Out of master Dees French booke Richard 11.)). [For six weeks no news came to Richard from England.] Bolingbroke's landing. As Bushy soon afterwards (1. 123) remarks that "the winde sits faire for newes to go to Ireland," the reading "no Posts" conveys a rebuke for tardiness. [Hol. iii. 499/1/14] But here you shall note, that it fortuned at the same time in which the duke of Hereford or Lancaster (whether ye list to call him) arriued thus in England, the seas were [(Creton's so troubled by tempests, and the winds blew so contrarie for anie Deposition of passage to come ouer foorth of England to the king, remaining still in Ireland, that, for the space of six weeks, he receiued no aduertisements from thence: yet at length, when the seas became calme, and the wind once turned anie thing fauourable, there came ouer a ship; whereby the king vnderstood the manner of the dukes arriuall, and all his proceedings till that daie in which the ship departed from the coast of England: wherevpon he meant foorthwith to haue returned ouer into England, to make resistance would have against the duke; but through persuasion of the duke of Aumarle (as was thought) he staied, till he might haue all his ships, and [When at last he had tidings of Bolingbroke's invasion, he returned to England, but Aumerle persuaded him to wait.] other prouision, fullie readie for his passage. My next excerpt shows how, after attending the fruitless council mentioned above (p. 98), Richard's evil counsellors took to flight. (Cp. II. ii. 135-141.) [Hol. iii. 498/1/56.] The lord treasuror, Bushie, Bagot, and [Perceiving Greene, perceiuing that the commons would cleaue vnto, and take part with, the duke, slipped awaie; leauing the lord gouernour of the realme, and the lord chancellor, to make what shift they could the com mons' mind, Bagot Ireland, and Castle.] for themselues. Bagot got him to Chester, and so escaped into Ireland; the other fled to the castell of Bristow,' in hope there to be in safetie. Act II. sc. iii.-The scene is laid near Berkeley Castle (11. 51-53); and, as the excerpt given below proves, can be dated Sunday, July 27, 1399, St. James's Day (July 25) having, in that year, fallen on a Friday.2 [Hol. iii. 498/2/3.] At his [Bolingbroke's] comming vnto Doncaster, the earle of Northumberland, and his sonne, sir Henrie 1 The swift action of the play establishes the Lord Treasurer (Earl of Wiltshire) in Bristol Castle before Richard's favourites separate. Cp. II. ii. 135, 136. 2 The authority for this date is Eves., 152, The duke of Lacasters oth to the aided him lords that [, that he would claim no more than his He also (1) to taxation; Persie, wardens of the marches against Scotland, with the earle of Westmerland, came vnto him; where he sware vnto those lords, that he would demand no more, but the lands that were to him descended by inheritance from his father,' and in right of his wife. Moreouer, he vndertooke to cause the paiment of taxes and inheritance. tallages to be laid downe, & to bring the king to good gouernment, promised & to remooue from him the Cheshire men, which were enuied of reduce manie; for that the king esteemed of them more than of anie Richard other; happilie, bicause they were more faithfull to him than other, readie in all respects to obeie his commandements and pleasure. From Doncaster, hauing now got a mightie armie about him, he marched foorth with all speed through the countries, comming by Euesham vnto Berkelie: within the space of three daies, all the kings castels in those parts were surrendred vnto him. govern justly; disband the (3) and to Cheshire men.] [He marched from Don caster to Berkeley.] the commons wholie bent to the duke of Lancaster York's soldiers The duke of Yorke, whome king Richard had left as gouernour of the realme in his absence, hearing that his nephue the duke of Lancaster was thus arriued, and had gathered an armie, he also assembled a puissant power of men of armes and archers; (as The harts of before yee haue heard ;) but all was in vaine, for there was not a man that willinglie would thrust out one arrow against the duke of Lancaster, or his partakers, or in anie wise offend him or his freends. The duke of Yorke, therefore, passing foorth towards Wales to meet the king, at his comming foorth of Ireland, was recciued into the castell of Berkelie, and there remained, till the comming thither of the duke of Lancaster, [to] whom (when he perceiued that he was not able to resist, on the sundaie, after the feast of saint Iames, which, as that yeare came about, fell vpon the fridaie) he came foorth into the church that stood without the 1 Cp. Northumberland's words (II. iii. 148, 149): "The noble Duke hath sworne his comming is ... Cp. also what Hotspur (1 Hen. IV., IV. iii. 60-65), and Worcester (1 Hen. IV., V. i. 41-46), afterwards said about Bolingbroke's oath. The charge of having transgressed this limitation, ratified by oath at Doncaster, is contained in the first article of the Percies' "quarell"; a document presented to Henry IV. on the day before the battle of Shrewsbury.-Hard., 352. But it appears from the excerpt quoted in the text that Shakspere wronged Bolingbroke, who undertook national reformation also. would not fight with him. York at Castle.] Berkeley [Names of those who were with Boling. broke.] [Meeting of castell, and there communed with the duke of Lancaster. With Bolingbroke and York.] the duke of Yorke were the bishop of Norwich, the lord Berkelie, [Names of those who the lord Seimour, and other; with the duke of Lancaster were were with York.] these: Thomas Arundell, archbishop of Canturburie, (that had beene banished,) the abbat of Leicester, the earles of Northumberland and Westmerland, Thomas Arundell, sonne to Richard, late earle of Arundell, the baron of Greistoke, the lords Willoughbie and Ros, with diuerse other lords, knights, and other people, which [Love or fear dailie came to him from euerie part of the realme: those that came not were spoiled of all they had, so as they were neuer able to recouer themselues againe, for their goods, being then taken awaie, were neuer restored. And thus, what for loue, and what for feare of losse, they came flocking vnto him from euerie part. Justifying his return from banishment, Bolingbroke says to York (II. iii. 129, &c.) : inade people flock to Bolingbroke.] I am denyed to sue my Liuery here, And yet my letters pattents giue me leaue : 130 And therefore personally I lay my claime 136 [Boling. broke denied This complaint formed the subject of an article exhibited against Richard in the Parliament which deposed him. [Hol. iii. 502/2/16.] 