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Richard III

Act 3, Scene 4

The Tower of London.
 
[Enter BUCKINGHAM, DERBY, HASTINGS, the BISHOP OF ELY, RATCLIFF, LOVEL, with others, and take their seats at a table]
 
HASTINGS
       T    Tx    T           ,          ,        ,
      Now noble peers,| the cause | why we | are met,
       ,   2    ,         ,        ,    ,
      Is to de|termine | of the | coro|nation:
           ,       T    T      T      2     ,      ,
      In God's | name speak, when | is the roy|al day?
 
BUCKINGHAM
          ,            ,      ,         ,       ,
      Is all | things^rea|dy for | the roy|al time?
 
DERBY
          ,         ,          ,    ,    ,
      It is,| and wants | but no|mina|tion.
 
BISHOP OF ELY
         ,        ,        ,        ,      ,
      Tomor|row then | I judge | a hap|py day.
 
BUCKINGHAM
            ,           ,        ,          ,         ,
      Who knows | the Lord | protect|or's mind | herein?
       T   .   T   T        ,         ,       ,
      Who is most in|ward with | the roy|al duke?
 
BISHOP OF ELY
             ,          ,             ,         ,          ,
      Your grace,| we think,| should soon|est know | his mind.
 
BUCKINGHAM
           ,         ,         ,       ,           ,
      We know | each oth|er's fac|es: for | our hearts,
           ,          ,         ,         ,        ,
      He knows | no more | of mine,| than I | of yours,
         ,       ,         ,          ,         ,
      Or I | of his,| my lord,| than you | of mine:
             ,         ,         ,         ,         ,
      Lord^Hast|ings, you | and he | are near | in love.
 
HASTINGS
          ,           ,         ,         ,          ,
      I thank | his grace,| I know | he loves | me well:
       ,     2       ,         ,        ,    ,
      But for his | purpose | in the | coro|nation,
      ,     2        ,        ,          ,     ,
      I have not | sounded | him, nor | he de|livered
           ,          ,       ,     ,          ,
      His gra|cious pleas|ure an|y way | therein:
           ,        ,   3 3     ,           ,          ,
      But you,| my hon|orable lords,| may name | the time,
           ,         ,          ,           ,         ,
      And in | the duke's | behalf | I'll give | my voice,
            ,        ,            ,        ,        ,
      Which I | presume | he'll take | in gent|le part.
 
[Enter RICHARD]
 
BISHOP OF ELY
          ,       ,           ,           ,         ,
      In hap|py time,| here comes | the duke | himself.
 
RICHARD
          ,       ,          ,        ,           ,       ->
      My nob|le lords,| and cous|ins all,| good* mor||row:
      ,       2       ,        ,        ,        ,
      I | have been long | a sleep|er: but | I trust,
          ,         ,        ,          ,         ,
      My ab|sence doth | neglect | no great | design,
             ,       ,          ,            ,         ,      2->
      Which by | my pres|ence might | have been | conclud||ed.
 
BUCKINGHAM
           ,          ,      ,          ,         ,
      Had you | not come | upon | your cue | my lord,
       ,          ,   ,                     ,             ,
      William,| Lord Hast/ings, had | pronounced | your part;
          ,           ,           ,        ,         ,
      I mean | your voice,| for crown|ing of | the king.
 
RICHARD
        ,    2        ,          ,         ,         ,
      Then my Lord | Hastings,| no man | might be | bolder,
            ,         ,          ,          ,          ,
      His lord|ship knows | me well,| and loves | me well.
           ,       ,       ,     2      ,        ,       ->
      My lord | of E|ly, when | I was last | in Hol||born,
           ,    ,      ,     2        2      ,        ,
      I / saw good | strawberries | in your gard|en there,
         ,       ,            ,          ,         ,
      I do | beseech | you, send | for some | of them.
 
BISHOP OF ELY
       ,            ,         ,          ,         ,
      Marry | and will,| my lord,| with all | my heart.
 
