Or let me die, to look on death no more!

Q. Eliz. Come, come, my boy; we will to sanctuary. Madam, farewell.

Duch.

I'll go along with you.

My gracious lady, go;

Q. Eliz. You have no cause.

Arch.

And thither bear your treasure and your goods.
For my part, I'll resign unto your grace

The seal I keep: and so betide to me

As well I tender you and all of yours!

Come, I'll conduct you to the sanctuary.

70

[Exeunt.

next line all the quartos have "look on death," the folio "on earth.” Of course the duchess refers to the slaughters that have so long filled the land.-H. N. H.

67. "Madam, farewell"; omitted in Qq.—I. G.

71. "The seal I keep"; More's account of this is highly pathetic: "The queene hir selfe sate alone alow on the rushes, all desolate and dismaid; whome the archbishop comforted in the best manner he could, shewing hir that he trusted the matter was nothing so sore as she tooke it for. 'Madam,' quoth he, ‘be yee of good cheere; for I assure you, if they crowne anie other king than your sonne, whome they now have with them, we shall on the morrow crowne his brother, whome you have here with you. And here is the great seale, which in like wise as that noble prince your husband delivered it unto me, so here I deliver it unto you, to the use and behoofe of your sonne.' And therewith he betooke hir the great seale, and departed home againe, yet in the dawning of the daie."H. N. H.

ACT THIRD

SCENE I

London. A street,

The trumpets sound. Enter the young Prince, the Dukes of Gloucester and Buckingham, Cardinal Bourchier, Catesby, and others.

Buck. Welcome, sweet prince, to London, to your chamber.

Glou. Welcome, dear cousin, my thoughts' sovereign:

The weary way hath made you melancholy. Prince. No, uncle; but our crosses on the way Have made it tedious, wearisome, and heavy: I want more uncles here to welcome me. Glou. Sweet prince, the untainted virtue of your

years

Hath not yet dived into the world's deceit :

"Cardinal Bourchier." Thomas Bourchier was made a cardinal, and elected archbishop of Canterbury in 1464. He died in 1486.— H. N. H.

1. "Chamber"; London was anciently called camera regis, that is, the king's chamber. Thus in Buckingham's speech to the citizens as given by More: "And yet be ye the people, whome he had as singular cause well and kindlie to intreat, as anie part of his realme; for that the prince, by this noble citie as his speciall chamber, and the speciall well renowned citie of this realme, much honourable fame received among all other nations."-H. N. H.

Nor more can you distinguish of a man
Than of his outward show; which, God he
knows,

10

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.

Glou. 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 20
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!

Enter Lord Hastings.

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

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

24. "The sweating lord," a pun on "Hastings."-C. H. H.

Have taken sanctuary: the tender prince
Would fain have come with me to meet your

grace,

30

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. Card. 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
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,
You break not sanctuary in seizing him.
The benefit thereof is always granted

40

To those whose dealings have deserved the place,
And those who have the wit to claim the place:
This prince hath neither claim'd it nor deserved
it;
And therefore, in mine opinion, cannot have it:
Then, taking him from thence that is not there,

51

45. “Ceremonious” for superstitious; "traditional" for adherent to old customs.

46. "Grossness" here means plainness, simplicity.-H. N. H.

You break no privilege nor charter there.
Oft have I heard of sanctuary men;

But sanctuary children ne'er till now.

Card. My lord, you shall o'er-rule 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 you
may. [Exeunt Cardinal and Hastings. 60
Say, uncle Gloucester, if our brother come,
Where shall we sojourn till our coronation?
Glou. Where it seems best unto your royal self.
If I may counsel you, some day or two

Your highness shall repose you at the Tower:
Then where you please, and shall be thought
most fit

For your best health and recreation.

Prince. I do not like the Tower, of any place.

Did Julius Cæsar build that place, my lord? Buck. He did, my gracious lord, begin that place; Which, since, succeeding ages have re-edified. 71 Prince. Is it upon record, or else reported

Successively from age to age, he built it?

Buck. Upon record, my gracious lord.

56. "Sanctuary”; this argument is from More's History: "Verilie I have often heard of sanctuarie men, but I never heard erste of sanctuarie children. But he can be no sanctuarie manne, that neither hath wisedome to desire it, nor malice to deserve it, whose life or libertie can by no law full processe stand in jeopardie. And he that taketh one out of sanctuarie to doo him good, I saye plainlie that he breaketh no sanctuarie."-H. N. H.

71. "Re-edified." We restore this speech to Buckingham, as in all the old copies. Modern editions, generally, give it to Richard, and say nothing of the change.