1593 King Richard III
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Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Next page What sights of ugly death within my eyes! Methoughts I saw a thousand fearful wrecks, A thousand men that fishes gnaw'd upon, Wedges of gold, great anchors, heaps of pearl, Inestimable stones, unvalued jewels, All scatt'red in the bottom of the sea; Some lay in dead men's skulls, and in the holes Where eyes did once inhabit there were crept, As 'twere in scorn of eyes, reflecting gems, That woo'd the slimy bottom of the deep And mock'd the dead bones that lay scatt'red by. KEEPER. Had you such leisure in the time of death To gaze upon these secrets of the deep? CLARENCE. Methought I had; and often did I strive To yield the ghost, but still the envious flood Stopp'd in my soul and would not let it forth To find the empty, vast, and wand'ring air; But smother'd it within my panting bulk, Who almost burst to belch it in the sea. KEEPER. Awak'd you not in this sore agony? CLARENCE. No, no, my dream was lengthen'd after life. O, then began the tempest to my soul! I pass'd, methought, the melancholy flood With that sour ferryman which poets write of, Unto the kingdom of perpetual night. The first that there did greet my stranger soul Was my great father-in-law, renowned Warwick, Who spake aloud 'What scourge for perjury Can this dark monarchy afford false Clarence?' And so he vanish'd. Then came wand'ring by A shadow like an angel, with bright hair Dabbled in blood, and he shriek'd out aloud 'Clarence is come-false, fleeting, perjur'd Clarence, That stabb'd me in the field by Tewksbury. Seize on him, Furies, take him unto torment!' With that, methoughts, a legion of foul fiends Environ'd me, and howled in mine ears Such hideous cries that, with the very noise, I trembling wak'd, and for a season after Could not believe but that I was in hell, Such terrible impression made my dream. KEEPER. No marvel, lord, though it affrighted you; I am afraid, methinks, to hear you tell it. CLARENCE. Ah, Keeper, Keeper, I have done these things That now give evidence against my soul For Edward's sake, and see how he requites me! O God! If my deep prayers cannot appease Thee, But Thou wilt be aveng'd on my misdeeds, Yet execute Thy wrath in me alone; O, spare my guiltless wife and my poor children! KEEPER, I prithee sit by me awhile; My soul is heavy, and I fain would sleep. KEEPER. I will, my lord. God give your Grace good rest. [CLARENCE sleeps] Enter BRAKENBURY the Lieutenant BRAKENBURY. Sorrow breaks seasons and reposing hours, Makes the night morning and the noontide night. Princes have but their titles for their glories, An outward honour for an inward toil; And for unfelt imaginations They often feel a world of restless cares, So that between their tides and low name There's nothing differs but the outward fame. Enter the two MURDERERS FIRST MURDERER. Ho! who's here? BRAKENBURY. What wouldst thou, fellow, and how cam'st thou hither? FIRST MURDERER. I would speak with Clarence, and I came hither on my legs. BRAKENBURY. What, so brief? SECOND MURDERER. 'Tis better, sir, than to be tedious. Let him see our commission and talk no more. [BRAKENBURY reads it] BRAKENBURY. I am, in this, commanded to deliver The noble Duke of Clarence to your hands. I will not reason what is meant hereby, Because I will be guiltless from the meaning. There lies the Duke asleep; and there the keys. I'll to the King and signify to him That thus I have resign'd to you my charge. FIRST MURDERER. You may, sir; 'tis a point of wisdom. Fare you well. Exeunt BRAKENBURY and KEEPER SECOND MURDERER. What, shall I stab him as he sleeps? FIRST MURDERER. No; he'll say 'twas done cowardly, when he wakes. SECOND MURDERER. Why, he shall never wake until the great judgment-day. FIRST MURDERER. Why, then he'll say we stabb'd him sleeping. SECOND MURDERER. The urging of that word judgment hath bred a kind of remorse in me. FIRST MURDERER. What, art thou afraid? SECOND MURDERER. Not to kill him, having a warrant; but to be damn'd for killing him, from the which no warrant can defend me. FIRST MURDERER. I thought thou hadst been resolute. SECOND MURDERER. So I am, to let him live. FIRST MURDERER. I'll back to the Duke of Gloucester and tell him so. SECOND MURDERER. Nay, I prithee, stay a little. I hope this passionate humour of mine will change; it was wont to hold me but while one tells twenty. FIRST MURDERER. How dost thou feel thyself now? SECOND MURDERER. Faith, some certain dregs of conscience are yet within me. FIRST MURDERER. Remember our reward, when the deed's done. SECOND MURDERER. Zounds, he dies; I had forgot the reward. FIRST MURDERER. Where's thy conscience now? SECOND MURDERER. O, in the Duke of Gloucester's purse! FIRST MURDERER. When he opens his purse to give us our reward, thy conscience flies out. SECOND MURDERER. 