Richard III – Act 3 Scene 7

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

How now, how now, what say the citizens?

Come on, speak up, what did the citizens say?

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

Now, by the holy Mother of our Lord,

Now, by the holy Mother of our Lord,

The citizens are mum, say not a word.

The citizens don’t say a single word.

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

Touched you the bastardy of Edward’s children?

Did you imply that Edward’s kids are bastards?

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

I did, with his contract with Lady Lucy,

Yes, for he was engaged to Lady Lucy,

And his contract by deputy in France,

And pledged to Lady Bona once in France.

Th’ unsatiate greediness of his desire,

I spoke of his insatiable desires;

And his enforcement of the city wives,

Of how he raped the wives of citizens;

His tyranny for trifles, his own bastardy,

And punished petty crimes; how he’s a bastard,

As being got, your father then in France,

For, when conceived, his father was in France,

And his resemblance, being not like the Duke.

And he looked nothing like his father did.

Withal I did infer your lineaments,

And then I spoke of your characteristics,

Being the right idea of your father,

And how you are exactly like your father,

Both in your form and nobleness of mind;

Both how you look and with your noble mind;

Laid open all your victories in Scotland,

I spoke about your victories in Scotland,

Your discipline in war, wisdom in peace,

Your skills in battle, common sense in peace,

Your bounty, virtue, fair humility;

Your generosity and decency;

Indeed, left nothing fitting for your purpose

Indeed, there wasn’t anything to help you

Untouched or slightly handled in discourse.

That I left out or merely touched upon.

And when mine oratory drew to an end,

And when my speech was drawing to a close,

I bid them that did love their country’s good

I asked those who do love our worthy country

Cry, “God save Richard, England’s royal king!”

To shout out, ‘God save Richard, England’s king!’

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

And did they so?

And did they do that?

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

No, so God help me, they spake not a word,

God help me, no, they didn’t speak a word,

But like dumb statues, or breathing stones,

But stood like silent statues made of stone,

Stared each on other, and looked deadly pale;

And stared at one another, deathly pale;

Which when I saw, I reprehended them,

And when I saw that, I berated them,

And asked the Mayor what meant this wilful silence.

And asked the Mayor what all their silence meant.

His answer was, the people were not used

He said the people weren’t accustomed to

To be spoke to but by the Recorder.

Words said, unless they’re said by the Recorder.

Then he was urged to tell my tale again:

So I made the Recorder speak again:

“Thus saith the Duke, thus hath the Duke inferred” –

‘The Duke said this, and thus the Duke meant that…’

But nothing spake in warrant from himself.

But he did not reveal his own opinions.

When he had done, some followers of mine own,

When he had finished speaking, some supporters,

At lower end of the hall, hurled up their caps,

Who were stood at the back, threw up their caps,

And some ten voices cried, “God save King Richard!”

And maybe ten proclaimed, ‘God save King Richard!’

And thus I took the vantage of those few:

And so I took advantage of those few:

“Thanks, gentle citizens and friends,” quoth I,

‘Thanks, gentle citizens and friends,’ I said,

“This general applause and cheerful shout

‘This warm applause and optimistic shouting

Argues your wisdoms and your love to Richard” –

Shows you are wise and shows your love for Richard…’

And even here brake off, and came away.

I then broke off my speech, and came straight here.

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

What tongueless blocks were they! Would they not speak?

What dumbass fools! They wouldn’t speak at all?

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

No, by my troth, my lord.

They wouldn’t, no, my lord.

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

Will not the Mayor then and his brethren come?

Then won’t the Mayor and his brethren come here?

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

The Mayor is here at hand. Intend some fear,

The Mayor’s nearby. Pretend that you are scared,

Be not you spoke with but by mighty suit;

And do not speak until you’re pleaded with;

And look you get a prayer-book in your hand,

And go and hold a prayerbook in your hand,

And stand between two churchmen, good my lord –

And stand between two priests, my noble lord –

For on that ground I’ll make a holy descant –

So I can talk about your holy nature –

And be not easily won to our requests:

And push back on requests that you be king:

Play the maid’s part, still answer nay, and take it.

