What though I killed her husband and her father? By marrying her, which I must reach unto. Clarence still breathes; Edward still lives and reigns; SCENE II. The same. Another Street. [Exit. Enter the corpse of KING HENRY THE SIXTH, borne in an open coffin, Gentlemen bearing halberds, to guard it; and LADY ANNE as mourner. Anne. Set down, set down your honorable load,— If honor may be shrouded in a hearse,Whilst I awhile obsequiously lament The untimely fall of virtuous LancasterPoor key-cold' figure of a holy king! Pale ashes of the house of Lancaster! Thou bloodless remnant of that royal blood! Be it lawful that I invocate thy ghost, To hear the lamentations of poor Anne, Wife to thy Edward, to thy slaughtered son, Stabbed by the self-same hand that made these wounds! Lo, in these windows, that let forth thy life, 1 A key, on account of the coldness of the metal of which it is composed, was often employed to stop any slight bleeding. The epithet is common to many old writers. Or any creeping venomed thing that lives! May fright the hopeful mother at the view; Than I am made by my young lord and thee!— [The bearers take up the corpse, and advance. Enter GLOSTER. Glo. Stay you, that bear the corse, and set it down. Anne. What black magician conjures up this fiend, To stop devoted, charitable deeds? Glo. Villains, set down the corse; or, by saint Paul, I'll make a corse of him that disobeys. 1 Gent. My lord, stand back, and let the coffin pass. Glo. Unmannered dog! stand thou when I command: Advance thy halberd higher than my breast, [The bearers set down the coffin. Anne. What, do you tremble? are you all afraid? Alas, I blame you not; for you are mortal, And mortal eyes cannot endure the devil.Avaunt, thou dreadful minister of hell! Thou hadst but power over his mortal body; His soul thou canst not have; therefore, be gone. Glo. Sweet saint, for charity, be not so curst. Anne. Foul devil, for God's sake, hence, and trouble us not; For thou hast made the happy earth thy hell, Behold this pattern of thy butcheries; O, gentlemen, see, see! dead Henry's wounds From cold and empty veins, where no blood dwells; Provokes this deluge most unnatural. O, God, which this blood mad'st, revenge his death! Glo. Lady, you know no rules of charity, Of these supposed evils, to give me leave, By circumstance, but to acquit myself. Anne. Vouchsafe, diffused infection of a man, For these known evils, but to give me leave, By circumstance, to curse thy cursed self. Glo. Fairer than tongue can name thee, let me have Some patient leisure to excuse myself. Anne. Fouler than heart can think thee, thou canst make No excuse current, but to hang thyself. Glo. By such despair, I should accuse myself. Anne. And, by despairing, shalt thou stand excused; For doing worthy vengeance on thyself, That didst unworthy slaughter upon others. 1 Example. 2 This is from Holinshed. It was a tradition, very generally received, that the murdered body bleeds on the touch of the murderer. 3 Diffused anciently signified dark, obscure, strange, uncouth, or confused. Glo. Say, that I slew them not? Anne. Why, then they are not dead; Anne. saw Thy murderous falchion smoking in his blood; Glo. I was provoked by her slanderous tongue, Glo. I grant ye. Anne. Dost grant me, hedge-hog? then, God grant me too, Thou mayst be damned for that wicked deed! Glo. The fitter for the King of heaven, that hath him. come. Glo. Let him thank me, that holp to send him thither; For he was fitter for that place than earth. Anne. And thou unfit for any place but hell. Glo. Yes, one place else, if you will hear me name it. Anne. Some dungeon. Glo. Your bed-chamber. Anne. Il rest betide the chamber where thou liest' Glo. So will it, madam, till I lie with you. Anne. I hope so. Glo. I know so. But, gentle lady Anne,To leave this keen encounter of our wits, And fall somewhat into a slower method,Is not the causer of the timeless deaths Of these Plantagenets, Henry and Edward, As blameful as the executioner ? Anne. Thou wast the cause, and most accursed effect. Glo. Your beauty was the cause of that effect; Your beauty, which did haunt me in my sleep, To undertake the death of all the world, So I might live one hour in your sweet bosom. Anne. If I thought that, I tell thee, homicide, These nails should rend that beauty from my cheeks. Glo. These eyes could not endure that beauty's wreck. You should not blemish it, if I stood by ; As all the world is cheered by the sun, So I by that; it is my day, my life. Anne. Black night o'ershade thy day, and death thy life! Glo. Curse not thyself, fair creature; thou art both. To be revenged on him that loveth thee. Anne. It is a quarrel just and reasonable, Did it to help thee to a better husband. Anne. His better doth not breathe upon the earth. Glo. He lives, that loves you better than he could. Anne. Name him. Glo. Anne. Plantagenet. Why, that was he. Glo. The self-same name, but one of better nature. Anne. Where is he? Glo. Here. [She spits at him.] Anne. 'Would it were mortal poison, for thy sake! dead! Glo. I would they were, that I might die at once; |