[Exit]
 
RICHARD
       ,            ,      ,        ,          ,
      Cousin | of Buck|ingham,| a word | with you.
        ,    2         ,        ,          ,        ,
      Catesby hath | sounded | Hastings | in our | business,
            ,          ,      ,      ,        ,
      And finds | the tes|ty gent|leman | so hot,
            ,          ,          ,          ,         ,
      That he | will lose | his head,| ere give | consent
           ,          ,          ,       x             x
      His mast|er's child,| as worsh|ipfully | he terms it,
              ,         ,     ,       ,            ,
      Shall lose | the roy|alty | of Eng|land's throne.
 
BUCKINGHAM
            ,          ,        ,           ,         ,
      Withdraw | yourself | a while,| I'll go | with you.
 
[Exit GLOUCESTER, BUCKINGHAM following]
 
DERBY
        2      ,     ,          ,          ,        ,
      We have not | yet set | down this | day of | triumph:
         ,        ,        ,         ,          x
      Tomor|row, in | my judg|ment, is | too sudden,
          ,       ,        ,     ,     2     ,
      For I | myself | am not | so well pro|vided,
           ,        ,           ,         ,          ,
      As else | I would | be, were | the day | prolonged.
 
[Enter BISHOP OF ELY]
 
BISHOP OF ELY
        ,     2       ,           ,          ,
      Where is my | lord, the | Duke of | Gloucester?
      ,          ,          T     T   T        o
      I have | sent for | these strawber|ries.
 
HASTINGS
            ,        ,    ,      2           ,           ,
      His grace | looks cheer/fully and | smooth this | morning,
                ,         ,        ,       ,           ,
      There's some | conceit | or oth|er likes | him well,
        ,              ,           ,     2       ,         x
      When that | he bids | good* mor|row with such | a spirit.
          ,              ,    2   ,         ,       ,
      I think | there's nev|er a man | in Christ|endom
           ,        ,          ,         ,          ,
      Can les|ser hide | his love,| or hate,| than he,
           ,         ,       ,                   ,          ,
      For by | his face | straight shall | you know | his heart.
 
DERBY
            ,         ,          ,          ,         ,
      What of | his heart | perceive | you in | his face,
         ,      ,      ,          ,        ,
      By an|y like|lihood | he showed | today?
 
HASTINGS
       ,          2      ,         ,     ,   2    ,
      Marry,| that with no | man here | he is of|fended:
            ,         ,         ,         ,         ,
      For were | he, he | had shown | it in | his looks.
 
[Enter GLOUCESTER and BUCKINGHAM]
 
RICHARD
          ,         ,      ,              ,        ,
      I pray | you all,| tell me | what they | deserve,
            ,        ,          ,            x         ,
      That do | conspire | my death | with devil|ish plots
          ,        ,     ,                 ,          ,
      Of damn|ed witch|craft, and | that have | prevailed
        ,        ,      ,           ,          ,
      Upon | my bo|dy with | their hel|lish charms.
 
HASTINGS
            ,       ,        ,           ,          ,
      The tend|er love | I bear | your grace,| my lord,
        T    .   T   T    ,     2          ,        ,
      Makes me most for|ward, in this | princely | presence,
           ,       2   ,          ,    ,    2      ,
      To doom | the offend|ers, what|soev|er they be:
         ,         ,           ,       ,        ,
      I say,| my lord,| they have | deserv|ed death.
 
RICHARD
            ,          ,         ,        ,           x
      Then be | your eyes | the wit|ness of | their evil:
        ,           ,        ,          ,          ,
      Look how | I am | bewitched:| behold,| mine^arm
           ,        ,       ,         ,         ,
      Is like | a blast|ed sap|ling, with|ered up:
            ,        ,          ,          ,           ,
      And this | is Ed|ward's wife,| that monst|rous witch,
          ,        ,           ,         ,        ,
      Consort|ed with | that harl|ot, strump|et Shore,
            ,     T     T    T       ,            ,
      That by | their witchcraft | thus have | marked me.
 
