London. A Room of State within the Palace.
 Sound a Sennet.
 Enter RICHARD in pomp, crowned;
 BUCKINGHAM, CATESBY, RATCLIFFE, LOVEL, other NOBLES, and a PAGE.

King Richard	Stand all apart. Cousin of Buckingham.

Buckingham	My gracious sovereign.

King Richard	Give me thy hand.
														[Sound a sennet.
									  [Here he ascendeth the 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-renownd 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 sayst 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	The king is angry. See, he gnaws his lip.

King Richard	[Aside.] 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	[Advancing to the throne.] 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 anything.

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.
	[Aside.] 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 LORD 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.

King Richard	Come hither, Catesby. Rumour it abroad
	That Anne my wife is very grievous sick;
	I will take order for her keeping close.
	Enquire 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	Dar'st thou resolve to kill a friend of mine?

Tyrrel	Please you; but I had rather kill two enemies.

King Richard	Why then 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.
														[Exit.

                           Re-enter BUCKINGHAM.

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:
	Th' earldom of Hereford and the moveables
	Which you have promisd 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 today.

Buckingham	May it please you to resolve me in my suit?

King Richard	Thou troublest me; I am not in the vein.
							   [Exit, followed by 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.
