Page:Richard III (1927) Yale.djvu/173

Richard the Third learned by an actor when studying his part, to enable him to speak at the proper moment for his lines.

good strawberries. '[Richard] said vnto the bishop of Elie: "My lord, you haue verie good strawberies at your garden in Holborn, I require you let vs haue a messe of them." "Gladlie, my lord" (quoth he) "would God I had some better thing as readie to your pleasure as that. Holinshed, iii. 722. More, 45/24.

'And soone he returned into the chamber amongst them, all changed, with a woonderfull soure angrie countenance, knitting the browes, frowning, and fretting and gnawing on his lips  thus he began: "What were they worthie to haue that compasse and imagine the destruction of me, being so neere of bloud vnto the king, and protector of his roiall person and his realm?  Ye shall all see in what wise that sorceresse [the queene], and that other witch of hir councell, Shores wife,  by their sorcerie and witchcraft, wasted my bodie. Holinshed, iii. 722. More, 45/24.

blasted sapling. Cf. 3 Henry VI, III. ii. 155, 156: 'She did corrupt frail nature with some bribe, To shrink mine arm up like a wither'd shrub.'

If. '[Hastings] said: "Certeinlie, my lord, if they haue so heinouslie doone, they be worthie heinous punishment." "What" (quoth the protector) "thou seruest me, I weene, with 'ifs' and with 'ands': I tell thee they haue so doone, and that I will make good on thy bodie, traitor! for, by saint Paule" (quoth he) "I will not to dinner till I see thy head off! Holinshed, iii. 722. More, 45/24.

my foot-cloth horse did stumble. The foot-cloth was a large, richly ornamented cloth laid over the back of a horse, and hanging down to the ground on each side. It was an old belief that the stumbling of a rider's horse was an omen of some