ACT III SCENE I London. A street. The trumpets sound. Enter the young PRINCE EDWARD, GLOUCESTER, BUCKINGHAM, CARDINAL, CATESBY, and others. BUCKINGHAM Welcome, sweet prince, to London, to your chamber. GLOUCESTER Welcome, dear cousin, my thoughts' sovereign The weary way hath made you melancholy. PRINCE EDWARD No, uncle; but our crosses on the way Have made it tedious, wearisome, and heavy 5 I want more uncles here to welcome me. GLOUCESTER Sweet prince, the untainted virtue of your years Hath not yet dived into the world's deceit Nor more can you distinguish of a man Than of his outward show; which, God he knows, 10 Seldom or never jumpeth with the heart. Those uncles which you want were dangerous; Your grace attended to their sugar'd words, But look'd not on the poison of their hearts : God keep you from them, and from such false friends! 15 PRINCE EDWARD God keep me from false friends! but they were none. GLOUCESTER My lord, the mayor of London comes to greet you. Enter the Lord Mayor and his train. Lord Mayor God bless your grace with health and happy days! PRINCE EDWARD I thank you, good my lord; and thank you all. I thought my mother, and my brother York, 20 Would long ere this have met us on the way Fie, what a slug is Hastings, that he comes not To tell us whether they will come or no! Enter HASTINGS. BUCKINGHAM And, in good time, here comes the sweating lord. PRINCE EDWARD Welcome, my lord: what, will our mother come? 25 HASTINGS On what occasion, God he knows, not I, The queen your mother, and your brother York, Have taken sanctuary: the tender prince Would fain have come with me to meet your grace, But by his mother was perforce withheld. 30 BUCKINGHAM Fie, what an indirect and peevish course Is this of hers! Lord cardinal, will your grace Persuade the queen to send the Duke of York Unto his princely brother presently? If she deny, Lord Hastings, go with him, 35 And from her jealous arms pluck him perforce. CARDINAL My Lord of Buckingham, if my weak oratory Can from his mother win the Duke of York, Anon expect him here; but if she be obdurate To mild entreaties, God in heaven forbid 40 We should infringe the holy privilege Of blessed sanctuary! not for all this land Would I be guilty of so deep a sin. BUCKINGHAM You are too senseless--obstinate, my lord, Too ceremonious and traditional 45 Weigh it but with the grossness of this age, You break not sanctuary in seizing him. The benefit thereof is always granted To those whose dealings have deserved the place, And those who have the wit to claim the place: 50 This prince hath neither claim'd it nor deserved it; And therefore, in mine opinion, cannot have it: Then, taking him from thence that is not there, You break no privilege nor charter there. Oft have I heard of sanctuary men; 55 But sanctuary children ne'er till now. CARDINAL My lord, you shall o'er-rule my mind for once. Come on, Lord Hastings, will you go with me? HASTINGS I go, my lord. PRINCE EDWARD Good lords, make all the speedy haste you may. 60 Exeunt CARDINAL and HASTINGS. Say, uncle Gloucester, if our brother come, Where shall we sojourn till our coronation? GLOUCESTER Where it seems best unto your royal self. If I may counsel you, some day or two Your highness shall repose you at the Tower: 65 Then where you please, and shall be thought most fit For your best health and recreation. PRINCE EDWARD I do not like the Tower, of any place. Did Julius Caesar build that place, my lord? BUCKINGHAM He did, my gracious lord, begin that place; 70 Which, since, succeeding ages have re-edified. PRINCE EDWARD Is it upon record, or else reported Successively from age to age, he built it? BUCKINGHAM Upon record, my gracious lord. PRINCE EDWARD But say, my lord, it were not register'd, 75 Methinks the truth should live from age to age, As 'twere retail'd to all posterity, Even to the general all-ending day. GLOUCESTER [Aside ] So wise so young, they say, do never live long. PRINCE EDWARD What say you, uncle? 