Enter Catesby.

Catef. Many good morrows to my Noble Lord.
Haft. Good morrow, Catesby, you are early stirring
What News, what News in this our tott'ring State?
Catef. It is a reeling World indeed, my Lord;
And I believe will never ftand upright,

'Till Richard wear the Garland of the Realm.
Haft. How! wear the Garland?
Doft thou mean the Crown?

Catef. Ay, my good Lord.

...

i. I

Haft. I'll have this Crown of mine cut from my Shoulders, Before I'll fee the Crown fo foul mifplac'd;

But canft thou guess that he doth aim at it?

Catef Ay, on my Life, and hopes to find you forward Upon his Party, for the gain thereof;

And thereupon he fends you this good News,
That this fame very Day our Enemies,

The Kindred of the Queen, muft die at Pomfret,
Haft. Indeed I am no mourner for that News,
Because they have been ftill my Adverfaries;
But that I'll give, my Voice on Richard's Side,
To bar my Mafter's Heirs in true Defcent,
God knows I will not do it to the death.

Catef. God keep your Lordship in that gracious Mind.
Haft. But I fhall laugh at this a Twelve-month hence,
That they which brought me in my Mafter's Hate,
I live to look upon their Tragedy.

Well Catesby, e'er a Fortnight make me older,
I'll fend fome packing that yet think not on't.
Catef Tis a vile thing to dye, my gracious Lord,
When Men are unprepar'd and look not for it.
Haft. O monstrous, monftrous! and fo falls it out
With Rivers, Vaughan, Gray; and so 'twill do
With fome Men elfe, that think themselves as fafe
As thou and I, who as thou know'ft, are dear
To Princely Richard and to Buckingham.

Catesby. The Princes both make high account of you.
For they account his Head upon the Bridge.

[Afide

Haft. I know they do, and I have well deferv'd it.

་་

Enter Lord Stanley.

Come on, come on, where is your Boar-fpear, Man?
Fear you the Boar, and go fo unprovided?

Stan. My Lord, good morrow, good morrow, Catesby; You may jeft on, but by the holy Rood,

I do not like thefe feveral Councils, I.

Haft. My Lord, I hold my Life as dear as yours, And never in my Days, I do protest,

Was it fo precious to me as 'tis now;

Think you, but that I know the State fecure,

I would be fo triumphant as I am?

Stan. The Lords at Pomfret, when they rode from London,

Were jocund, and fuppos'd their States were fure,
And they indeed had no caufe to miftruft;

But yet you fee how foon the Day o'er-cast.
The fudden ftab of Rancor I mifdoubt,
Pray God we toward the Tower? the Day is fpent.
Pray God, I fay, I prove a needlefs Coward.
What,

1

Haft. Come, come, have with youd v Wot ye what, my Lord,

To day, the Lords you talk of are beheaded.

Stan. They, for their Truth, might better wear their Heads, Than fome that have accus'd them wear their Hats.

But come, my Lord, let's away.

Enter a Purfuivant.

Haft. Go on before, I'll talk with this good Fellow. [Exeunt Lord Stanley and Catesby. How now, Sirrah? how goes the World with thee? Purf. The better, that your Lordship pleafe to ask, 2fell thee Man, 'tis better with me now, Than when thou met'ft me laft where now we meet: Then was I going Prifoner to the Tower,

By the Suggeftion of the Queen's Allies.
But now I tell thee, keep it to thy felf,

This Day thofe Enemies are put to death, MA VIL
And I in better State than e'er I was.

Puff God hold it to your Honour's good Content.
Hajt. Gramercy Fellow; there drink that for

Purf. I thank your Honour.

For me, [Throws him his Purfe

[Exit Phxfuivant

Enter a Prieft.

Prieft. Well met, my Lord, I am glad to fee your Honour. Haft. I thank thee, good Sir John, with all my Heart, I am in your debt for your laft Exercise: Come the next Sabbath, and I will content you. Prieft. I'll wait upon your Lordship.

Enter Buckingham.

Buck, What, talking with a Prieft, Lord Chamberlain? Your Friends at Pomfret, they do need the Prieft, Your Honour hath no fhriving work in hand. Haft. 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 ftay there': I fhall return before your Lordship thence.

Haft. Nay, like enough, for I'll ftay Dinner there. Buck. And Supper too, although thou know'ft it not. [Afide. Come, will you go?

Haft. I'll wait upon your Lordship.

SCENE III.

