yours: York. Well, my dread lord; so I must call you now. Prince. Ay, brother; to our grief, as it is Too late 11 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, Glo. He hath, my lord. And therefore is he idle? 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. Prince. A beggar, brother? York. Of my kind uncle, that I know. will give; And, being but a toy, which is no grief to give. Glo. A greater gift than that I'll give my cousin. 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. call me. Glo. How? York. Little. 11 Lately. 12 This taunting answer of the prince has been misinterpreted: he means to say, 'I hold it cheap, or care but little for it, even were it heavier than it is.' Thus in Love's Labour's Lost, Acty. Sc. 2: • You weigh me not,--0, that's you çare not for me.' VOL. VII. H Prince. My lord of York will still be cross in talk; Uncle, your grace knows how to bear with him. York. You mean, to bearme, not to bear with me: Uncle, my you me; Because that I am little, like an ape, He thinks that you should bear me on your shoul ders 13. Buck. With what a sharp-provided wit he reasons ! To mitigate the scorn he gives his uncle, He prettily and aptly taunts himself: So cunning, and so young, is wonderful. Glo. My gracious lord, will't please you pass along? York. What, will you go unto the Tower, my lord ? York. Marry, my uncle Clarence' angry ghost; My grandam told me, he was murder'd there. Prince. I fear no uncles dead. Prince. An if they live, I hope, I need not fear. dinal, and Attendants. Buck. Think you, my lord, this little prating York 13 York alludes to the protuberance on Gloster's back, which was commodious for carrying burdens. Thus in Ulpian Fulwell's Ars Adulandi, 1576 :- Thou hast an excellent back to carry my lord's ape.' The same thought occurs to Richard himself in King Henry VI. Part III. Act iii. : • To make an envious mountain on my back, 14 Was not incensed by his subtle mother, Glo. No doubt, no doubt: 0, 'tis a parlous boy; Buck. Well, let them rest.- 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 pot 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 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: 14 i. e. incited, instigated. So in Much Ado about Nothing, Borachio says to Don Pedro, How Don John your brother incensed me to slander the lady Hero.' • Stimulatrix, she that mooveth or incensethi'-Hutton's Dict. 1583. 15 Capable is quick of apprehension, susceptible, intelligent. Thus in Troilus and Cressida :- Let me carry another to his horse, for that's the more capable creature.' For we to-morrow hold divided 16 councils, Catesby, 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:- 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. [Ereunt. 16 • But the protectoure and the duke after they had sent to the lord cardinal, the Lord Stanley, and the Lord Hastings, then lord chamberlaine, with many other noblemen, to commune and devise about the coronation in one place, as fast were they in another place, contriving the contrarie to make the protectoure king. The Lord Stanley, that was after earle of Darby, wisely mistrusted it, and said unto the Lord Hastings that he much mislyked these two several councels.-Holinshed, from Sir T. More. SCENE IIBefore Lord Hastings' House. Enter a Messenger. Mess. My lord, my lord, [Knocking. Hast. [Within.] Who knocks? Mess. One from Lord Stanley. Hast. [Within.] What is't o'clock? Mess. Upon the stroke of four. Enter HASTINGS. Hast. Cannot thy master sleep these tedious nights? Mess. So it should seem by that I have to say. First, he commends him to your noble lordship. Hast. And then, Mess. And then he sends you word, he dreamt may you and him to rue at the other. Therefore he sends to know your lordship’s plea sure, 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 : 1 Every material circumstance in this scene is from Holinshed, except that it is a knight with whom Hastings converses instead of Buckingham. 2 This term, rased or rashed, is always given to describe the violence inflicted by a boar. Thus in King Lear, 4to. ed.: • In his anointed flesh rash boarish fangs.' And in Warner's Albion's England, vii. c. 36: - ha, cur avaunt, the bore so rase thy hide.? By the boar, throughout this scene, is meant Gloster, in allus to his crest. |