SCENE I. London. A street. The Life and Death of Richard the Third  Shakespeare homepage  |  Richard III  | Act 3, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE I. London. A street. 

 The trumpets sound. Enter the young PRINCE EDWARD, GLOUCESTER, BUCKINGHAM, CARDINAL, CATESBY, 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 EDWARD  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 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 sugar'd words, 

 But look'd not on the poison of their hearts : 

 God keep you from them, and from such false friends! 

 PRINCE EDWARD  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  Lord Mayor  God bless your grace with health and happy days! 

 PRINCE EDWARD  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 HASTINGS  BUCKINGHAM  And, in good time, here comes the sweating lord. 

 PRINCE EDWARD  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 deserved the place, 

 And those who have the wit to claim the place: 

 This prince hath neither claim'd it nor deserved 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 ne'er till now. 

 CARDINAL  My lord, you shall o'er-rule my mind for once. 

 Come on, Lord Hastings, will you go with me? 

 HASTINGS  I go, my lord. 

 PRINCE EDWARD  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 EDWARD  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 EDWARD  Is it upon record, or else reported 

 Successively from age to age, he built it? 

 BUCKINGHAM  Upon record, my gracious lord. 

 PRINCE EDWARD  But say, my lord, it were not register'd, 

 Methinks the truth should live 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 EDWARD  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 EDWARD  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 EDWARD  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. 

 GLOUCESTER  [Aside]  Short summers lightly have a forward spring. 



 Enter young YORK, HASTINGS, and the CARDINAL  BUCKINGHAM  Now, in good time, here comes the Duke of York. 

 PRINCE EDWARD  Richard of York! how fares our loving brother? 

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

 PRINCE EDWARD  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 is he 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 EDWARD  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  A 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 EDWARD  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 EDWARD  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 murdered there. 

 PRINCE EDWARD  I fear no uncles dead. 

 GLOUCESTER  Nor none that live, I hope. 

 PRINCE EDWARD  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 parlous 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 urged 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? what will 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 doth he 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 show him all our reasons: 

 If he be leaden, icy-cold, unwilling, 

 Be thou so too; and so break off your 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 friend, 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 may. 

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

 CATESBY  You shall, my lord. 

 GLOUCESTER  At Crosby Place, 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, man; somewhat we will do: 

 And, look, when I am king, claim thou of me 

 The earldom of Hereford, and the moveables 

 Whereof the king my brother stood possess'd. 

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

 GLOUCESTER  And look to have it yielded with all willingness. 

 Come, let us sup betimes, that afterwards 

 We may digest our complots in some form. 



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