Act virgin-like, say no, but then accept it.

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

I go; and if you plead as well for them

I’ll go; and if you plead as well for them

As I can say nay to thee for myself,

As I decline the role to you myself,

No doubt we bring it to a happy issue.

There’s no doubt this will have a happy ending.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

Go, go up to the leads, the Lord Mayor knocks.

Go up onto the roof, the Mayor is knocking.

[EXIT GLOUCESTER.]

[ENTER THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN, AND CITIZENS.]

Welcome, my lord! I dance attendance here;

Welcome, my lord! I’m twiddling my thumbs here!

I think the Duke will not be spoke withal.

I think the Duke will not be spoken to.

[ENTER CATESBY.]

Now, Catesby, what says your lord to my request?

How did your lord reply to me, then, Catesby?

SIR WILLIAM CATESBY

He doth entreat your Grace, my noble lord,

He has invited you, my noble lord,

To visit him tomorrow or next day.

To visit him tomorrow or the next day.

He is within, with two right reverend fathers,

He is inside, and he is with two priests,

Divinely bent to meditation,

And, righteously, they all are deep in prayer,

And in no worldly suits would he be moved,

And won’t let worldly matters interrupt him

To draw him from his holy exercise.

To break him from his holy reverence.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

Return, good Catesby, to the gracious Duke,

Go back and see the gracious Duke, good Catesby:

Tell him, myself, the Mayor and Aldermen,

Say that myself, the Mayor and civic bigwigs,

In deep designs, in matter of great moment,

Are here to talk about important things

No less importing than our general good,

That impact on the welfare of our people,

Are come to have some conference with his Grace.

And we have come to tell his Grace of them.

SIR WILLIAM CATESBY

I’ll signify so much unto him straight.

I’ll let him know about that right away.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

Ah ha, my lord, this prince is not an Edward!

Ah ha, my lord, this prince is not like Edward!

He is not lulling on a lewd love-bed,

He’s not in bed, adulterous, with someone,

But on his knees at meditation;

But kneeling in deep prayer and meditation;

Not dallying with a brace of courtesans,

Not frolicking about with prostitutes,

But meditating with two deep divines;

But meditating with two righteous priests;

Not sleeping, to engross his idle body,

Not fattening himself up in a slumber,

But praying, to enrich his watchful soul.

But praying to improve his watchful soul.

Happy were England, would this virtuous prince

The English would be happy if this good prince

Take on his Grace the sovereignty thereof,

Would take the throne as sovereign King of England,

But sure I fear we shall not win him to it.

But I’m afraid we’ll fail to persuade him.

LORD MAYOR OF LONDON

Marry, God defend his Grace should say us nay!

Which, God forbid, his Grace should tell us no!

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

I fear he will. Here Catesby comes again.

I fear he will. Here’s Catesby coming back.

[ENTER CATESBY.]

Now, Catesby, what says his Grace?

What did his Grace say, Catesby?

SIR WILLIAM CATESBY

My lord,

Well, my lord,

He wonders to what end you have assembled

He wonders what your purpose is assembling

Such troops of citizens to come to him,

So many citizens to visit him,

His Grace not being warned thereof before:

Without him being warned of it beforehand:

He fears, my lord, you mean no good to him.

My lord, he fears that you intend to harm him.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

Sorry I am my noble cousin should

I’m sorry that my noble cousin might

Suspect me that I mean no good to him.

Suspect that I have come to cause him harm.

By heaven, we come to him in perfect love,

By God, we’re here because we love him so,

And so once more return and tell his Grace.

So go back in and tell his Grace as much.

[EXIT CATESBY.]

When holy and devout religious men

When holy and religious men are praying

Are at their beads, ’tis much to draw them thence,

And counting prayers on beads, it’s hard to stop them,

So sweet is zealous contemplation.

Because the joy of praying is so sweet.

