"Clarence is come, false, fleeting, perjur'd Clarence,
That stabb'd me in the field by Tewkesbury:
Seize on him, Furies, take him unto torment!"
With that, methoughts, a legion of foul fiends
Environ'd me, and howled in mine ears
Such hideous cries, that with the very noise
I trembling wak'd, and for a season after
Could not believe but that I was in hell,
Such terrible impression made my dream.

Brak. No marvel, my lord, though it affrighted you;
I am afraid, methinks, to hear you tell it.
Clar. Ah, keeper, keeper! I have done those things,
That now give evidence against my soul,

For Edward's sake; and see how he requites me!

55

60

65

O God! if my deep prayers cannot appease Thee,
But Thou wilt be aveng'd on my misdeeds,
Yet execute Thy wrath in me alone;

70

O, spare my guiltless wife and my poor children!—

63.

57. unto torment] Ff; to your torments Qq. 58. methoughts] me thoughts Q1; me thought Qq 2-8, Ff 1-3. 59. me, and] Ff; me about, and Qq. my] Ff; the Qq. 64. my lord] Qq; Lord Ff. 65. I am afraid, methinks] Ff; I promise you, I am afraid Qq. 66. Ah keeper, keeper,] Ff; O Brokenbury Qq. those] Qq; these Ff. 67. That] Ff; Which Qq. give] Ff; beare Qq. 71. in me] on me Rowe.

O God... children] Ff; omitted Qq.
a voice "thin as voices from the grave,"
is found in Hamlet, 1. i. 116 [not in Ff].
Compare "squeal" in Julius Cæsar,
II. ii. 24, and Mr. Macmillan's note in
Arden ed. In Antony and Cleopatra,
v. ii. 220,“ squeaking" is used of a boy.
actor's voice. Perhaps, in 1623, the
word was losing its application to
supernatural sounds; and the editor of
FI altered it on his own account.
55. fleeting] fickle, deceitful. Stee-
vens refers to Antony and Cleopatra, v.
"the fleeting moon," which is
the same thing as "the inconstant
moon of Romeo and Juliet, II. ii. 109.
There are two examples in Lyly, Eu-
phues (Arber, 48): "Whom thou maist
make...
partaker of all thy misfortune
without mistrust of fleeting"; and (p.
106): "If Lucilla reade this trifle, shee
will.. condemne me of mischiefe in
arming young men against fleeting
minions." The earliest example in
New Eng. Dict. is from Ancren Riwle,

ii. 240,

69-72.

c. 1225: "Mid te fleotinde word, to fleoteo pe heorte."

64. marvel] pronounced as a monosyllable, and often so spelt. Compare J. Cook, Green's Tu Quoque (Dodsley, 1825, vii. 94): "I marl'd indeed that all things were so quiet." The alteration in Ff points to a growth of dissyllabic pronunciation. For "no marvel though compare Gammer Gurton's Needle, 1575, act v.: "Was it any marvaile, though the poor woman arose."

71. in me] either "on me," or "in respect of me" (as 1. iii. 153 above). Compare Ezekiel v. to: "I will execute judgments in thee," where, however, the meaning may be "in the midst of thee " (LXX, èv σ01).

72. my guiltless wife] Clarence's wife, Isabella Neville, died before his imprisonment took place. By that time he had attempted to win Mary of Burgundy for his second wife.

Keeper, I prithee sit by me awhile;

My soul is heavy, and I fain would sleep.

Brak. I will, my lord: God give your grace good rest!

75

[Clarence sleeps.

Sorrow breaks seasons and reposing hours,
Makes the night morning, and the noon-tide night.
Princes have but their titles for their glories,

An outward honour for an inward toil;

And, for unfelt imaginations,

They often feel a world of restless cares :

So that, between their titles and low name,
There's nothing differs but the outward fame.

Enter the two Murderers.

First Murd. Ho! who's here?

80

Brak. What wouldst thou, fellow, and how cam'st thou

hither?

First Murd. I would speak with Clarence, and I came

hither on my legs.

Brak. What, so brief?

85

73. Keeper... awhile] Ff; I pray thee gentle keeper stay by me Qq; I pray thee, Brakenbury, stay by me Pope. Capell adds Retiring to a chair. aft.; 75. Clarence sleeps.] Johnson; Enter Brakenbury the Lieutenant. Ff. 76. Bra. Ff. 80. imaginations] Ff; imagination Qq. 82. between] Ff; betwixt Qq. their] your Qq 3-8. 84, 85. First Murd. Ho! hither?] Ff; In God's

name] Ff; names Qq.

