The lord cardinall thought the Attest man to deale with the queene for the surrendring of hir sonne. [If she will not surren der her son, let him be fetched out.] [Rotherham would use argument, but could Buckingham replies (11. 48-56) that to seize the Duke of York cannot be a breach of sanctuary : The benefit thereof is alwayes granted To those whose dealings haue deseru'd the place, And those who haue the wit to clayme the place: This Prince hath neyther claym'd it nor deseru'd it ; 48 And therefore, in mine opinion, cannot have it : [See p. 360 below.] 52 You breake no Priuiledge nor Charter there. Oft have I heard of Sanctuarie men; But Sanctuarie children ne're till now. [See p. 360 below.] 56 These quotations (11. 32-56) embody portions of speeches delivered by Richard, Cardinal Rotherham, and the Duke of Buckingham, at a council held on or about June 16, 1483.1 Having pointed out what evils might arise from the Duke of York's detention in sanctuary, Richard concluded: [Hol. iii. 717/1/42. More, 24/25.] "Wherefore me thinketh it 'were not worst to send vnto the queene, for the redresse of this "matter, some honorable trustie man, such as both tendereth the "kings weale and the honour of his councell, and is also in fauour "and credence with hir. For all which considerations, none "seemeth more meetlie, than our reuerend father here present, my lord cardinall, who may in this matter doo most good of anie "man, if it please him to take the paine;" ... "And if she be percase so obstinate, and so preciselie set vpon "hir owne will, that neither his wise and faithfull aduertisement can not mooue hir, nor anie mans reason content hir; then shall "we, by mine aduise, by the kings authoritie, fetch him out of that "prison, and bring him to his noble presence, in whose continuall 'companie he shall be so well cherished and so honorablie “intreated, that all the world shall to our honour and hir reproch "perceiue, that it was onelie malice, frowardnesse, or follie, that "caused hir to keepe him there." " Rotherham [Hol. iii. 717/2/8. More, 25/30.] tooke vpon him to mooue hir, and therein to doo his vttermost deuoir. Howbeit, if she could be in no wise intreated with hir good will to deliuer him, then thought against the he, and such other as were of the spiritualtie present, that it were not in anie wise to be attempted to take him out against hir will. not assent to York's removal Queen's will.] 1 See p. 361, n. 1, below. [omitted] For it should be a thing that would turne to the great grudge Reasons of all men, and high displeasure of God, if the priuilege of that holie place should now be broken, which had so manie yeares be1 why it was meet to fetch not thought the queens son out of sanctuarie. that any violate [Hol. iii. 717/2/28. More, 26/16.] "God forbid that anie man [God forbid "should, for anie thing earthlie, enterprise to breake the immunitie man should "& libertie of the sacred sanctuarie, that hath beene the safegard sanctuary!] "of so manie a good mans life. And I trust" (quoth he) "with "Gods grace, we shall not need it. But, for anie maner need, I "would not we should doo it." A long reply from Buckingham on the abuse of sanctuary contains the following passages, which should be compared with 11. 48-56. Let sanctuaries, said he, be respected [Hol. iii. 718/2/3. More, 30/5.] "as farre foorth as reason "will, which is not fullie so farre foorth, as may serue to let "vs of the fetching foorth of this noble man to his honor and 'wealth, out of that place, in which he neither is, nor can be, a "sanctuarie man. "But where a man is by lawfull means in perill, there needeth "he the tuition of some speciall priuilege; which is the onelie "ground and cause of all sanctuaries. "From which necessitie, this noble prince is farre, whose loue "to his king, nature and kinred prooueth; whose innocencie to all "the world, his tender youth prooueth; and so sanctuarie, as for "him, neither none he needeth, nor also none can haue. Men "come not to sanctuarie, as they come to baptisme, to require it "by their godfathers; he must aske it himselfe that must haue it. 'And reason, sith no man hath cause to haue it, but whose con"science of his owne fault maketh him fain need to require it. "What will then hath yonder babe, which, and if he had discretion "to require it, if need were, I dare say would now be right angrie 2 "with them that keepe him there? . . . 1 be, been. bee More. 2 Hastings tells the King (III. i. 29, 30) that York "Would faine haue come with me to meet your Grace, [I never heard of sanctuary children.] [The Duke of York has neither will to ask, nor malice to deserve, sanctuary.] The queenes replie vpon the lord cardinall. [Rotherham was sent to essay the removal of "And verelie, I have often heard of sanctuarie men, but I neuer "heard earst of sanctuarie children." 1 During a subsequent conference with the Queen in the sanctuary, Rotherham warned her that there were "manie" who thought [Hol. iii. 720/1/4. More, 36/2.] "he can haue no priuilege in 'this place, which neither can haue will to aske it, nor malice to "deserue it. And therefore, they reckon no priuilege broken, "though they fetch him out; which, if yee finallie refuse to deliuer "him, I verelie thinke they will." Replying, she contemptuously stated his argument before meeting it: [Hol. iii. 720/1/20. More, 36/17.] "But my sonne can deserue 'no sanctuarie, and therefore he can not have it." 2 Rotherham yields to Buckingham's arguments, and goes out with Hastings (1. 