Carmina prorumpant; atque indefessa diei
Dum lux occidui sopit genus omne canorum,
Intentas Philomela avium dulcissima cantu

Lætifices umbras, doceasque ea carmina noctem.

W. J. F., 1849.

KING RICHARD III

ACT 3, SC. 7.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM.

DUKE OF GLO'STER.

MAYOR. CATESBY.

BUCK. Know, then, it is your fault, that you

resign

The supreme seat, the throne majestical,

The sceptred office of your ancestors,

Your state of fortune, and your due of birth,

The lineal glory of your royal house,

To the corruption of a blemish'd stock :
Whilst in the mildness of your sleepy thoughts,
(Which here we waken to our country's good,)
The noble isle doth want her proper limbs
Her face defaced with scars of infamy,
Her royal stock graft with ignoble plants,
And almost shoulder'd in the swallowing gulf
Of dark forgetfulness and deep oblivion.
Which to recure, we heartily solicit

Your gracious self to take on you the charge
And kingly government of this your land:
Not as protector, steward, substitute,
Or lowly factor for another's gain;

GREEK IAMBICS.

ΒΟΥ. Ἴσθ ̓ οὖν μάλιστα τοῦθ ̓ ἁμαρτάνων ὅτι ἔντιμον ἕδραν καὶ θρόνου δεινὸν σέβας, σκῆπτρον κράτη τε τῶν πάλαι, τύχην τε σὴν, γένει τε τιμὴν τὴν προσήκουσαν, δόμου κλέος παλαιὸν πατρόθεν τυραννικού, μύσει μεθίης ὧδε κιβδήλου γένους. σοῦ δ ̓ οὖν φρενῶν εὕδοντος ἐν ῥαθυμία, (ἣν πατρίδος νῦν οἵνεκ ̓ ἐξεγείρομεν,) ἡ νῆσός ἐστιν ἥδε τῶν αὐτῆς μέλων ἐν τῷ παρόντι παντελῶς στερουμένη. καὶ δὴ πρόσωπον δυσκλεᾶ μιάσματα κακῶς καταισχύνει τε καὶ τυραννικὸς στάχυς κακοῖσι συμμιγεὶς φιτύμασι κακῶς ἔβλαστε, κάν βυθοῖς ἀμνήμονος λήθης σαλεύει τοῖς ἀβύσσοισιν σχεδόν. χώπως τάδ ̓ ὀρθώσωμεν, οἵδ ̓ ἱκτήριοι σὲ λιπαροῦμεν τὴν δυναστείαν χθονὸς ἀρχήν τε ταύτης εὐμενῶς λαβόντ ̓ ἔχειν. οὐχ ὡς ἐπίτροπόν τιν ̓ οὔτε προστάτην, οὔτ ̓ ἀντί γ ̓ ἄλλου, κέρδος οὔθ ̓ ὑπηρέτην ταπεινὸν ἄλλως ἐκπονοῦντ ̓ ἀλλότριον,

F

But as successively, from blood to blood,
Your right of birth, your empery, your own.
For this, consorted with the citizens,
Your very worshipful and loving friends,
And by their vehement instigation,
In this just suit came I to move your grace.

GLO. I cannot tell, if to depart in silence, Or bitterly to speak in your reproof, Best fitteth my degree, or your condition. If not to answer, you might haply think Tongue-tied ambition, not replying, yielded, To bear the golden yoke of sovereignty, Which fondly you would here impose on me; If to reprove you for this suit of yours, So season'd with your faithful love to me, Then, on the other side, I check'd my friends. Therefore--to speak, and to avoid the first, And then, in speaking, not to incur the lastDefinitively thus I answer you.

Your love deserves my thanks; but my desert, Unmeritable, shuns your high request.

First, if all obstacles were cut away,

And that my path were even to the crown,

As the ripe revenue and due of birth,

ἀλλ ̓ ὥστε τῶν ἄνωθεν ἐκδεδεγμένον ἄλλου μετ ̓ ἄλλον διαδοχαῖς κεκτημένων, γέρας πατρῷον, καὶ τὰ σ ̓, οὐκ ἄλλου, κράτη· τῶνδ ̓ οὕνεκ ̓ ἐλθὼν τοῖσδε σύν γ ̓ ἀστοῖς ἐγὼ, σοί τ ̓ οὖσιν ὀρθοῖς καὶ ταπεινοῖσιν φίλοις, αὐτῶν τ ̓ ἐφετμαῖς καὶ λόγοις πεπεισμένος, πρὸς σοῦ δίκαια, δέσποτ ̓, ἐξαιτῶ τάδε.

ΓΛΟ. ̓Αμηχανῶ δὴ, πότερον ἐν σιγῇ τάχος ἔνθενδ ̓ ἀπελθεῖν, ἢ πικροῖς ὑμᾶς λόγοις ψέγειν, ἐμοὶ δῆτ ̓ ὄντι τοιούτῳ μέρει θ ̓ ὑμῶν μάλιστα πρόσφορον γενήσεται. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀντειπόντος,—ὑμὶν ἂν δοκοῖ φιλοτιμίαν ἄγλωσσον, ἀσμένως ἄγαν πρόθυμον εἶναι σιγα τῷ χρυσῷ ζύγῳ ἀρχῆς ὑπείκειν, ἥν περ εὐήθει φρενὶ νῦν ἀρτίως ἐμέλλετ ̓ ἐμβάλλειν ἐμοί. εἰ δ ̓ αὖθις ὑμῖν ταῦτ ̓ ὀνειδίζοιμ ̓, ἅπερ αἰτεῖτέ μ', ἐκφαίνοντα τὴν πιστὴν σαφῶς εὔνοιαν ὑμῶν εἴς με, τοὺς φίλους ἐμὲ τάχ ̓ ἂν νομίζοιτ ̓ ὧδε κωλύσαντ ̓ ἔχειν. ἵν ̓ οὖν τὸ πρῶτον ἐκφυγεῖν πειρώμενος λέγω, λέγων τε μὴ τὸ δεύτερον παθῶ, ὑμᾶς βέβαια νῦν ἀμείβομαι τάδε. ὑμῖν μὲν ἀντὶ τῆσδε γ ̓ εὐνοίας χάριν πολλὴν ὀφείλω· τὴν δ ̓ ἐμὴν παρ ̓ ἀξίαν ταῦτ ̓ ὄντα τἀξαιτούμεν ̓ ἐκφεύγειν θέλω. εἰ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐμποδὼν ἐγίγνετο, ὅδος θ' ἑτοίμη πρὸς τυραννίδ ̓, ὡς ἐμοὶ γενέθλιόν τε, κἀμὰ σὺν δίκῃ τέλη,