Enter RICHARD and
BUCKINGHAM, in rotten armor,
marvelous ill-favored
RICHARD and BUCKINGHAM enter
RICHARD
Come, cousin, canst thou
quake and change thy color,
Murder thy breath in the
middle of a word,
And then begin again, and
stop again,
As if thou wert 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
enforcèd smiles,
And both are ready in their
offices,
At any time to grace my
stratagems.
But what, is Catesby gone?
RICHARD
He is; and see, he brings the
mayor along.
RICHARD
Tell me, cousin, I need to
know if you can shake like
you've got a fever, turn pale
all of a sudden, and stop
speaking in the middle of a
word—as if you were driven
crazy with fear.
Enter the LORD MAYOR and
The LORD MAYOR and CATESBY
enter.
CATESBY
BUCKINGHAM
Lord Mayor—
RICHARD
Look to the drawbridge
there!
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wearing rusty, hideous-looking
armor.
BUCKINGHAM
Oh please, I can imitate the
best tragic actor around. I
can speak and then look all
around, and tremble, and
start at a mere piece of
straw as if I were paranoid.
Frightening looks are also at
my service, as are fake
smiles. Anytime I need
them, they're waiting to do
my bidding. But has Catesby
gone?
RICHARD
He has. But here he is, back
with the mayor.
BUCKINGHAM
Lord Mayor—
RICHARD
Watch out for the
drawbridge over there!
BUCKINGHAM
Hark, a drum!
RICHARD
Catesby, o'erlook the walls.
BUCKINGHAM
Listen! A drum!
RICHARD
Catesby, look over the top of
these walls to see if anyone's
there.
Exit CATESBY
CATESBY exits.
BUCKINGHAM
Lord Mayor, the reason we
have sent—
RICHARD
Look back! Defend thee!
Here are enemies.
BUCKINGHAM
Lord Mayor, the reason we
have sent—
RICHARD
Look behind you! Defend
yourself! There are enemies
here.
BUCKINGHAM
God defend and guard us
innocents against them!
BUCKINGHAM
God and our innocence
defend and guard us!
Enter LOVELL and RATCLIFFE,
with HASTINGS'S head
LOVELL and RATCLIFFE enter with
RICHARD
Be patient. They are friends,
Ratcliffe and Lovell.
LOVELL
Here is the head of that
ignoble traitor,
The dangerous and
unsuspected Hastings.
RICHARD
So dear I loved the man that
I must weep.
I took him for the plainest
harmless creature
That breathed upon this
earth a Christian;
Made him my book, wherein
my soul recorded
The history of all her secret
RICHARD
Stay calm. They're friends—
Ratcliffe and Lovell.
LOVELL
Here's the head of that
notorious traitor, the
dangerous and unsuspected
Hastings.
RICHARD
I loved this man so much it
makes me weep. I took him
to be the plainest, most
harmless Christian on earth.
He was the book in which I
recorded all of my most
secret thoughts. He was so
slick in covering over his
plans that if it hadn't been
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HASTINGS'S head.
thoughts.
So smooth he daubed his
vice with show of virtue
That, his apparent open
guilt omitted—
I mean his conversation
with Shore's wife—
He lived from all attainder
of suspects.
for his love affair with
Shore's wife, I would never
have suspected him.
BUCKINGHAM
Well, well, he was the most
covert traitor who ever
lived. Would you believe, if
we hadn't caught him, this
subtle traitor would have
murdered the Lord of
Gloucester and me in the
council room today?
LORD MAYOR
He would have?
RICHARD
What, do you think we're
Turks or savages, instead of
Christians? You think we
would have disobeyed the
law and proceeded to kill
this villain if England's
peace and our own lives
hadn't been at stake?
BUCKINGHAM
Well, well, he was the
covert'st sheltered traitor
That ever lived.—
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LORD MAYOR
I hope nothing else like this
ever happens to you! This
man deserved his death. And
Would you imagine, or
almost believe,
Were 't not that by great
preservation
We live to tell it, that subtle
traitor
This day had plotted, in the
council house
To murder me and my good
Lord of Gloucester?
LORD MAYOR
Had he done so?
RICHARD
What, think you we are
Turks or infidels?
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you, my good lords, were right
to warn other traitors from
trying the same.
BUCKINGHAM
I didn't expect any better
from him once he got
involved with Mistress Shore.
But we had decided that he
shouldn't die until you were
able to come witness his
execution. (Which was
prevented by the haste of our
friends, Lovell and Ratcliffe
here, who went against what
we intended somewhat in
their hurry to protect us).
BUCKINGHAM
If you could have heard the
traitor speak for himself and
confess the exact way he
planned to murder us, you
could have told the citizens
what terrible intentions he
had, though now they're likely
to misconstrue what we did
and wail over his death.
Or that we would, against
the form of law,
Proceed thus rashly in the
villain's death,
But that the extreme peril of
the case,
The peace of England and
our persons' safety
LORD MAYOR
But, my good lord, the words
of you and Lord Buckingham
are as trustworthy to me as if
I had seen and heard him
speak myself. And do not
doubt, you honest, noble
princes, that I'll let our
citizens know how fairly you
proceeded in this case.
Enforced us to this
execution?
RICHARD
That is exactly why we wanted
you here, your lordship—to
avoid the public carping and
complaints.
LORD MAYOR
Now fair befall you! He
deserved his death,
And your good Graces both
have well proceeded
To warn false traitors from
the like attempts.
BUCKINGHAM
But since you've come too late
to see the execution as we
intended, at least let people
know what you hear we
intended. And so, good Lord
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Mayor, we bid you goodbye.
The LORD MAYOR exits.
116108008Page 6 of 6