60). Soon the two envoys return with the Duke of York (1. 94). Meanwhile Richard, in answer to the King's query (1. 62), Where shall we soiourne till our Coronation? proposes the Tower, and obtains a reluctant assent from his victim (11. 64, 65; 149, 150). More says that, after Buckingham's speech, the majority of the council [Hol. iii. 719/1/2. More, 32/7.] condescended in effect, that, if he were not deliuered, he should be fetched. Howbeit, they thought it all best, in the auoiding of all maner of rumor, that the good will.] lord cardinall should first assaie to get him with hir good will. York with the Queen's [York brought to the Protector.] Wherevpon all the councell came vnto the Starre chamber at Westminster; and the lord cardinall, leauing the protector with the councell in the Starchamber, departed into the sanctuarie to the queene, with diuers other lords with him: [Hol. iii. 721/1/42. More, 41/2.] When the lord cardinall, and these other lords with him, had receiued this yoong duke, they brought him into the Star chamber, where the protector tooke him O dissimula in his armes and kissed him with these words: "Now welcome, my "lord, euen with all my verie heart!" And he said in that of likelihood as he thought. Therevpon, foorthwith they brought him tion. 1 Cp. III. i. 55, 56, p. 358 above. vnto the king his brother into the bishops palace at Paules, and from thense thorough the citie honourablie into the Tower,1 out of [The King the which after that daie they neuer came abroad. 2 The King and his brother leave the stage (1. 150); followed by all the persons present except Richard, Buckingham, and Catesby. At some time preceding this scene,-perhaps, as Mr. Daniel conjectures, during the journey to London, and after the arrests had been effected,— the dramatic Buckingham became aware of Richard's intention to usurp the throne. (See III. i. 157-164.) But More-as my next excerpt shows-believed that Buckingham was not apprized of Richard's purpose until the young Princes were safely lodged in the Tower. [Hol. iii. 721/1/52. More, 41/12.] When the protector had both the children in his hands, he opened himselfe more boldlie, both to certeine other men, and also cheeflie to the duke of Buckingham. Although I know that manie thought that this duke was priuie to all the protectors counsell, euen from the beginning; and some of the protectors freends said, that the duke was the first moouer of the protector to this matter; sending a priuie messenger vnto him, streict after king Edwards death. But others againe, which knew better the subtill wit of the protector, denie that he euer opened his enterprise to the duke, vntill he had brought to passe the things before rehearsed. But when he had imprisoned the queenes kinsfolks, & gotten both hir sonnes into his owne hands, then he opened the rest of his purpose with lesse feare to them whome he thought meet for the matter, and speciallie to the duke, who being woone to his purpose, he thought his strength more than halfe increased. Though Catesby is sure of Hastings's love for the young King, Buckingham resolves to test this conviction, and therefore says (11. 169-171): goe, gentle Catesby, And, as it were farre off, sound thou Lord Hastings, 1 More erred in saying that the Duke of York was brought to the Bishop's palace at St. Paul's. We learn from Cont. Croyl. (566) and Stallworthe's letter (Excerpta Historica, 16, 17) that York left sanctuary on June 16, 1483, and went thence to the Tower. A letter given under the King's signet shows that Edward V. was in the Tower on May 19.-Grants, viii., 15. 2 The "story" (II. ii. 149), therefore, concerned Richard's purposed assumption of the protectorate. 3 a farre off]Q. and York conveyed to the Tower.] Opinions to whether knew differed as Buckingham Richard's purpose from the first, for was ignorant of Princes were it until the in the Tower.] [Richard moved Catesby to sound Hastings.] We learn from More (45/3) that [Hol. iii. 722/1/41.] the protector and the duke of Buckingham made verie good semblance vnto the lord Hastings, and kept him much in companie. And vndoubtedlie the protector loued him well, and loth was to haue lost him, sauing for feare least his life should haue quailed their purpose. For which cause he mooued Catesbie to prooue with some words cast out a farre off, whether he could thinke it possible to win the lord Hastings vnto their part. Catesby having departed, Richard promises Buckingham a reward (11. 194-196): And, looke, when I am King, clayme thou of me After the Princes had been conveyed to the Tower, [Hol. iii. 721/2/31. More, 42/30.] it was agreed, that the protector should haue the dukes aid to make him king, . and [The rewards that the protector should grant him the quiet possession of the earldome of Hereford, which he claimed as his inheritance, and could neuer obteine it in king Edwards time. which Richard promised Buckingham.] Besides these requests of the duke, the protector, of his owne mind, promised him a great quantitie of the kings treasure, and of his houshold stuffe. Act III. sc. ii.—" Vpon the stroke of foure" (1. 5) in the morning of the dramatic day next after that on which the action of the last scene passes, or at midnight of the historic June 12-13, 1483,-a message is brought to Hastings from Stanley, who "this Night" |