Just death, kind umpire of men's miseries, With sweet enlargement doth dismiss me hence: Enter RICHARD PLANTAGENET. 1 Keep. My lord, your loving nephew now is come. Mor. Richard Plantagenet, my friend? Is he come? Plan. Ay, noble uncle, thus ignobly used, Your nephew, late-despised Richard, comes. Mor. Direct mine arms, I may embrace his neck, And in his bosom spend my latter gasp. O, tell me, when my lips do touch his cheeks, And now declare, sweet stem from York's great stock, Why didst thou say-of late thou wert despised? Plan. First, lean thine aged back against mine arm; And, in that ease, I'll tell thee my disease.1 Uneasiness, discontent. Therefore, good uncle,-for my father's sake, And for alliance' sake,-declare the cause My father, earl of Cambridge, lost his head. Mor. That cause, fair nephew, that imprison'd me; And hath detain'd me, all my flowering youth, Plan. Discover more at large what cause that was; For I am ignorant, and cannot guess. Mor. I will; if that my fading breath permit, I was the next by birth and parentage ; From Lionel duke of Clarence, the third sor But mark; as, in this haughty great attempt, They labored to plant the rightful heir, But, as the rest, so fell that noble earl, Plan. Of which, my lord, your honor is the last. Mor. True; and thou seest that I no issue have, And that my fainting words do warrant death. Thou art my heir; the rest, I wish thee gather: But yet be wary in thy studious care. Plan. Thy grave admonishments prevail with me: But yet, methinks, my father's execution Mor. With silence, nephew, be thou politic: And, like a mountain, not to be removed. But now thy uncle is removing hence; As princes do their courts, when they are cloy'd 1 Thinking. Plan. O uncle, would some part of my young years Might but redeem the passage of your age! Mor. Thou dost then wrong me; as the slaughterer doth, Which giveth many wounds, when one will kill. And so farewell, and fair be all thy hopes; And prosperous be thy life in peace and war! [dies. Plan. And peace, no war befal thy parting soul! In prison hast thou spent a pilgrimage, [Exeunt Keepers, bearing out Mortimer. 1 Or make my ill the advantage of my good. [Exit. 1 i. e. my ill usage. АСТ I I I. SCENE I. The same. The Parliament-House. Florish. Enter KING HENRY, EXETER, GLOSTER, WARWICK, SOMERSET, and SUFFOLK; BISHOP OF WINCHESTER, RICHARD PLANTAGENET, and others. Gloster offers to put up a bill;1 Winchester snatches it, and tears it. Win. Comest thou with deep premeditated lines, As I with sudden and extemporal speech Or thou shouldst find thou hast dishonor'd me. 1 i. e. articles of accusation. |