PERSONS REPRESENTED.

KING EDWARD IV.
Appears, Act II. sc. 1.

EDWARD, PRINCE OF WALES, afterwards King Edward V., son to the King. Appears, Act III. sc. 1.

RICHARD, Duke of York, son to the King.

Appears, Act II. sc. 4.

Act III. sc. 1.

GEORGE, Duke of Clarence, brother to the King.

Appears, Act I. sc. 1; sc. 4.

RICHARD, Duke of Gloster, afterwards King Richard III., brother to the King.
Appears, Act I. sc. 1; sc. 2; sc. 3. Act II. sc. 1; sc. 2.
Act III. sc. 1; sc. 4; sc. 5; sc. 7. Act IV. sc. 2; sc. 3; sc. 4.
Act V. sc. 3; sc. 4.

A young Son of Clarence.
Appears, Act II. sc. 2.

HENRY, Earl of Richmond, afterwards King Henry VII.
Appears, Act V. sc. 2; sc. 3; sc. 4.
CARDINAL BOUCHIER, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Appears, Act III. sc. 1.

THOMAS ROTHERAM, Archbishop of York.
Appears, Act II. sc. 4.

JOHN MORTON, Bishop of Ely.
Appears, Act III. sc. 4.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM.

Appears, Act I. sc. 3. Act II. sc. 1; sc. 2.

Act III. sc. 1; sc. 2; sc. 4; sc. 5; sc. 7.

Act IV. sc. 2.

Act V. sc. 1.

DUKE OF NORFOLK.

Appears, Act V. sc. 3; sc. 4.

EARL OF SURREY, son to the Duke of Norfolk.
Appears, Act V. sc. 3.

EARL RIVERS, brother to King Edward's Queen.

Appears, Act I. sc. 3.

Act II. sc. 1; sc. 2. Act III. sc. 3.

MARQUIS OF DORSET, son to King Edward's Queen.

Appears, Act I. sc. 3. Act II. sc. 1; sc. 2. Act IV. sc. 1.

LORD GREY, son to King Edward's Queen.

Appears, Act I. sc. 3. Act II. sc. 1. Act III. sc. 3.
EARL OF OXFORD.

Appears, Act V. sc. 2; sc. 3.

LORD HASTINGS.

Appears, Act I. sc. 1; sc. 3. Act II. sc. 1; sc. 2.
Act III. sc. 1; sc. 2; sc. 4.

LORD STANLEY.

Appears, Act I. sc. 3. Act II. sc. 1; sc. 2.

Act III. sc. 2; sc. 4.

Act IV. sc. 1; sc. 2; sc. 4; sc. 5. Act V. sc. 3; sc. 4.

LORD LOVEL.

Appears, Act III. sc. 4; sc. 5.

SIR THOMAS VAUGHAN,
Appears, Act III. sc. 3.

SIR RICHARD RATCLIFF.

Appears, Act II. sc. 2. Act III. sc. 3; sc. 4; sc. 5. Act IV. sc. 3; sc. 4. Act V. sc. 3.

SIR WILLIAM CATESBY.

Appears, Act 1. sc. 3. Act III. sc. 2; sc. 5; sc. 7. Act IV. sc. 2; sc. 4. Act V. sc. 3; sc. 4.

SIR JAMES TYRREL.

Appears, Act IV. sc. 2; sc. 3.

SIR JAMES BLOUNT.
Appears, Act V. sc. 2.

SIR WALTER HERBERT.
Appears, Act V. sc. 2.

SIR ROBERT BRAKENBURY, Lieutenant of the Tower.
Appears, Act I. sc. 1; sc. 4. Act IV. sc. 1.
CHRISTOPHER URSWICK, a Priest.
Appears, Act IV. sc. 5.

A Priest.

Appears, Act III. sc. 2.

Lord Mayor of London.
Appears, Act III. sc. 5; sc. 7.

Sheriff of Wiltshire.

Appears, Act V. sc. 1.

ELIZABETH, Queen of King Edward IV.

Appears, Act I. sc. 3. Act II. sc. 1; sc. 2; sc. 4.

Act IV. sc. 1; sc. 4.

MARGARET, widow of King Henry VI.
Appears, Act I. sc. 3. Act IV. sc. 4.

DUCHESS OF YORK, mother to King Edward IV., Clarence, and Gloster.
Appears, Act II. sc. 2; sc. 4.

LADY ANNE, widow of Edward, Prince of

afterwards married to the
Appears, Act I. sc. 2.

