BUCKINGHAM
Welcome, sweet Prince, to London, to your chamber.
RICHARD
Welcome, dear cousin, my thoughts’ sovereign.
The weary way made you melancholy.
PRINCE
No, uncle, but our crosses on the way
Have made it tedious, wearisome, and heavy.
I want more uncles here to welcome me.
RICHARD
Sweet prince, the untainted virtue of your years
not yet dived into the world’s deceit,
Nor more can you distinguish of a man
Than of his outward show, which, God He knows,
Seldom or never jumpeth with the heart.
Those uncles which you want were dangerous;
Your Grace attended to their sugared words
But looked not on the poison of their hearts.
God keep you from them, and from such false friends!
PRINCE
God keep me from false friends, but they were none.
RICHARD
My lord, the Mayor of London comes to greet you.
MAYOR
God bless your Grace with health and happy days!
PRINCE
I thank you, good my lord, and thank you all.
I thought my mother and my brother York
Would long this have met us on the way.
Fie, what a slug is Hastings, that he comes not
To tell us whether they will come or no!
BUCKINGHAM
And in good time, here comes the sweating lord.
PRINCE
Welcome, my lord. What, will our mother come?
HASTINGS
On what occasion God He knows, not I,
The Queen your mother and your brother York
Have taken sanctuary. The tender prince
Would have come with me to meet your Grace,
But by his mother was perforce withheld.
BUCKINGHAM
Fie, what an indirect and peevish course
Is this of hers? Lord cardinal, will your Grace
Persuade the Queen to send the Duke of York
Unto his princely brother ?
If she deny, Lord Hastings, go with him,
And from her jealous arms pluck him perforce.
CARDINAL
My Lord of Buckingham, if my weak oratory
Can from his mother win the Duke of York,
expect him here; but if she be obdurate
To mild entreaties, God in heaven forbid
We should infringe the holy privilege
Of blessed sanctuary! Not for all this land
Would I be guilty of so deep a sin.
BUCKINGHAM
You are too senseless-obstinate, my lord,
Too ceremonious and traditional.
Weigh it but with the grossness of this age,
You break not sanctuary in seizing him.
The benefit thereof is always granted
To those whose dealings have deserved the place
And those who have the wit to claim the place.
This prince neither claimed it nor deserved it
And therefore, in mine opinion, cannot have it.
Then taking him from that is not there,
You break no privilege nor charter there.
have I heard of sanctuary-men,
But sanctuary children, never till now.
CARDINAL
My lord, you shall o’errule my mind for once.
Come on, Lord Hastings, will you go with me?
HASTINGS
I go, my lord.
PRINCE
Good lords, make all the speedy haste you may.
PRINCE
Say, uncle Gloucester, if our brother come,
Where shall we sojourn till our coronation?
RICHARD
Where it seems best unto your royal self.
If I may counsel you, some day or two
Your Highness shall repose you at the Tower,
Then where you please and shall be thought most fit
For your best health and recreation.
PRINCE
I do not like the Tower, of any place.
Did Julius Caesar build that place, my lord?
BUCKINGHAM
He did, my gracious lord, begin that place,
Which, since, succeeding ages have re-edified.
PRINCE
Is it upon record, or else reported
Successively from age to age, he built it?
BUCKINGHAM
Upon record, my gracious lord.
PRINCE
But say, my lord, it were not registered,
the truth should live from age to age,
As ’twere retailed to all posterity,
Even to the general all-ending day.
RICHARD
So wise so young, they say, do never live long.
PRINCE
What say you, uncle?
RICHARD
I say, without characters, fame lives long.
Thus, like the formal Vice, Iniquity,
I moralize two meanings in one word.
PRINCE
That Julius Caesar was a famous man.
With what his valour did enrich his wit,
His wit set down to make his valour live;
Death makes no conquest of this conqueror,
For now he lives in fame, though not in life.
I’ll tell you what, my cousin Buckingham.
BUCKINGHAM
What, my gracious lord?
PRINCE
An if I live until I be a man,
I’ll win our ancient right in France again,
Or die a soldier, as I lived a king.
RICHARD
Short summers lightly have a forward spring.
BUCKINGHAM
Now, in good time here comes the Duke of York.
PRINCE
Richard of York, how fares our loving brother?
YORK
Well, my dread lord—so must I call you now.
PRINCE
Ay brother, to our grief, as it is yours.
Too late he died that might have kept that title,
Which by his death lost much majesty.
RICHARD
How fares our cousin, noble lord of York?
YORK
I thank you, gentle uncle. O, my lord,
You said that idle weeds are fast in growth.
