Teach, not thy lip such scorn; for it was made Lo! here I lend thee this sharp-pointed sword; I lay it naked to the deadly stroke, And humbly beg the death upon my knee. [He lays his Breast open; she offers at it with his Sword. Nay, do not pause; for I did kill king Henry; But 'twas thy beauty that provoked me. Nay, now despatch; 'twas I that stabb'd young Edward;- [She again offers at his Breast. But 'twas thy heavenly face that set me on. [She lets fall the Sword. Take up the sword again, or take up me. Anne. Arise dissembler; though I wish thy death, I will not be thy executioner. Glo. Then bid me kill myself, and I will do it. Glo. That was in thy rage: Speak it again, and, even with the word, This hand, which, for thy love, did kill thy love, To both their deaths shalt thou be accessary. Anne. I would, I knew thy heart. Glo. 'Tis figur'd in both are false. Glo. Then man 6 But 'twas thy beauty-] Shakspeare countenances the observation, that no woman can ever be offended with the mention of her beauty. Johnson. For the sake of measure, I have hazarded this slight transposition. Steevens. Anne. To take, is not to give. [She puts on the Ring. But beg one favour at thy gracious hand, Glo. That it may please you leave these sad designs Grant me this boon. Anne. With all my heart; and much it joys me too, To see you are become so penitent.— Tressel, and Berkley, go along with me. Glo. Bid me farewel. 'Tis more than you deserve: But, since you teach me how to flatter you, [Exeunt Lady ANNE, Tress. and Berk. 8 more cause-] The folio-most cause. 9 Steevens. Crosby-place:] A house near Bishopsgate-street, belong ing to the Duke of Gloster. Johnson. Crosby-Place is now Crosby-square in Bishopsgate-street; part of the house is yet remaining, and is a meeting place for a Presbyterian congregation. Sir J. Hawkins. This magnificent house was built in the year 1466, by Sir John Crosby, grocer and woolman. He died in 1475. The ancient hall of this fabrick is still remaining, though divided by an additional floor, and incumbered by modern galleries, having been converted into a place of worship for Antinomians, &c. The upper part of it is now the warehouse of an eminent Packer. Sir J. Crosby's tomb is in the neighbouring church of St. Helen the Great. Steevens. 1 ·with all expedient duty-] See Vol. VIII, p. 37, n. 6. Malone. Glo. Take up the corse, sirs. Gent. Towards Chertsey, noble lord? Glo. No, to White-Fryars; there attend my coming. [Exeunt the rest, with the corse. Was ever woman in this humour woo'd? Was ever woman in this humour won? I'll have her,—but I will not keep her long. With God, her conscience, and these bars against me, But the plain devil, and dissembling looks, Hath she forgot already that brave prince, Edward, her lord, whom I, some three months since, 2 Imagine I have said farewel already.] Cibber, who altered King Richard III, for the stage, was so thoroughly convinced of the ridiculousness and improbability of this scene, that he thought himself obliged to make Tressel say: When future chronicles shall speak of this, They will be thought romance, not history. Thus also, in Twelfth Night, where Fabian observing the conduct of Malvolio, says: "If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction." From an account of our late unsuccessful embassy to the Emperor of China, we learn, indeed, that a scene of equal absurdity was represented in a theatre at Tien-sing: "One of the dramas, particularly, attracted the attention of those who recollected scenes, somewhat similar, upon the English stage. The piece represented an Emperor of China and his Empress living in supreme felicity, when, on a sudden, his subjects revolt, a civil war ensues, battles are fought, and at last the arch-rebel, who was a general of cavalry, overcomes his sovereign, kills him with his own hand, and routs the imperial army. The captive Empress then appears upon the stage in all the agonies of despair, naturally resulting from the loss of her husband and of her dignity, as well as the apprehension for that of her honour. Whilst she is tearing her hair, and rending the skies with her complaints, the conqueror enters, approaches her with respect, addresses her in a gentle tone, soothes her sorrows with his compassion, talks of love and adoration, and like Richard the Third, with Lady Anne in Shakspeare, prevails in less than half an hour, on the Chinese Princess to dry up her tears, to forget her deceased consort, and yield to a consoling wooer." Steevens. Stabb'd in my angry mood at Tewksbury?3 Young, valiant, wise, and, no doubt, right royal,5— And will she yet abase her eyes on me, That cropp'd the golden prime of this sweet prince, On me, whose all not equals Edward's moiety? I do mistake my person all this while: 3 whom I, some three months since, Stabb'd in my angry mood at Tewksbury?] Here we have the exact time of this scene ascertained, namely August 1471. King Edward, however, is in the second Act introduced dying. That King died in April 1483; so there is an interval between this and the next Act of almost twelve years. Clarence, who is represented in the preceding scene as committed to the Tower before the burial of King Henry VI, was in fact not confined nor put to death till seven years afterwards, March, 1477-8. Malone. 4 Fram'd in the prodigality of nature,] i. e. when nature was in a prodigal or lavish mood. Warburton. 5 — and, no doubt, right royal,] Of the degree of royalty belonging to Henry the Sixth there could be no doubt, nor could Richard have mentioned it with any such hesitation; he could not indeed very properly allow him royalty. I believe we should read: and, no doubt, right loyal. That is, true to her bed. He enumerates the reasons for which she should love him. He was young, wise, and valiant; these were apparent and indisputable excellencies. He then mentions another not less likely to endear him to his wife, but which he had less opportunity of knowing with certainty, and, no doubt, right loyal. Johnson. Richard is not speaking of King Henry, but of Edward his son, whom he means to represent as full of all the noble properties of a king. No doubt, right royal, may, however, be ironically spoken, alluding to the incontinence of Margaret, his mother. Steevens. 6 a beggarly denier,] A denier is the twelfth part of a French sous, and appears to have been the usual request of a beggar. So, in The Cunning Northerne Beggar, bl. 1. an ancient ballad: "For still will I cry, good your worship, good sir, "Bestow one poor denier, Sir." Steevens. 7 a marvellous proper man.] Marvellous is here used ads I'll be at charges for a looking-glass; SCENE III. The same. A Room in the Palace. [Exit» Enter Queen ELIZABETH, Lord RIVERS, and Lord GREY. Riv. Have patience, madam; there's no doubt, his majesty Will soon recover his accustom'd health. Grey. In that you brook it ill, it makes him worse: Therefore, for God's sake, entertain good comfort, And cheer his grace with quick and merry words. Q. Eliz. If he were dead, what would betide of me? Grey. No other harm, but loss of such a lord. Q. Eliz. The loss of such a lord includes all harms. Grey. The heavens have bless'd you with a goodly son, To be your comforter, when he is gone. Q. Eliz. Ah, he is young; and his minority verbially. Proper in old language was handsome. See Vol. IV, p. 322, n. 1. Malone. 8 I'll turn yon' fellow in his grave:] In is here used for into. Thus, in Chapman's version of the 24th Iliad: Mercurie shall guide "His passage, till the prince be neare. let him ride And (he gone) "Resolv❜d, ev'n in Achilles tent." Steevens. 9 It is determin'd, not concluded yet:] Determin'd signifies the final conclusion of the will: concluded, what cannot be altered by reason of some act, consequent on the final judgment. Warburton. |