And both are ready in their offices,
At any time, to grace my stratagems.

But what, is Catesby gone?

mayor,

Glo. Look to the draw-bridge there.
Buck. Hark, bark! a drum.

Glo. Catesby, o'erlook the walls

Buck. Lord mayor, the reason we have sent for you,-

Tell them, how Edward put to death a citi

zen,

Only for saying he would make his son
Heir to the crown: meaning, indeed his house,
Which, by the sign thereof, was termed so.
Moreover, urge bis hateful luxury,

And bestial appetite in change of lust;
Which stretch'd unto their servants, daughters,
wives,

Even where his raging eye, or savage heart

mies.

Buck. God and our innocence defend and guard us!

Enter Lov&L and RATCLIFF, with HASTINGS' head.

Glo. Be patient, they are friends; Ratcliff, and Lovel.

Lov. Here is the head of that ignoble traitor, The dangerous and unsuspected Hastings.

Glo. So dear I lov'd the man, that I must weep.

I took him for the plainest harmless't creature, That breath'd upon the earth a Christian; Made him my book, wherein my soul recorded The history of all her secret thoughts:

So smooth he daub'd his vice with show of virtue,

That, his apparent open guilt omitted,

I mean, his conversation with Shore's wife,-
He liv'd from all attainder of suspect.

Buck. Well, well, he was the covert'st shelter'd traitor

That ever liv'd.-Look you, my lord mayor,
Would you imagine, or almost believe,
(Were't not, that by great preservation
We live to tell it you,) the subtle traitor
This day had plotted in the council-house,
To murder me, and my good lord of Gloster ?
May. What had he so?

Glo. What! think you we are Turks, or
fidels?

Nay, for a need, thus far come near my per

son:

Tell them, when that my mother went with
child
of that insatiate Edward, noble York,
My princely father, then had wars in France;
And, by just computation of the time,
Found that the issue was not his begot;
Which well appeared in his lineaments,
Being nothing like the noble duke my father:
Yet touch this sparingly, as 'twere far off;
Because, my lord, you know my mother lives.
Buck. Doubt not, my lord; I'll play the
orator,

As if the golden fee, for which I plead,
Were for myself; and so, my lord, adieu.
Glo. If you thrive well, bring them to Bay-
nard's castle;

Where you shall find me well accompanied,
With reverend fathers, and well-learned bishops.
Buck. I go; and towards three or four

o'clock,

Or that we would, against the form of law,
Proceed thus rashly in the villain's death;
But that the extreme peril of the case,
The peace of England, and our persons' safety,
Enforc'd us to this execution?

May. Now, fair befall you! he deserv'd bis death;

And your good graces both have well proceeded,
To warn false traitors from the like attempts.
I never look'd for better at his hands,
After he once fell in with mistress Shore.
Buck. Yet had we not determin'd he should
die,

Until your lordship came to see his end;
Which now the loving haste of these our friends,
Somewhat against our meaning, bath prevented:
Because, my lord, we would have had you
heard

The traitor speak, and timorously confess
The manner and the purpose of his treasons;
That you might well have signified the same
Unto the citizens, who, haply, may
Misconstrue us in him, and wail his death.
May. But, my good lord, your grace's word
shal! serve,

As well as I had seen, and heard him speak :
And do not doubt, right noble princes both,
But I'll acquaint our duteous citizens
With all your just proceedings in this case.
Glo. And to that end we wish'd your lordship
here,

To avoid the censures of the carping world. Buck. But since you came too late of our intent,

Yet witness what you hear we did intend:
And so, my good lord mayor, we bid farewell.
[Erit LORD MAYOR
Glo. Go after, after, consin Buckingham.

SCENE VI-A Street.

Enter a SCRIVENER.

[Exit.

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.
And mark how well the sequel hangs toge-
ther :-

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,
Untainted, unexamined, 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,
When such bad dealing must be seen in thought.
[Exit.

SCENE VII.-The same.-Court of Baynard's
Castle.

Enter GLOSTER and BUCKINGHAM, meeting. Glo. How now, how now? what say the citi

Glo. Touch'd you the bastardy of Edward's children?

