accession of Henry VII., joins with the rest in imputing faults of all sorts to her son Richard; and he appears in these scenes as a hypocrite and a scoffer. They call for no further observations.

It is now proposed by Buckingham, that the young prince, Edward, should be brought from Ludlow, where he held his court as Prince of Wales, in order to be crowned; and that he should come "with some little train” only.

Rivers. Why with some little train, my lord of Buckingham ?

Buck. Marry, my lord, lest by a multitude The new-heal'd wound of malice should break out, Which would be so much the more dangerous, By how much the estate is yet ungovern'd. Where every horse bears his commanding rein, And may direct his course as please himself, As well the fear of harm, as harm apparent, In my opinion, ought to be prevented.

Glou. I hope the king made peace with all of us, And the compact is firm and true in me.

Rivers. And so in me; and so I think in all.
Yet since it is but green, it should be put,
To no apparent likelihood of breach,

Which haply by much company might be urg'd:
Therefore I say, with noble Buckingham,

That it is meet so few should fetch the prince."

Gloucester and Buckingham, who is at this time

his devoted humble servant, agree privately together that they will be of the party to Ludlow, in furtherance of their design

"To part the queen's proud kindred from the prince."

There is no very material variation here from Holinshed and Sir Thomas More. Gloucester and Rivers did not meet immediately on Edward's death; Gloucester was in the north, having been engaged in a campaign against the Scots. Rivers had the care of the prince at Ludlow. It was at first intended that young Edward should be brought up to London accompanied by an imposing force; but Gloucester, or his friends, of whom the chief were Buckingham and Hastings, persuaded the queen that it would be much better for the peace of the country, and for avoiding suspicions, that the train should be small.

And this account of Sir Thomas More is, generally, supported by contemporary authority. But the small train appears to have been the subject of much debate in the council.*

We have now a scene in which the occurrences of the journey from Ludlow are related to the queen and the Duchess of York, who have with them the Archbishop of York, and the young

* Croyl. Cont., 565; see Lingard, 238.

+ Neville still held the see.

prince Richard, Duke of York. But Shakspeare first takes an opportunity of presenting this young prince as a forward youth, and fit to be the medium of a pun.

"York. Marry, they say my uncle grew so fast, That he could gnaw a crust at two hours old; 'Twas full two years ere I could get a tooth. Grandam, this would have been a biting jest.”

It is announced that Rivers, Vaughan,* and Grey, have been sent by Gloucester and Buckingham, as prisoners to Pomfret; and another scene produces them on their way to execution.

All this is from More. Edward had reached Stony Stratford in his way to London; the dukes arrived at Northampton, where they found Rivers. Their measures soon betrayed the intention of some violent proceeding. Rivers

determined, upon the surety of his own conscience, to go boldly to them, and ask what this matter might mean. Whom as soon as they saw they began to quarrel with him, and say that he intended to set distance between the king and them, and to bring them to confusion, but it should not lie in his power. And when he began (as he was a very well spoken man) in goodly wise to excuse himself, they tarried not the end of his answer, but shortly took him, and put him in

* Sir Thomas Vaughan, an elderly knight, of the household of the young king.

ward, and that done went to horseback, and took the way to Stony Stratford, where they found the king and his company ready to leap on horseback, and depart forward to leave that lodging for them, because it was too straight for both companies. And as soon as they came in his presence, they light adown with all their company about them. To whom the Duke of Buckingham said, Go afore, gentlemen, and yeomen keep your rooms. And thus in a goodly array they came to the king, and on their knees in very humble wise saluted his grace, which received them in very joyous and amiable manner, nothing earthly knowing or mistrusting as yet. But even by and by, in his presence, they picked a quarrel with the Lord Richard Grey, the king's other brother by his mother, saying that he with the lord marquis his brother, and the Lord Rivers his uncle, had compassed to rule the king and the realm, and to set variance among the states, and to subdue and destroy the noble blood of the realm. Towards the accomplishing whereof, they said, that the lord marquis had entered into the Tower of London, and thence taken out the king's treasure, and sent men to the sea. All which things, the said dukes write, were done for good purposes and necessary, by the whole council at London, saving that somewhat they must say. Unto which words the king answered, What my brother marquis hath done I cannot say, but in good-will I dare well · answer for mine uncle Rivers and my brother Richard, that they be innocent of any such matter. Yea, my liege, (quoth the Duke of Buckingham) they have kept their

dealing in these matters far from the knowledge of your grace.' And forthwith they arrested the Lord Richard and Sir Thomas Vaughan, knight, in the king's presence, and brought the king and all back unto Northampton, where they took again further counsel. And then they went away from the king when it pleased them, and set new servants about him, such as liked better than him. At which dealings he wept, and was nothing content, but it booted not. And at dinner the Duke of Gloucester sent a dish from his own table unto the Lord Rivers, praying him to be of good cheer, all should be well enough. And he thanked the duke, and prayed the messenger to bear it to his nephew the Lord Richard, with the same message for his comfort, who he thought had more need of comfort, as one to whom such adversity was strange. But himself had been all his days in use therewith, and therefore could bear it the better. But for all this comfortable courtesy of the Duke of Gloucester, he sent the Lord Rivers, with the Lord Richard, and Sir Thomas Vaughan into the north country, into divers places to prison, and afterwards all to Pomfret, where they were in conclusion beheaded."*

The young king's asseveration of the innocence of his maternal relations is slightly noticed in the play:+

* More in Hol., 366.

+ Act iii., Sc. 1, which is in London, where the king is with Gloucester and Buckingham, and Archbishop Bourchier, who is now a cardinal. according to Capell; but in Holinshed Thos. Rotheram 3 Cardinal Archbishop of york is the Prelate in question.