SCENE VI. A Street.

Enter a Scrivener.

Scriv. Here is the indictment of the good Lord Hastings;

Which in a set hand fairly is engross'd,

That it may be to-day read o'er in Paul's.
And mark how well the sequel hangs together:-
Eleven hours I have spent to write it over,
For yesternight by Catesby was it sent me;
The precedent1 was full as long a doing:
And yet within these five hours Hastings liv'd,
Untainted, unexamin'd, free, at liberty.

Here's a good world the while!--Who is so gross,
That cannot see this palpable device?

Yet who so bold, but says he sees it not?
Bad is the world; and all will come to nought,
When such bad dealing must be seen in thought.

SCENE VII.

The same. Court of Baynard's Castle.

[Exit.

Enter GLOSTER and BUCKINGHAM, meeting. Glo. How now, how now? what say the citizens? Buck. Now by the holy mother of our Lord, The citizens are mum, say not a word.

Glo. Touch'd you the bastardy of Edward's children?

Buck. I did; with his contract with Lady Lucy1,'

1i. e. the original draft from which the engrossment was made. This circumstance, like the others in the play, is taken from Holinshed, who follows Sir Thomas More.

2 i. e. seen in silence, without notice or detection.

The king had been familiar with this lady before his marriage, to obstruct which his mother alleged a precontract be

And his contract by deputy in France:
The insatiate greediness of his desires,
And his enforcement of the city wives;
His tyranny for trifles; his own bastardy,-
As being got, your father then in France 2;
And his resemblance, being not like the duke,
Withal, I did infer your lineaments,-
Being the right idea of your father,
Both in your form and nobleness of mind:
Laid open all your victories in Scotland,
Your discipline in war, wisdom in peace,
Your bounty, virtue, fair humility;
Indeed, left nothing, fitting for your purpose,
Untouch'd, or slightly handled, in discourse.
And, when my oratory grew to an end,

I bade them, that did love their country's good,
Cry-God save Richard, England's royal king!
Glo. And did they so?

Buck. No, so God help me, they spake not a word; But, like dumb statuas 3, or breathless stones,

3

tween them. But Elizabeth Lucy, being sworn to speak the truth, declared that the king had not been affianced to her, though she owned she had been his concubine. Edward, however, had been married to Lady Eleanor Butler, widow of Lord Butler of Sudely, and daughter to the great earl of Shrewsbury. On this ground his children were declared illegitimate by the only parliament assembled by King Richard III.; but no mention was made of Elizabeth Lucy.

2 This tale is supposed to have been first propagated by the duke of Clarence when he obtained a settlement of the crown on himself and his issue after the death of Henry VI. Sir Thomas More says that the duke of Gloster, soon after Edward's death, revived this scandal. Walpole thinks it highly improbable that Richard should have urged such a topic to the people, or 'start doubts of his own legitimacy, which was too much connected with that of his brothers, to be tossed and bandied about before the multitude.' He has also shown that Richard 'lived in perfect harmony with his mother, and lodged with her in her palace at this very time.'-Historic Doubts, 4to. 1768.

3 It would not be difficult (says Mr. Reed) to fill whole pages with instances to prove that statue was formerly a word of three

Star'd on each other, and look'd deadly pale.
Which when I saw, I reprehended them;

And ask'd the mayor what meant this wilful silence;
His answer was,—the people were not us'd
To be spoke to, but by the recorder.
Then he was urg'd to tell my tale again:

Thus saith the duke, thus hath the duke inferr'd;
But nothing spoke in warrant from himself.
When he had done, some followers of mine own,`
At lower end o'the hall, hurl'd up their caps,
And some ten voices cried, God save King Richard!
And thus I took the vantage of those few,-
Thanks, gentle citizens, and friends, quoth I;
This general applause, and cheerful shout,
Argues your wisdom, and your love to Richard:
And even here brake off and came away.

Glo. What tongueless blocks were they: Would they not speak?

Will not the mayor then, and his brethren, come? Buck. The mayor is here at hand; intend some fear;

Be not you spoke with, but by mighty suit:
And look you get a prayer-book in your hand,
And stand between two churchmen, good my lord;
For on that ground I'll make a holy descant:

syllables; and there are several passages in Shakspeare where it is necessary so to pronounce it. It has been thought adviseable in these instances to adhere to the old orthography, statua, which distinguishes it as a trisyllable, as in the present instance. Lord Bacon, in his Advancement of Learning, 1633:-' It is not possible to have the true pictures, or statuaes, of Cyrus, Alexander, Cæsar, no nor of the kings or great personages of much later years.' It occurs several times in his forty-fifth Essay, and in other places. Steevens remarks that statue, heroe, and some other Latin words which were admitted into the English language, still retained their Roman pronunciation. But it should be observed that statue, as a dissyllable, was also in use. 4 Pretend. Vide note on p. 88.

And be not easily won to our requests;

Play the maid's part, still answer nay, and take it. Glo. I go; And if you plead as well for them, As I can say nay to thee5 for myself,

No doubt we'll bring it to a happy issue.

Buck. Go, go, up to the leads; the lord mayor knocks. [Exit GLOSTEr.

Enter the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens. Welcome, my lord; I dance attendance here; I think, the duke will not be spoke withal.—

Enter, from the Castle, CATESBY.

Now, Catesby! what says your lord to my request? Cate. He doth entreat your grace, my noble lord, To visit him to-morrow, or next day:

He is within, with two right reverend fathers,

Divinely bent to meditation;

And in no worldly suit would he be mov'd,

To draw him from his holy exercise.

Buck. Return, good Catesby, to the gracious duke; Tell him, myself, the mayor and aldermen, In deep designs, in matter of great moment, No less importing than our general good, Are come to have some conference with his grace. Cate. I'll signify so much unto him straight.

[Exit. Buck. Ah, ha, my lord, this prince is not an Edward!

He is not lolling on a lewd day-bed,

5 Buckingham is to plead for the citizens; and if (says Richard) you speak for them as plausibly as I in my own person, or for my own purposes shall seem to deny your suit, there is no doubt we shall bring all to a happy issue.

6 i. e. a couch, or sofa. In Twelfth Night Malvolio enumerates a day-bed among his dreams of greatness. And in Rule a

But on his knees at meditation;

Not dallying with a brace of courtezans,
But meditating with two deep divines;
Not sleeping, to engross his idle body,
But praying, to enrich his watchful soul:
Happy were England, would this virtuous prince
Take on himself the sovereignty thereof:
But, sure, I fear, we shall ne'er win him to it.
May. Marry, God defend, his grace should say
us nayR!

Buck. I fear, he will: Here Catesby comes again :

Re-enter CATESBY.

Now, Catesby, what says his grace?

Cate. He wonders to what end you have assembled

Such troops of citizens to come to him,

His grace not being warn'd thereof before,
He fears, my lord, you mean no good to him.
Buck. Sorry I am, my noble cousin should
Suspect me, that I mean no good to him:
By heaven, we come to him in perfect love;
And so once more return and tell his grace.
[Exit CATESBY.

When holy and devout religious men

Are at their beads, 'tis hard to draw them thence; So sweet is zealous contemplation.

Wife and Have a Wife, Estifania says, in answer to Perez, Act i.:

'This place will fit our talk; 'tis fitter far, sir;

Above there are day-beds, and such temptations,

I dare not trust, sir.'

7 Fatten, pamper.

8 This pious and courtly mayor was Edmund Shaw, brother to Doctor Shaw, whom Richard employed to prove his title to the crown from the pulpit at Paul's Cross.