80 GLOUCESTER I say, without characters, fame lives long. [Aside ] Thus, like the formal vice, Iniquity, I moralize two meanings in one word. PRINCE EDWARD That Julius Caesar was a famous man; With what his valour did enrich his wit, 85 His wit set down to make his valour live Death makes no conquest of this conqueror; For now he lives in fame, though not in life. I'll tell you what, my cousin Buckingham,-- BUCKINGHAM What, my gracious lord? 90 PRINCE EDWARD An if I live until I be a man, I'll win our ancient right in France again, Or die a soldier, as I lived a king. GLOUCESTER [Aside ] Short summers lightly have a forward spring. Enter young YORK, HASTINGS, and the CARDINAL. BUCKINGHAM Now, in good time, here comes the Duke of York. 95 PRINCE EDWARD Richard of York! how fares our loving brother? YORK Well, my dread lord; so must I call you now. PRINCE EDWARD Ay, brother, to our grief, as it is yours:
Which by his death hath lost much majesty. 100 GLOUCESTER How fares our cousin, noble Lord of York? YORK I thank you, gentle uncle. O, my lord, You said that idle weeds are fast in growth The prince my brother hath outgrown me far. GLOUCESTER He hath, my lord. 105 YORK And therefore is he idle? GLOUCESTER O, my fair cousin, I must not say so. YORK Then is he more beholding to you than I. GLOUCESTER He may command me as my sovereign; But you have power in me as in a kinsman. YORK I pray you, uncle, give me this dagger. 110 GLOUCESTER My dagger, little cousin? with all my heart. PRINCE EDWARD A beggar, brother? YORK Of my kind uncle, that I know will give; And being but a toy, which is no grief to give. GLOUCESTER A greater gift than that I'll give my cousin. 115 YORK A greater gift! O, that's the sword to it. GLOUCESTER A gentle cousin, were it light enough. YORK O, then, I see, you will part but with light gifts; In weightier things you'll say a beggar nay. GLOUCESTER It is too heavy for your grace to wear. 120 YORK I weigh it lightly, were it heavier. GLOUCESTER What, would you have my weapon, little lord? YORK I would, that I might thank you as you call me. GLOUCESTER How? YORK Little. 125 PRINCE EDWARD My Lord of York will still be cross in talk: Uncle, your grace knows how to bear with him. YORK You mean, to bear me, not to bear with me: Uncle, my brother mocks both you and me; Because that I am little, like an ape, 130 He thinks that you should bear me on your shoulders. BUCKINGHAM With what a sharp-provided wit he reasons! To mitigate the scorn he gives his uncle, He prettily and aptly taunts himself: So cunning and so young is wonderful. 135 GLOUCESTER My lord, will't please you pass along? Myself and my good cousin Buckingham Will to your mother, to entreat of her To meet you at the Tower and welcome you. YORK What, will you go unto the Tower, my lord? 140 PRINCE EDWARD My lord protector needs will have it so. YORK I shall not sleep in quiet at the Tower. GLOUCESTER Why, what should you fear? YORK Marry, my uncle Clarence' angry ghost: My grandam told me he was murdered there. 145 PRINCE EDWARD I fear no uncles dead. GLOUCESTER Nor none that live, I hope. PRINCE EDWARD An if they live, I hope I need not fear. But come, my lord; and with a heavy heart, Thinking on them, go I unto the Tower. 