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K. Rich. Well go, muster thy men. But, hear

you, leave behind Your fon, George Stanley: look your heart be firm, Or else his head's assurance is but frail.

Stanl. So deal with him, as I prove true to you. [Exit Stanley

Enter a Messenger.

Mef. My gracious sovereign, now in Devonshire,

As I by friends am well advertisfed,

Sir Edward Courtney, and the haughty prelate,

Bishop of Exeter, his elder brother,

With many more confederates, are in arms.

Enter another Messenger.

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2 Mes. In Kent, my liege, the Guildfords are in

-arms;

And every hour 3 more competitors
Flock to the rebels, and their power grows strong.

Enter another Messenger.

3 Meff. My lord, the army of great BuckinghamK. Rich. Out on ye, owls! nothing but fongs of [He strikes him.

death?

There, take thou that, 'till thou bring better news.
3 Mes. The news I have to tell your majesty,
Is,-that, by fudden floods and fall of waters,
Buckingham's army is dispers'd and scatter'd;
And he himself wander'd away alone,
No man knows whither.

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K. Rich. Oh, I cry you mercy:
There is my purse, to cure that blow of thine.
Hath any well-advised friend proclaim'd
Reward to him that brings the traitor in ?

3 Mes. Such proclamation hath been made, my

liege.

3-more competitors] That is, more opponents. JOHNSON. Enter

Enter another Messenger..

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4 Mes. Sir Thomas Lovel, and lord marquis Dorset, 'Tis faid, my liege, in Yorkshire are in arms. But this good comfort bring I to your highness, The Bretagne navy is difpers'd by tempeft:.. Richmond, in Dorsetshire, fent out a boat Unto the shore, to ask those on the banks, If they were his assistants, yea, or no; Who answered him, they came from Buckingham Upon his party: he, mistrusting them, Hois'd fail, and made his course again for Bretagne. K. Rich. March on, march on, fince we are up in

arms;

If not to fight with foreign enemies,
Yet to beat down these rebels here at home.

Enter Catesby.

:

Cates. My liege, the duke of Buckingham is taken, That is the best news; That the earl of Richmond Is with a mighty power landed at Milford,

Is colder news, but yet it must be told.

K. Rich. Away towards Salisbury; while we rea

"

fon here,

A royal battle might be won and loft :

Some one take order, Buckingham be brought

To Salisbury; -the rest march on with me. [Exeunt.

SCENEV.
Lord Stanley's house.

Enter Lord Stanley, and Sir Christopher Urswick.

Stanl. + Sir Christopher, tell Richmond this from

me:

That,

Sir Christopher, tell Richmond this from me:-] The perfon, who is called fir Chriftopher here, and who has been stiled so in the

Dra

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That, in the stye of this most bloody boar,
My fon George Stanley is frank'd up in hold;
If I revolt, off goes young George's head;
The fear of that witholds my present aid.
But, tell me, where is princely Richmond now?
Chri. At Pembroke, or at Ha'rford-west, in Wales.
Stanl. What men of name refort to him?
Chri. Sir Walter Herbert, a renowned foldier;
Sir Gilbert Talbot, and fir William Stanley;
Oxford, redoubted Pembroke, fir James Blunt,
And Rice ap Thomas, with a valiant crew;
And many other of great name and worth:
And towards London do they bend their course,
If by the way they be not fought withal.

Stanl. Well, hie thee to thy lord; commend me
to him;

Tell him, the queen hath heartily consented
He shall espouse Elizabeth her daughter.
These letters will refolve him of my mind.
Farewel.

[Exeunt.

Dramatis Persone of all the impressions, I find by the chronicles to have been Christopher Urswick, a bachelor in divinity; and chaplain to the countess of Richmond, who had intermarried with the lord Stanley. This priest, the history tells us, frequently went backwards and forwards, unsuspected, on messages betwixt the countess of Richmond, and her husband, and the young earl of Richmond, whilst he was preparing to make his defcent on England. THEOBALD.

Dr. Johnfon has observed, that Sir was anciently a title affumed by graduates. This the late Mr. Guthrie disputes; and fays, it was a title fold by the pope's legates, &c. that his holiness might be on the fame footing with the king. STEEVENS.

In the Scornfull Lady of Fletcher, Welford says to Sir Roger, the curate, "I acknowledge you to be your art's master." “ I am but a bachelor of art, fir," replies fir Roger. Mr. Guthrie would have done well to have informed us, how fir Roger could poffibly have bought his title of the pope's nuncio; when, as Abigail tells us, he had only "twenty nobles de claro, besides his pigges in poffe." FARMER.

Perhaps, after all, this title was originally derived from fire, father. Chaucer, and all our ancient poets, bestow it on the clergy. STEEVENS.

ACT

ACT V. SCENE I.

Salisbury.

Enter the Sheriff, with Buckingham, led to execution.

Buck. Will not king Richard let me speak with - him?

Sher. No, my good lord; therefore be patient. Buck. Hastings, and Edward's children, Rivers,

Grey,

Holy king Henry, and thy fair fon Edward,
Vaughan, and all that have miscarried
By underhand corrupted foul injustice;
If that your moody discontented fouls
Do through the clouds behold this present hour,
Even for revenge mock my destruction! -
This is All-Soul's day, fellows, is it not?

Sher. It is, my lord.

Buck. Why, then All-Soul's day is my body's

doomsday:

This is the day, which, in king Edward's time,
I wish'd might fall on me, when I was found
False to his children, or his wife's allies :
This is the day, wherein I wish'd to fall
By the falfe faith of him whom most I trusted;
This, this All-Souls' day to my fearful foul,

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s Will not king Richard let me speak with him?] The reason why the duke of Buckingham solicited an interview with the king, is explained in K. Henry VIII. act I:

-I would have play'd

The part my father meant to act upon

The ufurper Richard; who, being at Salisbury,

Made fuit to come in his presence; which, if granted,

As he made semblance of his duty, would

Have put his knife into him. STEEVENS.

See also Hall's Chronicle, Richard III. fo. 16. EDITOR. VOL. VII.

L

Is

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* Is the determin'd respite of my wrongs.
That high All-feer whom I dally'd with,
Hath turn'd my feigned prayer on my head,
And given in earnest what I begg'd in jest.
Thus doth he force the swords of wicked men
To turn their own points on their masters bosoms:
Thus Margaret's curse falls heavy on my neck,
When he, quoth she, shall split thy heart with forrow,
Remember Margaret was a prophetess.-
Come, firs, convey me to the block of shame;
Wrong hath but wrong, and blame the due of blame.
[Exeunt Buckingham, &c.

SCENE II.

Tamworth, on the borders of Leicestershire. A camp..

Enter Henry Earl of Richmond, Earl of Oxford, Sir James Blunt, Sir Walter Herbert, and others, with drum and colours.

Richm. Fellows in arms, and my most loving

friends,

Bruis'd underneath the yoke of tyranny,

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* Is the determin'd respite of my wrongs.) Hanmer has rightly explained it, the time to which the punishment of his wrongs was refpited.

Wrongs in this line means wrongs done, or injurious practices. JOHNSON.

blame the due of blame.] This scene should, in my opinion, be added to the foregoing act, so the fourth act will have a more full and striking conclufion, and the fifth act will comprise the business of the important day, which put an end to the competition of York and Lancaster. Some of the quarto editions are not divided into acts, and it is probable, that this and many other plays were left by the author in one unbroken continuity, and afterwards diftributed by chance, or what feems to have been a guide very little better, by the judgment or caprice of the first editors. JOHNSON.

Thus

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