GLO. Sweet prince, the untainted virtue of your
years

Hath not yet div'd into the world's deceit ;
Nor* more can you distinguish of a man,
Than of his outward show; which, God he knows,
Seldom or never jumpeth with the heart.
Those uncles which you want were dangerous;
Your grace attended to their sugar'd words,
But look'd not on the poison of their hearts:
God keep you from them, and from such false
friends!

PRINCE. God keep me from false friends! but they were none.

GLO. My lord, the mayor of London comes to greet you.

Enter the Lord Mayor, and his Train.

MAY. God bless your grace with health and happy days!

PRINCE. I thank you, good my lord;—and thank you all.

I thought my mother, and my brother York, Would long ere this have met us on the way :Fie, what a slug is Hastings, that he comes not To tell us whether they will come or no !

BUCK. And, in good time, here comes the sweating lord.

Enter HASTINGS.

PRINCE. Welcome, my lord: what, will our mother come?

HAST. On what occasion, God he knows, not I, The queen your mother, and your brother York, Have taken sanctuary: the tender prince

Would fain have come with me to meet your grace,

But by his mother was perforce withheld.

BUCK. Fie, what an indirect and peevish

course

Is this of hers!-Lord cardinal, will your grace
Persuade the queen to send the duke of York
Unto his princely brother presently?
If she deny,-lord Hastings, go with him,
And from her jealous arms pluck him perforce.
CAR. My lord of Buckingham, if my weak

oratory

Can from his mother win the duke of York, Anon expect him here: but if she be obdurate

(*) First folio, No.

a And thank you all.] Here, in all modern editions, we find a stage direction, "Exeunt Mayor, &c. ;" but query, upon what authority, and with what necessity, is this important official so abruptly dismissed?

b Too senseless-obstinate,-] A misprint probably for needsless-obstinate.

*

To mild entreaties, God in heaven forbid
We should infringe the holy privilege
Of blessed sanctuary! not for all this land
Would I be guilty of so deep† a sin.

BUCK. You are too senseless-obstinate, my lord,

Too ceremonious, and traditional,

Weigh it but with the grossness of this age: (2)
You break not sanctuary in seizing him;
The benefit thereof is always granted

To those whose dealings have deserv'd the place,
And those who have the wit to claim the place :
This prince hath neither claim'd it, nor deserv'd
it;

And therefore, in mine opinion, cannot have it :
Then, taking him from thence that is not there,
You break no privilege nor charter there.
Oft have I heard of sanctuary-men;
But sanctuary-children, ne'er till now.

CAR. My lord, you shall o'errule my mind for once.

Come on, lord Hastings, will you go with me?
HAST. I go, my lord.

PRINCE. Good lords, make all the speedy haste

place;

Which since succeeding ages have re-edified.
PRINCE. Is it upon record, or else reported
Successively from age to age, he built it?
BUCK. Upon record, my gracious lord.
PRINCE. But say, my lord, it were not register'd;
Methinks the truth should live from age to age,
As 't were retail'd to all posterity,

Even to the general all-ending§ day.

GLO. [Aside.] So wise, so young, they say, do ne'er live long.

PRINCE. What say you, uncle?

GLO. I say, without charácters, fame lives long.

(*) First folio omits, in heaven.

(1) First folio, think'st.

(§) First folio, generall ending day.

(†) First folio, great.

c Grossness of this age:] The quarto, 1622, reads, "greatness of his age;" Warburton, "the greenness of his age;" and Mr. Collier's annotator, "the goodness of his age." See note on the passage in the Illustrative Comments to Act III.

Thus, like the formal Vice, Iniquity,
I moralize two meanings in one word." [Aside.
PRINCE. That Julius Cæsar was a famous man;
With what his valour did enrich his wit,
His wit set down to make his valour live:
Death makes no conquest of this* conqueror;
For now he lives in fame, though not in life.-
I'll tell you what, my cousin Buckingham-
BUCK. What, my gracious lord?

PRINCE. An if I live until I be a man,
I'll win our ancient right in France again,
Or die a soldier, as I liv'd a king.

you now.

PRINCE. Ay, brother, to our grief, as it is yours:

Too late he died, that might have kept that title, Which by his death hath lost much majesty.

