1    Welcome, sweet prince, to London, to your chamber.

2    Welcome, dear cousin, my thoughts' sovereign
3    The weary way hath made you melancholy.

4    No, uncle; but our crosses on the way
5    Have made it tedious, wearisome, and heavy
6    I want more uncles here to welcome me.

7    Sweet prince, the untainted virtue of your years
8    Hath not yet dived into the world's deceit
9    Nor more can you distinguish of a man
10   Than of his outward show; which, God he knows,
11   Seldom or never jumpeth with the heart.
12   Those uncles which you want were dangerous;
13   Your grace attended to their sugar'd words,
14   But look'd not on the poison of their hearts :
15   God keep you from them, and from such false friends!

16   God keep me from false friends! but they were none.

17   My lord, the mayor of London comes to greet you.

18   God bless your grace with health and happy days!

19   I thank you, good my lord; and thank you all.
20   I thought my mother, and my brother York,
21   Would long ere this have met us on the way
22   Fie, what a slug is Hastings, that he comes not
23   To tell us whether they will come or no!

24   And, in good time, here comes the sweating lord.

25   Welcome, my lord: what, will our mother come?

26   On what occasion, God he knows, not I,
27   The queen your mother, and your brother York,
28   Have taken sanctuary: the tender prince
29   Would fain have come with me to meet your grace,
30   But by his mother was perforce withheld.

31   Fie, what an indirect and peevish course
32   Is this of hers! Lord cardinal, will your grace
33   Persuade the queen to send the Duke of York
34   Unto his princely brother presently?
35   If she deny, Lord Hastings, go with him,
36   And from her jealous arms pluck him perforce.

37   My Lord of Buckingham, if my weak oratory
38   Can from his mother win the Duke of York,
39   Anon expect him here; but if she be obdurate
40   To mild entreaties, God in heaven forbid
41   We should infringe the holy privilege
42   Of blessed sanctuary! not for all this land
43   Would I be guilty of so deep a sin.

44   You are too senseless--obstinate, my lord,
45   Too ceremonious and traditional
46   Weigh it but with the grossness of this age,
47   You break not sanctuary in seizing him.
48   The benefit thereof is always granted
49   To those whose dealings have deserved the place,
50   And those who have the wit to claim the place:
51   This prince hath neither claim'd it nor deserved it;
52   And therefore, in mine opinion, cannot have it:
53   Then, taking him from thence that is not there,
54   You break no privilege nor charter there.
55   Oft have I heard of sanctuary men;
56   But sanctuary children ne'er till now.

57   My lord, you shall o'er-rule my mind for once.
58   Come on, Lord Hastings, will you go with me?

59   I go, my lord.

60   Good lords, make all the speedy haste you may.
Exeunt CARDINAL and HASTINGS
61   Say, uncle Gloucester, if our brother come,
62   Where shall we sojourn till our coronation?

63   Where it seems best unto your royal self.
64   If I may counsel you, some day or two
65   Your highness shall repose you at the Tower:
66   Then where you please, and shall be thought most fit
67   For your best health and recreation.

68   I do not like the Tower, of any place.
69   Did Julius Caesar build that place, my lord?

70   He did, my gracious lord, begin that place;
71   Which, since, succeeding ages have re-edified.

72   Is it upon record, or else reported
73   Successively from age to age, he built it?

74   Upon record, my gracious lord.

75   But say, my lord, it were not register'd,
76   Methinks the truth should live from age to age,
77   As 'twere retail'd to all posterity,
78   Even to the general all-ending day.

Aside
79    So wise so young, they say, do never
80   live long.

81   What say you, uncle?

82   I say, without characters, fame lives long.
Aside
83   Thus, like the formal vice, Iniquity,
84   I moralize two meanings in one word.

85   That Julius Caesar was a famous man;
86   With what his valour did enrich his wit,
87   His wit set down to make his valour live
88   Death makes no conquest of this conqueror;
89   For now he lives in fame, though not in life.
90   I'll tell you what, my cousin Buckingham,--

91   What, my gracious lord?

92   An if I live until I be a man,
93   I'll win our ancient right in France again,
94   Or die a soldier, as I lived a king.

Aside
95    Short summers lightly have a forward spring.

96   Now, in good time, here comes the Duke of York.

97   Richard of York! how fares our loving brother?

98   Well, my dread lord; so must I call you now.

99   Ay, brother, to our grief, as it is yours:
100  Too late he died that might have kept that title,
101  Which by his death hath lost much majesty.

