Clarence and Edward. O, what caufe have I,
Thine being but a moiety of my grief

To over-go thy plaints, and drown thy cries.

SON. Ah, aunt! [to the queen.] you wept not for our father's death;

How can we aid you with our kindred tears?

DAUGH. Our fatherlefs diftrefs was left unmoan'd, Your widow dolours likewife be unwept !

QUEEN. Give me no help in lamentation,

I am not barren to bring forth complaints :
All springs reduce their currents to mine eyes,
That I, being govern'd by the wat'ry moon,
May send forth plenteous tears to drown the world.
Ah, for my husband, for my dear lord Edward!

CHIL. Ah, for our father, for our dear lord Clarence!
DUTCH. Alas, for both, both mine, Edward and Cla-
rence!

QUEEN. What stay had I, but Edward? and he's gone.
CHIL. What stay had we, but Clarence? and he's gone.
DUTCH. What stays had I but they? and they are gone?
QUEEN. Was never widow, had fo dear a lofs.
CHIL. Were never orphans, had fo dear a lofs.
DUTCH. Was never mother, had fo dear a lofs.

Alas! I am the mother of these griefs,

Their woes are parcell'd, mine are general.
She for an Edward weeps, and fo do I;
I for a Clarence weep, fo doth not she;
These babes for Clarence weep, and fo do I!
Alas! you three, on me threefold-distrest
Pour all your tears; I am your forrow's nurse,
And I will pamper it with lamentations.

DOB. Comfort, dear mother, God is much difpleafed,

That with unthankfulness you take his doing.
In common worldly things 'tis call'd ungrateful
With dull unwillingness to pay a debt,

Which with a bounteous hand was kindly lent,
Much more to be thus opposite with heaven;
For it requires the royal debt it lent you

RIV. Madam, bethink you like a careful mother,
Of the young prince your fon; send strait for him,
Let him be crown'd; in him your comfort lives.
Drown defp'rate forrow in dead Edward's grave,
And plant your joys in living Edward's throne.

SCENE III.

Enter Gloucester, Buckingham, Stanley, Haftings, and Ratcliff.

GLO. Sifter, have comfort. All of us have cause
To wail the dimming of our fhining ftar ;

But none can he'p our harms by wailing them.
Madam, my mother, I do cry you mercy;

I did not fee you.

I crave your bleffing.

-Humbly on my knee

DUTCH. God bless thee, and put meeknefs in thy breast, Love, charity, obedience, and true duty.

GLO. Amen, and make me die a good old man ;— That is the butt end of a mother's bleffing!

I marvel that her grace did leave it cut.

BUCK. You cloudy princes, and heart forrowing peers, That bear this mutual heavy lead of moan, Now chear each other in each other's love; Though we have spent our harvest of this king, We are to reap the harvest of his fon. The broken rancour of your high-fwoln hearts, But lately fplinter'd, knit, and join'd together,

Muft gently be preferv'd, cherish'd, and kept
Me feemeth good, that, with fome little train,
Forthwith from Ludlow the young prince be fetch'd,
Hither to London, to be crown'd our king.

Riv. Why with fome little train, my lord of Buckingham ?

BUCK. Marry, my lord, left by a multitude
The new-heal'd wound of malice should break out;
Which would be fo much the more dangerous,
By how much the estate is yet ungovern'd.
Where every horse bears his commanding rein,
And may direct his course as pleafe himself.
As well the fear of harm, as harm apparent,
In my opinion ought to be prevented.

GLO. I hope, the king made peace with all of us;
And the compact is firm, and true in me.

RIV. And so in me; and fo, I think, in all.

Yet fince it is but green, it should be put
To no apparent likelihood of breach,

Which, Haply, by much company might be urg'd;
Therefore, I fay, with noble Buckingham,
That it is meet fo few thould fetch the prince.
HAST. And fo fay I.

GLO. Then be it fo; and go we to determine,
Who they shall be that strait shall post to Ludlow.
-Madam, and you my fifter, will you go,

To give your cenfures in this weighty bufinefs? [Exeunt. [Manent Buckingham and Gloucester.

BUCK. My lord, whoever journies to the prince,

For God's fake, let not us two stay at home;

For by the way, I'll fort occafion,

As index to the fory we late talk'd of

To part the queen's proud kindred frem the prince.

GLO. My other felf, my council's consistory,

My oracle, my prophet;

-My dear coufin,

I, as a child, will go by thy direction.

Tow'rd Ludlow then, for we'll not stay behind.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV. Changes to a Street near the Court. Enter one Citizen at one door, and another at the other. CIT. Good morrow, neighbour, whither away so fast? 2 CIT. I promise you, I hardly know myself;

Hear

you

the news abroad?

I CIT. Yes, the king's dead.

2 CIT. Ill news, by'r lady; feldom comes a better : I fear, I fear, 'twill prove a giddy world.

Enter another Citizen.

3 CIT. Neighbours, God speed!

CIT. Give you good morrow, fir.

3 CIT. Does the news hold of good king Edward's death?
2 CIT. Ay, fir, it is too true; God help, the while!
3 CIT. Then, masters, look too see a troublous world.
I CIT. No, no, by God's good grace his fon fhall reign.
3 CIT. Wo to that land that's govern'd by a child!
2 CIT. In him there is a hope of government,

Which in his nonage, council under him,
And, in his full and ripen'd years, himself,

No doubt shall then, and till then, govern well.

I CIT. So stood the state, when Henry the fixth

Was crown'd in Paris, but at nine months old.

3 CIT. Stood the ftate fo? no, no, good friends, God For then this land was famously enrich'd

With politick grave counfel; then the king

[wot;

Had virtuous uncles to protect his grace,

I CIT. Why fo hath this, both by his father and mother. 3 CIT. Better it were they all came by his father,

Or by his father there were none at all :,

For emulation, who shall now be nearest,

Will touch us all too near, if God prevent not.
O, full of danger is the duke of Glo'ster;

And the queen's fons and brothers haughty, proud;
And were they to be rul'd, and not to rule,

This fickly land might folace as before.

I CIT. Come, come, we fear the worst; all will be well. 3 CIT. When clouds are seen, wife men put on their When great leaves fall, then winter is at hand; [cloaks ; When the fun fets, who doth not look for night? Untimely ftorms make men expect a dearth. All may be well; but if God fort it so,

'Tis more than we deserve, or I expect.

2 CIT. Truly, the hearts of men are full of fear, You cannot reason almost with a man

That looks not heavily, and full of dread.

3 CIT. Before the day of change, ftill is it fo; By a divine instinct men's minds mistrust Enfuing danger; as by proof we see,

The waters fwell before a boift'rous ftorm.
But leave it all to God. Whither away ?

2 CIT. Marry, we were fent for to the juftices.

3 CIT. And so was I, I'll bear you company. [Exeunt.

SCENE V. Changes to the Court.

Enter Archbishop of York, the young Duke of York, the Queen, and the Dutchess of York,

ARCH, I heard they lay the last night at Northampton,