
      As well | I tend|er you,| and all | of yours.
       ,              ,         ,        ,      x
      Go, I'll | conduct | you to | the sanc|tuary.
 
[Exeunt]

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