Читать книгу King Richard III (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography: The Life of William Shakespeare - William Shakespeare - Страница 29

[Enter the Sheriff and Guard, with BUCKINGHAM, led to execution.]

BUCKINGHAM

Will not King Richard let me speak with him?

SHERIFF

No, my good lord; therefore be patient.

BUCKINGHAM

Hastings, and Edward’s children, Grey, and Rivers,

Holy King Henry, and thy fair son Edward,

Vaughan, and all that have miscarried

By underhand corrupted foul injustice,—

If that your moody discontented souls

Do through the clouds behold this present hour,

Even for revenge mock my destruction!—

This is All-Souls’ day, fellow, is it not?

SHERIFF

It is, my lord.

BUCKINGHAM

Why, then All-Souls’ day is my body’s doomsday.

This is the day which in King Edward’s time

I wish’d might fall on me, when I was found

False to his children and his wife’s allies;

This is the day wherein I wish’d to fall

By the false faith of him whom most I trusted;

This, this All-Souls’ day to my fearful soul

Is the determin’d respite of my wrongs:

That high AllSeer which I dallied with

Hath turn’d my feigned prayer on my head

And given in earnest what I begg’d in jest.

Thus doth He force the swords of wicked men

To turn their own points in their masters’ bosoms:

Thus Margaret’s curse falls heavy on my neck,—

“When he,” quoth she, “shall split thy heart with sorrow,

Remember Margaret was a prophetess.”—

Come lead me, officers, to the block of shame;

Wrong hath but wrong, and blame the due of blame.

[Exeunt.]