_Glo._ They do me wrong, and I will not endure it. Who are they that complain unto the King, That I, forsooth, am stern, and love them not? By holy Paul, they love his Grace but lightly, That fill his ears with such dissentious rumours; Because I cannot flatter, and look fair, Smile in men’s faces, smooth, deceive, and cog, Duck with French nods and apish courtesy, I must be held a rancorous enemy. Cannot a plain man live, and think no harm, But thus his simple truth must be abused With silken, sly, insinuating Jacks _Gray._ To whom in all this presence speaks your Grace? _Glo._ To thee, that hast nor honesty nor grace; When have I injured thee? When done thee wrong? Or thee? or thee? or any of your faction? A plague upon you all! What can be more characteristic than the turbulent pretensions to meekness and simplicity in this address? Again, the versatility and adroitness of _Richard_ is admirably described in the following ironical answer to Brakenbury:— _Brakenbury._ I beseech your graces both to pardon me, His Majesty hath straitly given in charge, That no man shall have private conference, Of what degree soever, with your brother. _Glo._ E’en so, and please your worship, Brakenbury, You may partake of any thing we say: We speak not reason, man—we say the King Is wise and virtuous, and his noble Queen Well strook in years, fair, and not jealous. We say that Shore’s wife hath a pretty foot, A cherry lip, a passing pleasing tongue: That the Queen’s kindred are made gentle folks. How say you, Sir? Can you deny all this? _Brak._ With this, my Lord, myself have nought to do. _Glo._ What, fellow, nought to do with Mistress Shore? I tell you, Sir, he that doth nought with her, Excepting one, were best to do it secretly alone. _Brak._ What one, my Lord? _Glo._ Her husband, knave—wouldst thou betray me? The feigned reconciliation of Gloucester with the Queen’s kinsmen, is also a master-piece. One of the finest features in the play, and which serves to shew, as much as any thing, the deep duplicity of _Richard_, is the unsuspecting security of _Hastings_, at the very time when the former is plotting his death. Perhaps the two most beautiful passages in the original, are the farewell apostrophe of the _Queen_ to the Tower, where her children are shut up from her, and _Tyrrel’s_ description of their death. We will finish our quotations with them:—