LORD MAYOR OF LONDON

See where his Grace stands, ’tween two clergymen!

Look where his Grace is, stood between two priests!

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

Two props of virtue for a Christian prince,

Two props of goodness for a Christian prince,

To stay him from the fall of vanity;

To stop his downfall into vanity;

And see, a book of prayer in his hand –

And look, he has a prayerbook in his hand…

True ornaments to know a holy man.

These are all signs that he’s a holy man.

Famous Plantagenet, most gracious prince,

Renowned Plantagenet and gracious prince,

Lend favourable ear to our requests,

Please listen to us with an open mind,

And pardon us the interruption

Forgiving us for interrupting you

Of thy devotion and right Christian zeal.

Whilst deep in prayer to your true Christian faith.

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

My lord, there needs no such apology.

You don’t need to apologise, my lord.

I do beseech your Grace to pardon me,

Your Grace, I ask that you will pardon me,

Who, earnest in the service of my God,

Because, when deep in prayer to our God,

Deferred the visitation of my friends.

I kept my friends and visitors all waiting.

But leaving this, what is your Grace’s pleasure?

Aside from that, how can I help your Grace?

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

Even that (I hope) which pleaseth God above

Just something that, I hope, will please our God

And all good men of this ungoverned isle.

And all good people of this king-less land.

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

I do suspect I have done some offence

I’m fearing that I have done something wrong

That seems disgracious in the city’s eye,

That has offended people in our city,

And that you come to reprehend my ignorance.

And you have come to reprimand my ignorance.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

You have, my lord. Would it might please your Grace,

You have, my lord. But if you would be willing

On our entreaties, to amend your fault!

To hear us out, you’ll rectify your fault!

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

Else wherefore breathe I in a Christian land?

In Christian lands, a man can be forgiven!

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

Know then, it is your fault that you resign

You must know that your fault is in renouncing

The supreme seat, the throne majestical,

The highest seat, the true majestic throne,

The sceptred office of your ancestors,

The regal powers of your ancestors,

Your state of fortune, and your due of birth,

Your benefits of office and your birthright,

The lineal glory of your royal house,

The glory of your royal lineage,

To the corruption of a blemished stock;

To one who is impure, and thus corrupted;

Whiles in the mildness of your sleepy thoughts,

Whilst you were lost in meditative prayer,

Which here we waken to our country’s good,

Which we have interrupted for our country,

The noble isle doth want her proper limbs;

This land desires its proper leadership;

Her face defaced with scars of infamy,

This land is scarred by notoriety,

Her royal stock graft with ignoble plants,

Her royal lineage disgraced by weeds,

And almost should’red in the swallowing gulf

That’s almost left our regal land consumed

Of dark forgetfulness and deep oblivion.

Into a dark abyss where all’s forgotten.

Which to recure, we heartily solicit

To fix this problem, we sincerely plead

Your gracious self to take on you the charge

That you, your Grace, will now assume the role

And kingly government of this your land:

To rule this land and government as king;

Not as protector, steward, substitute,

Not in a part-time role as a protector,

Or lowly factor for another’s gain;

Subservient to someone else’s whim;

But as successively, from blood to blood,

But, through your bloodline, as its true successor,

Your right of birth, your empery, your own.

Which is your birthright and authority.

For this, consorted with the citizens,

For this, and with agreement from the people,

Your very worshipful and loving friends,

And from your very loyal and loving friends,

And by their vehement instigation,

And through their passionate and firm insistence,

In this just cause come I to move your Grace.

I’ve come to try to sway your Grace’s view.

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

I cannot tell if to depart in silence,

I can’t decide if I should leave in silence

Or bitterly to speak in your reproof,

Or reprimand you for what you have said,

Best fitteth my degree or your condition.

Unsure of what my rank, and yours, demands.

If not to answer, you might haply think

If I don’t answer you, you might believe

Tongue-tied ambition, not replying, yielded

I’m tongue-tied through ambition, and agree

To bear the golden yoke of sovereignty,

To wear the golden crown as sovereign king

Which fondly you would here impose on me.

