How he doth stand affected to our purpose;
And summon him to-morrow to the Tower,
To sit about the coronation.

If thou dost find him tractable to us,
Encourage him, and tell him all our reasons:
If he be leaden, icy, cold, unwilling,
Be thou so too; and so break off the talk,
And give us notice of his inclination :
For we to-morrow hold divided councils,"
Wherein thyself shalt highly be employ'd.

Gło. Commend me to lord William : tell him, Catesby,
His ancient knot of dangerous adversaries
To-morrow are let blood at Pomfret-castle ;
And bid my friend, for joy of this good news,
Give mistress Shore one gentle kiss the more.

Buck. Good Catesby, go, effect this business soundly.
Cate. My good lords both, with all the heed I can.
Glo. Shall we hear from you, Catesby, ere we sleep?
Cate. You shall, my lord.

Glo. At Crosby-place, there shall you find us both.
[Exit CATESBY.
Buck. Now, my lord, what shall we do, if we perceive
Lord Hastings will not yield to our complots?

Glo. Chop off his head, man;-somewhat we will do:And, look, when I am king, claim thou of me The earldom of Hereford, and all the moveables Whereof the king my brother was possess'd.

Buck. I'll claim that promise at your grace's hand. Glo. And look to have it yielded with all kindness. Come, let us sup betimes; that afterwards

We may digest our complots in some form.

SCENE II."

[Exeunt.

Before Lord HASTINGS' house. Enter a Messenger.

Mes. My lord, my lord,—

Hast. [Within] Who knocks?

[Knocking.

Mes. One from lord Stanley.

Hast. [Within] What is't o'clock?
Mes. Upon the stroke of four.

[6] That is, a private consultation, separate from the known and public council. So, in the next scene, Hastings says:

"Bid him not fear the separated councils."

JOHNSON.

[7] Every material circumstance in the following scene is taken from Holinshed's Chronicle, except that it is a knight with whom Hastings converses, instead of Buckingham. STEEVENS.

Enter HASTINGS.

Hast. Cannot thy master sleep these tedious nights? Mes. So it should seem by that I have to say. First, he commends him to your noble lordship. Hast. And then,

Mes. And then he sends you word, he dreamt To-night, the boar had rased off his helm : Besides, he says, there are two councils held ; And that may be determin'd at the one,

Which may make you and him to rue at th' other.
Therefore he sends to know your lordship's pleasure,——
If presently, you will take horse with him,

And with all speed post with him toward the north,
To shun the danger that his soul divines.

Hast. Go, fellow, go, return unto thy lord;

Bid him not fear the separated councils :
His honour, and myself, are at the one;
And, at the other, is my good friend Catesby;
Where nothing can proceed, that toucheth us,
Whereof I shall not have intelligence.

Tell him, his fears are shallow, wanting instance :
And for his dreams-I wonder, he's so fond
To trust the mockery of unquiet slumbers :
To fly the boar, before the boar pursues,
Where to incense the boar to follow us,
And make pursuit, where he did mean no chase.
Go, bid thy master rise and come to me;

And we will both together to the Tower,

Where, he shall see, the boar will use us kindly.

Mes. I'll go, my lord, and tell him what you say. [Exit. Enter CATESBY.

Cate. Many good morrows to my noble lord!

Hast. Good morrow, Catesby; you are early stirring; What news, what news, in this our tottering state? Cate. It is a reeling world, indeed, my lord;

And, I believe, will never stand upright,

Till Richard wear the garland of the realm.

Hast. How! wear the garland? dost thou mean the crown?

Cate. Ay, my good lord.

Hast. I'll have this crown of mine cut from my shoulders,

[8] That is, wanting some example or act of malevolence, by which they may be justified: or which, perhaps, is nearer to the true meaning, wanting any immediate ground or reason. JOHNSON.

Before I'll see the crown so foul misplac'd.
But canst thou guess that he doth aim at it?

Cate. Ay, on my life; and hopes to find you forward Upon his party, for the gain thereof:

And, thereupon, he sends you this good news,-
That, this same very day, your enemies,
The kindred of the queen, must die at Pomfret.
Hast. Indeed, I am no mourner for that news,
Because they have been still my adversaries:
But, that I'll give my voice on Richard's side,
To bar my master's heirs in true descent,
God knows, I will not do it, to the death.

Cate. God keep your lordship in that gracious mind!
Hast. But I shall laugh at this a twelve-month hence,——
That they, who brought me in my master's hate,
I live to look upon their tragedy.

Well, Catesby, ere a fortnight make me older,
I'll send some packing, that yet think not on't.
Cate. 'Tis a vile thing to die, my gracious lord,
When men are unprepar'd, and look not for it.
Hast. O monstrous, monstrous! and so falls it out
With Rivers, Vaughan, Grey and so 'twill do
With some men else, who think themselves as safe
As thou, and I; who, as thou know'st, are dear
To princely Richard, and to Buckingham.

