Richard III (14 page)
Authors: William Shakespeare
Exeunt
running scene 11
Enter Richard and Buckingham, in
rotten
armour,
marvellous ill-favoured
RICHARD
Come, cousin, canst thou quake and
change thy colour
1
,
Murder
2
thy breath in middle of a word,
And then again begin, and stop again,
As if thou were distraught and mad with terror?
BUCKINGHAM
Tut, I can
counterfeit
the
deep
tragedian
5
,
Speak and look
back
, and
pry
6
on every side,
Tremble and start
at wagging
7
of a straw:
Intending
deep suspicion,
ghastly
8
looks
Are at my
service
, like
enforcèd
9
smiles,
And both are ready in their
offices
10
At any time to grace my stratagems.
But what, is Catesby gone?
RICHARD
He is, and see, he brings the mayor along.
Enter the Mayor and Catesby
BUCKINGHAM
Lord Mayor—
RICHARD
Look to the drawbridge there!
BUCKINGHAM
Hark, a drum!
RICHARD
Catesby,
o’erlook
17
the walls.
BUCKINGHAM
Lord Mayor, the reason we have sent—
RICHARD
Look back, defend thee, here are enemies.
BUCKINGHAM
God and our innocency defend and guard us!
Enter Lovell and Ratcliffe, with Hastings’ head
RICHARD
Be
patient
21
, they are friends: Ratcliffe and Lovell.
LOVELL
Here is the head of that ignoble traitor,
The dangerous and unsuspected Hastings.
RICHARD
So dear I loved the man that I must weep.
I took him for the
plainest
25
harmless creature
That oreathed upon the earth a Christian,
Made him my
book
27
, wherein my soul recorded
The
history
28
of all her secret thoughts.
So
smooth
29
he daubed his vice with show of virtue
That,
his apparent open guilt omitted
30
—
I mean, his
conversation
31
with Shore’s wife —
He lived
from
all
attainder of suspects.
32
BUCKINGHAM
Well, well, he was the
covert’st sheltered
33
traitor
That ever lived.
Would you imagine, or
almost
35
believe,
Were’t not that, by great preservation
We live to tell it, that the
subtle
37
traitor
This day had plotted, in the council house,
To murder me and my good lord of Gloucester?
MAYOR
Had he done so?
RICHARD
What? Think you we are
Turks
41
or infidels?
Or that we would, against the
form
42
of law,
Proceed thus
rashly
43
in the villain’s death,
But that the extreme peril of the case,
The peace of England and our person’s safety,
Enforced us to this execution?
MAYOR
Now
fair
47
befall you! He deserved his death,
And your good graces, both have well
proceeded
48
To warn false traitors from the like attempts.
BUCKINGHAM
I never
looked for
50
better at his hands,
After he once
fell in
51
with Mistress Shore.
Yet
had we not determined he should die
52
Until your lordship came to
see
53
his end,
Which now the loving haste of these our friends,
Something against our meanings, have prevented;
Because, my lord, I would have had you heard
The traitor speak, and
timorously
57
confess
The manner and the purpose of his treasons,
That you might well have signified the same
Unto the citizens, who
haply
60
may
Misconster
us in him
61
and wail his death.
MAYOR
But, my good lord, your grace’s words shall serve
As
63
well as I had seen and heard him speak:
And do not doubt, right noble princes both,
But I’ll acquaint our duteous citizens
With all your just proceedings in this case.
RICHARD
And to that end we wished your lordship here,
T’avoid the censures of the
carping
68
world.
BUCKINGHAM
Which since you come too late
of
69
our intent.
Yet
witness
70
what you hear we did intend.
And so, my good Lord Mayor, we bid farewell.
Exit Mayor
RICHARD
Go, after, after, cousin buckingham.
The mayor towards
Guildhall
hies him in all post
73
:
There, at your
meetest vantage
74
of the time,
Infer
75
the bastardy of Edward’s children:
Tell them how Edward put to death a citizen
Only for saying he would make his son
Heir to the crown, meaning indeed his
house
78
,
Which, by the
sign
79
thereof was termèd so.
Moreover, urge his hateful
luxury
80
And bestial appetite in
change of lust,
81
Which stretched unto their servants, daughters, wives,
Even where
83
his raging eye or savage heart,
Without control, lusted to make a prey.
Nay,
for a need
, thus far
come near my person
85
:
Tell them, when that my mother
went with child
86
Of that insatiate Edward, noble York
My princely father then had wars in France,
And by
true
89
computation of the time,
Found that the issue was not
his begot
90
—
Which
well appearèd in his lineaments
91
,
Being nothing like the noble duke my father.