Which you are aiming to impose on me.

If to reprove you for this suit of yours,

Yet if I reprimand you for your actions,

So seasoned with your faithful love to me,

Whilst I am well aware of how you love me,

Then on the other side, I checked my friends.

Then I’ll be guilty of rebuking friends.

Therefore – to speak, and to avoid the first,

I’ll speak, and thus avoid the first concern,

And then, in speaking, not to incur the last –

And, speaking, I’ll avoid the last concern –

Definitively thus I answer you:

I’ll answer you conclusively like this:

Your love deserves my thanks, but my desert

I’m grateful for your love, but I’m unworthy

Unmeritable shuns your high request.

Of being king, and hence I will decline.

First, if all obstacles were cut away,

First off, if all the obstacles were purged,

And that my path were even to the crown,

And I was left unchallenged for the crown,

As the ripe revenue and due of birth,

And it was time for me to take my birthright,

Yet so much is my poverty of spirit,

I’m lacking all the character to do it

So mighty and so many my defects,

Because I have so many awful defects

That I would rather hide me from my greatness –

That I would rather hide than bask in greatness –

Being a bark to brook no mighty sea –

I am a boat unfit to sail the ocean –

Than in my greatness covet to be hid

Than, being great, desire to hide from it

And in the vapour of my glory smothered.

So that I’m smothered by the royal pomp.

But God be thanked, there is no need of me,

But by the grace of God, I am not needed,

And much I need to help you, were there need:

And if I were, I wouldn’t be much help:

The royal tree hath left us royal fruit,

The royal tree has left us royal fruit,

Which mellowed by the stealing hours of time,

For young Prince Edward will mature with time

Will well become the seat of majesty,

And will become well suited as a monarch,

And make (no doubt) us happy by his reign.

And I am sure his reign will make us happy.

On him I lay that you would lay on me,

The role you ask of me, I’d give to him,

The right and fortune of his happy stars,

The one who’s fortunate to get the role,

Which God defend that I should wring from him!

Which, God forbid, that I would steal from him!

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

My lord, this argues conscience in your Grace,

My lord, this shows you are a decent man,

But the respects thereof are nice and trivial,

But your objections are all frivolous

All circumstances well considered.

When weighing up the circumstance we face.

You say that Edward is your brother’s son:

You say young Edward is your brother’s son:

So say we too, but not by Edward’s wife;

We say that too, but not by Edward’s wife;

For first was he contract to Lady Lucy –

For he was first engaged to Lady Lucy –

Your mother lives a witness to his vow –

Your living mother heard him make his vow –

And afterward by substitute betrothed

And then, by proxy, he had got engaged

To Bona, sister to the King of France.

To Bona, sister of the King of France.

These both put off, a poor petitioner,

But after both these failed, a hard-up temptress,

A care-crazed mother to a many sons,

Preoccupied with many sons to mother,

A beauty-waning and distressed widow,

With faded beauty, sad that she’d been widowed,

Even in the afternoon of her best days,

Well past her former prime of yesteryear,

Made prize and purchase of his wanton eye,

Had flirted and intrigued the randy King,

Seduced the pitch and height of his degree

Seducing him, and lowering his standards,

To base declension and loathed bigamy.

Descending to the shame of bigamy.

By her, in his unlawful bed, he got

With her, and out of wedlock, he became

This Edward, whom our manners call the Prince.

This Edward, whom we have to now call ‘Prince’.

More bitterly could I expostulate,

I could reveal the vulgar details further,

Save that for reverence to some alive,

But out of some respect for those still living,

I give a sparing limit to my tongue.

I’ll hold off saying any more about it.

Then, good my lord, take to your royal self

And so, my lord, accept this royal role

This proffered benefit of dignity;

That’s offered for the sake of dignity;

If not to bless us and the land withal,

If not to bless the citizens and country,

Yet to draw forth your noble ancestry

But to protect your noble ancestry

From the corruption of abusing times

From the corruption of this situation

Unto a lineal true-derived course.

