If thy revengeful heart cannot forgive, Lo, here I lend thee this sharp-pointed sword, 175 I lay it naked to the deadly stroke, And humbly beg the death upon my knee. [He lays his breast open: she offers at it with his sword. Nay, do not pause: for I did kill King Henry; But 'twas thy beauty that provoked me. 180 Nay, now dispatch: 'twas I that stabb'd young Edward; [Here she lets fall the sword. Take up the sword again, or take up me. Anne. Arise, dissembler: though I wish thy death, I will not be thy executioner. Glou. That was in thy rage. Speak it again; and, even with the word, 185 This hand, which, for thy love, did kill thy love, 190 To both their deaths shalt thou be accessary. Anne. I would I knew thy heart. Anne. I fear me, both are false. 175. breast] Ff; bosom Qq. 177. the] thy Qq 6-8, F 3. aft. 178. He lays at it. sword.] F (at F 1); omitted Qq. 179. for I ... Henry] Ff; twas I that kild your husband Qq. 181. stabb'd young Edward] Ff; kild King Henry Qq. aft. 182. lets fall] Qq; fals Ff. 185. thy] Ff; the Qq. 187. That] Ff; Tush, that Qq. thy] the Qq 3-7. 189. This] Ff; That Qq. 191. shalt thou] Q 1, Ff; thou shalt Qq 2-8. Anne. To take is not to give. Glou. Look, how my ring encompasseth thy finger : Even so thy breast encloseth my poor heart; And if thy poor devoted servant may But beg one favour at thy gracious hand, 200 205 Anne. What is it? Glou. That it may please you leave these sad designs 210 198. shalt thou] Ff; shall you 201. Glou.] Qq; omitted Ff. 203. my] F 1; 206. devoted] may] Ff; would 212. Place] Qq; 195. man was] Qq 3-8, Ff; was man Qq 1, 2. Qq. 199. shall I] Q 1, Ff; I shall Qq 2-8. 202. Anne. To... give] La. To give Qq; omitted Ff. this Qq; thy Ff 2-4. thy finger] Qq, F 1; my finger Ff 2-4. Q1, Ff; omitted Qq 2-8. servant] Ff; suppliant Qq. 210. Qq. you] Ff; thee Qq. 211. most] Ff; more Qq. House Ff. 201. Ff continue this line from Anne's speech in the line before, and omit line 202 altogether. This omission may be attributed to a quite comprehensible printer's error. The passage, as printed, would have read thus: An. All men, I hope, live so. Rich. Vouchsafe to wear this ring. Rich. Look, how my ring, etc. In the final revision of F 1, it seems probable that the error was altered summarily the first Rich. was struck out, and the line was set back so that the V of "Vouchsafe" ranged immediately below the A of " An.' The sense was confused by this hasty emendation. 212. presently] immediately, as . i. 34 below; Julius Cæsar, III. i. 28; "Him therefore I Philippians ii. 23: hope to send presently." 212. Crosby Place] See Stow, Survey, ed. Strype, 1720, 1. pt. ii. p. 106. The site of Crosby Place or House (now called Crosby Hall) was leased in 1466 to Sir John Crosby by the prioress and convent of St. Helen's. The house, fronting on Bishopsgate Street Within, was built by Sir John, "of stone and timber, very large and beautiful, and the highest at that time in London." Sir John was alive at the time of the burial of Henry VI. Later, "Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and lord protector, was lodged in this house," which, in Shakespeare, is the centre from which he works his plots. See below, 1. iii. 345, etc. 215 And wet his grave with my repentant tears, For divers unknown reasons, Grant me this boon. Anne. With all my heart; and much it joys me too Tressel and Berkeley, go along with me. Glou. Bid me farewell. Anne. 'Tis more than you deserve; But, since you teach me how to flatter you, Imagine I have said farewell already. 220 [Exeunt Lady Anne, Tressel, and Berkeley. Glou. Sirs, take up the corse. Gent. Towards Chertsey, noble lord? Glou. No, to White-Friars; there attend my coming. 225 [Exeunt all but Gloucester. Was ever woman in this humour woo'd? 230 with Anne. Ff; Exit. Qq. 225. Glou. aft. 227. Exeunt . ] Exit Coarse. Ff; 231. What! I] What? I Ff; What I his] Qq 1, 2, Ff; her Qq 3-8. 232. hate] aft. 224. Exeunt . ] Exit two 224. farewell already] After these words, Cibber, regarding the whole scene as in need of some safeguard against criticism, added a remark by Tressel : "When future chronicles shall speak This will be thought romance, not 227. White-Friars] The chroniclers give Blackfriars as the intermediate stage of Henry's obsequies. 