The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 5 of 9]Shakespeare, William
General
The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 5 of 9]
Shakespeare, William
English drama
_Glou._ What, will the aspiring blood of Lancaster
Sink in the ground? I thought it would have mounted.
See how my sword weeps for the poor king’s death!
O, may such purple tears be alway shed
From those that wish the downfall of our house! ·cef065·
If any spark of life be yet remaining,
Down, down to hell; and say I sent thee thither:
[_Stabs him again._
I, that have neither pity, love, nor fear.
Indeed, ’tis true that Henry told me of;
For I have often heard my mother say ·cef070·
I came into the world with my legs forward:
Had I not reason, think ye, to make haste,
And seek their ruin that usurp’d our right?
The midwife wonder’d and the women cried
‘O, Jesus bless us, he is born with teeth!’ ·cef075·
And so I was; which plainly signified
That I should snarl and bite and play the dog.
Then, since the heavens have shaped my body so,
Let hell make crook’d my mind to answer it. [cef079]
I have no brother, I am like no brother; ·cef080·
And this word ‘love,’ which greybeards call divine,
Be resident in men like one another
And not in me: I am myself alone.
Clarence, beware; thou keep’st me from the light: [cef084]
But I will sort a pitchy day for thee; ·cef085·
For I will buz abroad such prophecies
That Edward shall be fearful of his life,
And then, to purge his fear, I’ll be thy death.
King Henry and the prince his son are gone:
Clarence, thy turn is next, and then the rest, ·cef090·
Counting myself but bad till I be best.
I’ll throw thy body in another room
And triumph, Henry, in thy day of doom. [cef093]
[_Exit, with the body._
SCENE VII. _London. The palace_.
_Flourish. Enter_ KING EDWARD, QUEEN ELIZABETH, CLARENCE,
GLOUCESTER, HASTINGS, _a_ Nurse _with the young Prince, and_
Attendants.
_K. Edw._ Once more we sit in England’s royal throne, [ceg001]
Re-purchased with the blood of enemies.
What valiant foemen, like to autumn’s corn,
Have we mow’d down in tops of all their pride! [ceg004]
Three Dukes of Somerset, threefold renown’d [ceg005]
For hardy and undoubted champions; [ceg006]
Two Cliffords, as the father and the son,
And two Northumberlands; two braver men
Ne’er spurr’d their coursers at the trumpet’s sound;
With them, the two brave bears, Warwick and Montague, ·ceg010·
That in their chains fetter’d the kingly lion
And made the forest tremble when they roar’d.
Thus have we swept suspicion from our seat
And made our footstool of security. [ceg014]
Come hither, Bess, and let me kiss my boy. [ceg015]
Young Ned, for thee, thine uncles and myself
Have in our armours watch’d the winter’s night, [ceg017]
Went all afoot in summer’s scalding heat,
That thou mightst repossess the crown in peace:
And of our labours thou shalt reap the gain. [ceg020]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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