102  How fares our cousin, noble Lord of York?

103  I thank you, gentle uncle. O, my lord,
104  You said that idle weeds are fast in growth
105  The prince my brother hath outgrown me far.

106  He hath, my lord.

107  And therefore is he idle?

108  O, my fair cousin, I must not say so.

109  Then is he more beholding to you than I.

110  He may command me as my sovereign;
111  But you have power in me as in a kinsman.

112  I pray you, uncle, give me this dagger.

113  My dagger, little cousin? with all my heart.

114  A beggar, brother?

115  Of my kind uncle, that I know will give;
116  And being but a toy, which is no grief to give.

117  A greater gift than that I'll give my cousin.

118  A greater gift! O, that's the sword to it.

119  A gentle cousin, were it light enough.

120  O, then, I see, you will part but with light gifts;
121  In weightier things you'll say a beggar nay.

122  It is too heavy for your grace to wear.

123  I weigh it lightly, were it heavier.

124  What, would you have my weapon, little lord?

125  I would, that I might thank you as you call me.

126  How?

127  Little.

128  My Lord of York will still be cross in talk:
129  Uncle, your grace knows how to bear with him.

130  You mean, to bear me, not to bear with me:
131  Uncle, my brother mocks both you and me;
132  Because that I am little, like an ape,
133  He thinks that you should bear me on your shoulders.

134  With what a sharp-provided wit he reasons!
135  To mitigate the scorn he gives his uncle,
136  He prettily and aptly taunts himself:
137  So cunning and so young is wonderful.

138  My lord, will't please you pass along?
139  Myself and my good cousin Buckingham
140  Will to your mother, to entreat of her
141  To meet you at the Tower and welcome you.

142  What, will you go unto the Tower, my lord?

143  My lord protector needs will have it so.

144  I shall not sleep in quiet at the Tower.

145  Why, what should you fear?

146  Marry, my uncle Clarence' angry ghost:
147  My grandam told me he was murdered there.

148  I fear no uncles dead.

149  Nor none that live, I hope.

150  An if they live, I hope I need not fear.
151  But come, my lord; and with a heavy heart,
152  Thinking on them, go I unto the Tower.

153  Think you, my lord, this little prating York
154  Was not incensed by his subtle mother
155  To taunt and scorn you thus opprobriously?

156  No doubt, no doubt; O, 'tis a parlous boy;
157  Bold, quick, ingenious, forward, capable
158  He is all the mother's, from the top to toe.

159  Well, let them rest. Come hither, Catesby.
160  Thou art sworn as deeply to effect what we intend
161  As closely to conceal what we impart:
162  Thou know'st our reasons urged upon the way;
163  What think'st thou? is it not an easy matter
164  To make William Lord Hastings of our mind,
165  For the instalment of this noble duke
166  In the seat royal of this famous isle?

167  He for his father's sake so loves the prince,
168  That he will not be won to aught against him.

169  What think'st thou, then, of Stanley? what will he?

170  He will do all in all as Hastings doth.

171  Well, then, no more but this: go, gentle Catesby,
172  And, as it were far off sound thou Lord Hastings,
173  How doth he stand affected to our purpose;
174  And summon him to-morrow to the Tower,
175  To sit about the coronation.
176  If thou dost find him tractable to us,
177  Encourage him, and show him all our reasons:
178  If he be leaden, icy-cold, unwilling,
179  Be thou so too; and so break off your talk,
180  And give us notice of his inclination:
181  For we to-morrow hold divided councils,
182  Wherein thyself shalt highly be employ'd.

183  Commend me to Lord William: tell him, Catesby,
184  His ancient knot of dangerous adversaries
185  To-morrow are let blood at Pomfret-castle;
186  And bid my friend, for joy of this good news,
187  Give mistress Shore one gentle kiss the more.

188  Good Catesby, go, effect this business soundly.

189  My good lords both, with all the heed I may.

190  Shall we hear from you, Catesby, ere we sleep?

191  You shall, my lord.

192  At Crosby Place, there shall you find us both.

193  Now, my lord, what shall we do, if we perceive
194  Lord Hastings will not yield to our complots?

195  Chop off his head, man; somewhat we will do:
196  And, look, when I am king, claim thou of me
197  The earldom of Hereford, and the moveables
198  Whereof the king my brother stood possess'd.

199  I'll claim that promise at your grace's hands.

200  And look to have it yielded with all willingness.
201  Come, let us sup betimes, that afterwards
202  We may digest our complots in some form.