William Shakespeare - KING RICHARD III

Of golden sovereignty; acquaint the princess

With the sweet silent hours of marriage joys:

And when this arm of mine hath chastised

The petty rebel, dull-brain’d Buckingham,

Bound with triumphant garlands will I come,

And lead thy daughter to a conqueror’s bed;

To whom I will retail my conquest won,

And she shall be sole victoress, Caesar’s Caesar.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

What were I best to say? her father’s brother

Would be her lord? or shall I say her uncle?

Or he that slew her brothers and her uncles?

Under what title shall I woo for thee,

That God, the law, my honour, and her love

Can make seem pleasing to her tender years?

KING RICHARD

Infer fair England’s peace by this alliance.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Which she shall purchase with still-lasting war.

KING RICHARD

Tell her the king, that may command, entreats.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

That at her hands which the king’s King forbids.

KING RICHARD

Say she shall be a high and mighty queen.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

To wail the title, as her mother doth.

KING RICHARD

Say I will love her everlastingly.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

But how long shall that title, “ever,” last?

KING RICHARD

Sweetly in force unto her fair life’s end.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

But how long fairly shall her sweet life last?

KING RICHARD

As long as heaven and nature lengthens it.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

As long as hell and Richard likes of it.

KING RICHARD

Say I, her sovereign, am her subject low.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

But she, your subject, loathes such sovereignty.

KING RICHARD

Be eloquent in my behalf to her.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

An honest tale speeds best being plainly told.

KING RICHARD

Then plainly to her tell my loving tale.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Plain and not honest is too harsh a style.

KING RICHARD

Your reasons are too shallow and too quick.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

O, no, my reasons are too deep and dead;—

Too deep and dead, poor infants, in their graves.

KING RICHARD

Harp not on that string, madam; that is past.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Harp on it still shall I till heartstrings break.

KING RICHARD

Now, by my George, my garter, and my crown,—

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Profan’d, dishonour’d, and the third usurp’d.

KING RICHARD

I swear,—

QUEEN ELIZABETH

By nothing; for this is no oath:

Thy George, profan’d, hath lost his lordly honour;

Thy garter, blemish’d, pawn’d his knightly virtue;

Thy crown, usurp’d, disgrac’d his kingly glory.

If something thou wouldst swear to be believ’d,

Swear then by something that thou hast not wrong’d.

KING RICHARD

Now, by the world,—

QUEEN ELIZABETH

‘Tis full of thy foul wrongs.

KING RICHARD

My father’s death,—

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Thy life hath that dishonour’d.

KING RICHARD

Then, by myself,—

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Thy self is self-misus’d.

KING RICHARD

Why, then, by God,—

QUEEN ELIZABETH

God’s wrong is most of all.

If thou hadst fear’d to break an oath by Him,

The unity the king thy brother made

Had not been broken, nor my brother slain:

If thou hadst fear’d to break an oath by Him,

The imperial metal, circling now thy head,

Had grac’d the tender temples of my child;

And both the princes had been breathing here,

Which now, two tender bedfellows for dust,

Thy broken faith hath made a prey for worms.

What canst thou swear by now?

KING RICHARD

The time to come.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

That thou hast wrongèd in the time o’erpast;

For I myself have many tears to wash

Hereafter time, for time past wronged by thee.

The children live whose fathers thou hast slaughter’d,

Ungovern’d youth, to wail it in their age;

The parents live whose children thou hast butcher’d,

Old barren plants, to wail it with their age.

Swear not by time to come: for that thou hast

Misus’d ere used, by times ill-us’d o’erpast.

KING RICHARD

As I intend to prosper and repent!

So thrive I in my dangerous attempt

Of hostile arms! myself myself confound!

Heaven and fortune bar me happy hours!

Day, yield me not thy light; nor, night, thy rest!

Be opposite all planets of good luck

To my proceeding!—if, with pure heart’s love,

Immaculate devotion, holy thoughts,

I tender not thy beauteous princely daughter!

In her consists my happiness and thine;

Without her, follows to myself and thee,

Herself, the land, and many a Christian soul,

Death, desolation, ruin, and decay:

It cannot be avoided but by this;

It will not be avoided but by this.

Therefore, dear mother,—I must call you so,—

Be the attorney of my love to her:

Plead what I will be, not what I have been;

Not my deserts, but what I will deserve:

Urge the necessity and state of times,

And be not peevish found in great designs.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Shall I be tempted of the devil thus?

KING RICHARD

Ay, if the devil tempt you to do good.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Shall I forget myself to be myself?

KING RICHARD

Ay, if your self’s remembrance wrong yourself.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Yet thou didst kill my children.

KING RICHARD

But in your daughter’s womb I bury them:

Where, in that nest of spicery, they shall breed

Selves of themselves, to your recomforture.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

Shall I go win my daughter to thy will?

KING RICHARD

And be a happy mother by the deed.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

I go.—Write to me very shortly,

And you shall understand from me her mind.

KING RICHARD

Bear her my true love’s kiss; and so, farewell.

[Kissing her. Exit QUEEN ELIZABETH.]

Relenting fool, and shallow, changing woman!

[Enter RATCLIFF; CATESBY following.]

How now! what news?

RATCLIFF

Most mighty sovereign, on the western coast

Rideth a puissant navy; to the shore

Throng many doubtful hollow-hearted friends,

Unarm’d, and unresolv’d to beat them back:

‘Tis thought that Richmond is their admiral;

And there they hull, expecting but the aid

Of Buckingham to welcome them ashore.

KING RICHARD

Some lightfoot friend post to the Duke of Norfolk:—

Ratcliff, thyself,—or Catesby; where is he?

CATESBY

Here, my good lord.

KING RICHARD

Catesby, fly to the duke.

CATESBY

I will my lord, with all convenient haste.

KING RICHARD

Ratcliff, come hither: post to Salisbury:

When thou com’st thither,—

[To CATESBY.]

Dull, unmindful villain,

Why stay’st thou here, and go’st not to the duke?

CATESBY

First, mighty liege, tell me your highness’ pleasure,

What from your grace I shall deliver to him.

KING RICHARD

O, true, good Catesby:—bid him levy straight

The greatest strength and power that he can make,

And meet me suddenly at Salisbury.

CATESBY

I go.

[Exit.]

RATCLIFF

What, may it please you, shall I do at Salisbury?

KING RICHARD

Why, what wouldst thou do there before I go?

RATCLIFF

Your highness told me I should post before.

[Enter STANLEY.]

KING RICHARD

My mind is chang’d.—Stanley, what news with you?

STANLEY

None good, my liege, to please you with the hearing;

Nor none so bad but well may be reported.

KING RICHARD

Hoyday, a riddle! neither good nor bad!