GLO. How fares our cousin, noble lord of York? YORK. I thank you, gentle uncle. O, my lord, You said that idle weeds are fast in growth: The prince my brother hath outgrown me far. GLO. He hath, my lord.

YORK. And therefore is he idle? GLO. O, my fair cousin, I must not say so. YORK. Then he is more beholden to you than I? GLO. He may command me as my sovereign; But you have power in me as in a kinsman. YORK. I pray you, uncle, give me this dagger. GLO. My dagger, little cousin? with all my

heart.

YORK. A greater gift! O, that's the sword to it?

GLO. Ay, gentle cousin, were it light enough. YORK. O then, I see, you'll part but with light gifts;

In weightier things you 'll say a beggar nay.
GLO. It is too weighty for your grace to wear.
YORK. I weigh it lightly, were it heavier.
GLO. What, would you have my weapon, little
lord?

YORK. I would, that I might thank you as* you call me.

YORK. I shall not sleep in quiet at the Tower. GLO. Why, what should you fear?

YORK. Marry, my uncle Clarence' angry ghost: My grandam told me he was murder'd there. PRINCE. I fear no uncles dead. GLO. Nor none that live, I hope. PRINCE. An if they live, I hope I need not fear. But come, my lord, and with a heavy heart, Thinking on them, go I unto the Tower. [Sennet. Exeunt PRINCE, YORK, HASTINGS, CARDINAL, and Attendants.

May he not refer to the double sense of the word characters. which signifies both the signs by which we communicate ideas, and the good or evil qualities which distinguish us! For an account of the Vice, see note (5), p. 658, Vol. I.

b Lightly-] Commonly, usually.

e Too late-] That is, too recently, too lately.

d Provided wit-] A wit furnished him beforehand. Buckingham suspects the young prince had been instigated by the Queen to mock his uncle Gloucester,

"Think you, my lord, this little prating York
Was not incensed by his subtle mother,
To taunt and scorn you thus opprobriously

BUCK. Think you, my lord, this little prating
York

Was not incensed by his subtle mother,
To taunt and scorn you thus opprobriously?

GLO. No doubt, no doubt: O, 't is a parlous
boy;

Bold, quick, ingenious, forward, capable;
He's all the mother's, from the top to toe.

BUCK. Well, let them rest.-Come hither,
Catesby,

Thou 'rt sworn as deeply to effect what we intend,
As closely to conceal what we impart :

Thou know'st our reasons urg'd upon the way;-
What think'st thou ? is it not an easy matter
To make William lord Hastings of our mind,
For the instalment of this noble duke
In the seat royal of this famous isle?

CATE. He for his father's sake so loves the prince,

That he will not be won to aught against him. BUCK. What think'st thou then of Stanley? will not he?*

CATE. He will do all in all as Hastings doth.
BUCK. Well then, no more but this: go, gentle
Catesby,

And, as it were far off, sound thou lord Hastings,
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 show† him all our reasons:
If he be leaden, icy, cold, unwilling,

Be thou so too, and so break off your talk,
And give us notice of his inclination :
For we to-morrow hold divided councils,(3)
Wherein thyself shalt highly be employ'd.

GLO. 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

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

William+ lord Hastings will not yield to our complots?

GLO. Chop off his head, man ;—somewhat we will do:-b

And, look, when I am king, claim thou of me The earldom of Hereford, and the moveables Whereof the king my brother stood§ possess'd. BUCK. I'll claim that promise at your grace's hand.

GLO. And look to have it yielded with all willingness.

Come, let us sup betimes, that afterwards
We may digest our complots in some form.

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,
Were 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.
MESS. My gracious lord, I'll § tell him what
[Exit.

you say.

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,

Ere I will 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 enemies:¶
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.

HAST. 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, that 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,

[Aside.] For they account his head upon the bridge. 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 ;-good morrow, Catesby;

You may jest on, but by the holy rood,

I do not like these several councils, I.

HAST. My lord, I hold my life as dear as you do yours;

b

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?

STAN. The lords at Pomfret, when they rode from London,

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'ercast;
This sudden stab of rancour I misdoubt;
Pray God, I say, I prove a needless coward!
But come, my lord, shall we to the Tower?
HAST. I go; but stay, hear you not the news?:
This day those men you talk of are beheaded.