10 Item, before the dukes departure, he [Richard] vnder his broad seale licenced him [Bolingbroke] to attornies to make atturnies to prosecute and defend his causes: the said king, after his departure, would suffer none atturnie to appeare for him, but did with his at his pleasure.1 plead his causes.] Act II. sc. iv.-From what follows, Shakspere constructed the dialogue between Salisbury and "a Welch captaine" (II. iv.), whose countrymen, after waiting "ten dayes" (1. 1) in arms, have dispersed, believing Richard to be dead. Richard, as we have seen (p. 100 above), delayed his return from Ireland "till he might haue all his ships, and other prouision, fullie readie for his passage. 12 [Hol. iii. 499/1/32.] In the meane time, he sent the earle of 1 See p. 91 above. 2 Creton says (Archaeol., xx. 55-58, 312, 313) that Aumerle treacherously gave Richard this advice; and also suggested that Salisbury should oppose Bolingbroke in the field, while the royal preparations for return were being made. was sent to gather an army before Richard's Salisburie ouer into England, to gather a power togither, by helpe [Salisbury of the kings freends in Wales, and Cheshire, with all speed possible; that they might be readie to assist him against the duke, vpon his arriuall, for he meant himselfe to follow the earle, within six daies after. The earle, passing ouer into Wales, landed at Conwaie, and sent foorth letters to the kings freends, both in Wales and Cheshire, to leauie their people, & to come with all speed to assist the K., whose request, with great desire, & very willing minds, they fulfilled, hoping to haue found the king himself at Conwaie; insomuch that, within foure daies space, there were to the number of fortie thousand1 men assembled, readie to march with the king against his enimies, if he had beene there himselfe in person. [Forty thousand men assembled.] [But when came not, a amongst Richard rumour went them that he him fourteen days, they But, when they missed the king, there was a brute spred amongst them, that the king was suerlie dead; which wrought such an impression, and euill disposition, in the minds of the Welshmen and others, that, for anie persuasion which the earle of Salisburie might vse, they would not go foorth with him, till they saw the king: onelie they were contented to staie foureteene daies to see if dispersed.] he should come or not; but, when he came not within that tearme, they would no longer abide, but scaled & departed awaie; wheras if the king had come before their breaking vp, no doubt, but they would haue put the duke of Hereford in aduenture of a field: so that the kings lingering of time, before his comming ouer, gaue opportunitie to the duke to bring things to passe as he could haue wished, and tooke from the king all occasion to recouer afterwards anie forces sufficient to resist him. The Welsh Captain makes partial mention (II. iv. 8) of a portent which may have happened not long before the time of this scene. [Hol. iii. 496/2/66.] In this yeare in a manner throughout all the realme of England, old baie trees withered, and, afterwards, 1 Cp. Richard's words (III. ii. 76, 77) when he hears that the Welshmen have dispersed: "But now the bloud of 20000. men Did triumph in my face, and they are fled"; Salisbury had told him (1. 70) that the Welshmen numbered twelve thousand, Abr, Fl. out of Thom. Wals. pag. [Bay trees withered.] The Duke of The Welsh men rebell by contrarie to all mens thinking, grew greene againe; a strange sight, Act III. sc. i.-July 29, 1399,1 is the historic date on which the [Hol. iii. 498/2/61.] the forsaid dukes, with their power, went towards Bristow, where (at their comming) they shewed themselues before the towne & castell; being an huge multitude of people. There were inclosed within the castell, the lord William Scroope, earle of Wiltshire and treasuror of England, sir Henrie Greene, and sir Iohn Bushie, knights, who prepared to make resistance; but, when it would not preuaile, they were taken and brought foorth bound as prisoners into the campe, before the duke of Lancaster. On the morow next insuing, they were arraigned before the constable and marshall, and found giltie of treason, for misgouerning the king and realme; and foorthwith had their heads smit off. At the close of sc. i., Act III., Bolingbroke says: Come, Lords, away, To fight with Glendor and his complices: Theobald suspected that the second line of this quotation had been interpolated, because (1) the first and third lines ryme; (2) the second line is, historically, quite out of place. It is true that the earliest recorded foray of Glendower must be dated about a year later than the time with which we are now concerned; but Shakspere was not bound by chronological fetters. Perhaps the following account of Glendower's attack on Lord Grey of Ruthin-in the summer of 1400-is the source of this line, for Holinshed, it will be observed, applied the term "complices" to those who joined the raid. [Hol. iii. 518/2/53.] In the kings [Henry IV.'s] absence, the setting on whilest he was foorth of the realme, in Scotland, against his enimies, the Welshmen tooke occasion to rebell vnder the conduct of their capteine Owen Glendouer; dooing what mischeefe they could of Owen Glendower. 1 According to Eves. (153),-whom Hol. follows,-Scrope, Bushy, and Greene were arraigned on July 29; and death on the same day. Cp. Ott., 205. broke did not reach Bristol till July 29. Bolingbroke was there in July, 1399 (25; (Rot. Parl., iii. 656/1) condemned to But Usk (24; 134) says that BolingAdam of Usk was at Bristol when 185). |