William Shakespeare: The Life and Death of King Richard III

ACT IV. 4. SCENE IV. London. Before the palace. (continued)

DUCHESS.
Either thou wilt die by God's just ordinance
Ere from this war thou turn a conqueror;
Or I with grief and extreme age shall perish
And never more behold thy face again.
Therefore take with thee my most grievous curse;
Which in the day of battle tire thee more
Than all the complete armour that thou wear'st!
My prayers on the adverse party fight;
And there the little souls of Edward's children
Whisper the spirits of thine enemies,
And promise them success and victory.
Bloody thou art; bloody will be thy end:
Shame serves thy life and doth thy death attend.

[Exit.]

QUEEN ELIZABETH.
Though far more cause, yet much less spirit to curse
Abides in me; I say amen to her.

[Going.]

KING RICHARD.
Stay, madam, I must talk a word with you.

QUEEN ELIZABETH.
I have no more sons of the royal blood
For thee to slaughter: for my daughters, Richard,--
They shall be praying nuns, not weeping queens;
And therefore level not to hit their lives.

KING RICHARD.
You have a daughter call'd Elizabeth.
Virtuous and fair, royal and gracious.

QUEEN ELIZABETH.
And must she die for this? O, let her live,
And I'll corrupt her manners, stain her beauty:
Slander myself as false to Edward's bed;
Throw over her the veil of infamy:
So she may live unscarr'd of bleeding slaughter,
I will confess she was not Edward's daughter.

KING RICHARD.
Wrong not her birth; she is of royal blood.

QUEEN ELIZABETH.
To save her life I'll say she is not so.

KING RICHARD.
Her life is safest only in her birth.

QUEEN ELIZABETH.
And only in that safety died her brothers.

KING RICHARD.
Lo, at their births good stars were opposite.

QUEEN ELIZABETH.
No, to their lives bad friends were contrary.

KING RICHARD.
All unavoided is the doom of destiny.