Page:Richard III (1927) Yale.djvu/118

104

Where be the bending peers that flatter'd thee?

Where be the thronging troops that follow'd thee?

Decline all this, and see what now thou art:

For happy wife, a most distressed widow;

For joyful mother, one that wails the name;

For one being sued to, one that humbly sues;

For queen, a very caitiff crown'd with care;

For she that scorn'd at me, now scorn'd of me;

For she being fear'd of all, now fearing one;

For she commanding all, obey'd of none.

Thus hath the course of justice whirl'd about,

And left thee but a very prey to time;

Having no more but thought of what thou wast,

To torture thee the more, being what thou art.

Thou didst usurp my place, and dost thou not

Usurp the just proportion of my sorrow?

Now thy proud neck bears half my burthen'd yoke,

From which even here I slip my wearied head,

And leave the burthen of it all on thee.

Farewell, York's wife, and queen of sad mischance:

These English woes shall make me smile in France.

Q. Eliz. O thou, well skill'd in curses, stay awhile,

And teach me how to curse mine enemies.

Q. Mar. Forbear to sleep the night, and fast the day;

Compare dead happiness with living woe;

Think that thy babes were sweeter than they were,

And he that slew them fouler than he is:

Bettering thy loss makes the bad causer worse:

Revolving this will teach thee how to curse.

Q. Eliz. My words are dull; O! quicken them with thine!

 97 Decline: go through formally

101 caitiff: wretch (literally, captive)

105 Cf. n.

118 the: during the

122 Bettering: magnifying

123 Revolving: thinking over

124 quicken: enliven