Act IV. sc. 1; sc. 4.

Wales, son to King Henry VI., Duke of Gloster.

Act IV. sc. 1.

A young Daughter of Clarence.

Appears, Act II. sc. 2. Act IV. sc. 1.

Lords, and other Attendants; two Gentlemen, a Pursuivant, Scrivener, Citizens, Murderers, Messengers, Ghosts, Soldiers, &c.

SCENE,-ENGLAND.

To un

This History was originally published in 1597. It was reprinted four times in quarto previous to its appearance in the folio of 1623. derstand the character of the 'Richard III.' of Shakspere, we must have traced its development by the author of the previous plays.

GLO. Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that low'r'd upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.

Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths;
Our bruised arms hung up for monuments;
Our stern alarums chang'd to merry meetings;
Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.
Grim-visag'd war hath smooth'd his wrinkled front;
And now, instead of mounting barbed steeds,
To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,
He capers nimbly in a lady's chamber,

To the lascivious pleasing of a lute.

But I, that am not shap'd for sportive tricks,
Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass;-
I, that am rudely stamp'd, and want love's majesty
To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;—
I, that am curtail'd of this fair proportion,
Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
Deform'd, unfinish'd, sent before my time
Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,
And that so lamely and unfashionable
That dogs bark at me as I halt by them;
Why I, in this weak piping time of peace,
Have no delight to pass away the time,
Unless to see my shadow in the sun,

And descant on mine own deformity.

And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover
To entertain these fair well-spoken days,
I am determined to prove a villain,
And hate the idle pleasures of these days.
Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous,
By drunken prophecies, libels, and dreams,
To set my brother Clarence and the king
In deadly hate the one against the other:
And, if king Edward be as true and just
As I am subtle, false, and treacherous,
This day should Clarence closely be mew'd up,
About a prophecy, which says that G

Of Edward's heirs the murtherer shall be.

Dive, thoughts, down to my soul! here Clarence comes.

Enter CLARENCE, guarded, and BRAKENBURY.

Brother, good day: What means this armed guard

That waits upon your grace?

CLAR.

His majesty,

Tendering my person's safety, hath appointed
This conduct to convey me to the Tower.
GLO. Upon what cause?
CLAR.

Because my name is George.

GLO. Alack, my lord, that fault is none of yours;
He should, for that, commit your godfathers:-
O, belike, his majesty hath some intent

That you should be new christen'd in the Tower.
But what's the matter, Clarence? may I know?
CLAR. Yea, Richard, when I know; for I protest
As yet I do not: But, as I can learn,

He hearkens after prophecies and dreams;
And from the cross-row plucks the letter G,
And says, a wizard told him, that by G
His issue disinherited should be;

And, for my name of George begins with G,
It follows in his thought that I am he:
These, as I learn, and such-like toys as these,
Have mov'd his highness to commit me now.

GLO. Why, this it is when men are rul'd by women:

T is not the king that sends you to the Tower;
My lady Grey his wife, Clarence, 't is she
That tempers him to this extremity.

Was it not she and that good man of worship,
Antony Woodville, her brother there,

That made him send lord Hastings to the Tower;
From whence this present day he is deliver'd?
We are not safe, Clarence, we are not safe.

CLAR. By Heaven, I think there is no man secure
But the queen's kindred, and night-walking heralds
That trudge betwixt the king and mistress Shore.
Heard you not what an humble suppliant
Lord Hastings was to her for his delivery?
GLO. Humbly complaining to her deity
Got my lord chamberlain his liberty.
I'll tell you what,—I think it is our way,
If we will keep in favour with the king,
To be her men and wear her livery:

The jealous o'er-worn widow, and herself,
Since that our brother dubb'd them gentlewomen,
Are mighty gossips in our monarchy.

BRAK. I beseech your graces both to pardon me;
His majesty hath straitly given in charge

That no man shall have private conference,
Of what degree soever, with his brother.

GLO. Even so; an please your worship, Brakenbury,
You may partake of anything we say:

We speak no treason, man:—we say, the king
Is wise and virtuous; and his noble queen
Well struck in years, fair, and not jealous:-
We say, that Shore's wife hath a pretty foot,
A cherry lip, a bonny eye, a passing pleasing tongue;
And the queen's kindred are made gentlefolks;

How say you, sir? can you deny all this?

BRAK. With this, my lord, myself have nought to do.

GLO. Naught to do with mistress Shore? I tell thee,

fellow,

He that doth naught with her, excepting one,

Were best to do it secretly, alone.

BRAK. What one, my lord?