Brak.] Ff; omitted Qq. 85. What wouldst . name what are you and how came you hither? Qq; In God's name, what art thou? how cam'st thou hither? Pope. 86. First Murd.] Execu. Qq; 2. Mur. Ff. 88. What, so brief] Ff; Yea, are you so briefe Qq 1, 2, 8; Yea, are ye so briefe Qq 3-7.

line 89 (Ff), belong to Brakenbury. Qq arrange the whole passage roughly in lines, without any attempt at scansion. Ff print mainly as prose, with one or two exceptions. The chief difference between the two versions is that the style of Ff is more set and literary; while Qq abound in ejaculations and colloquial forms which may have entered the text from the stage. On the other hand, Ff have forms like "there's," "hee 'l," "'tis," where Qq print "there is," "he will," "it is.' See collation.

Sec. Murd. 'Tis better, sir, than to be tedious.
Let him see our commission, and talk no more.

90

[Brakenbury reads it.

Brak. I am in this commanded to deliver
The noble Duke of Clarence to your hands.
I will not reason what is meant hereby,
Because I will be guiltless from the meaning.
There lies the duke asleep, and there the keys.
I'll to the king, and signify to him

That thus I have resign'd to you my charge.
First Murd. You may, sir, 'tis a point of wisdom: fare

you well.

95

[Exit Brakenbury.

Sec. Murd. What, shall we stab him as he sleeps?
First Murd. No; he'll say 'twas done cowardly, when

he wakes.

Sec. Murd. Why, he shall never wake until the great

judgment-day.

100

First Murd. Why, then he'll say we stabb'd him sleeping. 105 Sec. Murd. The urging of that word "judgment" hath

bred a kind of remorse in me.

89. Sec. Murd.] 2. Exe. Qq; 1. Ff. 'Tis . . . tedious] Ff; O sir, it is better to be briefe then tedious Qq 1, 2, 7, 8; O sir, it is better be briefe then tedious Qq 3-6. 90. Let him see] Ff; Shew him Qq. 93. hereby] thereby Qq 3-8. 94. from] Ff; of Qq. keies there sits the Duke asleepe Qq. and certifie his Grace Qq. 97. I, 2; my place to you Qq 3-8. fare you well] Ff; omitted Qq. then he will Qq. 103. Why] until the great] Ff; till the Qq.

95. There. keys] Ff; Here are the 96. I'll... him] Ff; Ile to his Maiesty, to you my charge] Ff; my charge to you Qq 99. You may, sir, 'tis] Ff; Doe so, it is Qq. 100. we] I Qq 1, 2. IOI. he'll] hee 'l Ff; Ff; When he wakes, Why foole Qq. 103. he'll] hee'l Ff; he will Qq. improvement to read it here. But for an editor to do so would be to commit himself to a principle of arbitrary selection between Qq and Ff. The whole line in Ff, as it stands, is better than the line in Qq.

105.

89. "It is better to be brief than tedious is possibly proverbial. Mr. Craig calls attention to All's Well that Ends Well, 11. iii. 33, 34: "that is the brief and the tedious of it."

66

96. It may be noted, in connection with Qq reading here, that Shakespeare, if he was responsible for it, used the terms majesty " " and " grace " with little discrimination. The title of "majesty" was first used by Charles V. as King of Spain, after his election as Emperor, 1519; and was borrowed in imitation by Henry VIII. and other princes. What Brakenbury really would have said in 1478 would have been: "I'll to the king, and certify his grace"; and therefore it would be an

IOI. cowardly] For adverbs of a similar kind, compare Marston, Malcontent, act v.: "she most courtly finds fault with them one after another "; Fletcher, False One, iii. 1.: "Let us consider timely what we must do"; Suckling, Upon . . . the Lord Leppington, c. 1637:

"Describes each thing so lively that we are

Concern'd ourselves before we are

First Murd. What, art thou afraid?

Sec. Murd. Not to kill him, having a warrant; but to be damn'd for killing him, from the which no warrant 110 can defend me.

First Murd. I thought thou hadst been resolute.

Sec. Murd. So I am, to let him live.

First Murd. I'll back to the Duke of Gloucester, and tell him so.

115

Sec. Murd. Nay, I prithee stay a little: I hope this passionate humour of mine will change; it was wont

to hold me but while one tells twenty.

First Murd. How dost thou feel thyself now?

