waye but when he was sure that his brother of Clarence. was ded, then he knewe that he might worke without that ieoperdy.' (pp. 342, 343.)

Some hints for the first Act were supplied by the following description of Clarence.

'George duke of Clarence was a goodly and well feautured prince, in all thynges fortunate, if either his owne ambicion had not set hym against his brother or thenuy of his enemies had not set his brother againste hym: for were it by the quene or nobles of her blud, whiche highly maligned the kynges kynred (as women commenly, not of malice but of nature, hate suche as their husbandes loue) or wer it a proud appetite of the duke hym selfe, entendynge to bee kynge, at the leaste wise, heinous treason was laied to his charge, and finally were he in faulte or wer he faultlesse, attainted was he by parliament and iudged to death, and there vpon hastely drowned in a butte of malmesey within the towre of London. Whose death kynge Edwarde (although he commaunded it) when he wiste it was doen piteously he bewayled and sorowfully repented it.' (p. 342.)

The quotation from Holinshed, given in the Notes at the beginning of Act II, supplies the outline for the first scene of that Act. The second scene so far departs from the truth of history that at the death of Edward IV Richard was in the north, and Buckingham, who was in the marches of Wales, joined him at Northampton on his way to London. Lord Rivers was at Ludlow with the young Prince of Wales under his charge.

'The younge kynge at the deathe of his father kepte houshoulde at Ludlowe, for his father had sente hym thether for Iustice to be dooen in the Marches of Wales, to the ende that by the autoritee of his presence, the wilde Welshemenne and eiuell disposed personnes should refrain from their accustomed murthers and outrages. The gouernaunce of this younge Prince was committed too lord Antony Wooduile erle Ryuers and lorde Scales, brother to the

quene, a wise, hardy and honourable personage, as valiaunte of handes as pollitique of counsaill and with hym were associate other of the same partie, and in effect euery one as he was nerer of kynne vnto the quene, so was he planted nexte aboute the prince. That drift by the quene semed to be diuised, whereby her bloudde mighte of righte in tender youthe bee so planted in the princes fauoure, that afterwarde it shoulde hardely bee eradicated out of the same.

'The duke of Gloucester turned all this to their distruction, and vpon that grounde set the foundacion of his vnhappy buyldyng: For whom soeuer he perceiued too bee at variaunce with theim, or to beare toward hym selfe any fauoure, he brake vnto theim, some by mouthe, some by writynge and secrete messengers, that it was neither reason nor yet to be suffered that the younge kynge their master and kynsman shoulde bee in the handes and custody of his mothers kynrede, sequestered in maner from their compaignie and attendaunce, of whiche euery one oughte hym as faithefull seruice as they, and many of theim of farre more honorable parte of kynne then his mothers side, whose bloud quod the duke of Gloucester sauyng the kyng his pleasure, was farre vnmete to bee matched with his, which now to bee remoued from the kyng and the leaste noble to bee lefte aboute hym, is quod he neither honourable to his maiestie nor too vs, and also too hym lesse suretie, to haue the nobles and mightiest of his frendes from hym, & to vs all no litle ieopardie to suffre, and specially our well proued euill willers too growe into greate autoritee with the kynge in youthe, namely whiche is lighte of belefe and soone perswaded....

'With these perswasions and writinges, the duke of Gloucester sette a fire theim whiche were easie to kyndle, and in especial twain, Henry' duke of Buckyngham, and Willyam lord Hastynges, and lord Chamberlain, bothe menne of honoure and of greate power, the one by longe succession from his aunceters, thother by his offices and the kynge his fauoure. These two not bearynge eache to

other so muche loue, as hatred both to ye quenes bloud, accorded together with the duke of Gloucester that thei would remoue from the kyng all his mothers frendes, vnder the name of their enemies.

'Where vpon the duke of Gloucester beynge aduertised that the lordes aboute the kynge entended to brynge hym to London to his coronacion, accompaigned with suche a number of their frendes that it shoulde be harde for hym to brynge his purpose to passe without the assemblyng and gatheryng of people & in maner of open warre, wherof the ende he wyst was doubtfull, and in the which the kyng beyng on the other syde, his parte shoulde haue the name and face of rebellion.