Buck. I did; with his contract with Lady
Lucy,

And his contract by deputy in France :
The insatiate greediness of his desires,
And his enforcement of the city wives:
His tyranny for trifles; his own bastardy,
As being got, your father then in France;
And his resemblance, being not like the duke.
Withal, I did infer your lineaments,
Being the right idea of your father,
Both in your form and nobleness of mind:
Laid open all your victories in Scotland,
Your discipline in war, wisdom in peace,
Your bounty, virtue, fair humility;
Indeed, left nothing, fitting for your purpose,
Untouch'd, or slightly handled, in discourse.
And, when my oratory grew to an end,

I bade them, that did love their country's good, Cry-God save Richard, England's royal king!

Glo. And did they so?

Buck. No, so God help me, they spake not a word;

But, like dumb statues, or breathless stones,
Star'd on each other, and look'd deadly pale.
Which when I saw, I reprehended them;

And ask'd the mayor, what meant this wilful silence:

His answer was,-the people were not us'd
To be spoke to, but by the recorder.
Then he was urg'd to tell my tale again:
Thus saith the duke, thus hath the duke in-
ferr'd;

But nothing spoke in warrant from himself. When he had done, some followers of mine own,

At lower end o'the hall, hurl'd up their caps, And some ten voices cried, God save king Richard!

And thus I took the vantage of the few,Thanks, gentle citizens and friends, quoth I; This general applause, and cheerful shout, Argues your wisdom, and your love to Richard:

And even here broke off and came away.

For on that ground I'll make a holy descant:
And be not easily won to our requests;
Play the maid's part, still answer nay, and
take it.

Glo. I go; And if you plead as well for them,

As I can say nay to thee for myself,

No doubt we'll bring it to a happy issue.
Buck. Go, go, up to the leads; the lord mayor
knocks.
[Exit GLOSTER.
Enter the LORD MAYOR, Aldermen, and
Citizens.

Welcome, my lord; I dance attendance here;
I think, the duke will not be spoke withal.—
Enter, from the Castle, CATESBY.
Now, Catesby! what says your lord to my re-
quest?

Cate. He doth entreat your grace, my noble lord,

To visit him to-morrow, or next day:
He is within, with two right reverend fathers,
Divinely bent to meditation;

And in no worldly suit would he be mov'd,
To draw him from his holy exercise.

• Pretend.

Buck. Return, good Catesby, to the gracious duke;

Tell him, myself, the mayor, and aldermen,
In deep designs, in matter of great moment,
No less importing than the general good,
Are come to have some conference with his
grace.

Cate. I'll signify so much unto him straight.
[Exit.
Buck. Ah! ha! my lord, this prince is not an
Edward!

He is not lolling on a lewd day-bed, ·
But on his knees at meditation;
Not dallying with a brace of courtezans,
But meditating with two deep divines;
Not sleeping, to engross his idle body,
But praying, to enrich his watchful soul:
Happy were Englaud, would this
prince

virtuous

Take on himself the sovereignty thereof :
But, sure, I fear, we shall ne'er win him to it.
May. Marry, God defend, his grace should say
us nay!

Buck. I fear, he will: Here Catesby comes again;

Re-enter CATESBY.

Now, Catesby, what says his grace?

Cate. He wonders to what end you have as-
sembled

Such troops of citizens to come to him,
His grace not being warn'd thereof before,
He fears, my lord, you mean no good to him.
Buck. Sorry I am, my noble cousin should
Suspect me, that I mean no good to him:
By heaven, we come to him in perfect love;
And so once more return and tell his grace.
[Exit CATESBY.

When holy and devout religious men
Are at their beads, 'tis hard to draw them
thence;

So sweet is zealous contemplation.
Enter GLOSTER, in a Gallery above, between

two Bishops. CATESBY returns. May. See, where his grace stands 'tween two clergymen !

