The Complete Plays (66 page)

Which fills my mind with strange despairing thoughts,

80       Which thoughts are martyréd with endless torments,

And in this torment comfort find I none

But that I feel the crown upon my head,

And therefore let me wear it yet a while.

TRUSSELL

My lord, the Parliament must have present news,

And therefore say, will you resign or no?

The
KING
rageth
.

EDWARD

I'll not resign, but whilst I live –

Traitors, begone, and join you with Mortimer!

Elect, conspire,
install
, do what you will;

Their blood and yours shall seal these treacheries.

WINCHESTER

This answer we'll return, and so farewell.

90            [
WINCHESTER
and
TRUSSELL
move to leave
.]

LEICESTER
[
to
EDWARD
]

Call them again, my lord, and speak them fair,

For if they go the prince shall lose his right.

EDWARD

Call thou them back. I have no power to speak.

LEICESTER
[
to
WINCHESTER
]

My lord, the king is willing to resign.

WINCHESTER
If he be not, let him choose.

EDWARD

O, would I might! But heavens and earth conspire

To make me miserable. Here, receive my crown.

[
He offers them the crown
.]

Receive it? No, these innocent hands of mine

Shall not be guilty of so foul a crime.

He of you all that most desires my blood,

100  And will be called the murderer of a king,

Take it. What, are you moved? Pity you me?

Then send for unrelenting Mortimer,

And Isabel, whose eyes, being turned to steel,

Will sooner sparkle fire than shed a tear.

Yet stay, for rather than I will look on them,

Here, here. [
He gives up the crown
.]

Now, sweet God of heaven,

Make me despise this transitory pomp

And sit
for aye
enthronizèd in heaven!

Come, Death, and with thy fingers close my eyes,

110  Or if I live, let me forget myself.

WINCHESTER
My lord –

EDWARD

Call me not lord. Away, out of my sight!

Ah, pardon me, grief makes me lunatic.

Let not that Mortimer
protect
my son;

More safety is there in a tiger's jaws

Than his embracements. Bear this
to
the queen,

      [
he gives a handkerchief
]

Wet with my tears and dried again with sighs;

If with the sight thereof she be not moved,

120  Return it back and dip it in my blood.

Commend me to my son, and bid him rule

Better than I. Yet how have I transgressed,

Unless it be with too much clemency?

TRUSSELL

And thus most humbly do we take our leave.

EDWARD

Farewell.

     [
Exeunt
BISHOP OF WINCHESTER
and
TRUSSELL
.]

     I know the next news that they bring

Will be my death, and welcome shall it be;

To wretched men death is felicity.

Enter
BERKELEY
[
giving
LEICESTER
a letter
].

LEICESTER

Another post. What news brings he?

[
He reads the letter
.]

EDWARD

Such news as I expect. Come, Berkeley, come,

130  And tell thy message to my naked breast.

BERKELEY

My lord, think not a thought so villainous

Can harbour in a man of noble birth.

To do your highness service and devoir,

And save you from your foes, Berkeley would die.

LEICESTER

My lord, the council of the queen commands

That I resign my charge.

EDWARD

And who must keep me now? Must you, my lord?

BERKELEY

Ay, my most gracious lord, so 'tis decreed.

[
He hands the letter to the
KING
.]

EDWARD

By Mortimer, whose name is written here.

140  Well may I rend his name that rends my heart!

[
He tears up the letter
.]

This poor revenge hath something eased my mind.

So may his limbs be torn, as is this paper!

Hear me, immortal Jove, and grant it too.

BERKELEY

Your grace must hence with me to Berkeley straight.

EDWARD

Whither you will, all places are alike,

And every earth is fit for burial.

LEICESTER
[
to
BERKELEY
]

Favour him, my lord, as much as lieth in you.

BERKELEY

Even so betide my soul as I use him.

EDWARD

Mine enemy hath pitied my
estate
,

150        And that's the cause that I am now removed.

BERKELEY

And thinks your grace that Berkeley will be cruel?

EDWARD

I know not, but of this am I assured:

That death ends all, and
I
can die but once.

Leicester, farewell.

LEICESTER

Not yet, my lord. I'll bear you on your way.

Exeunt
.

Enter
MORTIMER
[
JUNIOR
]
and
QUEEN ISABEL
.

MORTIMER

Fair Isabel, now have we our desire:

The proud corrupters of the
light-brained
king

Have done their homage to the lofty gallows,

And he himself lies in captivity.

Be ruled by me, and we will rule the realm.

In any case, take heed of childish fear,

For now we hold an old wolf by the ears

That, if he
slip
, will seize upon us both

And grip
the sorer, being gripped himself.

10       Think therefore, madam,
that imports us much

To
erect
your son with all the speed we may

And that I be Protector over him,

For
our behoof will bear the greater sway

Whenas a king's name shall be under writ.

