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And make, no doubt, us happy by his reign.

On him I lay that you would lay on me,

The right and fortune of his happy stars;

Which God defend that I should wring from him!

Buck. My lord, this argues conscience in your Grace;

But the respects thereof are nice and trivial,

All circumstances well considered.

You say that Edward is your brother's son:

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

For first was he contract to Lady Lucy,—

Your mother lives a witness to his vow,—

And afterward by substitute betroth'd

To Bona, sister to the King of France.

These both put off, a poor petitioner,

A care-craz'd mother to a many sons,

A beauty-waning and distressed widow,

Even in the afternoon of her best days,

Made prize and purchase of his wanton eye,

Seduc'd the pitch and height of his degree

To base declension and loath'd bigamy:

By her, in his unlawful bed, he got

This Edward, whom our manners call the prince.

More bitterly could I expostulate,

Save that, for reverence to some alive,

I give a sparing limit to my tongue.

Then, good my lord, take to your royal self

This proffer'd benefit of dignity;

If not to bless us and the land withal,

Yet to draw forth your noble ancestry

 171 happy stars; cf. n.

174 respects nice: considerations on which your arguments are founded are overscrupulous

178 contract: contracted; cf. n. line 5

179 a witness; cf. n.

183 care-craz'd: shattered by care

186 purchase: booty

187 pitch; cf. n.

188 declension: gradual falling away from a high standard

bigamy; cf. n.

191 expostulate: expound