Buck. Two props of virtue for a Christian prince,

To stay him from the fall of vanity:
And, see, a book of prayer in his hand;
True ornaments to know a holy man.
Famous Plantagenet, most gracious prince,
Lend favourable ear to our requests;
And pardon us the interruption
Of thy devotion, and right-Christian zeal.
Glo. My lord, there needs no such apology;
I rather do beseech you pardon me,
Who, earnest in the service of my God,
Neglect the visitation of my friends,
But, leaving this, what is your grace's pleasure?
Buck. Even that, I hope, which pleaseth God
above,

And all good men of this ungovern'd isle.

Glo. I do suspect I have done some offence, That seems disgracious in the city's eye; And that you come to reprehend my ignorance. Buck. You have, my lord; Would it might

please your grace,

On our entreaties to amend your fault! Glo. Else wherefore breathe I in a Christian land?

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 defac'd 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 goverument of this your land:
Not as protector, steward, substitute,
Or lowly factor for another's gain:
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 come 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 your's,
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 last,-
Definitively 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;
Yet so much is my poverty of spirit,
So mighty and so many my defects,

Loath to depose the child, your brother's son;
As well we know your tenderness of heart,
And gentle, kind, effeminate remorse,
Which we have noted in you to your kindred,
And equally, indeed, to all estates,-

Yet know, whe'r you accept our suit or no,
Your brother's son shall never reign our king;
But we will plant some other in your throne,
To the disgrace and downfal of your house.
And, in this resolution, bere we leave you;
Come, citizens, we will entreat no more.

[Exeunt BUCKINGHAM and Citizens. Cate. Call them again, sweet prince, accept their suit;

If you deny them, all the land will rue it.

Glo. Will you enforce me to a world of

cares?

Well, call them again; I am not made of stone, But penetrable to your kind entreaties,

[Exit CATESBY. Albeit against my conscience and my soul.

Re-enter BUCKINGHAM and the rest. Cousin of Buckingham, and sage, grave men,

ness,

Being a bark to brook no mighty sea,-
Than in my greatness covet to be hid,
And in the vapour of my glory smother'd,
But, God be thank'd, there is no need of me;
(And much I need to help you, if need were ;)
The royal tree hath left us royal fruit,
Which, mellow'd by the stealing hours of time,
Will well become the seat of majesty,
And make, no doubt, us happy by his reign.
On hin I lay what you would lay on me,
The right and fortune of his happy stars,-
Which God defend, that I should wring from
him!

Buck. My lord, this argues conscience in

your grace ;

But the respects thereof are nice || and trivial,
All circumstances well considered.
You say, that Edward is your brother's son;
So say we too, but not by Edward's wife :
For first he was contract to lady Lucy,
Your mother lives a witness to his vow:
And afterwards by substitute betroth'd
To Bona, sister to the king of France.
These both put by, a poor petitioner,
A care-craz'd mother to a many sons,
A beauty-waning and distressed widow,
Even in the afternoon of her best days,
Made prize and purchase of bis wanton eye,
Seduc'd the pitch and height of all his thoughts
To base declension and loath'd bigamy:
By her, in his unlawful bed, he got
This Edward, whom our manners call-the

prince.

More bitterly could I expostulate,

Save that, for reverence to some alive,

I give a sparing limit to my tongue.

Then, good my lord, take to your royal self

This proffer'd benefit of dignity:

If not to bless us and the land withal,

Yet to draw forth your noble ancestry

From the corruption of abusing time,
Unto a lineal true-derived course.

To bear her burden, whe'r I will or no,
I must have patience to endure the load:
But if black scandal, or foul-fac'd reproach,
Attend the sequel of your imposition,
Your mere enforcement shall acquittance me
From all the impure blots and stains thereof;
For God he knows, and you may partly see,
How far I am from the desire of this.

May. God bless your grace! we see it, and

will say it.

SCENE 1.-Before the Tower.

Enter on one side, Queen ELIZABETH, Duchess of YORK, and Marquis of DORSET; on the other, ANNE, Duchess of GLOSTER, leading Lady MARGARET PLANTAGENET, CLARENCE'S young Daughter.

Duch. Who meets us here ?-my niece Plantagenet

Led in the band of her kind aunt of Gloster ?

treat you.

On pure heart's love, to greet the tender