Lady Anne. Set down, set down your honourable load, If honour may be shrouded in a hearse, Whilst I awhile obsequiously lament The untimely fall of virtuous Lancaster. Poor key-cold figure of a holy king! Pale ashes of the house of Lancaster! Thou bloodless remnant of that royal blood! Be it lawful that I invocate thy ghost, To hear the lamentations of Poor Anne, Wife to thy Edward, to thy slaughter'd son, Stabb'd by the selfsame hand that made these wounds! Lo, in these windows that let forth thy life, I pour the helpless balm of my poor eyes. Cursed be the hand that made these fatal holes! Cursed be the heart that had the heart to do it! Cursed the blood that let this blood from hence! More direful hap betide that hated wretch, That makes us wretched by the death of thee, Than I can wish to adders, spiders, toads, Or any creeping venom'd thing that lives! If ever he have child, abortive be it, Prodigious, and untimely brought to light, Whose ugly and unnatural aspect May fright the hopeful mother at the view; And that be heir to his unhappiness! If ever he have wife, let her he made A miserable by the death of him As I am made by my poor lord and thee! Come, now towards Chertsey with your holy load, Taken from Paul's to be interred there; And still, as you are weary of the weight, Rest you, whiles I lament King Henry's corse. [Enter GLOUCESTER]
Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). Stay, you that bear the corse, and set it down. Lady Anne. What black magician conjures up this fiend, To stop devoted charitable deeds? Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). Villains, set down the corse; or, by Saint Paul, I'll make a corse of him that disobeys. Gentleman. My lord, stand back, and let the coffin pass. Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). Unmanner'd dog! stand thou, when I command: Advance thy halbert higher than my breast, Or, by Saint Paul, I'll strike thee to my foot, And spurn upon thee, beggar, for thy boldness. Lady Anne. What, do you tremble? are you all afraid? Alas, I blame you not; for you are mortal, And mortal eyes cannot endure the devil. Avaunt, thou dreadful minister of hell! Thou hadst but power over his mortal body, His soul thou canst not have; therefore be gone. Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). Sweet saint, for charity, be not so curst. Lady Anne. Foul devil, for God's sake, hence, and trouble us not; For thou hast made the happy earth thy hell, 225 Fill'd it with cursing cries and deep exclaims. If thou delight to view thy heinous deeds, Behold this pattern of thy butcheries. O, gentlemen, see, see! dead Henry's wounds Open their congeal'd mouths and bleed afresh! 230 Blush, Blush, thou lump of foul deformity; For 'tis thy presence that exhales this blood From cold and empty veins, where no blood dwells; Thy deed, inhuman and unnatural, Provokes this deluge most unnatural. 235 O God, which this blood madest, revenge his death! O earth, which this blood drink'st revenge his death! Either heaven with lightning strike the murderer dead, Or earth, gape open wide and eat him quick, 240 As thou dost swallow up this good king's blood Which his hell-govern'd arm hath butchered! Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). Lady, you know no rules of charity, Which renders good for bad, blessings for curses. Lady Anne. Villain, thou know'st no law of God nor man: 245 No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity. Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). But I know none, and therefore am no beast. Lady Anne. O wonderful, when devils tell the truth! Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). More wonderful, when angels are so angry. Vouchsafe, divine perfection of a woman, 250 Of these supposed-evils, to give me leave, By c