228, 229. Kindred passages are found in Titus Andronicus, 11. i. 82, 83, and 1 Henry VI. v. iii. 77, 78. The origin of this effective dramatic tag may spring from the earlier of these passages, or from some previous play. See also the quotation from Greene in Mr. Baildon's edition of Titus Andronicus, 1904, p. 32. 234. her hatred] Qq reading is preferable. Henry's bleeding wounds bore witness to the justice of Anne's hatred. Spedding defends Ff by saying that Henry's corpse was the "motive or ground of Anne's hatred of Richard, whereas it was really the witness of Richard's hatred of her father-in-law." The difference between the readings lies in the sense which "witness" is made to bear. Having God, her conscience, and these bars against me, And I no friends to back my suit withal But the plain devil and dissembling looks And yet, to win her, all the world to nothing! 235 Hath she forgot already that brave prince, 240 Edward her lord, whom I, some three months since, Stabb'd in my angry mood at Tewkesbury? A sweeter and a lovelier gentleman, Fram'd in the prodigality of nature, Young, valiant, wise, and, no doubt, right royal, 245 The spacious world cannot again afford: And will she yet abase her eyes on me, That cropp'd the golden prime of this sweet prince, And made her widow to a woful bed On me, whose all not equals Edward's moiety 250 On me, that halt and am unshapen thus? My dukedom to a beggarly denier, I do mistake my person all this while! Upon my life, she finds, although I cannot, 236. no friends] Ff; nothing Qq. withal] Qq 3-8, Ff; at all Qq 1, 2. abase] Ff; debase Qq. 251. halt] Qq; halts Ff. 252. to] to be Qq 5-8. 241. three months since] In reality, Tewkesbury was fought on 4th May; Henry was buried on 23rd May, 1471. 244. the prodigality of nature] nature's most prodigal mood. Holinshed (iii. 688) speaks of Prince Edward as "a faire and well proportioned yoong gentleman." 245. valiant] must be read as a full trisyllable for the sake of metre. For alterations like Pope's "wise and valiant" there is no need. 245. royal]" It is hard to believe that this is what Shakespeare wrote " (Aldis Wright). But why? Gloucester means that Edward no doubt was royal by nature, and not merely by birth-handsome, young, brave, wise, in every respect fit to be a king. Steevens' suggestion that the word contains a sneer 255 247. at Edward's legitimacy is possible, but is not needed to make sense; while Johnson's emendation "loyal" (i.e. to his wife) does not improve matters. 252. denier] A small copper coin, equivalent to the twelfth part of a sou or the "tenth part of an English pennie" (Cotgrave); Lat. denarius. Compare Taming of the Shrew, Ind. i. 9; Fletcher, Monsieur Thomas, 1639, i. 2: "No money, no more money, Monsieur Launcelot, Not a denier, sweet signior." The first quotation in New Eng. Dict. is c. 1425. 'Denier " is also equivalent to a pennyweight in Troy weight. 255. proper] handsome, well-liking: compare Taming of the Shrew, 1. ii. 144; As You Like It, 1. ii. 129. I'll be at charges for a looking-glass, 260 Shine out, fair sun, till I have bought a glass, That I may see my shadow as I pass. [Exit. SCENE. III.-The Palace. Enter QUEEN ELIZABETH, LORD RIVERS, and LORD GREY. Riv. Have patience, madam: there's no doubt his majesty Will soon recover his accustom'd health. Grey. In that you brook it ill, it makes him worse: Therefore, for God's sake, entertain good comfort, Q. Eliz. The loss of such a lord includes all harms. gone. 257. a] Ff; some Qq. 258. adorn] adore Qq 3-6. Scene III. SCENE III. The Palace.] Theobald. Mother Ff. 5. words] Qq; eyes Ff. Ff; harme Qq. 11. Ah] Ff; Oh Qq. 256. at charges] at the expense. Compare Chapman, An Humorous Day's Mirth, 1599 (ed. Shepherd, 1874, p. 42): "Here's the poor man hath been at great charges for the preparation of a lottery." For the use of "charge, charges," in the sense of " expense, cost," see Jonson, Cynthia's Revels, 1600, i. 1: "Amo.. your travel is your only thing that rectifies . . . Aso. I think it be great charge though, sir"; Marston, Malcontent, 1604, act iii.: " Madam, I am going embassador for Florence; 'twill be great charges 260. some] a Qq 3-8. 5 ΙΟ |