QUEEN

Sweet Mortimer, the life of Isabel,

Be thou persuaded that I love thee well;

And therefore,
so
the prince my son be safe,

Whom I esteem as dear as these mine eyes,

Conclude against his father what thou wilt

20       And I myself will willingly subscribe.

MORTIMER

First would I hear news that he were deposed,

And then let me alone to handle him.

Enter
MESSENGER
[
with a letter, followed by the
BISHOP OF WINCHESTER
with the crown
].

Letters, from whence?

MESSENGER
[
presenting the letter
]

From Killingworth, my lord.

QUEEN

How fares my lord the king?

MESSENGER

In health, madam, but full of pensiveness.

QUEEN

Alas, poor soul, would I could ease his grief.

Thanks, gentle Winchester.

[
To the
MESSENGER
]         Sirrah, begone.

[
Exit
MESSENGER
.]

WINCHESTER

The king hath willingly resigned his crown.

QUEEN

O happy news! Send for the prince my son.

WINCHESTER

30       Further,
or this
letter was sealed, Lord Berkeley came,

So that
he
now is gone from Killingworth,

And we have heard that Edmund laid a plot

To set his brother free.
No more but so
:

The lord of Berkeley is so pitiful

As Leicester that had charge of him before.

QUEEN

Then let some other be his guardian.

MORTIMER

Let me alone. Here is the
privy seal
.

[
Exit the
BISHOP OF WINCHESTER
.

MORTIMER
calls offstage
.]

Who's there? Call hither Gurney and Matrevis.

To dash
the heavy-headed Edmund's drift,

Berkeley shall be discharged, the king removed,

40       And none but we shall know where he lieth.

QUEEN

But, Mortimer, as long as he survives,

What safety rests for us, or for my son?

MORTIMER

Speak, shall he presently be dispatched and die?

QUEEN

I would he were, so it were not by my means.

Enter
MATREVIS
and
GURNEY
.

MORTIMER

Enough. Matrevis, write a letter presently

Unto the lord of Berkeley from ourself,

That he
resign
the king to thee and Gurney,

And when 'tis done we will subscribe our name.

MATREVIS

It shall be done, my lord.

MORTIMER
              Gurney.

GURNEY
            My lord.

50   

MORTIMER

As thou intendest to rise by Mortimer,

Who now makes Fortune's wheel turn as he please,

Seek all the means thou canst to make him droop,

And neither give him kind word nor good look.

GURNEY
I warrant you, my lord.

MORTIMER

And this above the rest, because we hear

That Edmund
casts
to work his liberty,

Remove him still from place to place by night

Till at the last he come to Killingworth

60       And then from thence to Berkeley back again;

And by the way, to make him fret the more,

Speak curstly to him, and in any case

Let no man comfort him if he chance to weep,

But amplify his grief with bitter words.

MATREVIS

Fear not, my lord, we'll do as you command.

MORTIMER

So now away. Post thitherwards amain.

QUEEN

Whither goes this letter? To my lord the king?

Commend me humbly to his majesty,

And tell him that I labour all in vain

70       To ease his grief and work his liberty;

And bear him this as witness of my love.

[
She gives
MATREVIS
a ring
.]

MATREVIS
I will, madam.

Exeunt
MATREVIS
and
GURNEY
.

ISABEL
and
MORTIMER
remain. Enter the young
PRINCE
[
EDWARD
],
and the
EARL OF KENT
talking with him
. [
MORTIMER
and the
QUEEN
speak apart
.]

MORTIMER

Finely dissembled. Do so still, sweet queen.

Here comes the young prince, with the Earl of Kent.

QUEEN

Something he whispers in his childish ears.

MORTIMER

If he have such access unto the prince,

Our plots and stratagems will soon be dashed.

QUEEN

Use Edmund friendly, as if all were well.

MORTIMER
[
aloud to
KENT
]

How fares my honourable lord of Kent?

KENT

80        In health, sweet Mortimer. How fares your grace?

QUEEN

Well, if my lord your brother were enlarged.

KENT

I hear of late he hath deposed himself.

QUEEN
The more my grief.

MORTIMER
And mine.

KENT
[
aside
] Ah, they do dissemble.

QUEEN

Sweet son, come hither. I must talk with thee.

[
She takes
PRINCE EDWARD
to one side
.]

MORTIMER
[
to
KENT
]

Thou being his uncle and the next of blood,

Do look to be Protector over the prince.

KENT

Not I, my lord. Who should protect the son

90        But she that gave him life, I mean the queen?

PRINCE

Mother, persuade me not to wear the crown.

Let him be king, I am too young to reign.

QUEEN

But be content, seeing it his highness' pleasure.

PRINCE

Let me but see him first, and then I will.

KENT
Ay, do, sweet nephew.

QUEEN
Brother, you know it is impossible.

PRINCE
Why, is he dead?

QUEEN
No, God forbid!

KENT

I would those words proceeded from your heart.

MORTIMER