The owl shriek'd at thy birth, an evil sign;

'The night-crow cried, aboding luckless time;

Dogs howl'd, and hideous tempests shook down trees;

The raven rook'd1 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 deformed lump,

Not like the fruit of such a goodly tree.

Teeth hadst thou in thy head when thou wast born, To signify, thou camest to bite the world;

And, if the rest be true which I have heard,

'Thou camest

Glos. I'll hear no more. Die, prophet, in thy

speech :

For this, amongst the rest, was I ordain'd.

[stabs him.

K. Hen. Ay, and for much more slaughter after

this.

O God! forgive my sins, and pardon thee! [dies. Glos. What, will the aspiring blood of Lancaster Sink in the ground? I thought it would have mounted.

See, how

sword weeps my

death!

for the poor king's

O, may such purple tears be always shed

From those that wish the downfall of our house!

'If any spark of life be yet remaining,

1 To rook signifies to lodge on any thing.

Down, down to hell, and say-I sent thee thither,
[stabs him again.

I, that have neither pity, love, nor fear.
Indeed, 'tis 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 usurp'd our right?

The midwife wonder'd; 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 sort1 a pitchy day for thee:
For I will buz 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.

1 Select.

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. Ed. 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 mow'd down, in tops of all their pride!
Three dukes of Somerset, threefold renown'd
For hardy and undoubted champions;

Two Cliffords, as the father and the son;

6

And two Northumberlands; two braver men

Ne'er spurr'd their coursers at the trumpet's sound;

With them, the two brave bears, Warwick and

Montague,

That in their chains fetter'd the kingly lion,

And made the forest tremble when they roar'd.
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 watch'd the winter's night;
• Went all afoot in summer's scalding heat,
That thou mightst repossess the crown in peace;
And of our labors thou shalt reap the gain.