[Exeunt:

Enter Sir Richard Ratcliff, with Halberds, carrying the Nobles to Death at Pomfret.

Riv. Sir Richard Ratcliff, let me tell thee this,
To day falt thou behold a Subject dye
For Truth, for Duty, and for Loyalty.

Gray. God bless the Prince from all the pack of you,

A Knot you are of damned Blood-fuckers.

Vaugh. You live that fhall cry woe for this hereafter.
Rat. Difpatch, the limit of your Lives is out.

Riv. O Pomfret, Pomfret! O thou bloody Prifon!
Fatal and ominous to Noble Peers.

Within the guilty clofure of thy Walls
Richard the Second here was hackt to Death:
And for more flander to thy difmal Seat,
We give to thee our guiltlefs Blood to drink.

Gray. Now Margaret's Curfe is faln upon our Heads,
When the exclaim'd on Hastings, you and I,
For ftanding by, when Richard ftab'd her Son,

Riv. Then curs'd the Richard,
Then curs'd the Buckingham,

Then curs'd the Haftings. O remember God
To hear her Prayer for them, as now for us:
As for my Sifter and her Princely Sons,

Be fatisfy'd, dear God, with our true Blood,
Which, as thou know'it, unjufty must be spilt.

Rat. Make hafte, the hour of Death is now expir'd. Riv. Come Gray, come Vaughan, let us here embrace; Farewel, until we meet again in Heaven.

SCENE IV.

[Exeunt.

Enter Buckingham, Derby, Haftings, Bishop of Ely, Norfolk, Ratcliff, Lovel, with others, at a Table.

Haft. Now Noble Peers, the caufe 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 the Royal time?
Derby. They are, and want but Nomination.
Ely. To Morrow then I judge a happy Day.
Buck.

Who knows the Lord Protector's Mind herein? Who is moft inward with the Noble Duke?

Ely. Your Grace, we think, fhould foone ft know his Mir d.
Buck. We know each others Faces; for our Hearts,

He knows no more of mine than I of yours,

Or I of his, my Lord, than you of mine:
Lord Haftings, you and he are near in Love.

Haft. I thank his Grace, I know he loves me well:
But for his purpofe in the Coronation,

I have not founded him, nor he deliver'd

His gracious pleafure any way therein:

But you, my Honourable Lord, may name the time,
And in the Duke's behalf I'll give my Voice,
Which I prefume he'll take in gentle part.

Enter Gloucester.

Ely. In happy time here comes the Duke himfelf.

Glo. My Noble Lords and Coufins all, good morrow;

I have been a long fleeper; but I truft

My abfence doth neglect no great defign,

Which

Which by my prefence might have been concluded.
Buck. Had you not come upon your Cue, my Lord,
William Loid Haftings had pronounc'd your part,

I mean your Voice for crowning of the King.

Glo. Than my Lord Haftings no Man might be bolder, His Lordship knows me well, and loves me well. My Lord of Ely, when I was laft in Holbourn, I law good Strawberries in your Garden there, I do befeech you fend for fome of them.

Ely. Marry and will, my Lord, with all my heart.
[Exit Ely.
Glo. Coufin of Buckingham, a word with you.
Catesby hath founded Haftings in our Bufinefs,
And finds the tefty Gentleman fo hot,

That he will lofe his Head e'er give confent
His Mafter's Child, as worshipfully he terms it,
Shall lofe the Royalty of England's Throne.

Buck. Withdraw your felf a while, I'll go with you.

[Exeunt. Derby. We have not yet fet down this Day of Triumph; To Morrow, in my Judgment, is too sudden,

For I my felf am not fo well provided,

As elle I would be were the Day prolong'd.
Enter Bishop of Ely.

Ely. Where is my Lord, the Duke of Gloucester?
I have fent for thefe Strawberries.

Haft. His Grace looks chearfully and fmooth this Morning, There's fome Conceit or other likes him well

When that he bids good Morrow with fuch Spirit.
I think there's never a Man in Chriftendom

Can leffer hide his Love or Hate than he,

For by his Face ftraight fhall you know his Heart.
Derby. What of his Heart perceive you in his Face,
By any livelihood he fhew'd to Day?

Haft. Marry that with no Man here he is offended a
For were he, he had fhewn it in his looks.

Enter Gloucester and Buckingham,

Glo. I pray you all, tell me what they deferve,
That do confpire my Death with devilish Plots
Of damned Witchcraft, and that have prevail'd
Upon my Body, with their heliifh Charms.
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Haft.