:

Cate. The princes both make high account of you,For they account his head upon the bridge. [Aside. Hast. I know, they do; and I have well deserv'd it. Enter STANLEY.

Come on, come on, where is your boar-spear, man?
Fear you the boar, and go so unprovided?

Stan. My lord, good morrow; and, good morrow,
Catesby :-

You may jest on, but, by the holy rood,

I do not like these several councils, 1.

Hast. My lord, I hold my life as dear as yours;

And never, in my life, I do protest,

Was it more precious to me than 'tis now :
Think you, but that I know our state secure,

I would be so triumphant as I am?

[9] i. e. the cross. So in Spenser's Fairy Queen, B. VI. c. vi: "And nigh thereto a little chapell stoode

Which being all with yvy overspred,

Deck'd all the roofe, and shadowing the roode,

Seem'd like a grove fair branched overhead.".

VOL. VII.

STEEVENS.

C 2

Stan. The lords at Pomfret, when they rode from Lon

don,

Were jocund, and suppos'd their states were sure,
And they, indeed, had no cause to mistrust;
But yet, you see, how soon the day o'er-cast.
This sudden stab of rancour I misdoubt;

Pray God, I say, I prove a needless coward!

What, shall we toward the Tower? the day is spent. Hast. Come, come, have with you.'-Wot you what, my lord?

To-day, the lords you talk of are beheaded.

Stan. They, for their truth, might better wear their

heads,

Than some, that have accus'd them, wear their hats.
But come, my lord, let's away.

Enter a Pursuivant.

Hast. Go on before, I'll talk with this good fellow.
[Exeunt STANLEY and CATESBY.
How now, sirrah? how goes the world with thee?
Purs. The better, that your lordship please to ask.
Hast. I tell thee, man, 'tis better with me now,
Than when thou met'st me last where now we meet :
Then was I going prisoner to the Tower,

By the suggestion of the queen's allies;
But now, I tell thee, (keep it to thyself,)
This day those enemies are put to death,.
And I in better state than e'er I was.

Purs. God hold it, to your honour's good content!
Hast. Gramercy, fellow : There, drink that for me.
[Throwing him his purse.
[Exit Pursuivant.

Purs. I thank your honour.

Enter a Priest.

Priest. Well met, my lord; I am glad to see your ho

nour.

Hast. I thank thee, good sir John, with all my heart. I am in your debt for your last exercise ;*

Come the next Sabbath, and I will content you.

Enter BUCKINGHAM.

Buck. What, talking with a priest, lord chamberlain ? Your friends at Pomfret, they do need the priest ;

[1] This phrase signified merely "I will go along with you ;" and is an expression in use at this day. M. MASON.

[2] Attending him in private to hear his confession.

MALONE.

Your honour hath no shriving work in hand.'

Hast. 'Good faith, and when I met this holy man, The men you talk of came into my mind.

What, go you toward the Tower?

Buck. I do, my lord; but long I cannot stay there;

I shall return before your lordship thence.

Hast. Nay, like enough, for I stay dinner there.

Buck. And supper too, altho' thou know'st it not. [Aside. Come, will you go?

Hast. I'll wait upon your lordship.

SCENE III.

[Exeunt.

Pomfret. Before the castle. Enter RATCLIFF, with a Guard, conducting RIVERS, GREY, and VAUGHAN, to execution. Rat. Come, bring forth the prisoners.

Riv. Sir Richard Ratcliff, let me tell thee this,To-day, shalt thou behold a subject die,

For truth, for duty, and for loyalty.

Grey. God keep the prince from all the pack of you!

A knot you are of damned blood-suckers.

Vaugh. You live, that shall cry woe for this hereafter. Rat. Despatch; the limit of your lives is out.

Riv. O Pomfret, Pomfret! O thou bloody prison,

Fatal and ominous to noble peers!

Within the guilty closure of thy walls,

Richard the Second here was hack'd to death:

And, for more slander to thy dismal seat,

We give thee up our guiltless blood to drink.

Grey. Now Margaret's curse is fallen upon our heads, When she exclaim'd on Hastings, you, and I,

For standing by when Richard stabb'd her son.

Riv. Then curs'd she Hastings, then curs'd she Buckingham,

Then curs'd she Richard :-O, remember, God,

To hear her prayers for them, as now for us!
And for my sister, and her princely sons,-
Be satisfied, dear God, with our true bloods,
Which, as thou know'st, unjustly must be spilt!
Rat. Make haste, the hour of death is expiate.*

Riv. Come, Grey,-come, Vaughan,-let us here em

brace :

Farewell, until we meet again in heaven.

[3] Shriving work is confession.

JOHNSON.

[Exeuni

[4] Expiate is used for expiated; It seems to mean, fully completed and ended.