London. A Room in the Palace.
 Flourish.
 Enter KING EDWARD sick, the QUEEN ELIZABETH, LORD MARQUIS DORSET,
 RIVERS, LORD HASTINGS, CATESBY, BUCKINGHAM, and GREY.

Edward IV	Why, so; now have I done a good day's work.
	You peers, continue this united league.
	I every day expect an embassage
	From my Redeemer to redeem me hence;
	And more in peace my soul shall part to heaven
	Since I have made my friends at peace on earth.
	Rivers and Hastings, take each other's hand;
	Dissemble not your hatred; swear your love.

Rivers	By heaven, my soul is purged from grudging hate,
	And with my hand I seal my true heart's love.

Lord Hastings	So thrive I, as I truly swear the like.

Edward IV	Take heed you dally not before your king,
	Lest He that is the supreme King of kings
	Confound your hidden falsehood, and award
	Either of you to be the other's end.

Lord Hastings	So prosper I, as I swear perfect love.

Rivers	And I, as I love Hastings with my heart.

Edward IV	Madam, yourself is not exempt from this;
	Nor you, son Dorset; Buckingham, nor you.
	You have been factious, one against the other.
	Wife, love Lord Hastings, let him kiss your hand;
	And what you do, do it unfeignedly.

Elizabeth	There, Hastings; I will never more remember
	Our former hatred, so thrive I and mine.

Edward IV	Dorset, embrace him. Hastings, love Lord Marquis.

Dorset	This interchange of love, I here protest,
	Upon my part shall be inviolable.

Lord Hastings	And so swear I.

Edward IV	Now, princely Buckingham, seal thou this league
	With thy embracements to my wife's allies,
	And make me happy in your unity.

Buckingham	[To ELIZABETH.] Whenever Buckingham doth turn his hate
	Upon your grace, but with all duteous love
	Doth cherish you and yours, God punish me
	With hate in those where I expect most love.
	When I have most need to employ a friend,
	And most assurd that he is a friend,
	Deep, hollow, treacherous, and full of guile
	Be he unto me. This do I beg of God
	When I am cold in love to you or yours.
														[Embrace.
Edward IV	A pleasing cordial, princely Buckingham,
	Is this thy vow unto my sickly heart.
	There wanteth now our brother Gloucester here,
	To make the blessd period of this peace.

                       Enter RATCLIFFE and RICHARD.

Buckingham	And in good time-
	Here comes Sir Richard Ratcliffe and the duke.

Richard	Good morrow to my sovereign king and queen;
	And princely peers, a happy time of day.

Edward IV	Happy indeed, as we have spent the day.
	Gloucester, we have done deeds of charity,
	Made peace of enmity, fair love of hate,
	Between these swelling, wrong-incensd peers.

Richard	A blessd labour, my most sovereign lord.
	Among this princely heap, if any here
	By false intelligence or wrong surmise
	Hold me a foe,
	If I unwittingly, or in my rage,
	Have aught committed that is hardly borne
	By any in this presence, I desire
	To reconcile me to his friendly peace.
	'Tis death to me to be at enmity;
	I hate it, and desire all good men's love.
	First, madam, I entreat true peace of you,
	Which I will purchase with my duteous service;
	Of you, my noble cousin Buckingham,
	If ever any grudge were lodged between us;
	Of you, Lord Rivers, and Lord Grey, of you,
	That all without desert have frowned on me;
	Dukes, earls, lords, gentlemen - indeed, of all.
	I do not know that Englishman alive
	With whom my soul is any jot at odds
	More than the infant that is born tonight.
	I thank my God for my humility.

Elizabeth	A holy day shall this be kept hereafter.
	I would to God all strifes were well compounded.
	My sovereign lord, I do beseech your highness
	To take our brother Clarence to your grace.

Richard	Why, madam, have I offered love for this,
	To be so flouted in this royal presence?
	Who knows not that the gentle duke is dead?
														[They all start.
	You do him injury to scorn his corse.

Rivers	Who knows not he is dead? Who knows he is?

Elizabeth	All-seeing heaven, what a world is this!

Buckingham	Look I so pale, Lord Dorset, as the rest?

Dorset	Ay, my good lord; and no man in the presence
	But his red colour hath forsook his cheeks.

Edward IV	Is Clarence dead? The order was reversed.

Richard	But he, poor man, by your first order died,
	And that a wingd Mercury did bear;
	Some tardy cripple bore the countermand,
	That came too lag to see him burid.
	God grant that some, less noble and less loyal,
	Nearer in bloody thoughts, but not in blood,
	Deserve not worse than wretched Clarence did,
	And yet go current from suspicion.

                    Enter Lord STANLEY Earl of Derby.

Stanley	[Kneeling.] A boon, my sovereign, for my service done.

Edward IV	I prithee peace; my soul is full of sorrow.

Stanley	I will not rise unless your highness hear me.

Edward IV	Then say at once what is it thou requests.

Stanley	The forfeit, sovereign, of my servant's life,
	Who slew today a riotous gentleman
	Lately attendant on the Duke of Norfolk.

Edward IV	Have I a tongue to doom my brother's death,
	And shall that tongue give pardon to a slave?
	My brother killed no man - his fault was thought;
	And yet his punishment was bitter death.
	Who sued to me for him? Who, in my wrath,
	Kneeled at my feet and bade me be advised?
	Who spoke of brotherhood? Who spoke of love?
	Who told me how the poor soul did forsake
	The mighty Warwick, and did fight for me?
	Who told me, in the field at Tewkesbury,
	When Oxford had me down, he rescued me
	And said "Dear brother, live and be a king"?
	Who told me, when we both lay in the field
	Frozen almost to death, how he did lap me
	Even in his garments, and did give himself
	All thin and naked to the numb-cold night?
	All this from my remembrance brutish wrath
	Sinfully plucked, and not a man of you
	Had so much grace to put it in my mind.
	But when your carters or your waiting vassals
	Have done a drunken slaughter and defaced
	The precious image of our dear Redeemer,
	You straight are on your knees for "pardon, pardon";
	And I, unjustly too, must grant it you.
	But for my brother not a man would speak,
	Nor I, ungracious, speak unto myself
	For him, poor soul. The proudest of you all
	Have been beholding to him in his life,
	Yet none of you would once beg for his life.
	O God, I fear Thy justice will take hold
	On me - and you, and mine and yours - for this.
	Come, Hastings, help me to my closet.
	Ah, poor Clarence!
								   [Exeunt SOME with KING and QUEEN.

Richard	This is the fruits of rashness. Marked you not
	How that the guilty kindred of the queen
	Looked pale when they did hear of Clarence' death?
	O, they did urge it still unto the king.
	God will revenge it. Come, lords, will you go
	To comfort Edward with our company?

Buckingham	We wait upon your grace.
														[Exeunt.
