London. A Street.
 The trumpets sound.
 Enter young PRINCE EDWARD, RICHARD, BUCKINGHAM,
 Lord CARDINAL Bourchier, CATESBY, with OTHERS.

Buckingham	Welcome, sweet prince, to London, to your chamber.

Richard	Welcome, dear cousin, my thoughts' sovereign.
	The weary way hath made you melancholy.

Prince Edward	No, uncle, but our crosses on the way
	Have made it tedious, wearisome, and heavy.
	I want more uncles here to welcome me.

Richard	Sweet prince, the untainted virtue of your years
	Hath not yet dived into the world's deceit,
	Nor more can you distinguish of a man
	Than of his outward show, which, God He knows,
	Seldom or never jumpeth with the heart.
	Those uncles which you want were dangerous;
	Your grace attended to their sugared words,
	But looked not on the poison of their hearts.
	God keep you from them, and from such false friends!

Prince Edward	God keep me from false friends - but they were none.

                     Enter LORD MAYOR with his TRAIN.

Richard	My lord, the Mayor of London comes to greet you.

Lord Mayor	God bless your grace with health and happy days!

Prince Edward	I thank you, good my lord, and thank you all.
	[To RICHARD.] I thought my mother and my brother York
	Would long ere this have met us on the way.
	Fie, what a slug is Hastings! that he comes not
	To tell us whether they will come or no.

                           Enter LORD HASTINGS.

Buckingham	And in good time here comes the sweating lord.

Prince Edward	Welcome, my lord. What, will our mother come?

Lord Hastings	On what occasion God He knows, not I,
	The queen your mother and your brother York
	Have taken sanctuary. The tender prince
	Would fain have come with me to meet your grace,
	But by his mother was perforce withheld.

Buckingham	Fie, what an indirect and peevish course
	Is this of hers! Lord Cardinal, will your grace
	Persuade the queen to send the Duke of York
	Unto his princely brother presently?
	If she deny, Lord Hastings, go with him,
	And from her jealous arms pluck him perforce.

Cardinal	My Lord of Buckingham, if my weak oratory
	Can from his mother win the Duke of York,
	Anon expect him here; but if she be obdurate
	To mild entreaties, God in heaven forbid
	We should infringe the holy privilege
	Of blessd sanctuary. Not for all this land
	Would I be guilty of so deep a sin.

Buckingham	You are too senseless-obstinate, my lord,
	Too ceremonious and traditional.
	Weigh it but with the grossness of this age,
	You break not sanctuary in seizing him.
	The benefit thereof is always granted
	To those whose dealings have deserved the place,
	And those who have the wit to claim the place.
	This prince hath neither claimed it nor deserved it;
	And therefore, in mine opinion, cannot have it.
	Then, taking him from thence that is not there,
	You break no privilege nor charter there.
	Oft have I heard of sanctuary men,
	But sanctuary children ne'er till now.

Cardinal	My lord, you shall o'errule my mind for once.
	Come on, Lord Hastings, will you go with me?

Lord Hastings	I go, my lord.

Prince Edward	Good lords, make all the speedy haste you may.
									  [Exeunt CARDINAL and HASTINGS.

	Say, uncle Gloucester, if our brother come,
	Where shall we sojourn till our coronation?

Richard	Where it seems best unto your royal self.
	If I may counsel you, some day or two
	Your highness shall repose you at the Tower,
	Then where you please and shall be thought most fit
	For your best health and recreation.

Prince Edward	I do not like the Tower, of any place.
	Did Julius Caesar build that place, my lord?

Buckingham	He did, my gracious lord, begin that place,
	Which since succeeding ages have re-edified.

Prince Edward	Is it upon record, or else reported
	Successively from age to age, he built it?

Buckingham	Upon record, my gracious lord.

Prince Edward	But say, my lord, it were not registered,
	Methinks the truth should live from age to age,
	As 'twere retailed to all posterity,
	Even to the general all-ending day.

Richard	[Aside.] So wise so young, they say, do never live long.

Prince Edward	What say you, uncle?

Richard	I say, without characters fame lives long.
	[Aside.] Thus, like the formal Vice, Iniquity,
	I moralize two meanings in one word.

Prince Edward	That Julius Caesar was a famous man-
	With what his valour did enrich his wit,
	His wit set down to make his valour live:
	Death makes no conquest of this conqueror,
	For now he lives in fame, though not in life.
	I'll tell you what, my cousin Buckingham.

Buckingham	What, my gracious lord?

Prince Edward	And if I live until I be a man,
	I'll win our ancient right in France again,
	Or die a soldier, as I lived a king.

Richard	[Aside.] Short summers lightly have a forward spring.

     Re-enter HASTINGS and the CARDINAL with the young DUKE OF YORK.

Buckingham	Now in good time here comes the Duke of York

Prince Edward	Richard of York, how fares our loving brother?

Duke of York	Well, my dread lord - so must I call you now.

