GLO. Commend me to lord William: tell him,

Catefby,

His ancient knot of dangerous adverfaries
To-morrow are let blood at Pomfret-caftle;
And bid my friend, for joy of this good news,
Give mistress Shore one gentle kiss the more.

BUCK. Good Catefby, go, effect this bufinefs foundly.

CATE. My good lords both, with all the heed I

can.

GLO. Shall we hear from you, Catesby, ere we fleep?

CATE. You fhall, my lord.

both.

GLO. At Crosby-place, there fhall you find us [Exit CATESBY. BUCK. Now, my lord, what fhall we do, if we perceive

"When the protectour had both the chyldren in his poffeffion, yea, and that they were in a fure place, he then began to threst to fe the ende of his enterprife. And, to avoyde all fufpicion, he caufed all the lords which he knewe to bee faithfull to the kynge, to affemble at Baynardes Castle, to comen of the ordre of the coronacion, whyle he and other of his complices, and of his affinitee, at Crofbies place, contrived the contrary, and to make the protectour kyng: to which counfail there were adhibite very fewe, and they very fecrete." REED.

Mr. Reed has flown from Hall's Chronicle that this circumftance is founded on hiftorical fact. But Holinfhed, Hall's copyift, was our author's authority: "But the protectoure and the duke after they had fent to the lord Cardinal,-the lord Stanley and the lord Haftings then lord Chamberlaine, with many other noblemen, to commune and devise about the coronation in one place, as faft were they in another place, contriving the contrarie, and to make the protectour king."--the lord Stanley, that was after earle of Darby, wifely mistrusted it, and faid unto the lorde Haftings, that he much mislyked thefe two feveral councels." MALONE.

Lord Hastings will not yield to our complots?

GLO. Chop off his head, man;-somewhat we will do:7

And, look, when I am king, claim thou of me The earldom of Hereford, and all the moveables Whereof the king my brother was poffefs'd.

BUCK. I'll claim that promife at your grace's hand.

GLO. And look to have it yielded with all kind

nefs.

Come, let us fup betimes; that afterwards
We may digeft our complots in fome form.

[Exeunt.

7

HAST. [Within.] What is't o'clock ?

MESS. Upon the ftroke of four.

will do:] The folio reads-will determine. STEEVENS.

8 Scene II.] Every material circumftance in the following fcene is taken from Holinfhed's Chronicle, except that it is a knight with whom Haftings converses, instead of Buckingham,

STEEVENS.

Enter HASTINGS.

HAST. Cannot thy master sleep the tedious nights? MESS. So it fhould feem by that I have to fay. First, he commends him to your noble lordship. HAST. And then,

MESS. And then he fends you word, he dreamt To-night the boar had rafed off his helm :9 Befides, he fays, there are two councils held; And that may be determin'd at the one,

Which may make you and him to rue at the other. Therefore he fends to know your lordship's pleafure,

If presently, you will take horse with him,

And with all speed poft with him toward the north, To fhun the danger that his foul divines.

9

the boar had rafed off his helm :] This term rafed or rashed, is always given to describe the violence inflicted by a

boar.

So, in King Lear, 4to. edit:

66

"In his anointed flesh rash boarish fangs." Again, in Warner's Albion's England, 1602, B. VII. ch. xxxvi: -ha, cur, avaunt, the bore fo rafe thy hide!" By the boar, throughout this fcene, is meant Glofter, who was called the boar, or the hog, from his having a boar for his cognizance, and one of the fupporters of his coat of arms.

STEEVENS.

So Holinfhed, after Hall and Sir Thomas More: "The felfe night next before his death the lorde Stanley sent a trustie secret meffenger unto him at midnight in all hafte, requiring him to rife and ride away with him, for he was difpofed utterlie no longer to byde, he had fo fearful a dreame, in which him thought that a boare with his tutkes fo rafed them both by the heades that the bloud ran about both their fhoulders. And forafmuch as the Protector gave the boare for his cognizance, this dreame made fo fearful an impreffion in his heart, that he was thoroughly determined no longer to tarie, but had his horfe readie, if the lord Haftings would go with him," &c. MALONE.

HAST. Go, fellow, go, return unto thy lord; Bid him not fear the feparated councils : His honour,' and myself, are at the one; And, at the other, is my good friend Catesby ;2 Where nothing can proceed, that toucheth us, Whereof I fhall not have intelligence.

Tell him, his fears are fhallow, wanting inftance :3
And for his dreams-I wonder, he's fo fond 4
To truft the mockery of unquiet flumbers:
To fly the boar, before the boar pursues,
Were to incenfe the boar to follow us,

And make pursuit, where he did mean no chase.
Go, bid thy mafter rife and come to me;

1 His honour,] This was the usual address to noblemen in Shakspeare's time. MALONE.

See note on Timon of Athens, A&t I. fc. i. where the fame addrefs occurs: "All happiness to your honour!?! STEEVENS.

2 And, at the other, is my good friend Catesby; &c.] So, in the Legend of Lord Haftings, Mirrour for Magiftrates, 1575: "I fear'd the end; my Catefby being there

3

"Discharg'd all doubts; him hold I moft entyre."

MALONE.

wanting inftance:] That is, wanting fome example or act of malevolence, by which they may be juftified or which, perhaps, is nearer to the true meaning, wanting any immediate ground or reafon. JOHNSON.

This is the reading of the quarto, except that it has-inftancie. MALONE.

The folio reads-without inftance.

STEEVENS.

Inftance feems to mean, fymptom or prognoftick. We find the word used in a fimilar fenfe, in The Comedy of Errors, where Egeon, defcribing his fhipwreck, fays:

"A league from Epidamnum had we fail'd,

"Before the always wind-obeying deep

"Gave any tragick inftance of our harm." M. MASON.

fo fond-] i. e. fo weak, filly. Thus, in King Lear: "I am a very foolish, fond old man." STEEVENS. Cc

VOL. XIV.

And we will both together to the Tower,
Where, he shall fee, the boar will ufe us kindly.

MESS. I'll go, my lord, and tell him what you [Exit.

fay.

Enter CATESBY.

CATE. Many good morrows to my noble lord! HAST. Good morrow, Catesby; you are early

ftirring :

What news, what news, in this our tottering state? CATE. It is a reeling world, indeed, my lord; And, I believe, will never ftand upright,

Till Richard wear the garland of the realm. HAST. HOW! wear the garland? doft thou mean the crown?

CATE. Ay, my good lord.

HAST. I'll have this crown of mine cut from my fhoulders,

Before I'll fee the crown fo foul mifplac'd.

But canft thou guess that he doth aim at it?

CATE. 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, your enemies,
The kindred of the queen, muft die at Pomfret.
HAST. Indeed, I am no mourner for that news,
Because they have been fill my adverfaries :
But, that I'll give my voice on Richard's fide,
To bar my master's heirs in true descent,
God knows, I will not do it, to the death.

CATE. God keep your lordfhip in that gracious mind!