So fhe may live unfcarr'd from bleeding flaughter,
I will confess she was not Edward's daughter.

K. Rich. Wrong not her birth, the is of royal blood.

Queen. To fave her life, I'll fay, fhe is not fo.
K. Rich. Her life is fafeft only in her birth.
Queen. And only in that fafety dy'd her brothers.
K. Rich, No, at their births good stars were op-
pofite.

Queen. No, to their lives bad friends were contrary. K. Rich. All unavoided is the doom of deftiny. Queen. True; when avoided grace makes destiny. My babes were deftin'd to a fairer death,

If grace had bleft thee with a fairer life.

K. Rich. You fpeak, as if that I had flain my coufins?

Queen. Coufins, indeed; and by their Uncle cozen'd
Of Comfort, Kingdom, Kindred, Freedom, Life,
Whofe hands foever lanc'd their tender hearts,
Thy head, all indirectly, gave direction.

No doubt,, the murd'rous knife was dull and blunt
Till it was whetted on thy ftone-hard heart
To revel in the intrails of my lambs.

But that still use of grief makes wild grief tame
My tongue fhould to thy ears not name my boys,
Till that my nails were anchor'd in thine eyes;
And I in fuch a defp'rate bay of death,
Like a poor bark, of fails and tackling reft,
Rufh all to pieces on thy rocky bofom.

K. Rich. Madam, fo thrive I in my enterprize,
And dangerous fuccefs of bloody wars,

As I intend more good to you and

yours,

Than ever you or yours by me were harm'd.

Queen. What good is cover'd with the face of heav'n, To be discover'd, that can do me good?

K. Rich. Th' advancement of your children, gen

tle lady.

Queen. Up to fome scaffold, there to lose their heads,

K. Rich.

K. Rich. No, to the dignity and height of fortune, * The high imperial type of this earth's glory.

Queen. Flatter my forrows with report of it. Tell me, what state, what dignity, what honour, s Canft thou demife to any child of mine?

K. Rich. Ev'n all I have; ay, and myself and all, Will I withal endow a child of thine?

So in the Letbe of thy angry foul

Thou drown the fad Remembrance of those wrongs; Which, thou fuppofeft, I have done to thee.

Queen. Be brief, left that the process of thy kind

nefs

Laft longer telling than thy kindness do.

K. Rich. Then know, that from my foul I love thy daughter.

Queen. My daughter's mother thinks it with her foul. K. Rich. What do you think?

Queen. That thou doft love my daughter, from thy foul.

So from thy foul's love, didft thou love her brothers; And from my heart's love I do thank thee for it.

K. Rich. Be not fo hafty to confound my meaning; I mean, that with my foul I love thy daughter, And do intend to make her Queen of England.

Queen. Say then, who doft thou mean fhall be her King?

K. Rich. Ev'n he that makes her Queen ; who else fhould be?

Queen. What, thou?"

K. Rich. Even fo; how think you of it?
Queen. How canft thou woo her ?

K. Rich. I would learn of you,

As one being beft acquainted with her humour.

4 The high imperial type] Type is exhibition, fhew, difplay.

Canft thou demife-] The sense of the word demife is evi

dent, but I do not remember it any where fo ufed perhaps it fhould be devife, which the lawyers ufe, for to transfer, or make over.

Queen.

Queen. And wilt thou learn of me?

K. Rich. With all my heart.

Queen. Send to her, by the man that flew her bro

thers

A pair of bleeding hearts; thereon engrave
Edward and York; then haply will fhe weep:
Therefore prefent to her, as fometime Margret
Did to thy father, steept in Rutland's blood,
A handkerchief; which, fay to her, did drain
The purple tide from her sweet brothers bodies,
And bid her wipe her weeping eyes therewith.
If this inducement move her not to love,
Send her a letter of thy noble deeds; E
Tell her, thou mad'ft away her uncle Clarence,
Her uncle Rivers; ay, and for her fake,

1

Mad'ft quick conveyance with her good aunt Anne.
K. Rich. You mock me, Madam; this is not the

way

To win your daughter..