Prince Edward	Ay, brother, to our grief, as it is yours:
	Too late he died that might have kept that title,
	Which by his death hath lost much majesty.

Richard	How fares our cousin, noble Lord of York?

Duke of York	I thank you, gentle uncle. O my lord,
	You said that idle weeds are fast in growth:
	The prince my brother hath outgrown me far.

Richard	He hath, my lord.

Duke of York							And therefore is he idle?

Richard	O my fair cousin, I must not say so.

Duke of York	Then he is more beholding to you than I.

Richard	He may command me as my sovereign,
	But you have power in me as in a kinsman.

Duke of York	I pray you, uncle, give me this dagger.

Richard	My dagger, little cousin? With all my heart.

Prince Edward	A beggar, brother?

Duke of York	Of my kind uncle, that I know will give,
	And being but a toy, which is no grief to give.

Richard	A greater gift than that I'll give my cousin.

Duke of York	A greater gift? O, that's the sword to it.

Richard	Ay, gentle cousin, were it light enough.

Duke of York	O, then I see you will part but with light gifts;
	In weightier things you'll say a beggar nay.

Richard	It is too heavy for your grace to wear.

Duke of York	I weigh it lightly, were it heavier.

Richard	What, would you have my weapon, little lord?

Duke of York	I would, that I might thank you as you call me.

Richard	How?

Duke of York	Little.

Prince Edward	My lord of York will still be cross in talk.
	Uncle, your grace knows how to bear with him.

Duke of York	You mean to bear me, not to bear with me.
	Uncle, my brother mocks both you and me:
	Because that I am little, like an ape,
	He thinks that you should bear me on your shoulders.

Buckingham	With what a sharp-provided wit he reasons!
	To mitigate the scorn he gives his uncle
	He prettily and aptly taunts himself.
	So cunning and so young is wonderful.

Richard	My lord, will't please you pass along?
	Myself and my good cousin Buckingham
	Will to your mother, to entreat of her
	To meet you at the Tower and welcome you.

Duke of York	What, will you go unto the Tower, my lord?

Prince Edward	My Lord Protector needs will have it so.

Duke of York	I shall not sleep in quiet at the Tower.

Richard	Why, what should you fear?

Duke of York	Marry, my uncle Clarence' angry ghost.
	My grandam told me he was murdered there.

Prince Edward	I fear no uncles dead.

Richard								Nor none that live, I hope?

Prince Edward	And if they live, I hope I need not fear.
	But come, my lord; and with a heavy heart,
	Thinking on them, go I unto the Tower.
														[A sennet. Exeunt.

                 Manet RICHARD, BUCKINGHAM, and CATESBY.

Buckingham	Think you, my lord, this little prating York
	Was not incensd by his subtle mother
	To taunt and scorn you thus opprobriously?

Richard	No doubt, no doubt. O, 'tis a parlous boy,
	Bold, quick, ingenious, forward, capable.
	He is all the mother's, from the top to toe.

Buckingham	Well, let them rest. Come hither, Catesby. Thou art sworn
	As deeply to effect what we intend
	As closely to conceal what we impart:-
	Thou know'st our reasons, urged upon the way.
	What think'st thou? Is it not an easy matter
	To make William Lord Hastings of our mind
	For the instalment of this noble duke
	In the seat royal of this famous isle?

Catesby	He for his father's sake so loves the prince
	That he will not be won to aught against him.

Buckingham	What think'st thou then of Stanley? Will not he?

Catesby	He will do all in all as Hastings doth.

Buckingham	Well then, no more but this: go, gentle Catesby,
	And, as it were far off, sound thou Lord Hastings
	How he doth stand affected to our purpose,
	And summon him tomorrow to the Tower
	To sit about the coronation.
	If thou dost find him tractable to us,
	Encourage him, and tell him all our reasons;
	If he be leaden, icy, cold, unwilling,
	Be thou so too, and so break off the talk,
	And give us notice of his inclination;
	For we tomorrow hold divided councils,
	Wherein thyself shalt highly be employed.

Richard	Commend me to Lord William. Tell him, Catesby,
	His ancient knot of dangerous adversaries
	Tomorrow are let blood at Pomfret Castle,
	And bid my lord for joy of this good news
	Give Mistress Shore one gentle kiss the more.

Buckingham	Good Catesby, go effect this business soundly.

Catesby	My good lords both, with all the heed I can.

Richard	Shall we hear from you, Catesby, ere we sleep?

Catesby	You shall, my lord.

Richard	At Crosby Place, there shall you find us both.
														[Exit CATESBY.

Buckingham	Now, my lord, what shall we do if we perceive
	Lord Hastings will not yield to our complots?

Richard	Chop off his head - something we will determine.
	And look when I am king, claim thou of me
	The earldom of Hereford, and all the moveables
	Whereof the king my brother was possessed.

Buckingham	I'll claim that promise at your grace's hand.

Richard	And look to have it yielded with all kindness.
	Come, let us sup betimes, that afterwards
	We may digest our complots in some form.
														[Exeunt.
