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Before the Tower.
[Enter, on one side, QUEEN ELIZABETH, DUCHESS OF YORK, and DORSET; on the
other, ANNE, Duchess of Gloucester, leading Lady Margaret Plantagenet,
CLARENCE's young Daughter]
DUCHESS OF YORK
,
,
Who meets | us here?
, ,
,
My niece | Plantag|enet,
,
, 2 , ,
,
Led in | the hand | of her kind | aunt of |
Gloucester?
,
, , 2 ,
x
Now, for | my life,| she's wand|ering to | the
Tower,
. T T T
, ,
,
On pure heart's love,| to greet | the tend|er
prince.
, T
T
Daughter,| well met. \\
LADY ANNE
T T T ,
, ,
God give your | graces | both, a | happy
,
, ,
And a joy|ful time | of day. \\
QUEEN ELIZABETH
, . T T T
, 2 ,
As much | to you, good sis|ter: Whith|er away?
LADY ANNE
, ,
x , ,
No farth|er than | the Tower,| and as | I guess,
, ,
, ,
,
Upon | the like | devo|tion as | yourselves,
, ,
, ,
,
To grat|ulate | the gent|le prin|ces there.
QUEEN ELIZABETH
, ,
, ,
, ->
Kind^sis|ter thanks,| we'll ent|er all |
togeth||er:
, 2
, ,
, ,
And | in good* time,| here the | lieuten|ant
comes.
,
, ,
, ,
Master | lieuten|ant, pray | you, by | your
leave,
, ,
, , ,
How doth | the prince,| and my / young son | of York?
BRAKENBURY
T T
T , ,
,
Right well, dear | madam:| by your | patience,
,
, ,
, ,
I may | not suf|fer you | to vis|it them,
, ,
, , ,
The king | hath strict|ly charged | the
con|trary.
QUEEN ELIZABETH
, ,
The king?| Who's that?
BRAKENBURY
, , ,
2->
I mean,| the Lord | Protec||tor.
QUEEN ELIZABETH
,
, , ,
x
The Lord | protect | him from | that king|ly title.
,
, ,
, ,
Hath he | set^bounds | between | their love,| and
me?
, 2
, ,
, ,
I am their | mother,| who should | keep me | from
them?
DUCHESS OF YORK
, 2
, ,
, ,
I am their | father's | mother,| I will | see
them.
LADY ANNE
, ,
, ,
, ->
Their aunt | I am | in law,| in love | their moth||er:
, ,
2 ,
, ,
Then | bring me | to their sights,| I'll bear |
thy blame,
,
, , ,
x
And take | thy of|fice from | thee, on | my
peril.
BRAKENBURY
T Tx T ,
, ,
No, madam, no;| I may | not leave | it so:
2 ,
, ,
, ,
I am bound | by oath,| and there|fore pard|on me.
[Exit. Enter LORD STANLEY]
LORD STANLEY
, 2
, ,
T T T
Let me but | meet you | ladies | one hour hence,
, 2
, ,
, ,
And I'll sa|lute your | grace of | York as |
mother,
, ,
, . T T T
And reve|rend look|er on | of two fair queens.
, ,
, , ,
Come mad/am, you | must straight | to
West|minster,
,
, , ,
,
There to | be crown|ed Rich|ard's roy|al queen.
QUEEN ELIZABETH
__ oo , ,
,
Ah,| | cut my | lace a|sunder,
, ,
, , ,
That my / pent heart | may have | some scope | to
beat,
, ,
, , ,
Or else | I swoon | with this / dead-kil|ling
news.
LADY ANNE
,
, ,
, ,
Despite|ful tid|ings, O | unpleas|ing news.
DORSET
,
, ,
, ,
Be of | good* cheer:| mother,| how fares | your
grace?
QUEEN ELIZABETH
,
, , ,
,
O Dors|et, speak | not to | me, get | thee gone,
,
, ,
,
,
Death and | destruc|tion dog | thee at | thy heels,
, , ,
, ,
->
Thy moth|er's name | is om|inous | to
child||ren.
, 2
, , ,
,
If | thou wilt out|strip^death,| go cross | the
seas, ??
, ,
, ,
,
And live | with Rich|mond, from | the reach | of
hell,
, ,
, ,
,
Go hie | thee, hie | thee from | this slaught|er-house,
,
, , ,
,
Lest thou | increase | the num|ber of | the dead,
,
, ,
, 2 ,
And make | me die | the thrall | of Marg|aret's
curse,
,
, , ,
,
Nor moth|er, wife,| nor Eng|land's count|ed
queen.
LORD STANLEY
T . T
T , ,
x
Full of wise care,| is this | your couns|el,
madam:
, , ,
, ,
Take all | the swift | advant|age of | the
hours:
, ,
, ,
,
You shall | have let|ters from | me to | my son,
, ,
, , ,
In your | behalf,| to meet | you on | the way:
, ,
, ,
,
Be not | tane tar/dy by | unwise | delay.
