Richard III
Act V, Scene 1
Salisbury. An open place.
- Enter Buckingham, with Halberds and the
- Sheriff, led to execution.
Duke of Buckingham
1- Will not King Richard let me speak with him?
Sheriff
2- No, my good lord, therefore be patient.
Duke of Buckingham
3 - 10- Hastings, and Edward’s children, Grey and Rivers,
- Holy King Henry and thy fair son Edward,
- Vaughan, and all that have miscarried
- By underhand corrupted foul injustice,
- If that your moody discontented souls
- Do through the clouds behold this present hour,
- Even for revenge mock my destruction!
- This is All-Souls’ day, fellow, is it not?
Sheriff
11- It is, my lord.
Duke of Buckingham
12 - 29- Why then All-Souls’ day is my body’s doomsday.
- This is the day which, in King Edward’s time,
- I wish’d might fall on me when I was found
- False to his children and his wive’s allies;
- This is the day wherein I wish’d to fall
- By the false faith of him whom most I trusted;
- This, this All-Souls’ day to my fearful soul,
- Is the determin’d respite of my wrongs.
- That high All-Seer, which I dallied with,
- Hath turn’d my feigned prayer on my head,
- And given in earnest what I begg’d in jest.
- Thus doth he force the swords of wicked men
- To turn their own points in their masters’ bosoms;
- Thus Margaret’s curse falls heavy on my neck:
- “When he,” quoth she, “shall split thy heart with sorrow,
- Remember Margaret was a prophetess.”
- Come lead me, officers, to the block of shame;
- Wrong hath but wrong, and blame the due of blame.
- Exeunt Buckingham and Sheriff with Officers.
Salisbury
1811