Yet touch this
sparingly
93
, as ’twere far off,
Because, my lord, you know my mother lives.
BUCKINGHAM
Doubt not, my lord, I’ll play the orator
As if the
golden fee
96
for which I plead
Were for myself. And so, my lord, adieu.
RICHARD
If you
thrive well
, bring them to
Baynard’s Castle
98
,
Where you shall find me well accompanied
With reverend fathers and well-learnèd bishops.
BUCKINGHAM
I go: and towards three or four o’clock
Look for the news that the Guildhall affords.
Exit Buckingham
RICHARD
Go, Lovell, with all speed to Doctor
Shaw.—
103
To Catesby or Ratcliffe
Go thou to Friar Penker: bid them both
Meet me within this hour at Baynard’s Castle.
Exeunt [all but Richard]
Now will I go to
take some privy order
106
To draw the brats of Clarence out of sight,
And to give order that no
manner
108
person
Have any time
recourse
109
unto the princes.
Exit
running scene 12
Enter a
Scrivener
SCRIVENER
Here is the
indictment
1
of the good Lord Hastings,
Shows a paper
Which in
a set hand
fairly
is
engrossed
2
,
That it may be today read o’er in
Paul’s.
3
And mark how well
the sequel
4
hangs together:
Eleven hours I have spent to write it over,
For yesternight by Catesby was it sent me,
The
precedent
7
was full as long a-doing.
And yet within these five hours Hastings lived,
Untainted
,
unexamined
,
free, at
9
liberty.
Here’s a good world
the while!
Who is so
gross
10
That cannot see this
palpable device?
11
Yet who so bold, but says he sees it not?
Bad is the world, and all will come to nought
Where such ill dealing must be
seen in thought.
14
Exit
running scene 13
Enter Richard and Buckingham, at
several
doors
RICHARD
How now, how now? What say the citizens?
BUCKINGHAM
Now, by the holy mother of our lord,
The citizens are
mum
3
, say not a word.
RICHARD
Touched you
4
the bastardy of Edward’s children?
BUCKINGHAM
I did: with his
contract
5
with Lady Lucy,
And his
contract by
deputy
6
in France,
Th’unsatiate greediness of his desire,
And his
enforcement
8
of the city wives,
His
tyranny for trifles
9
, his own bastardy,
As being
got
10
, your father then in France,
And his resemblance, being not like the duke.
Withal I did infer your lineaments,
Being the right idea of your father,
Both in your form and nobleness of mind:
Laid open
15
all your victories in Scotland,
Your
discipline
16
in war, wisdom in peace,
Your
bounty
17
, virtue, fair humility:
Indeed, left nothing
fitting for
18
your purpose
Untouched, or
slightly
19
handled, in discourse.
And when my oratory drew toward end,
I bid them that did love their country’s good
Cry ‘God save Richard, England’s royal king!’
RICHARD
And did they so?
BUCKINGHAM
No, so God help me, they spake not a word,
But, like dumb statues or breathing stones,
Stared each on other and looked deadly pale:
Which when I saw, I reprehended them,
And asked the mayor what meant this wilful silence:
His answer was, the people were not used
To be spoke to but by the
recorder.
30
Then he was urged to tell my tale again:
‘Thus saith the duke, thus hath the duke
inferred
32
’ —
But nothing spoke
in warrant from himself.
33
When he had done, some followers of mine own,
At lower end of the
hall
35
, hurled up their caps,
And some ten voices cried, ‘God save King Richard!’
And thus I took
the vantage
37
of those few:
‘Thanks, gentle citizens and friends,’ quoth I,
‘This
general
39
applause and cheerful shout
Argues
40
your wisdom and your love to Richard.’
And
even here
brake
41
off, and came away.
RICHARD
What tongueless
blocks
42
were they?
Would they not speak?
Will not the mayor then and his
brethren
43
come?
BUCKINGHAM
The mayor is here at hand.
Intend
some
fear
44
:
Be not you spoke with, but by mighty
suit.
45
And
look
46
you get a prayer-book in your hand,
And stand between two churchmen, good my lord,
For on that
ground
I’ll make a holy
descant
48
:
And be not easily
won
49
to our requests,
Play the
maid’s
part:
still
answer nay,
and take it.
50
RICHARD
I go. And if you plead as well for them
As I can say nay to thee
for myself
52
,
No doubt we bring it to a happy
issue.
53
BUCKINGHAM
Go, go, up to the
leads.
54
The Lord Mayor knocks.