Sec. Murd. Some certain dregs of conscience are yet 120

within me.

First Murd. Remember our reward, when the deed's

done.

Sec. Murd. 'Zounds! he dies! I had forgot the reward.
First Murd. Where's thy conscience now?

Sec. Murd. O, in the Duke of Gloucester's purse.
First Murd. When he opens his purse to give us our
reward, thy conscience flies out.

125

109. warrant] Ff; warrant for it Qq. 110. the which]_Ff; which Qq. III. me] Ff; vs Qq. 112, 113. First Murd. I . . . live] Ff; omitted Qq. 114. I'll back] Ile backe Ff; Backe Qq. and tell] Ff; tell Qq. 116. Nay, I prithee] Ff; I pray thee Qq. a little] Ff; a while Qq. 116, 117. this passionate mine] Ff; my holy humor Qq; this compassionate humour of mine Capell. 117. it was] Ff; twas Qq. 118. tells] Ff; would tel Qq. 120. Some] Ff; Faith, some Qq. 122. deed 's] Ff; deede is Qq. 124. Zounds] Qq; Come Ff. 125. Where's] Ff; Where is Qq. 126. O, in] Ff; In Qq. 127. When] Ff; So when Qq.

from Sir Henry Herbert's Office-Book, relating to D'Avenant's Wits, 1636. Charles I., on the author's petition, restored several exclamations, which the Master of the Revels had crossed out from the play. Sir Henry noted: "The King is pleased to take faith, death, slight, for asseverations and no oaths, to which I do humbly submit as my master's judgment; but under favour conceive them to be oaths, and enter them here to declare my opinion and submission." In the present case, an alteration could hardly have been deemed necessary within the terms of the statute, even by the most puritanical critic.

Sec. Murd. 'Tis no matter, let it go: there's few or none

will entertain it.

First Murd. What if it come to thee again?

130

Sec. Murd. I'll not meddle with it: it makes a man a coward a man cannot steal, but it accuseth him; a man cannot swear, but it checks him; a man cannot lie with his neighbour's wife, but it detects 135 him. 'Tis a blushing shamefast spirit, that mutinies in a man's bosom; it fills a man full of obstacles: it made me once restore a purse of gold that by chance I found; it beggars any man that keeps it; it is turn'd out of towns and cities for a dangerous thing; 140 and every man that means to live well endeavours to trust to himself and to live without it.

First Murd. 'Zounds, 'tis even now at my elbow, persuading me not to kill the duke!

Sec. Murd. Take the devil in thy mind, and believe him 145 not he would insinuate with thee but to make thee

sigh.

First Murd. I am strong-fram'd: he cannot prevail with

me.

a

129. 'Tis no matter] Ff; omitted Qq. 131. What] Ff; How Qq. 132. it: it makes] Ff; it, it is a dangerous thing, It makes Qq. 134. a man. man] Ff; he. He Qq. swear] steale Qq 3-8. 136. shamefast] Qq 1, 3, 6; 137. a man] Ff; one Qq. Qq. 140. towns] Ff; all Zounds] Qq; omitted Ff. 148. I am strong-fram'd] Ff; warrant thee. Qq.

136. 'Tis] Ff; It is Qq. shamfast Q 2; shamfact Qq 4, 5; shamefac'd Ff. 138. purse] piece Qq 3-8. by chance] Ff; omitted Townes Qq. 141. to live] Qq 1-6; liue Ff.

143.

'tis] Ff; it is Qq. 146. but] Ff; omitted Qq. Tut, I am strong in fraud Qq. 149. me.] me, I

136. shamefast] the correct form of the word. Compare "steadfast." The variations of spelling in successive editions show a transformation in orthography. "Shame-faced suggests a wrong etymology. Aldis Wright notes a like discrepancy between Qq and Ff in 3 Henry VI. IV. viii. 52; Lyly, Euphues, 1579 (Arber, 69), has "shame

fastnes.'

145. There are two possible meanings to this line: (1) Take the devil into thy mind, and believe not conscience-the blushing shamefast spirit, for which

the devil will be more than a match. This is substantially Warburton's explanation. It involves the use of "in ""into." Compare above, I. iii. 89. "Him" also must in this case refer to " conscience," hitherto alluded to as "it." (2) Take hold of, i.e. grapple with conscience, which is the devil in thy mind, and believe him not. This is adopted by Aldis Wright, and is more simple. Capell avoided the difficulty by reading "Shake the devil out of thy mind."