Shakespeare Portal

Act 2, Scene 3

London. A street.

  1. [Enter two CITIZENS, meeting.]
  2. First Citizen
  3. 1368 Good morrow, neighbour: whither away so fast?
  4. Second Citizen
  5. 1369 I promise you, I scarcely know myself:
  6. 1370 Hear you the news abroad?
  7. First Citizen
  8. 1371 Yes,—that the king is dead.
  9. Second Citizen
  10. 1372 Ill news, by'r lady; seldom comes the better:
  11. 1373 I fear, I fear 'twill prove a giddy world.
  12. [Enter third CITIZEN.]
  13. Third Citizen
  14. 1374 Neighbours, God speed!
  15. First Citizen
  16. 1375 Give you good morrow, sir.
  17. Third Citizen
  18. 1376 Doth the news hold of good King Edward's death?
  19. Second Citizen
  20. 1377 Ay, sir, it is too true; God help the while!
  21. Third Citizen
  22. 1378 Then, masters, look to see a troublous world.
  23. First Citizen
  24. 1379 No, no; by God's good grace, his son shall reign.
  25. Third Citizen
  26. 1380 Woe to that land that's govern'd by a child!
  27. Second Citizen
  28. 1381 In him there is a hope of government,
  29. 1382 Which, in his nonage, council under him,
  30. 1383 And, in his full and ripen'd years, himself,
  31. 1384 No doubt, shall then, and till then, govern well.
  32. First Citizen
  33. 1385 So stood the state when Henry the Sixth
  34. 1386 Was crown'd in Paris but at nine months old.
  35. Third Citizen
  36. 1387 Stood the state so? No, no, good friends, God wot;
  37. 1388 For then this land was famously enrich'd
  38. 1389 With politic grave counsel; then the king
  39. 1390 Had virtuous uncles to protect his grace.
  40. First Citizen
  41. 1391 Why, so hath this, both by his father and mother.
  42. Third Citizen
  43. 1392 Better it were they all came by his father,
  44. 1393 Or by his father there were none at all;
  45. 1394 For emulation who shall now be nearest
  46. 1395 Will touch us all too near, if God prevent not.
  47. 1396 O, full of danger is the Duke of Gloster!
  48. 1397 And the queen's sons and brothers haught and proud:
  49. 1398 And were they to be rul'd, and not to rule,
  50. 1399 This sickly land might solace as before.
  51. First Citizen
  52. 1400 Come, come, we fear the worst; all will be well.
  53. Third Citizen
  54. 1401 When clouds are seen, wise men put on their cloaks;
  55. 1402 When great leaves fall, then winter is at hand;
  56. 1403 When the sun sets, who doth not look for night?
  57. 1404 Untimely storms make men expect a dearth.
  58. 1405 All may be well; but, if God sort it so,
  59. 1406 'Tis more than we deserve or I expect.
  60. Second Citizen
  61. 1407 Truly, the hearts of men are fun of fear:
  62. 1408 You cannot reason almost with a man
  63. 1409 That looks not heavily and fun of dread.
  64. Third Citizen
  65. 1410 Before the days of change, still is it so:
  66. 1411 By a divine instinct men's minds mistrust
  67. 1412 Ensuing danger; as, by proof, we see
  68. 1413 The water swell before a boisterous storm.
  69. 1414 But leave it all to God.—Whither away?
  70. Second Citizen
  71. 1415 Marry, we were sent for to the justices.
  72. Third Citizen
  73. 1416 And so was I; I'll bear you company.
  74. [Exeunt.]