DUCHESS OF YORK
,
, ,
, ,
O ill-|dispers|ing wind | of mis|ery,
, ,
, ,
,
O my | accurs|ed womb,| the bed | of death:
, ,
, ,
,
A cock|atrice | hast thou | hatched to | the
world,
, ,
, , ,
Whose un|avoid|ed eye | is murd|erous.
LORD STANLEY
T Tx T ,
, ,
Come, madam, come;| I in | all haste | was sent.
LADY ANNE
, , ,
, ,
And I | in all | unwil|lingness | will go.
,
, ,
, ,
O would | to God,| that the | inclus|ive verge
,
, , ,
,
Of gold|en met|al, that | must round | my brow,
, T T
. T ,
,
Were red-|hot steel, to sear | me to | the
brains,
,
, , ,
x
Anoint|ed let | me be | with dead|ly venom,
, ,
, , ,
And die | ere men | can say,| God save | the
queen.
QUEEN ELIZABETH
T T T , ,
, ,
Go, go, poor | soul, I | envy | not thy | glory,
(matches Anne's first line)
, , , ,
,
To feed | my hum|or, wish | thyself | no harm.
LADY ANNE
T T T
, , ,
___
No: why? When | he that | is my | husband | now,
(matches Queen's first line)
,
, , ,
,
Came to | me, as | I fol|lowed Hen|ry's corse,
,
, , , ,
When scarce | the blood | was well | washed from
| his hands,
x
, , ,
,
Which^issued | from my | other | angel | husband,
2 ,
, , ,
,
And that dear | saint, which^|then I | weeping |
followed:
,
, ,
, ,
O, when | I say | I looked | on Rich|ard's face,
,
, ,
, ,
This was | my wish:| Be thou |(quoth^I) |
accursed,
, ,
, ,
x
For mak|ing me,| so young,| so old | a widow:
, , ,
, ,
And when | thou wedst,| let sor|row haunt | thy bed;
, ,
, , ,
And be | thy wife,| if an|y be | so mad,
, , ,
, ,
More mis|era|ble, by | the life | of thee,
, ,
, 2 T T T
Than thou | hast made | me, by my | dear lord's
death.
, ,
, ,
,
Lo, ere^|I can | repeat | this curse | again,
,
, ,
, ,
Within | so small | a time,| my wom|an's heart
,
T T T 2
, ,
Grossly | grew captive | to his hon|ey words,
, ,
, 2 T T T
And proved | the sub|ject of mine^|own soul's
curse,
, , ,
, ,
Which hith|erto | hath held | my eyes | from
rest:
, ,
, , ,
For nev|er yet | one hou|r in | his bed
, ,
, ,
,
Did I | enjoy | the gold|en dew | of sleep,
,
, 2 , ,
,
But with | his tim|orous dreams | was still |
awaked.
, , , 2 ,
,
Besides,| he hates | me for my | father |
Warwick,
, ,
, ,
,
And will |(no doubt)| shortly | be rid | of me.
QUEEN ELIZABETH
T T . T ,
, , 2->
Poor heart adieu,| I pi|ty thy | complai||ning.
LADY ANNE
, ,
, ,
,
No more,| than with | my soul | I mourn | for yours.
QUEEN ELIZABETH
, , ,
, , 2->
Farewell,| thou woe|ful wel|comer | of glo||ry.
LADY ANNE
,
, ,
, ,
Adieu,| poor* soul,| that takst | thy leave | of
it.
DUCHESS OF YORK
[To DORSET]
, 2 ,
, ,
,
Go thou to | Richmond,| and good | fortune |
guide thee,
[To LADY ANNE]
, 2 ,
, , ,
Go thou to | Richard,| and good | angels | tend
thee,
[To QUEEN ELIZABETH]
, 2 , 3 3
, ,
,
Go thou to | sanctuary,| and good | thoughts pos|sess
thee,
, 2 ,
, ,
,
I to my | grave, where | peace and | rest lie*|
with me.
T . T T ,
, ,
Eighty^odd years | of sor|row have | I seen,
,
T T T
2 , ,
And each | hour's joy wrecked | with a week | of
teen.
QUEEN ELIZABETH
,
, , ,
x
Stay, yet | look back / with me | unto | the
Tower.
, , ,
, ,
Pity,| you an|cient stones,| those tend|er babes,
, ,
, ,
,
Whom^en|vy hath | immured | within | your walls,
, ,
T Tx T ,
Rough crad/le for | such little pret|ty ones,
T Tx T
T Tx T ,
Rude ragged nurse,| old sullen play|fellow,
,
, ,
, ,
For tend|er prin|ces: use | my ba|bies well;
,
, ,
, ,
So fool|ish sor|rows bids | your stones | farewell.
[Exeunt]