SCENE IV.

London. A room in the Tower. BUCKINGHAM, STANLEY,
HASTINGS, the Bishop of ELY, CATESBY, LOvEL, and
others, sitting at a table: Officers of the council attending.
Hast. Now, noble peers, the cause why we are met
Is to determine of the coronation :

In God's name, speak, when is the royal day?
Buck. Are all things ready for that royal time?
Stan. They are; and wants but nomination.
Ely. To-morrow then I judge a happy day.
Buck. Who knows the lord protector's mind herein ?
Who is most inward with the noble duke?

Ely. Your grace, we think, should soonest know his

mind.

Buck. We know each other's faces: for our hearts,He knows no more of mine, than I of yours; Nor I, of his, my lord, than you of mine :Lord Hastings, you and he are near in love.

Hast. I thank his grace, I know he loves me well;

But, for his purpose in the coronation,
I have not sounded him, nor he deliver'd
His gracious pleasure any way therein :
But you, my noble lord, may name the time;
And in the duke's behalf I'll give my voice,
Which, I presume, he'll take in gentle part.

Enter GLOSTER.

Ely. In happy time, here comes the duke himself. Glo. My noble lords and cousins, all, good-morrow : I have been long a sleeper; but, I trust, My absence doth neglect no great design, Which by my presence might have been concluded. Buck. Had you not come upon your cue, my lord, William ford Hastings had pronounc'd your part,I mean, your voice, -for crowning of the king.

Glo. Than my lord Hastings, no man might be bolder; His lordship knows me well, and loves me well. -My lord of Ely, when I was last in Holborn, I saw good strawberries in your garden there ; I do beseech you, send for some of them.

Ely. Marry, and will, my lord, with all my heart.
Glo. Cousin of Buckingham, a word with you.

[Exit ELY. [Takes him aside.

Catesby hath sounded Hastings in our business;
And finds the testy gentleman so hot,
That he will lose his head, ere give consent,
His master's child, as worshipfully he terms it,
Shall lose the royalty of England's throne.

Buck. Withdraw yourself awhile, I'll go with you.

[Exeunt GLOSTER and BUCKINGHAM.

Stan. We have not yet set down this day of triumph.

To-morrow, in my judgment, is too sudden;
For I myself am not so well provided,

As else I would be, were the day prolong'd.

Re-enter Bishop of ELY.

Ely. Where is my lord protector? I have sent For these strawberries.

Hast. His grace looks cheerfully and smooth this morn

ing;

There's some conceit or other likes him well,
When he doth bid good-morrow with such spirit.
I think, there's ne'er a man in Christendom,
Can lesser hide his love, or hate, than he;
For by his face straight shall you know his heart.
Stan. What of his heart perceive you in his face,
By any likelihood he show'd to-day ?

Hast. Marry, that with no man here he is offended; For, were he, he had shown it in his looks.

Re-enter GLOSTER and BUCKINGHAM.

Glo. I pray you all, tell me what they deserve,
That do conspire my death with devilish plots
Of damned witchcraft; and that have prevail'd
Upon my body with their hellish charms ?

Hast. The tender love I bear your grace, my lord,
Makes me most forward in this noble presence
To doom th' offenders: Whosoe'er they be,
I say, my lord, they have deserved death.

Glo. Then be your eyes the witness of their evil,
Look how I am bewitch'd; behold mine arm
Is, like a blasted sapling, wither'd up :
And this is Edward's wife, that monstrous witch,
Consorted with that harlot, strumpet Shore,

[7] Semblance; appearance. JOHNSON.

1

That by their witchcraft thus have marked me.
Hast. If they have done this deed, my noble lord,-
Glo. If! thou protector of this damned strumpet,
Talk'st thou to me of ifs? - Thou art a traitor :-
Off with his head :-now, by saint Paul I swear,
I will not dine until I see the same.-
Lovel, and Catesby, look, that it be done;
The rest, that love me, rise, and follow me.

[Exeunt council, with Gloster and BuckINGHAM.

Hast. Woe, woe, for England! not a whit for me;
For I, too fond, might have prevented this :
Stanley did dream, the boar did rase his helm ;
But I disdain'd it, and did scorn to fly.
Three times to-day my foot-cloth horse did stumble,
And startled, when he look'd upon the Tower,
As loath to bear me to the slaughter-house.
O, now I want the priest that spake to me :
I now repent I told the pursuivant,
As too triumphing, how mine enemies,
To-day at Pomfret bloodily were butcher'd,
And I myself secure in grace and favour.
O, Margaret, Margaret, now thy heavy curse
Is lighted on poor Hasting's wretched head.

Cate. Despatch, my lord, the duke would be at dinner;
Make a short shrift, he longs to see your head.
Hast. O momentary grace of mortal men,
Which we more hunt for than the grace of God !
Who builds his hope in air of your fair looks,
Lives like a drunken sailor on a mast;
Ready, with every nod, to tumble down

Into the fatal bowels of the deep.

Lov. Come, come, despatch; 'tis bootless to exclaim. Hast. Oh, bloody Richard!-miserable

I prophesy the fearful'st time to thee,

England!

That ever wretched age hath look'd upon.-
Come, lead me to the block, bear him my head;

They smile at me, who shortly shall be dead.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V.

The same. The Tower walls.

Enter GLOSTER and Buck

INGHAM, in rusty armour, marvellous ill-favoured.

Glo. Come, cousin, canst thou quake, and change thy

colour?

Murder thy breath in middle of a word,-
And then again begin, and stop again,

As if thou wert distraught, and mad with terror ?
Buck. Tut, I can counterfeit the deep tragedian ;
Speak, and look back, and pry on every side,
Tremble and start at wagging of a straw,
Intending deep suspicion : ghastly looks
Are at my service, like enforced smiles;
And both are ready in their offices,
At any time, to grace my stratagems.
But what, is Catesby gone?

Glo. He is; and, see, he brings the mayor along.
Enter the Lord Mayor, and CATESBY.

Buck. Let me alone to entertain him. -Lord mayor,-
Glo. Look to the draw-bridge there.
Buck. Hark, hark! a drum.

Glo. Catesby, o'erlook the walls.

Buck. Lord mayor, the reason we have sent for you,-
Glo. Look back, defend thee, here are enemies.
Buck. God and our innocence defend and guard us !
Enter Lovel 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,

[1] Thus Holinshed: "The protector immediately after dinner, intending to set some colour upon the matter, sent in all haste for many substantial men out of the citie into the tower; and at their coming, himselfe with the duke of Buckingham, stood harnessed in old ill-faring briganders, such as no man should weene they would vouchsafe to have put upon their backes, except that some sudden necessitie bad constreined them."

STEEVENS.

[2] That is, pretending. STEEVENS.

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,
(Wer'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 infidels?

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 his 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, hath 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 shall 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.

[Exit Lord Mayor.

Glo. Go, after, after, cousin Buckingham.
The mayor towards Guildhall hies him in all post :-
There, at your meetest vantage of the time,