Act IV, Scene ii:
London. A Room of State in the Palace.

[Flourish of trumpets. RICHARD, as King, upon his throne;BUCKINGHAM, CATESBY, RATCLIFF, LOVEL, a Page, and others.]

KING RICHARD:

Stand all apart—Cousin of Buckingham,—

BUCKINGHAM:

My gracious sovereign?

KING RICHARD:

Give me thy hand. 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-renowned 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 perform'd.

What say'st 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 your grace immediately.

[Exit.]

CATESBY:

[Aside.] The king is angry: see, he gnaws his lip.

KING RICHARD:

I will converse with iron-witted fools

[Descends from his throne.]

And unrespective boys; none are for me

That look into me with considerate eyes:

High-reaching Buckingham grows circumspect.

Boy!—

PAGE:

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.]

The deep-revolving witty Buckingham

No more shall be the neighbour to my counsels:

Hath he so long held out with me untir'd,

And stops he now for breath?—well, be it so.

[Enter 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:

Inquire 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:—

Tyrell, 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 despatch it straight.

[Exit.]

[Re-enter BUCKINGHAM.]

BUCKINGHAM:

My lord, I have consider'd 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 to it.

BUCKINGHAM:

My lord, I claim the gift, my due by promise,

For which your honour and your faith is pawn'd:

The earldom of Hereford, and the movables

Which you have promised 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,—

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 show'd me the castle

And call'd it Rougemount; 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 promis'd 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 to-day.

BUCKINGHAM:

Wht then, resolve me whether you will or no.

KING RICHARD:

Thou troublest me; I am not in the vein.

[Exeunt KING RICHARD and Train.]

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.]