150 A Sennet. Exeunt all but GLOUCESTER, BUCKINGHAM and CATESBY. BUCKINGHAM Think you, my lord, this little prating York Was not incensed by his subtle mother To taunt and scorn you thus opprobriously? GLOUCESTER No doubt, no doubt; O, 'tis a parlous boy; Bold, quick, ingenious, forward, capable 155 He is all the mother's, from the top to toe. BUCKINGHAM Well, let them rest. Come hither, Catesby. Thou art sworn as deeply to effect what we intend As closely to conceal what we impart: Thou know'st our reasons urged upon the way; 160 What think'st thou? is it not an easy matter To make William Lord Hastings of our mind, For the instalment of this noble duke In the seat royal of this famous isle? CATESBY He for his father's sake so loves the prince, 165 That he will not be won to aught against him. BUCKINGHAM What think'st thou, then, of Stanley? what will he? CATESBY He will do all in all as Hastings doth. BUCKINGHAM Well, then, no more but this: go, gentle Catesby, And, as it were far off sound thou Lord Hastings, 170 How doth he stand affected to our purpose; And summon him to-morrow to the Tower, To sit about the coronation. If thou dost find him tractable to us, Encourage him, and show him all our reasons: 175 If he be leaden, icy-cold, unwilling, Be thou so too; and so break off your talk, And give us notice of his inclination: For we to-morrow hold divided councils, Wherein thyself shalt highly be employ'd. 180 GLOUCESTER Commend me to Lord William: tell him, Catesby, His ancient knot of dangerous adversaries To-morrow are let blood at Pomfret Castle; And bid my friend, for joy of this good news, Give mistress Shore one gentle kiss the more. 185 BUCKINGHAM Good Catesby, go, effect this business soundly. CATESBY My good lords both, with all the heed I may. GLOUCESTER Shall we hear from you, Catesby, ere we sleep? CATESBY You shall, my lord. GLOUCESTER At Crosby Place, there shall you find us both. 190 Exit CATESBY. BUCKINGHAM Now, my lord, what shall we do, if we perceive Lord Hastings will not yield to our complots? GLOUCESTER Chop off his head, man; somewhat we will do: And, look, when I am king, claim thou of me 195 The earldom of Hereford, and the moveables Whereof the king my brother stood possess'd. BUCKINGHAM I'll claim that promise at your grace's hands. GLOUCESTER And look to have it yielded with all willingness. Come, let us sup betimes, that afterwards 200 We may digest our complots in some form. Exeunt
Abbreviations. — A.-S. = Anglo-Saxon: M.E. = Middle
English (from the 13th to the 15th century) ; Fr. = French ;
Ger. = German ; Gr. = Greek ; Cf. = compare (Lat. confer) ;
Abbott refers to the excellent Shakespearean Grammar of Dr.
Abbott; Schmidt, to Dr. Schmidt's invaluable Shakespeare Lexicon.
Chamber . London was anciently called Camera regis , the
King's Chamber.
Cousin means (1) the son or daughter of an uncle or
aunt; (2) any kinsman or kinswoman, as nephew, uncle,
niece, grandchild (II. ii. 8; II. iv. 9); (3) a title applied by
princes to other princes and distinguished noblemen.
Of = as regards, concerning.
Jumpeth , agrees.
Peevish , silly, childish.
Cardinal . The unaccented i where it before shall be thought .
Of any place , of all places I dislike the Tower most.
This is due to a confusion of two constructions : I dislike
the Tower more than any place , and most of all places . This
is a Greek idiom, but occurs pretty frequently in Shakespeare.
Re-edified , rebuilt, the word in its primary meaning.
Formal vice , the conventional vice of the old dramas.
In the old moralities, there was always one character bearing the name of some vice, sometimes of Iniquity itself. He was grotesquely dressed in a cap with asses' ears, a long
coat, and a dagger of lath; and he was always accompanied
by the devil, whom he belabored with his dagger, but was
ultimately carried off by him to hell. His principal business was to make the audience laugh, and his chief device
to this end was to play upon the double meaning of words.
Lightly = usually.
Capable , able.
Divided councils , besides the public council held in
the Tower, there was a private one at Crosby-place.
Mistress Shore . According to Hall, Hastings took her
for his mistress after the king's death.
Complots , conspiracies.
Earldom of Hereford . Buckingham claimed this as
his inheritance, but could never obtain it in King Edward's
time.