Queen. There's no other way,

Unless thou could't put on fome other shape,
And not be Ricbard that hath done all this.

K. Rich. Say, that I did all this for love of her.
Queen. Nay then, indeed, fhe cannot chufe but
hate thee;

Having bought love with fuch a bloody spoil.

K. Rich. Look, what is done, cannot be now amended;

Men shall deal unadvisedly fometimes,

Which after-hours give leifure to repent of.
If I did take the kingdom from your fons,
To make amends, I'll give it to your daughter.
If I have kill'd the iffue of your womb,

To quicken your increase I will beget

6 As fometime Marg'ret] Here'

Bloody Spoil. Speil is waste,

is another reference to the plays havock, of Henry VI.

Mine iffue of your blood, upon your daughter.
A grandam's name is little lefs in love,
Than is the doting title of a mother;
They are as children but one step below,
Even of your metal, of your very blood:
Of all one pain, fave for a night of groans
Endur'd of her, for whom you bid like forrow.
Your children were vexation to your youth,
But mine fhall be a comfort to your age.
The lofs you have, is but a fon being King;
And by that lofs your daughter is made Queen.
I cannot make you what amends I would,
Therefore accept fuch kindnefs as I can.
Dorfet your fon, that with a fearful foul l
Leads difcontented steps in foreign foil,
This fair alliance quickly fhall call home
To high promotions, and great dignity.
The King, that calls your beauteous daughter wife,
Familiarly fhall call thy Dorfet brother.
Again fhall you be mother to a King;
And all the ruins of diftressful times
Repair'd with double riches of content.
What! we have many goodly days to fee.
The liquid drops of tears, that you have shed,
Shall come again, transform'd to orient pearl;
9 Advantaging their lone with interest
Of ten times double gain of happiness.
Go then, my mother, to thy daughter go;

Bid is the past tenfe from bids.

9 Advantaging their Love with Int'reft, Oftentimes double Gain of Happiness.] My eafy Emendation will convince every Reader Love and Lone are made out of one another, by a Letter turned upside down. Often

times is a ftupid Concretion of three Words. My Emendation gives this apt and eafy Senfe. The Tears, that you have lent to your Afflictions, shall be turn'd into Gems; and requite you by way of Interest, with Happiness twenty times as great as your Sorrows have been. THEOBALD

Make

Make bold her bashful years with your experience
Prepare her ears to hear a wooer's tale;
Put in her tender heart th' afpiring flame
Of golden Soy'reignty; acquaint the Princess
With the fweet filent hours of marriage joys.
And when this arm of mine hath chaftifed
The petty rebel, dull-brain'd Buckingham,
Bound with triumphant garlands will I come,
And lead thy daughter to a Conqueror's beds
To whom I will retail my Conquest won,
And the fhall be fole victress, Cafar's Cafar,

Queen. What were I bett to say, her father's brother
Would be her, Lord? or fhall I fay, her uncle ?
Or he that flew her brothers, and her uncles?
Under what title fhall I woo for thee,

That God, the law, my honour, and her love,
Can make seem pleafing to her tender years?

K. Rich. Infer fair England's peace by this alliance.
Queen. Which he fhall purchase with till lafting

war.

K. Rich. Tell her, the King, that may command,

intreats

Queen. That at her hands, which the king's King

forbids.

”

K. Rich. Say, the fhall be a high and mighty

Queen. To wail the title, as her mother doth.
K. Rich. Say, I will love her everlastingly.
Queen. But how long fhall that title, ever, laft?
K. Rich. Sweetly in force, unto her fair life's end.
Queen. But how long, fairly, fhall her fweet life laft ?
K. Rich. As long as heav'n and nature lengthen it.
Queen. As long as hell and Rickard like of it.
K. Rich. Say, 1, her Sov'reign, am her Subject now.
Queen. But the, your Subject, loaths fuch Sov'reignty.
K. Rich. Be eloquent in my behalf to her.

Queen. An honest tale speeds beft, being plainly told.
K. Rich.