And keep the royal lineage unblemished.

LORD MAYOR OF LONDON

Do, good my lord, your citizens entreat you.

Do that, my lord; your citizens desire it.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

Refuse not, mighty lord, this proffered love.

My lord, do not refuse this love they offer.

SIR WILLIAM CATESBY

O, make them joyful, grant their lawful suit!

Please everyone and grant them what they want!

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

Alas, why would you heap this care on me?

Oh dear, why do you force this role on me?

I am unfit for state and majesty.

I am unfit to be a regal monarch.

I do beseech you take it not amiss,

I ask that you don’t take it personally,

I cannot nor I will not yield to you.

But I cannot, nor will not, take your offer.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

If you refuse it – as, in love and zeal,

If you refuse – through loyalty and love,

Loath to depose the child, your brother’s son;

Unwilling to replace your brother’s son,

As well we know your tenderness of heart

For we all know that you’ve a tender heart,

And gentle, kind, effeminate remorse,

Are gentle, kind, and lovingly remorseful

Which we have noted in you to your kindred

To all your relatives, as we have seen,

And egally indeed to all estates –

Indeed to each and every citizen –

Yet know, whe’er you accept our suit or no,

But you must know, if you accept or not,

Your brother’s son shall never reign our king,

Your brother’s son will never reign as king,

But we will plant some other in the throne,

For we will give the throne to someone else,

To the disgrace and downfall of your house;

And that will bring disgrace upon your household;

And in this resolution here we leave you.

And with that final point, it’s time to leave.

Come, citizens. ’Zounds, I’ll entreat no more.

Let’s go. By Christ, I will not ask again!

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

O, do not swear, my Lord of Buckingham.

Oh, please don’t swear, my Lord of Buckingham!

SIR WILLIAM CATESBY

Call him again, sweet prince, accept their suit.

Please call him back again; accept their offer.

If you deny them, all the land will rue it.

If you decline, all people will regret it.

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

Will you enforce me to a world of cares?

So, would you make me live a life of worry?

Call them again, I am not made of stones,

Well, call them back; I’m not as cold as stone,

But penetrable to your kind entreaties,

But I can be persuaded out of kindness,

Albeit against my conscience and my soul.

Although it is against my better judgement.

[ENTER BUCKINGHAM AND THE REST.]

Cousin of Buckingham, and sage grave men,

My cousin Buckingham, and all you wise men,

Since you will buckle Fortune on my back,

Since you intend to force me to accept,

To bear her burden whe’er I will or no,

To take it if I want the role or not,

I must have patience to endure the load;

I have to find the patience to endure it;

But if black scandal or foul-faced reproach

But if there’s any scandal or resentment

Attend the sequel of your imposition,

That follows when your wish is realised,

Your mere enforcement shall acquittance me

The fact you’ve made me king will thus absolve me

From all the impure blots and stains thereof;

Of any criticism I receive;

For God doth know, and you may partly see,

For God’s aware, and you can partly see,

How far I am from the desire of this.

That this is far from what I want to happen.

LORD MAYOR OF LONDON

God bless your Grace! We see it and will say it.

God bless your Grace! We know it and will say it.

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

In saying so you shall but say the truth.

By saying so, you’ll merely speak the truth.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

Then I salute you with this royal title –

Then I salute you with this royal title:

Long live Richard, England’s worthy king!

Long live Richard, the worthy King of England!

ALL

Amen.

Amen.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

Tomorrow may it please you to be crowned?

Will you be happy to be crowned tomorrow?

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

Even when you please, for you will have it so.

Whenever you desire, for it’s your plan.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

Tomorrow then we will attend your Grace,

Tomorrow, then; we’ll wait on you, your Grace.

And so most joyfully we take our leave.

And very happily, we’ll leave you now.

RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

[To the Bishops.]

Come, let us to our holy work again.

Let us return to praying once again.

Farewell, my cousin, farewell, gentle friends.

Goodbye, my cousin; goodbye, gentle friends.