'He secretely therefore by diuerse meanes caused the quene to be perswaded that it was neither nede & should also be ieoperdeous for ye kyng to come vp so strong, for as now euery lord loued other and none other thyng studied for, but the triumphe of his coronacion & honoure of the kyng. And the lordes about the kyng, should assemble in the kynges name muche people, thei should geue ye lordes betwixt whom & them ther had bene some tyme debate, an occasion to feare and suspecte least they should gather this people, not for the kynges saue guard, whom no man impugned, but for their destruction, hauyng more regarde to their olde variaunce then to their new attonement, for the which cause they on the other parte might assemble men also for their defence, whose powres she wyst well farre stretched, and thus should all the realme fal in a roare, & of the mischiefe that therof should ensue (whiche was likely to be not a litle) ye moste harme was like to fal where the least woulde, & then all the world would put her & her kynred in the blame, saiyng that they had vnwysely and vntruely broken the amytie and peace whiche the kynge her husband had so prudently made betwene her kynred and his, whiche amyte his kynne had alwaies obserued.

'The quene beyng thus perswaded, sent worde to the

kyng and to her brother, that there was no cause nor nede to assemble any people, & also the duke of Gloucester and other lordes of his bend, wrote vnto ye kyng so reuerently and to the quenes frendes there so louyngly, that they nothinge yearthly mistrustyng, brought the young kynge towarde London with a sober compaignie in great haste (but not in good spede) til he came to Northampton, and from thence he remoued to Stony stratford.' (pp. 347–349.)

The narrative of the arrest of the lords and the seizure of the young king by the dukes of Gloucester and Buckingham is set forth in great detail by the chronicler, and the incidents must have been communicated to Sir Thomas More by an eyewitness, but as they are not referred to in the play we are not concerned with them here.

The third scene was perhaps suggested by a circumstance in More's story which has all the appearance of a personal reminiscence. It is at least an illustration of the thoughts which were passing in men's minds, and follows the account of the death of Edward.

'And so this noble prince deceased, as you have hearde in that tyme when his life was moste desired, and when his people moste desired to kepe hym: Whiche loue of his people and their entiere affection towarde hym, had been to hys noble chyldren (hauynge in theim selues also as many giftes of nature, as many princely vertues, as much good towardenesse as their age coulde receyue) a merueilous fortresse and a sure armoure, yf the diuision and dissencion of their frendes had not vnarmed theim and left theim destitute, and the execrable desire of soueraingtie prouoked hym to their destruccion, whiche yf either kynde or kyndnesse had holden place muste nedes haue bene their chiefe defence. For Richard duke of Gloucester, by nature their uncle, by office their protectoure, to their father greately beholden and too theim by othe and allegiaunce bounden, all the bandes broken and violated whiche bynde man and man together, withoute any respecte of God or the worlde,

vnnaturally contriued too bereue theim, not onely of theiY dignitie and preheminence, but also of their naturall liues and worldely felicitee.

'And first to shewe you, that by coniecture he pretended this thyng in his brothers life, ye shall vnderstande for a truth that the same nighte that kynge Edwarde died, one called Mistelbrooke, longe ere the daye sprong, came to ye house of one Pottier dwellyng in Redcrosse strete without Creple gate of London, & when he was with hasty rappyng quickely let in, the saied Mistelbroke shewed vnto Pottier that kyng Edward was that night deceased: by my truth quod Pottier, then will my master the duke of Gloucester bee kyng and that I warrant thee. What cause he had so too thynke, harde it is to saie, whether he beeyng his seruaunte knewe any such thyng pretensed or otherwise had any ynkelyng therof but of all likelihod he spake it not of naught.' (p. 346.)

The passages bearing upon the fourth scene of Act II are quoted in the Notes to that scene.

Act III, Scene 1. 'When the kynge approched nere the cytee, Edmonde Shawe Goldesmythe then Mayre of the cytie with the Aldermenne and shreues in skarlet, and fyue hundreth commoners in murraye receyued his grace reuerently at Harnesay Parke, and so conueighed him to the cytee, where he entred the fourth day of May, in the fyrst and last yere of his reigne, and was lodged in the bishoppe of Londons Palayce: but ye duke of Gloucester bare him in open sight so reuerently, saying to all men as he rode behold your prince and souereigne lord, and made such sembleaunce of lowlynes to his prince, that from the great obloquy that he was in so late before he was sodenly fallen in so great trust that at the councel next assembled he was made the onely chiefe ruler, and thought most mete to be protectoure of the king and his realme: so that, were it destiny or were it foly, the lambe was betaken to the wolfe to kepe. At whiche councell the Archebishop of Yorke was sore blamed for deliueryng the great seale to the quene, and the seale taken