Act II, Scene 1

London. The palace.

[Flourish. Enter KING EDWARD IV sick, QUEEN ELIZABETH, DORSET, RIVERS, HASTINGS, BUCKINGHAM, GREY, and others]

• King Edward IV (Plantagenet). Why, so: now have I done a good day's work:
  You peers, continue this united league:
  I every day expect an embassage
  From my Redeemer to redeem me hence;
  And now in peace my soul shall part to heaven, 1125
  Since I have set my friends at peace on earth.
  Rivers and Hastings, take each other's hand;
  Dissemble not your hatred, swear your love.

• Lord (Earl) Rivers. By heaven, my heart is purged from grudging hate:
  And with my hand I seal my true heart's love. 1130

• Lord Hastings. So thrive I, as I truly swear the like!

• King Edward IV (Plantagenet). Take heed you dally not before your king;
  Lest he that is the supreme King of kings
  Confound your hidden falsehood, and award
  Either of you to be the other's end. 1135

• Lord Hastings. So prosper I, as I swear perfect love!

• Lord (Earl) Rivers. And I, as I love Hastings with my heart!

• King Edward IV (Plantagenet). Madam, yourself are not exempt in this,
  Nor your son Dorset, Buckingham, nor you;
  You have been factious one against the other, 1140
  Wife, love Lord Hastings, let him kiss your hand;
  And what you do, do it unfeignedly.

• Queen Elizabeth. Here, Hastings; I will never more remember
  Our former hatred, so thrive I and mine!

• King Edward IV (Plantagenet). Dorset, embrace him; Hastings, love lord marquess. 1145

• Marquis of Dorset. This interchange of love, I here protest,
  Upon my part shall be unviolable.

• Lord Hastings. And so swear I, my lord

[They embrace]

• King Edward IV (Plantagenet). Now, princely Buckingham, seal thou this league 1150
  With thy embracements to my wife's allies,
  And make me happy in your unity.

• Duke of Buckingham. Whenever Buckingham doth turn his hate
  On you or yours,
  [To the Queen] 1155
  but with all duteous love
  Doth cherish you and yours, God punish me
  With hate in those where I expect most love!
  When I have most need to employ a friend,
  And most assured that he is a friend 1160
  Deep, hollow, treacherous, and full of guile,
  Be he unto me! this do I beg of God,
  When I am cold in zeal to yours.

• King Edward IV (Plantagenet). A pleasing cordial, princely Buckingham,
  is this thy vow unto my sickly heart. 1165
  There wanteth now our brother Gloucester here,
  To make the perfect period of this peace.

• Duke of Buckingham. And, in good time, here comes the noble duke.

[Enter GLOUCESTER]

• Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). Good morrow to my sovereign king and queen: 1170
  And, princely peers, a happy time of day!

• King Edward IV (Plantagenet). Happy, indeed, as we have spent the day.
  Brother, we done deeds of charity;
  Made peace enmity, fair love of hate,
  Between these swelling wrong-incensed peers. 1175

• Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). A blessed labour, my most sovereign liege:
  Amongst this princely heap, if any here,
  By false intelligence, or wrong surmise,
  Hold me a foe;
  If I unwittingly, or in my rage, 1180
  Have aught committed that is hardly borne
  By any in this presence, I desire
  To reconcile me to his friendly peace:
  'Tis death to me to be at enmity;
  I hate it, and desire all good men's love. 1185
  First, madam, I entreat true peace of you,
  Which I will purchase with my duteous service;
  Of you, my noble cousin Buckingham,
  If ever any grudge were lodged between us;
  Of you, Lord Rivers, and, Lord Grey, of you; 1190
  That without desert have frown'd on me;
  Dukes, earls, lords, gentlemen; indeed, of all.
  I do not know that Englishman alive
  With whom my soul is any jot at odds
  More than the infant that is born to-night 1195
  I thank my God for my humility.

• Queen Elizabeth. A holy day shall this be kept hereafter:
  I would to God all strifes were well compounded.
  My sovereign liege, I do beseech your majesty
  To take our brother Clarence to your grace. 1200

• Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). Why, madam, have I offer'd love for this
  To be so bouted in this royal presence?
  Who knows not that the noble duke is dead?
  [They all start]
  You do him injury to scorn his corse. 1205

• Lord (Earl) Rivers. Who knows not he is dead! who knows he is?

• Queen Elizabeth. All seeing heaven, what a world is this!

• Duke of Buckingham. Look I so pale, Lord Dorset, as the rest?

• Marquis of Dorset. Ay, my good lord; and no one in this presence
  But his red colour hath forsook his cheeks. 1210

• King Edward IV (Plantagenet). Is Clarence dead? the order was reversed.

• Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). But he, poor soul, by your first order died,
  And that a winged Mercury did bear:
  Some tardy cripple bore the countermand,
  That came too lag to see him buried. 1215
  God grant that some, less noble and less loyal,
  Nearer in bloody thoughts, but not in blood,
  Deserve not worse than wretched Clarence did,
  And yet go current from suspicion!

[Enter DERBY]

• Marquis of Dorset. A boon, my sovereign, for my service done!

• King Edward IV (Plantagenet). I pray thee, peace: my soul is full of sorrow.

• Marquis of Dorset. I will not rise, unless your highness grant.

• King Edward IV (Plantagenet). Then speak at once what is it thou demand'st.

• Marquis of Dorset. The forfeit, sovereign, of my servant's life; 1225
  Who slew to-day a righteous gentleman
  Lately attendant on the Duke of Norfolk.

• King Edward IV (Plantagenet). Have a tongue to doom my brother's death,
  And shall the same give pardon to a slave?
  My brother slew no man; his fault was thought, 1230
  And yet his punishment was cruel death.
  Who sued to me for him? who, in my rage,
  Kneel'd at my feet, and bade me be advised
  Who spake of brotherhood? who spake of love?
  Who told me how the poor soul did forsake 1235
  The mighty Warwick, and did fight for me?
  Who told me, in the field by Tewksbury
  When Oxford had me down, he rescued me,
  And said, 'Dear brother, live, and be a king'?
  Who told me, when we both lay in the field 1240
  Frozen almost to death, how he did lap me
  Even in his own garments, and gave himself,
  All thin and naked, to the numb cold night?
  All this from my remembrance brutish wrath
  Sinfully pluck'd, and not a man of you 1245
  Had so much grace to put it in my mind.
  But when your carters or your waiting-vassals
  Have done a drunken slaughter, and defaced
  The precious image of our dear Redeemer,
  You straight are on your knees for pardon, pardon; 1250
  And I unjustly too, must grant it you
  But for my brother not a man would speak,
  Nor I, ungracious, speak unto myself
  For him, poor soul. The proudest of you all
  Have been beholding to him in his life; 1255
  Yet none of you would once plead for his life.
  O God, I fear thy justice will take hold
  On me, and you, and mine, and yours for this!
  Come, Hastings, help me to my closet.
  Oh, poor Clarence! 1260

[Exeunt some with KING EDWARD IV and QUEEN MARGARET]

• Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). This is the fruit of rashness! Mark'd you not
  How that the guilty kindred of the queen
  Look'd pale when they did hear of Clarence' death?
  O, they did urge it still unto the king! 1265
  God will revenge it. But come, let us in,
  To comfort Edward with our company.

• Duke of Buckingham. We wait upon your grace.

[Exeunt]