ACT III. SCENE 1.

London. A street

The trumpets sound. Enter the PRINCE OF WALES, GLOUCESTER, BUCKINGHAM,
CATESBY, CARDINAL BOURCHIER, and others

  BUCKINGHAM. Welcome, sweet Prince, to London, to your
    chamber.
  GLOUCESTER. Welcome, dear cousin, my thoughts' sovereign.
    The weary way hath 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.
  GLOUCESTER. Sweet Prince, the untainted virtue of your
    years
    Hath not yet div'd 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 sug'red words
    But look'd 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.
  GLOUCESTER. My lord, the Mayor of London comes to greet
    you.

Enter the LORD MAYOR and his train

  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 ere 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!

Enter LORD HASTINGS

  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 fain 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 presently?
    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,
    Anon 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 deserv'd the place
    And those who have the wit to claim the place.
    This Prince hath neither claim'd it nor deserv'd it,
    And therefore, in mine opinion, cannot have it.
    Then, taking him from thence that is not there,
    You break no privilege nor charter there.
    Oft 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.
                                    Exeunt CARDINAL and HASTINGS
    Say, uncle Gloucester, if our brother come,
    Where shall we sojourn till our coronation?
  GLOUCESTER. 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 regist'red,
    Methinks the truth should Eve from age to age,
    As 'twere retail'd to all posterity,
    Even to the general all-ending day.
  GLOUCESTER. [Aside] So wise so young, they say, do never
    live long.
  PRINCE. What say you, uncle?
  GLOUCESTER. I say, without characters, fame lives long.
    [Aside] 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 liv'd a king.
  GLOUCESTER. [Aside] Short summers lightly have a forward
    spring.

Enter HASTINGS, young YORK, and the CARDINAL

  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 can 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 hath lost much majesty.
  GLOUCESTER. 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 hath outgrown me far.
  GLOUCESTER. He hath, my lord.
  YORK. And therefore is he idle?
  GLOUCESTER. O, my fair cousin, I must not say so.
  YORK. Then he is more beholding to you than I.
  GLOUCESTER. 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.
  GLOUCESTER. 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.
  GLOUCESTER. A greater gift than that I'll give my cousin.
  YORK. A greater gift! O, that's the sword to it!
  GLOUCESTER. 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.
  GLOUCESTER. It is too heavy for your Grace to wear.
  YORK. I weigh it lightly, were it heavier.
  GLOUCESTER. What, would you have my weapon, little
    Lord?
  YORK. I would, that I might thank you as you call me.
  GLOUCESTER. 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.
  GLOUCESTER. My lord, will'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.
  GLOUCESTER. Why, what should you fear?
  YORK. Marry, my uncle Clarence' angry ghost.
    My grandam told me he was murder'd there.
  PRINCE. I fear no uncles dead.
  GLOUCESTER. Nor none that live, I hope.
  PRINCE. An if they live, I hope I need not fear.
    But come, my lord; and with a heavy heart,
    Thinking on them, go I unto the Tower.
    A sennet.
              Exeunt all but GLOUCESTER, BUCKINGHAM, and CATESBY
  BUCKINGHAM. Think you, my lord, this little prating York
    Was not incensed by his subtle mother
    To taunt and scorn you thus opprobriously?
  GLOUCESTER. No doubt, no doubt. O, 'tis a perilous boy;
    Bold, quick, ingenious, forward, capable.
    He is all the mother's, from the top to toe.
  BUCKINGHAM. Well, let them rest. Come hither, Catesby.
    Thou art sworn as deeply to effect what we intend
    As closely to conceal what we impart.
    Thou know'st our reasons urg'd upon the way.
    What think'st thou? 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 aught against him.
  BUCKINGHAM. What think'st thou then of Stanley? Will
    not he?
  CATESBY. He will do all in all as Hastings doth.
  BUCKINGHAM. Well then, no more but this: go, gentle
    Catesby,
    And, as it were far off, sound thou Lord Hastings
    How he doth stand affected to our purpose;
    And summon him to-morrow to the Tower,
    To sit about the coronation.
    If thou dost find him tractable to us,
    Encourage him, and tell him all our reasons;
    If he be leaden, icy, cold, unwilling,
    Be thou so too, and so break off the talk,
    And give us notice of his inclination;
    For we to-morrow hold divided councils,
    Wherein thyself shalt highly be employ'd.
  GLOUCESTER. Commend me to Lord William. Tell him,
    Catesby,
    His ancient knot of dangerous adversaries
    To-morrow 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.
  GLOUCESTER. Shall we hear from you, Catesby, ere we sleep?
  CATESBY. You shall, my lord.
  GLOUCESTER. At Crosby House, there shall you find us both.
                                                    Exit CATESBY
  BUCKINGHAM. Now, my lord, what shall we do if we
    perceive
    Lord Hastings will not yield to our complots?
  GLOUCESTER. Chop off his head-something we will
    determine.
    And, look when I am King, claim thou of me
    The earldom of Hereford and all the movables
    Whereof the King my brother was possess'd.
  BUCKINGHAM. I'll claim that promise at your Grace's hand.
  GLOUCESTER. And look to have it yielded with all kindness.
    Come, let us sup betimes, that afterwards
    We may digest our complots in some form. Exeunt