Page 998 - Shakespeare - Vol. 2

Ending with ‘Brother, son, and all are dead.’

MORTON
Douglas is living, and your brother, yet;
But, for my lord your son −

NORTHUMBERLAND
Why, he is dead.
See what a ready tongue suspicion hath!

He that but fears the thing he would not know [85]
Hath by instinct knowledge from others’ eyes
That what he feared is chancèd. Yet speak, Morton.
Tell thou an earl his divination lies,

And I will take it as a sweet disgrace
And make thee rich for doing me such wrong. [90]

MORTON
You are too great to be by me gainsaid.
Your spirit is too true, your fears too certain.

NORTHUMBERLAND
Yet, for all this, say not that Percy’s dead.

I see a strange confession in thine eye.
Thou shakest thy head and hold’st it fear or sin [95]
To speak a truth. If he be slain, [say so.]
The tongue offends not that reports his death;

And he doth sin that doth belie the dead,
Not he which says the dead is not alive.
Yet the first bringer of unwelcome news [100]
Hath but a losing office, and his tongue

Sounds ever after as a sullen bell,
Rememb’red tolling a departing friend.

LORD BARDOLPH
I cannot think, my lord, your son is dead.

MORTON