Page:Richard III (1927) Yale.djvu/51

Richard the Third, I. iv

I charge you, as you hope for any goodness

[By Christ's dear blood shed for our grievous sins,]

That you depart and lay no hands on me:

The deed you undertake is damnable.

1. Mur. What we will do, we do upon command.

2. Mur. And he that hath commanded is our king.

Clar. Erroneous vassals! the great King of kings

Hath in the table of his law commanded

That thou shalt do no murther: will you, then,

Spurn at his edict and fulfil a man's?

Take heed; for he holds vengeance in his hand,

To hurl upon their heads that break his law.

2. Mur. And that same vengeance doth he hurl on thee,

For false forswearing and for murther too:

Thou didst receive the sacrament to fight

In quarrel of the house of Lancaster.

1. Mur. And, like a traitor to the name of God,

Didst break that vow, and, with thy treacherous blade

Unripp'dst the bowels of thy sovereign's son.

2. Mur. Whom thou wast sworn to cherish and defend.

1. Mur. How canst thou urge God's dreadful law to us,

When thou hast broke it in such dear degree?

Clar. Alas! for whose sake did I that ill deed?

For Edward, for my brother, for his sake:

He sends you not to murther me for this;

For in that sin he is as deep as I.

If God will be avenged for the deed,

O! know you yet, he doth it publicly:

Take not the quarrel from his powerful arm;

 199 Cf. n.

204 Erroneous: misguided

207 Spurn at: oppose contemptuously

219 dear: grievous, dire