HASTINGS
       ,               ,           ,        ,       ,
      If they | have done | this deed,| my nob|le lord.
 
RICHARD
      __     ,       ,         2        ,       ,
      If?| Thou pro|tector | of this damned | strumpet,
         ,           ,       ,     ,              ,
      Talkst thou | me of | ifs: thou / art a | traitor,
       ,               ,         ,           ,        ,
      Off with | his head;| now by | Saint^Paul | I swear,
          ,          ,       ,       ,          ,
      I will | not dine,| until | I see | the same.
       ,           ,           ,          ,        ,
      Lovel | and Rat|cliff, look | that it | be done:
            ,           ,          ,         ,       ,
      The rest | that love | me, rise,| and fol|low me.
 
[Exeunt all but HASTINGS, RATCLIFF, and LOVEL]
 
HASTINGS
       T    T   .   T         ,        ,         ,
      Woe, woe for Eng|land, not | a whit | for me;
          ,          ,      ,              ,        ,
      For I,| too* fond,| might have | prevent|ed this:
        ,             ,           ,          ,          ,
      Stanley | did dream,| the boar | did raze | our helms,
          ,         ,          ,         ,        ,
      And I | did scorn | it, and | disdain | to fly:
        T     T    . T     .   T    T     T           x
      Three times today | my foot-cloth horse | did stumble,
            ,         ,          ,       ,          x
      And start|ed, when | he looked | upon | the Tower,
           ,          ,        ,          ,         ,
      As loath | to bear | me to | the slaught|er-house.
         ,        ,           ,            ,         ,
      O now | I need | the priest,| that spake | to me:
         ,        ,        ,         ,       ,
      I now | repent | I told | the pur|suivant,
          ,        ,         ,          ,    ,
      As too | triumph|ing, how | mine en|emies
           x      ,          ,     ,          ,
      Today at | Pomfret | bloodi|ly were | butchered,
          ,       ,           x       ,          ,
      And I | myself | secure, in | grace and | favor.  ??
         ,          ,          ,         ,       ,
      O Marg|aret, Marg|aret, now | thy hea|vy curse
           ,             ,   ,           ,         ,
      Is light|ed on / poor Hast|ings' wretch|ed head.
 
RATCLIFF
        T     T    .   T           ,           ,         x
      Come, come, dispatch,| the duke | would be | at dinner:
        T  .   T      T          ,         ,           ,
      Make a short shrift,| he longs | to see | your head.
 
HASTINGS
         ,     ,      ,         ,       ,
      O mom|enta|ry grace | of mort|al men,
             ,           ,           ,          ,         ,
      Which^we | more* hunt | for, than | the grace | of God!
             ,           ,        ,                ,    ,
      Who builds | his hope | in air | of your / good looks,
        ,              ,        ,      ,       ,
      Lives like | a drunk|en sail|or on | a mast,
       ,           ,       ,        ,        ,
      Ready | with ev|ery nod | to tum|ble down,
       ,          ,      ,       ,         ,
      Into | the fat|al bow|els of | the deep.
 
LOVEL
        T     T    .   T            ,        ,       ,
      Come, come, dispatch,| 'tis boot|less to | exclaim.
 
HASTINGS
          ,       ,        ,   2  ,     ,
      O bloo|dy Rich|ard: mis|erable | England,
         ,      ,         ,          ,         ,
      I proph|esy | the fear|fulst^time | to thee,
            ,       ,       ,            ,       ,
      That ev|er wretch|ed age | hath looked | upon.
        ,     ,                  ,       ,             ,
      Come, lead / me to | the block,| bear him | my head,
             ,         ,         ,        ,          ,
      They smile | at me,| who short|ly shall | be dead.
 
[Exeunt]

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