William Shakespeare: The Life and Death of King Richard III

ACT III. 5. SCENE V. London. The Tower Walls.

[Enter GLOSTER and BUCKINGHAM in rusty armour, marvellous
ill-favoured.]

GLOSTER.
Come, cousin, canst thou quake and change thy colour,
Murder thy breath in middle of a word,
And then again begin, and stop again,
As if thou were distraught and mad with terror?

BUCKINGHAM.
Tut, I can counterfeit the deep tragedian;
Speak and look back, and pry on every side,
Tremble and start at wagging of a straw,
Intending deep suspicion: ghastly looks
Are at my service, like enforced smiles;
And both are ready in their offices,
At any time to grace my stratagems.
But what, is Catesby gone?

GLOSTER.
He is; and, see, he brings the mayor along.

[Enter the LORD MAYOR and CATESBY.]

BUCKINGHAM.
Lord mayor,--

GLOSTER.
Look to the drawbridge there!

BUCKINGHAM.
Hark! a drum.

GLOSTER.
Catesby, o'erlook the walls.

BUCKINGHAM.
Lord Mayor, the reason we have sent,--

GLOSTER.
Look back, defend thee,--here are enemies.

BUCKINGHAM.
God and our innocency defend and guard us!

GLOSTER.
Be patient; they are friends,--Ratcliff and Lovel.

[Enter LOVEL and RATCLIFF, with HASTINGS' head.]

LOVEL.
Here is the head of that ignoble traitor,
The dangerous and unsuspected Hastings.

GLOSTER.
So dear I lov'd the man that I must weep.
I took him for the plainest harmless creature
That breath'd upon the earth a Christian;
Made him my book, wherein my soul recorded
The history of all her secret thoughts:
So smooth he daub'd his vice with show of virtue
That, his apparent open guilt omitted,--
I mean, his conversation with Shore's wife,--
He liv'd from all attainder of suspects.