him in stature and proportion in all lineaments of bodie, as vnlike in birth, dignitie, and conditions. deuised to be Austs holden at Bolingbroke slain, and reinstated in Oxford [, where was to be Richard thus The abbat highlie feasted these lords, his speciall freends, and, when they had well dined, they withdrew into a secret chamber, where they sat downe in councell, and, after much talke & conference had about the bringing of their purpose to passe concerning the destruction of king Henrie, at length by the aduise of the earle of Huntington it was deuised, that they should take vpon them a solemne iusts to be enterprised betweene him and 20 on his part, & the earle of Salisburie and 20 with him, at Oxford; to the which triumph K. Henrie should be desired, &, when he should be most busilie marking the martiall pastime, he suddenlie should be slaine and destroied, and so by that means king Richard, who as yet liued, might be restored to libertie, and haue his former estate & dignitie. It was further appointed, who should assemble the people; the number and persons which should accomplish and put in execution their deuised enterprise. Hervpon was an indenture An indensextipartite made, sealed with their seales, and signed with their partite. hands, in the which each stood bound to other, to do their whole indeuour for the accomplishing of their purposed exploit. Moreouer, they sware on the holie euangelists to be true and secret each to other, euen to the houre and point of death. the throne.] ture sexti He is desired to come and see the iusts. When all things were thus appointed, the earle of Huntington came to the king vnto Windsore, earnestlie requiring him, that he would vouchsafe to be at Oxenford on the daie appointed of their iustes; both to behold the same, and to be the discouerer and indifferent iudge (if anie ambiguitie should rise) of their couragious acts and dooings. The king, being [p. 515] thus instantlie required of his brother in law,1 and nothing lesse imagining than that which was pretended, gentlie granted to fulfill his request. Which thing obteined, all the lords of the conspiracie departed home to their [The con houses, as they noised it, to set armorers on worke about the preparatrimming of their armour against the iusts, and to prepare all other furniture and things readie, as to such an high & solemne 1 "Our trusty brother in law" (Rich. II., V. iii. 137), John Earl of Huntingdon, married Elizabeth, sister german of Bolingbroke. spirators' tions. [They all met at Oxford, except Rutland. [Rutland had the indenture in his bosom.] The duke of Yorke taketh from his son. [York reviled his son,-for whom he had become surety, and rode off to Windsor, to warn Bolingbroke.] triumph apperteined. The earle of Huntington came to his house and raised men on euerie side, and prepared horsse and harnesse for his compassed purpose; and, when he had all things readie, he departed towards Oxenford, and, at his comming thither, he found all his mates and confederates there, well appointed for their purpose, except the earle of Rutland, by whose follie their practised conspiracie was brought to light and disclosed to king Henrie. For this earle of Rutland, departing before from Westminster to see his father the duke of Yorke, as he sat at dinner, had his counterpane of the indenture of the confederacie in his bosome. 2 The father, espieng it, would needs see what it was; and, though the indenture the sonne humblie denied to shew it, the father, being more earnest to see it, by force tooke it out of his bosome; and perceiuing the contents therof, in a great rage caused his horsses to be sadled out of hand, and spitefullie reproouing his sonne of treason, for whome he was become suertie and mainpernour for his good abearing in open parlement,1 he incontinentlie mounted on horsebacke to ride towards Windsore to the king, to declare vnto him the malicious intent of his complices. The earle of Rutland, seeing in what danger he stood, tooke his horsse, and rode another waie to Windsore in post, so that he got thither before his father, and, when he was alighted at the castell gate, he caused the gates to be shut, saieng that he must needs deliuer the keies to the king. The earle of When he came before the kings presence, he kneeled downe on his knees, beseeching him of mercie and forgiuenesse, and, declaring the whole matter vnto him in order as euerie thing had passed, [Afterwards obteined pardon. Therewith came his father, and, being let in, deliuered the indenture, which he had taken from his sonne, vnto the king, who thereby perceiuing his sonnes words to be true, changed his purpose for his going to Oxenford. [Rutland outstripped York.] Rutland vttreth y whole conspiracie to the king. came York with the indenture.] 