And I, the hapless male to one sweet bird, Have now the fatal object in my eye Where my poor young was limed, was caught, and killed.
Glo. Why, what a peevish fool was that of Crete,
That taught his son the office of a fowl! And yet, for all his wings, the fool was drowned. K. Hen. I, Dædalus: my poor boy, Icarus: Thy father, Minos, that denied our course: The sun that seared the wings of my sweet boy, Thy brother Edward: and thyself, the sea Whose envious gulf did swallow up his life. Ah kill me with thy weapon, not with words! My breast can better brook thy dagger's point, Than can my ears that tragic history.
But wherefore dost thou come: is 't for my life? Glo. Think'st thou I am an executioner? K. Hen. A persecutor, I am sure thou art: If murdering innocents be executing, Why then thou art an executioner.
Glo. Thy son I killed for his presumption. K. Hen. Hadst thou been killed when first thou didst presume,
Thou hadst not lived to kill a son of mine. And thus I prophecy,-that many a thousand Which now mistrust no parcel of my fear; And many an old man's sigh, and many a widow's,
And many an orphan's water-standing eye (Men for their sons', wives for their husbands' fate, And orphans for their parents' timeless death), Shall rue the hour that ever thou wast born. The owl shrieked at thy birth; an evil sign: The night-crow cried; aboding luckless time: Dogs howled, and hideous tempests shook down
The raven rooked her on the chimney's top, And chattering pies in dismal discords sung. Thy mother felt more than a mother's pain, And yet brought forth less than a mother's hope: To wit, an indigest deforméd lump, Not like the fruit of such a goodly tree.
Teeth hadst thou in thy head when thou wast born,
To signify thou cam'st to bite the world: And if the rest be true which I have heard, Thou cam'st-
Glo. I'll hear no more :-Die, prophet, in thy speech! [Stabs him.
For this, amongst the rest, was I ordained. K. Hen. Ay, and for much more slaughter
O God! forgive my sins, and pardon thee! [Dies. Glo. What, will the aspiring blood of Lancaster Sink in the ground? I thought it would have mounted.
See how my sword weeps for the poor King's death!
O may such purple tears be always shed From those that wish the downfal of our house — If any spark of life be yet remaining, Down, down to hell; and say I sent thee thither; [Stabs him again.
I, that have neither pity, love, nor fear.— Indeed 't is true that Henry told me of; For I have often heard my mother say
I came into the world with my legs forward: Had I not reason, think ye, to make haste, And seek their ruin that usurped our right? The midwife wondered; and the women cried, "O Jesus bless us, he is born with teeth!" And so I was: which plainly signified That I should snarl and bite, and play the dog. Then, since the Heavens have shaped my body so, Let hell make crook'd my mind to answer it. I have no brother; I am like no brother: And this word love, which greybeards call divine, Be resident in men like one another, And not in me: I am myself alone.- Clarence, beware; thou keep'st me from the light;
But I will sort a pitchy day for thee: For I will buzz abroad such prophecies That Edward shall be fearful of his life: And then, to purge his fear, I'll be thy death. King Henry and the Prince his son are gone : Clarence, thy turn is next, and then the rest: Counting myself but bad till I be best.- I'll throw thy body in another room, And triumph, Henry, in thy day of doom. [Exit.
SCENE VII.-The Same. A Room in the Palace.
KING EDWARD is discovered sitting on his throne; QUEEN ELIZABETH with the Infant PRINCE, CLARENCE, GLOSTER, HASTINGS, and others, near him.
K. Edw. Once more we sit in England's royal throne,
Repurchased with the blood of enemies. What valiant foemen, like to autumn's corn, Have we mowed down, in tops of all their pride! Three Dukes of Somerset, threefold renowned For hardy and undoubted champions: Two Cliffords, as the father and the son: And two Northumberlands; two braver men Ne'er spurred their coursers at the trumpet's
With them, the two brave bears, Warwick and Montague,
That in their chains fettered the kingly lion,
And made the forest tremble when they roared. Thus have we swept suspicion from our seat, And made our footstool of security.- Come hither, Bess, and let me kiss my boy :- Young Ned, for thee thine uncles and myself Have in our armours watched the winter's night; Went all afoot in summer's scalding heat, That thou might'st repossess the crown in peace : And of our labours thou shalt reap the gain.
Glo. I'll blast his harvest, if your head were laid:
For yet I am not looked on in the world. This shoulder was ordained so thick, to heave: And heave it shall some weight, or break my back.-
Work thou the way;-and thou shalt execute. [Aside.
K. Edw. Clarence and Gloster, love my lovely Queen;
And kiss your princely nephew, brothers both. Clar. The duty that I owe unto your majesty, I seal upon the lips of this sweet babe.
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