Yet are the king's; and, till my foul forfake me,3
Shall cry for bleffings on him: May he live
Longer than I have time to tell his years!
Ever belov'd, and loving, may his rule be!
And, when old time fhall lead him to his end,
Goodness and he fill up one monument !

Lor. To the water fide I must conduct your grace; Then give my charge up to fir Nicholas Vaux, Who undertakes you to your end.

VAUX.

Prepare there, The duke is coming: fee, the barge be ready; And fit it with such furniture, as fuits

The greatness of his perfon.

BUCK.

Nay, fir Nicholas, Let it alone; my ftate now will but mock me.4 When I came hither, I was lord high constable, And duke of Buckingham; now, poor Edward

3

Bohun : 5

-forfake me,] The latter word was added by Mr. Rowe. MALONE.

4

Nay, fir Nicholas,

Let it alone; my ftate now will but mock me.] The last verfe would run more fmoothly, by making the monofyllables change places:

Let it alone, my ftate will now but mock me.

WHALLEY.

poor Edward Bohun:] The Duke of Buckingham's was Stafford. Shakspeare was led into the mistake by Holinfhed. STEEVENS.

name

but one

This is not an expreffion thrown out at random, or by mistake, ftrongly marked with historical propriety. The name of the Duke of Buckingham, moft generally known, was Stafford; but the Hiftory of Remarkable Trials, 8vo. 1715, p. 170, fays: "it feems he affected that furname [of Bohun] before that of Stafford, he being defcended from the Bohuns, earls of HereHis reafon for this might be, because he was lord high VOL. XV.

ford."

F

Yet I am richer than my base accufers,

That never knew what truth meant: I now feal it ;6 And with that blood will make them one day groan for't.

My noble father, Henry of Buckingham,
Who first rais'd head against ufurping Richard,
Flying for fuccour to his fervant Banister,
Being diftrefs'd, was by that wretch betray'd,
And without trial fell; God's peace be with him!
Henry the feventh fucceeding, truly pitying
My father's lofs, like a most royal prince,
Reftor'd me to my honours, and, out of ruins,
Made my name once more noble. Now his fon,
Henry the eighth, life, honour, name, and all
That made me happy, at one ftroke has taken
For ever from the world. I had my trial,
And, must needs fay, a noble one; which makes me
A little happier than my wretched father:
Yet thus far we are one in fortunes,-Both
Fell by our fervants, by thofe men we lov'd moft;
A most unnatural and faithlefs fervice!

Heaven has an end in all: Yet, you that hear me,
This from a dying man receive as certain:
Where you are liberal of your loves, and counfels,

constable of England by inheritance of tenure from the Bohuns; and as the poet has taken particular notice of his great office, does it not feem probable that he had fully confidered of the Duke's foundation for affuming the name of Bohun? In truth, the Duke's name was BAGOT; for a gentleman of that very ancient family married the heirefs of the barony of Stafford, and their fon relinquifhing his paternal furname, affumed that of his mother, which continued in his pofterity. TOLLET. Of all this probably Shakspeare knew nothing. MALONE. I now feal it; &c.] I now feal my truth, my loyalty, with blood, which blood fhall one day make them groan. JOHNSON.

6

Be fure, you be not loofe; for those you make

friends,

And give your hearts to, when they once perceive The least rub in your fortunes, fall

away

Like water from ye, never found again

But where they mean to fink ye. All good people, Pray for me! I must now forfake ye; the laft hour Of my long weary life is come upon me.

Farewell:

And when you would say something that is fad, Speak how I fell.-I have done; and God forgive me!

[Exeunt BUCKINGHAM and Train. 1 GENT. O, this is full of pity!-Sir, it calls, I fear, too many curfes on their heads,

That were the authors.

2 GENT.

If the duke be guiltless,

'Tis full of woe: yet I can give you inkling

Of an enfuing evil, if it fall,

Greater than this.

1 GENT.

Good angels keep it from us!

Where may it be? You do not doubt my faith, sir ? 2 GENT. This fecret is fo weighty, 'twill require A ftrong faith to conceal it.

1 GENT.

I do not talk much.

Let me have it;

be not loofe;] This expreffion occurs again in Othello: "There are a kind of men fo loose of foul,

"That in their fleeps will mutter their affairs."

STEEVENS. And when you would fay fomething that is fad, &c.] So, in King Richard II:

"Tell thou the lamentable tale of me,
"And fend the hearers weeping to their beds."

STEEVENS.

9ftrong faith-] Is great fidelity. JOHNSON,

You fhall, fir: Did you not of late days hear
A buzzing, of a feparation
Between the king and Katharine ?

1 GENT.
Yes, but it held not:
For when the king once heard it, out of anger
He fent command to the lord mayor, ftraight
To ftop the rumour, and allay those tongues
That durft difperfe it.

2 GENT.

But that flander, fir,
Is found a truth now: for it grows again

Fresher than e'er it was; and held for certain,'
The king will venture at it. Either the cardinal,
Or fome about him near, have, out of malice
To the good queen, poffefs'd him with a fcruple
That will undo her: To confirm this too,
Cardinal Campeius is arriv'd, and lately;
As all think, for this business.

"Tis the cardinal;

1 GENT.
And merely to revenge him on the emperor,
For not bestowing on him, at his asking,
The archbishoprick of Toledo, this is purpos'd.

2 GENT. I think, you have hit the mark: But is't

not cruel,

That the fhould feel the smart of this? The cardinal Will have his will, and she must fall.

1 GENT.

We are too open here to argue this;
Let's think in private more.

"Tis woful.

[Exeunt.

and held for certain,] To hold, is to believe. So,

in Lord Surrey's tranflation of the fourth Æneid:
"I hold thee not, nor yet gainfay thy words."

1

STEEVENS

SCENE II.

An Ante-chamber in the Palace.

Enter the Lord Chamberlain, reading a Letter.

CHAM. My lord,-The horses your lordship fent for, with all the care I had, I faw well chofen, ridden, and furnished. They were young, and handfome; and of the best breed in the north. When they were ready to fet out for London, a man of my lord cardinal's, by commission, and main power, took 'em from me; with this reafon,-His mafter would be ferved before a fubject, if not before the king: which flopped our mouths, fir.

I fear, he will, indeed: Well, let him have them : He will have all, I think.

CHAM. It feems, the marriage with his brother's wife

Has crept too near his conscience.

2 Well met, my good-] The epithet-good, was inferted by Sir Thomas Hanmer, for the fake of measure.

STEEVENS.