8 Act V. scc. iv. and v.-Scene iv., Act V., and the latter part 3 (11. 1 Cp. Rich. II., V. ii. 44, 45. 2 Shakspere has made Aumerle take York's horse; for, according to all the texts of Rich. II., V. ii. 111, the Duchess exclaims: “After, Aumerle! mount the vpon his horse." 3 What a groom, who had once served Richard, says about "Roane Barbarie" (11. 76-80), and the fallen King's comment thereon (11. 84-86), may possibly have been suggested to Shakspere by a story of a greyhound named 95-117) of the next scene, faithfully represent one of the several accounts of Richard's death. Sir Piers de murtherer of Exton, a king Richard he heard [Hol. iii. 517/1/7.] One writer,1 which seemeth to haue great knowledge of king Richards dooings, saith, that king Henrie, sitting on a daie at his table, sore sighing, said: "Haue I no, because of "faithfull freend which will deliuer me of him, whose life will be Bolingbroke "my death, and whose death will be the preseruation of my life?" This saieng was much noted of them which were present, and especiallie of one called sir Piers of Exton. This knight incontinentlie departed from the court, with eight strong persons in his [Berner's Froissart, ed. 1 (152325), vol. ii, say]. [Richard had a greyhound called Mathe, who would' follow no one else.] [At Flint Mathe left Mathe; though the dog's abandonment of his old master was deliberately cruel, while Barbary was, as Richard admits, "created to be awed by man," and "borne to beare." And, as it was enformed me, kynge Richarde had a grayhounde called Mathe, who alwayes wayted vpon the kynge, and wolde knowe no man els. For, whansouer the kyng dyde ryde, he that fol. ccc.xii.] kept the grayhounde dyde lette hym lose, and he wolde streight rynne to the kynge and fawne vpon hym, and leape with his fore fete vpon the kynges shulders. And as the kynge & the erle of Derby talked togyder in the courte [of Flint Castle], the grayhounde, who was wont to lepe vpon the kyng, left the Kynge Castle, & came to the erle of Derby, duke of Lancastre, and made to Richard, hym the same frendly countinaunce & chere as he was wonte and fawned to do to the kyng. The duke, who knewe nat the grayhounde, on Bolingdemaunded of the kyng what the grayhounde wolde do. "Cosyn," quod the kyng, "it is a gret good token to you, and an yuyll sygne to me." "Sir, howe knowe you that?" quod the duke. "I knowe it well," quod the kyng: "The grayhounde maketh omen that "you chere this day as kynge of Englande: (as ye shalbe, and I Bolingbroke "shalbe deposed:) the grayhounde hath this knowledge natur- King of "ally, therfore take hym to you; he wyll folowe you & forsake England.] The duke vnderstode well those wordes, and cherisshed [Mathe the grayhounde, who wolde neuer after folowe kyng Richarde, but folowed the duke of Lancastre. me." "broke.] Usk says (39, 40; 155) that the dog once belonged to Thomas Holland Earl of 1 The writer, I suppose, of Trais. (93-96; 248-250). Hol. had a MS. of Trais., which he cites as "The French pamphlet" (see p. 82, note 1, above). But Mr. Williams pointed out (Trais., 1., note 3) that a MS. of Froissart's fourth book (No. 8323 Regius, Bibliothèque du Roi) has an addition containing the familiar story of Richard's murder by Exton, the writer of which addition says that he was informed of its truth "par homme digne de foy, nommé Creton" (li.). The only important difference between Hol.'s version, and the original story as narrated by Creton and the writer of Trais. is that, according to the latter authorities, Bolingbroke expressly ordered Exton to slay Richard: the aside which gave Exton his cue (" Haue I no . . . of my life") first occurring, I believe, in Halle (20), whose account of Richard's murder agrees in other particulars with what Hol. relates. [This was an should be would never after follow Richard.] to Pomfret with eight followers; and ordered the sewer not to taste Richard's food.] [Exton went companie, and came to Pomfret, commanding the esquier, that was accustomed to sew1 and take the assaie before king Richard, to doo so no more, saieng: "Let him eat now, for he shall not long eat." King Richard sat downe to dinner, and was serued without courtesie or assaie; wherevpon, much maruelling at the sudden change, he demanded of the esquier whie he did not his dutie: "Sir" (said he) "I am otherwise commanded by sir Piers of "Exton, which is newlie come from K. Henrie." When king Richard heard that word, he tooke the keruing knife in his hand, and strake the esquier on the head, saieng: "The diuell take Henrie of Lancaster and thee togither!" And with that word, sir Piers entred the chamber, well armed, with eight tall men likewise armed, euerie of them hauing a bill in his hand. [When the sewer refused to