The Prince my brother outgrown me far.
RICHARD
He , my lord.
YORK
And therefore is he idle?
RICHARD
O, my fair cousin, I must not say so.
YORK
Then he is more beholding to you than I.
RICHARD
He may command me as my sovereign,
But you have power in me as in a kinsman.
YORK
I pray you, uncle, give me this dagger.
RICHARD
My dagger, little cousin? With all my heart.
PRINCE
A beggar, brother?
YORK
Of my kind uncle, that I know will give,
And being but a toy, which is no grief to give.
RICHARD
A greater gift than that I’ll give my cousin.
YORK
A greater gift? O, that’s the sword to it.
RICHARD
Ay, gentle cousin, were it light enough.
YORK
O, then I see you will part but with light gifts;
In weightier things you’ll say a beggar nay.
RICHARD
It is too heavy for your Grace to wear.
YORK
I weigh it lightly, were it heavier.
RICHARD
What, would you have my weapon, little lord?
YORK
I would, that I might thank you as you call me.
RICHARD
How?
YORK
Little.
PRINCE
My lord of York will still be cross in talk.
Uncle, your Grace knows how to bear with him.
YORK
You mean, to bear me, not to bear with me.
Uncle, my brother mocks both you and me.
Because that I am little, like an ape,
He thinks that you should bear me on your shoulders.
BUCKINGHAM
With what a sharp-provided wit he reasons!
To mitigate the scorn he gives his uncle,
He prettily and aptly taunts himself.
So cunning and so young is wonderful.
RICHARD
My lord, wil’t please you pass along?
Myself and my good cousin Buckingham
Will to your mother, to entreat of her
To meet you at the Tower and welcome you.
YORK
What, will you go unto the Tower, my lord?
PRINCE
My Lord Protector needs will have it so.
YORK
I shall not sleep in quiet at the Tower.
RICHARD
Why, what should you fear?
YORK
Marry, my uncle Clarence’ angry ghost.
My grandam told me he was murdered there.
PRINCE
I fear no uncles dead.
RICHARD
Nor none that live, I hope.
PRINCE
An if they live, I hope I need not fear.
But come, my lord. With a heavy heart,
Thinking on them, go I unto the Tower.
BUCKINGHAM
Think you, my lord, this little prating York
Was not incensed by his subtle mother
To taunt and scorn you thus opprobriously?
RICHARD
No doubt, no doubt. O, a parlous boy,
Bold, quick, ingenious, forward, capable.
He is all the mother’s, from the top to toe.
BUCKINGHAM
Well, let them rest. Come , Catesby.
art sworn as deeply to effect what we intend
As closely to conceal what we impart.
know’st our reasons urged upon the way.
What think’st ? Is it not an easy matter
To make William Lord Hastings of our mind
For the instalment of this noble Duke
In the seat royal of this famous isle?
CATESBY
He for his father’s sake so loves the Prince
That he will not be won to against him.
BUCKINGHAM
What think’st then of Stanley? Will not he?
CATESBY
He will do all in all as Hastings .
BUCKINGHAM
Well then, no more but this: go, gentle Catesby,
And, as it were far off, sound Lord Hastings
How he stand affected to our purpose,
And summon him tomorrow to the Tower
To sit about the coronation.
If find him tractable to us,
Encourage him, and tell him all our reasons.
If he be leaden, icy, cold, unwilling,
Be so too, and so break off the talk,
And give us notice of his inclination;
For we tomorrow hold divided councils,
Wherein thyself highly be employed.
RICHARD
Commend me to Lord William. Tell him, Catesby,
His ancient knot of dangerous adversaries
Tomorrow are let blood at Pomfret Castle,
And bid my lord, for joy of this good news,
Give Mistress Shore one gentle kiss the more.
BUCKINGHAM
Good Catesby, go effect this business soundly.
CATESBY
My good lords both, with all the heed I can.
RICHARD
Shall we hear from you, Catesby, we sleep?
CATESBY
You shall, my lord.
RICHARD
At Crosby Place, there shall you find us both.
BUCKINGHAM
Now, my lord, what shall we do if we perceive
Lord Hastings will not yield to our complots?
RICHARD
Chop off his head, man; somewhat we will do.
And look when I am king, claim of me
The earldom of Hereford, and all the movables
Whereof the King my brother was possessed.
BUCKINGHAM
I’ll claim that promise at your Grace’s hand.
RICHARD
And look to have it yielded with all kindness.
Come, let us sup betimes, that afterwards
We may digest our complots in some form.