| William Shakespeare (1564–1616). The Oxford Shakespeare. 1914. | | | |
| The Tragedy of King Richard the Third | | | | Act III. Scene VI. |
| | The Same. A Street. | |
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Enter a Scrivener. | |
| Scriv. Here is the indictment of the good Lord Hastings; | |
| Which in a set hand fairly is engross’d, | |
| That it may be to-day read o’er in Paul’s: | 5 |
| And mark how well the sequel hangs together. | |
| Eleven hours I have spent to write it over, | |
| For yesternight by Catesby was it sent me. | |
| The precedent was full as long a-doing; | |
| And yet within these five hours Hastings liv’d, | 10 |
| Untainted, unexamin’d, free, at liberty. | |
| Here’s a good world the while! Who is so gross | |
| That cannot see this palpable device? | |
| Yet who so bold but says he sees it not? | |
| Bad is the world; and all will come to naught, | 15 |
| When such ill dealing must be seen in thought. [Exit. | | | |
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