taste the food, Richard struck him, and bade the devil take him and Bolingbroke. Then the murderers entered.] manhood of king Richard. King Richard, perceiuing this, put the table from him, &, steping to the formost man, wrung the bill out of his hands, & so valiantlie defended himselfe, that he slue foure of those that thus came to The desperat assaile him. Sir Piers, being half dismaied herewith, lept into the chaire where king Richard was woont to sit, while the other foure persons fought with him, and chased him about the chamber. And in conclusion, as king Richard trauersed his ground, from one side of the chamber to an other, & comming by the chaire, where sir Piers stood, he was felled with a stroke of a pollax which sir Piers gaue him vpon the head, and therewith rid him out of life;2 without giuing him respit once to call to God for mercie of his passed offenses. It is said, that sir Piers of Exton, after he had thus slaine him, wept right bitterlie, as one striken with the pricke of a giltie conscience, for murthering him, whome he had so long time obeied as king. K. Richard murthered [Exton's remorse.] Act V. sc. vi.-This scene is postdated, for the revolt was suppressed before Richard's death. When sc. vi. opens, "the latest newes " which Bolingbroke has heard is that the rebels have burnt 1 66 sew them. ... assaie " = serve and remove the dishes, and taste the food in 2 February 14, 1400, is the usually accepted date of Richard's death (see Eves., 169); but, on January 29, 1400, Charles VI. referred to him as Richard late King of England, whom God pardon.-Rymer, viii. 124. Wylie (i. 114, 115) cites documentary evidence from which he infers that Richard was murdered about the middle of January, 1400. Cirencester; but whether they had been "tane or slaine" was unknown. As Holinshed's account of the rebellion was not dramatized, an epitome of the chief facts recorded by contemporary chroniclers will suffice. The rebel lords marched to Windsor, hoping to surprise Henry. Warned in time, he fled by night (Jan. 4-5) to London, and raised forces to oppose them. The rebels retreated, and arrived at Cirencester on January 6. At midnight, the townsmen attacked them in their lodgings, and, after a struggle which lasted for many hours, obliged them to surrender. The lords were then confined in the abbey. About vespers a chaplain attached to them set fire to some houses in Cirencester, in order that the prisoners might escape while the townsmen were extinguishing the flames. But the men of Cirencester, paying no heed to the fire, brought the rebels out of the abbey, and beheaded the Earls of Salisbury and Kent about sunset, on January 7, 1400.-Usk, 40, 41; 156. Traison, 80-82; 233-235. Ann. R. II.-H. IV., 323-326. Holinshed's narration of what befell the other conspirators should be compared with 11. 7-29. * Thoma Spenser others. [Hol. iii. 516/2/16.] The lord Hugh Spenser,1 otherwise called earle of Glocester, as he would haue fled into Wales, was taken and carried to Bristow, where (according to the earnest desires of the commons) he was beheaded. . . . Manie other that were [Spenser priuie to this conspiracie, were taken, and put to death, some at Hall. Oxford, as sir Thomas Blunt, sir Benet Cilie, knight, . . . but sir Execution[s Leonard Brokas, and [others]. . were drawne, hanged, and beheaded.] of Blunt, Seely, Brocas, and Tho. [The chief conspirators' heads set on Bridge.] London beheaded at London. There were nineteene in all executed in one place and other, and the heads of the cheefe conspirators were Hall. set on polles ouer London bridge, to the terror of others. Shortlie after, the abbat of Westminster, in whose house the conspiracie was begun, (as is said,) gooing betweene his monasterie & mansion, for thought fell into a sudden palsie, and shortlie after, without Westminster speech, ended his life.2 The bishop of Carleill was impeached, and condemned of the same conspiracie; but the king, of his mercifull 1 Qq. 1, 2, 3, 4, read: "The heades of Oxford, Salisbury, Blunt and Kent" (V. vi. 8). F1 has: "The heads of Salsbury, Spencer, Blunt, and Kent." As Aubrey de Vere, Earl of Oxford, had no share in the rebellion, the reading of FI should be preferred. 2 William Colchester, Abbot of Westminster, was a prisoner in the Castle of Reigate on January 25, 1400.-Claus: 1 H. IV. pars i. m. 19 (O. B.). He must have soon regained his freedom.-Ann. R. II.—H. IV., 330; and Claus, 1 H. IV. pars ii. m. 6 (O. B.). He was probably the William Abbot of Westminster present at Pisa in 1408.-Martène's Thesaurus Novus Anecdotorum, ii. 1395 C. According to Dugdale (Monasticon, ed. 1817-30, i. 275, 276) Colchester was Abbot of Westminster until some date in October, 1420. The abbat of dieth suddělie. Thom. Wals. |