King Richard

Stand all apart. Cousin of Buckingham!

Buckingham

My gracious sovereign?

King Richard

Give me thy hand. Here he ascendeth his throne.

Thus high, by thy advice

And thy assistance, is King Richard seated;

But shall we wear these glories for a day?

Or shall they last, and we rejoice in them?

Buckingham

Still live they and for ever let them last!

King Richard

Ah Buckingham, now do I play the touch,

To try if thou be current gold indeed:

Young Edward lives: think now what I would speak.

Buckingham

Say on, my loving lord.

King Richard

Why, Buckingham, I say, I would be king.

Buckingham

Why, so you are, my thrice-renowned lord.

King Richard

Ha! am I king? 'tis so: but Edward lives.

Buckingham

True, noble prince.

King Richard

O bitter consequence,

That Edward still should live! “True, noble prince!”

Cousin, thou wast not wont to be so dull:

Shall I be plain? I wish the bastards dead;

And I would have it suddenly performed.

What sayest thou now? speak suddenly; be brief.

Buckingham

Your grace may do your pleasure.

King Richard

Tut, tut, thou art all ice, thy kindness freezes:

Say, have I thy consent that they shall die?

Buckingham

Give me some little breath, some pause, dear lord,

Before I positively speak in this:

I will resolve you herein presently. Exit.

Catesby

Aside to stander by

The king is angry: see, he gnaws his lip.

King Richard

I will converse with iron-witted fools

And unrespective boys: none are for me

That look into me with considerate eyes:

High-reaching Buckingham grows circumspect.

Boy!

Page

My lord?

King Richard

Know'st thou not any whom corrupting gold

Will tempt unto a close exploit of death?

Page

I know a discontented gentleman,

Whose humble means match not his haughty spirit:

Gold were as good as twenty orators,

And will, no doubt, tempt him to any thing.

King Richard

What is his name?

Page

His name, my lord, is Tyrrel.

King Richard

I partly know the man: go, call him hither, boy Exit Page.

The deep-revolving witty Buckingham

No more shall be the neighbour to my counsels:

Hath he so long held out with me untired,

And stops he now for breath? Well, be it so.

Enter STANLEY.

How now, Lord Stanley, what's the news?

Stanley

Know, my loving lord

The Marquis Dorset, as I hear, is fled

To Richmond, in the parts where he abides. Stands apart.

King Richard

Come hither, Catesby. Rumour it abroad

That Anne, my wife, is very grievous sick:

I will take order for her keeping close.

Inquire me out some mean poor gentleman,

Whom I will marry straight to Clarence' daughter:

The boy is foolish, and I fear not him.

Look, how thou dream'st! I say again, give out

That Anne my queen is sick and like to die:

About it; for it stands me much upon,

To stop all hopes whose growth may damage me. Exit Catesby.

I must be married to my brother's daughter,

Or else my kingdom stands on brittle glass.

Murder her brothers, and then marry her!

Uncertain way of gain! But I am in

So far in blood that sin will pluck on sin:

Tear-falling pity dwells not in this eye. Re-enter Page, with TYRREL.

Is thy name Tyrrel?

Tyrrel

James Tyrrel, and your most obedient subject.

King Richard

Art thou, indeed?

Tyrrel

Prove me, my gracious lord.

King Richard

Darest thou resolve to kill a friend of mine?

Tyrrel

Please you;

But I had rather kill two enemies.

King Richard

Why, there thou hast it: two deep enemies,

Foes to my rest and my sweet sleep's disturbers

Are they that I would have thee deal upon:

Tyrrel, I mean those bastards in the Tower.

Tyrrel

Let me have open means to come to them,

And soon I'll rid you from the fear of them.

King Richard

Thou sing'st sweet music. Hark, come hither, Tyrrel:

Go, by this token: rise, and lend thine ear: Whispers.

There is no more but so: say it is done,

And I will love thee, and prefer thee for it.

Tyrrel

I will dispatch it straight.

Buckingham

My lord, I have considered in my mind

The late request that you did sound me in.

King Richard

Well, let that rest. Dorset is fled to Richmond.

Buckingham

I hear the news, my lord.

King Richard

Stanley, he is your wife's son: well, look unto it.

Buckingham

My lord, I claim the gift, my due by promise,

For which your honour and your faith is pawned;

The earldom of Hereford and the moveables

Which you have promised I shall possess.

King Richard

Stanley, look to your wife; if she convey

Letters to Richmond, you shall answer it.

Buckingham

What says your highness to my just request?

King Richard

I do remember me, Henry the Sixth

Did prophesy that Richmond should be king,

When Richmond was a little peevish boy.

A king, perhaps, perhaps, —

Buckingham

My lord!

King Richard

How chance the prophet could not at that time

Have told me, I being by, that I should kill him?

Buckingham

My lord, your promise for the earldom, —

King Richard

Richmond! When last I was at Exeter,

The mayor in courtesy showed me the castle,

And called it Rougemont: at which name I started,

Because a bard of Ireland told me once,

I should not live long after I saw Richmond.

Buckingham

My lord!

King Richard

Ay, what's o'clock?

Buckingham

I am thus bold to put your grace in mind

Of what you promised me.

King Richard

Well, but what's o'clock?

Buckingham

Upon the stroke of ten.

King Richard

Well, let it strike.

Buckingham

Why let it strike?

King Richard

Because that, like a Jack, thou keep'st the stroke

Betwixt thy begging and my meditation.

I am not in the giving vein to-day.

Buckingham

May it please you to resolve me in my suit

King Richard

Thou troublest me; I am not in the vein. Exeunt all but Buckingham.

Buckingham

And is it thus? repays he my deep service

With such contempt? made I him king for this?

O, let me think on Hastings, and be gone

To Brecknock, while my fearful head is on! Exit.