'Tis no matter; let it go; there's few or none will entertain it. FIRST MURDERER. What if it come to thee again? SECOND MURDERER. I'll not meddle with it-it makes a man coward: a man cannot steal, but it accuseth him; a man cannot swear, but it checks him; a man cannot lie with his neighbour's wife, but it detects him. 'Tis a blushing shame- fac'd spirit that mutinies in a man's bosom; it fills a man full of obstacles: it made me once restore a purse of gold that-by chance I found. It beggars any man that keeps it. It is turn'd out of towns and cities for a dangerous thing; and every man that means to live well endeavours to trust to himself and live without it. FIRST MURDERER. Zounds, 'tis even now at my elbow, persuading me not to kill the Duke. SECOND MURDERER. Take the devil in thy mind and believe him not; he would insinuate with thee but to make the sigh. FIRST MURDERER. I am strong-fram'd; he cannot prevail with me. SECOND MURDERER. Spoke like a tall man that respects thy reputation. Come, shall we fall to work? FIRST MURDERER. Take him on the costard with the hilts of thy sword, and then chop him in the malmsey-butt in the next room. SECOND MURDERER. O excellent device! and make a sop of him. FIRST MURDERER. Soft! he wakes. SECOND MURDERER. Strike! FIRST MURDERER. No, we'll reason with him. CLARENCE. Where art thou, Keeper? Give me a cup of wine. SECOND MURDERER. You shall have wine enough, my lord, anon. CLARENCE. In God's name, what art thou? FIRST MURDERER. A man, as you are. CLARENCE. But not as I am, royal. SECOND MURDERER. Nor you as we are, loyal. CLARENCE. Thy voice is thunder, but thy looks are humble. FIRST MURDERER. My voice is now the King's, my looks mine own. CLARENCE. How darkly and how deadly dost thou speak! Your eyes do menace me. Why look you pale? Who sent you hither? Wherefore do you come? SECOND MURDERER. To, to, to- CLARENCE. To murder me? BOTH MURDERERS. Ay, ay. CLARENCE. You scarcely have the hearts to tell me so, And therefore cannot have the hearts to do it. Wherein, my friends, have I offended you? FIRST MURDERER. Offended us you have not, but the King. CLARENCE. I shall be reconcil'd to him again. SECOND MURDERER. Never, my lord; therefore prepare to die. CLARENCE. Are you drawn forth among a world of men To slay the innocent? What is my offence? Where is the evidence that doth accuse me? What lawful quest have given their verdict up Unto the frowning judge, or who pronounc'd The bitter sentence of poor Clarence' death? Before I be convict by course of law, To threaten me with death is most unlawful. I charge you, as you hope to have redemption By Christ's dear blood shed for our grievous sins, That you depart and lay no hands on me. The deed you undertake is damnable. FIRST MURDERER. What we will do, we do upon command. SECOND MURDERER. And he that hath commanded is our King. CLARENCE. Erroneous vassals! the great King of kings Hath in the tables of his law commanded That thou shalt do no murder. Will you then Spurn at his edict and fulfil a man's? Take heed; for he holds vengeance in his hand To hurl upon their heads that break his law. SECOND MURDERER. And that same vengeance doth he hurl on thee For false forswearing, and for murder too; Thou didst receive the sacrament to fight In quarrel of the house of Lancaster. FIRST MURDERER. And like a traitor to the name of God Didst break that vow; and with thy treacherous blade Unripp'dst the bowels of thy sov'reign's son. SECOND MURDERER. Whom thou wast sworn to cherish and defend. FIRST MURDERER. How canst thou urge God's dreadful law |
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