Page:Richard III (1927) Yale.djvu/128

114

K. Rich. I swear,—

Q. Eliz. By nothing; for this is no oath.

Thy George, profan'd, hath lost his lordly honour;

Thy garter, blemish'd, pawn'd his knightly virtue;

Thy crown, usurp'd, disgrac'd his kingly glory.

If something thou wouldst swear to be believ'd,

Swear, then, by something that thou hast not wrong'd.

K. Rich. Then, by myself,—

Q. Eliz. Thyself is self-misus'd.

K. Rich. Now, by the world,—

Q. Eliz. 'Tis full of thy foul wrongs.

K. Rich. My father's death,—

Q. Eliz. Thy life hath it dishonour'd.

K. Rich. Why, then, by God,—

Q. Eliz. God's wrong is most of all.

If thou didst fear to break an oath with him,

The unity the king my husband made

Thou hadst not broken, nor my brothers died:

If thou hadst fear'd to break an oath by him,

Th' imperial metal, circling now thy head,

Had grac'd the tender temples of my child,

And both the princes had been breathing here,

Which now, two tender bed-fellows for dust,

Thy broken faith hath made the prey for worms.

What canst thou swear by now?

K. Rich. The time to come.

Q. Eliz. That thou hast wronged in the time o'er-past;

For I myself have many tears to wash

Hereafter time for time past wrong'd by thee.

The children live, whose fathers thou hast slaughter'd,

 375 Cf. n.

378 God; cf. n.

381 brothers; cf. n.

391 Hereafter time: the future

