My friend, I spy some pity in thy looks.

O if thine eye be not a flatterer,

Come thou on my side, and entreat for me.

A begging prince, what beggar pities not?

Which of you, if you were a prince’s son,

Being pent from liberty as I am now,

If two such murderers as yourselves came to you,

Would not entreat for life? As you would beg

Were you in my distress—

SECOND MURDERER Look behind you, my lord!

FIRST MURDERER (stabbing Clarence)

Take that, and that! If all this will not serve,

I’ll drown you in the malmsey butt within.

Exit with Clarence’s body

SECOND MURDERER

A bloody deed, and desperately dispatched!

How fain, like Pilate, would I wash my hands

Of this most grievous, guilty murder done.

Enter First Murderer

FIRST MURDERER

How now? What mean‘st thou, that thou help’st me not?

By heaven, the Duke shall know how slack you have

been.

SECOND MURDERER

I would he knew that I had saved his brother.

Take thou the fee, and tell him what I say,

For I repent me that the Duke is slain. Exit

FIRST MURDERER

So do not I. Go, coward as thou art.—

Well, I’ll go hide the body in some hole

Till that the Duke give order for his burial.

And, when I have my meed, I will away,

For this will out, and then I must not stay. Exit

2.1 Flourish. Enter King Edward, sick, Queen Elizabeth, Lord Marquis Dorset, Lord Rivers, Lord Hastings, Sir William Catesby, the Duke of Buckingham ⌈and Lord Gray⌉

KING EDWARD

Why, so! Now have I done a good day’s work.

You peers, continue this united league.

I every day expect an embassage

From my redeemer to redeem me hence,

And more in peace my soul shall part to heaven

Since I have made my friends at peace on earth.

Hastings and Rivers, take each other’s hand.

Dissemble not your hatred; swear your love.

RIVERS

By heaven, my soul is purged from grudging hate,

And with my hand I seal my true heart’s love.

⌈He takes Hastings’ hand⌉

LORD HASTINGS

So thrive I, as I truly swear the like.

KING EDWARD

Take heed you dally not before your king,

Lest he that is the supreme King of Kings

Confound your hidden falsehood, and award

Either of you to be the other’s end.

LORD HASTINGS

So prosper I, as I swear perfect love.

RIVERS

And I, as I love Hastings with my heart.

KING EDWARD (to Elizabeth)

Madam, yourself is not exempt from this,

Nor your son Dorset;—Buckingham, nor you.

You have been factious one against the other.

Wife, love Lord Hastings, let him kiss your hand—

And what you do, do it unfeignedly.

QUEEN ELIZABETH (giving Hastings her hand to kiss)

There, Hastings. I will never more remember

Our former hatred: so thrive I, and mine.

KING EDWARD

Dorset, embrace him. Hastings, love Lord Marquis.

DORSET

This interchange of love, I here protest,

Upon my part shall be inviolable.

LORD HASTINGS And so swear I.

They embrace

KING EDWARD

Now, princely Buckingham, seal thou this league

With thy embracements to my wife’s allies,

And make me happy in your unity.

BUCKINGHAM (to Elizabeth)

Whenever Buckingham doth turn his hate

Upon your grace, but with all duteous love

Doth cherish you and yours, God punish me

With hate in those where I expect most love.

When I have most need to employ a friend,

And most assured that he is a friend,

Deep, hollow, treacherous, and full of guile

Be he unto me. This do I beg of heaven,

When I am cold in love to you or yours.

They embrace

KING EDWARD

A pleasing cordial, princely Buckingham,

Is this thy vow unto my sickly heart.

There wanteth now our brother Gloucester here,

To make the blessèd period of this peace.

Enter Sir Richard Ratcliffe and Richard Duke of Gloucester

BUCKINGHAM And in good time,

Here comes Sir Richard Ratcliffe and the Duke.

RICHARD GLOUCESTER

Good morrow to my sovereign King and Queen.—

And princely peers, a happy time of day.

KING EDWARD

Happy indeed, as we have spent the day.

Brother, we have done deeds of charity,

Made peace of enmity, fair love of hate,

Between these swelling wrong-incensed peers.

RICHARD GLOUCESTER

A blessed labour, my most sovereign lord.

Among this princely heap if any here,

By false intelligence or wrong surmise,

Hold me a foe,

If I unwittingly or in my rage

Have aught committed that is hardly borne

By any in this presence, I desire

To reconcile me to his friendly peace.

‘Tis death to me to be at enmity.

I hate it, and desire all good men’s love.—

First, madam, I entreat true peace of you,

Which I will purchase with my duteous service.—

Of you, my noble cousin Buckingham,

If ever any grudge were lodged between us.—

Of you, Lord Rivers, and Lord Gray of you,

That all without desert have frowned on me.—

Dukes, earls, lords, gentlemen, indeed of all!

I do not know that Englishman alive

With whom my soul is any jot at odds