giue. And therefore the king, willing to shew that this their liberalitie was verie acceptable to him, he called this grant of monie, "A beneuolence": notwithstanding that manie with grudge gaue great sums toward that new found aid, which of them might be called, "A maleuolence." When Willoughby demands what has become of the money thus exacted by Richard, Northumberland answers (11. 252-254): Wars hath not wasted it, for warrde he hath not, But basely yeelded vpon compromise That which his noble auncestors atchiued with blowes. Shakspere may have been thinking of Richard's cession of Brest to John Duke of Brittany (see p. 84 above); a step which was censured by Gloucester, who bluntly said to the King: [Hol. iii. 487/2/65.] Sir, your grace ought to put your bodie in paine to win a strong hold or towne by feats of war, yer you take vpon you to sell or deliuer anie towne or strong hold gotten with great aduenture by the manhood and policie of your noble progenitours. Northumberland hints that deliverance is near, and, being urged to speak out, says: I haue from le Port Blan A Bay in Brittaine receiude intelligence, That Harry duke of Herford, Rainold L. Cobham That late broke from the Duke of Exeter 1 His brother, archbishop late of Canterburie, Sir Thomas Erpingham, Sir John Ramston, Sir John Norbery, Sir Robert Waterton, and Francis Coines; 284 With eight tall shippes, three thousand men of warre, Are making hither with all due expedience, And shortly meane to touch our Northerne shore: During Richard's sojourn in Ireland, 288 [Hol. iii. 497/2/57.] ... diuerse of the nobilitie, aswell prelats as other, and likewise manie of the magistrats and rulers of the cities, townes, and communaltie, here in England, perceiuing dailie how the realme drew to vtter ruine, not like to be recouered to the 1 "His brother,” i. e. Richard Earl of Arundel's brother. Ritson suggested that the missing line was taken almost literally from Hol., 'and ran thus: "The son and heir of the late earl of Arundel."-Var. Sh. xvi. 65. The duke of former state of wealth whilest king Richard liued and reigned, (as Lancaster solicited to expell king to take vpon him the regiment. they tooke it,) deuised with great deliberation, and considerate Richard, and aduise, to send and signifie by letters vnto duke Henrie, whome they now called (as he was in deed) duke of Lancaster and Hereford, requiring him with all conuenient speed to conueie himselfe into England; promising him all their aid, power, and assistance, if he, expelling K. Richard, as a man not meet for the office he bare, would take vpon him the scepter, rule, and diademe of his natiue land and region. The duke of Britaine a to the duke Lancaster & saile into He, therefore, being thus called vpon by messengers and letters from his freends, and cheeflie through the earnest persuasion of Thomas Arundell,1 late archbishop of Canturburie, who . . . had beene remooued from his see, and banished the realme by king Richards means, got him downe to Britaine, togither with the said great friend archbishop; where he was ioifullie receiued of the duke and of Lancaster. duchesse, and found such freendship at the dukes hands, that there were certeine ships rigged, and made readie for him, at a The duke of place in base Britaine 2 called Le port blanc, as we find in the his adherents chronicles of Britaine; and, when all his prouision was made readie, he tooke the sea, togither with the said archbishop of from Le Port Canturburie, and his nephue Thomas Arundeli, sonne and heire to the late earle of Arundell, There were also with him, Reginald lord Cobham, sir Thomas Erpingham, and sir Thomas Ramston, knights, Iohn Norburie, Robert Waterton, & Francis Coint, esquires: few else were there, for (as some write) he had not past fifteene lances, as they tearmed them in those daies, that is to saie, men of armes, furnished and appointed as the vse then was. ¶ Yet other write, that the duke of Britaine deliuered vnto Chron. Brit. him three thousand men of warre, to attend him, and that he had Bngland I, starting blanc]. Additions to Polychron. 1, giving the names of other adherents]. [Various accounts of Boling broke's forces.] Thom. Wals. [records that Bolingbroke men, and 8 ships.] Froissard. ... had 3000 eight ships well furnished for the warre, where Froissard yet speaketh but of three. Moreouer, where Froissard and also the chronicles of Britaine auouch, that he should land at Plimmouth, by our English writers it seemeth otherwise: for it appeareth by their assured report, that he, approching to the shore, did not Tho. 1 Thomas Arundel (or Fitz-Alan), was exiled on September 24, 1397.— Eves., 139. 2 La Basse Bretagne; lower, or western, Brittany. www streight take land, but lay houering aloofe, and shewed himselfe now in this place, and now in that, to see what countenance was made by the people, whether they meant enuiouslie to resist him, or freendlie to receiue him. broke did Bolingnot land at once, but showed him showed different places, that he might judge how he should be In my excerpt from the play I retain the line-order and punctuation, as well as the text, of QI. In none of the original texts of received.] Richard II. is mention made of "Thomas Arundell, sonne and heire to the late earle of Arundell." But the following passage shows that Thomas Arundel must have been named in a preceding line as having "late broke from the Duke of Exeter." [Hol. iii. 496/1/68.] About the same time, the earle of Arundels sonne, named Thomas, which was kept in the duke of Exeters house, escaped out of the realme, by meanes of one William Scot, mercer; and went to his vncle Thomas Arundell, late archbishop of Canturburie, as then soiourning at Cullen1 [Cologne]. The reader will also note that Bolingbroke delayed his landing in order" to see what countenance was made by the people"; not because he awaited, as Northumberland conjectured (II. i. 290), The first departing of the King for Ireland. This deviation from his authority accords with Shakspere's annihilation of time in the present, and the preceding, scene. As one day only can be allowed for both scenes,-cp. the opening of the last scene of Act I., with its close, connecting it with the first scene of Act II., Bolingbroke could not have left England; yet, at the close of the present scene, we learn that he is returning from exile. Richard's absence from England, which lasted about two months, is ignored. For it is evident that, when this scene ends, Richard had not even embarked; and, moreover, in the next scene-between which and the present one we may admit an interval of a day or two-Greene hopes "the King is not yet shipt for Ireland" (II. ii. 42).2 Act II. sc. ii.-The Queen enters with Bushy and Bagot. They are joined by Greene (1. 40), and York (1. 72). When Northumberland had told his news, he, accompanied by Ross and Willoughby, set forth to meet Bolingbroke (II. i. 296-300). Greene announces their flight and Bolingbroke's landing at Ravenspur (ll. 49-55). Scene ii. is, in general, a dramatic version of the useless, though, doubtless, more formal, deliberations of the council to which York summoned Richard's favourites. [Hol. iii. 498/1/36.] When the lord gouernor, Edmund duke of Yorke, was aduertised, that the duke of Lancaster kept still the 1 From Fab. 545 (an. 22 Ric. II.). 2 T-A., 265. H heard that might land anywhere, he called a council of war, to which the Earl of Wiltshire, Bushy, Bagot, and [When York sea, and was readie to arriue, (but where he ment first to set foot Bolingbroke on land, there was not any that vnderstood the certeintie,) he sent for the lord chancellor, Edmund Stafford, bishop of Excester, and for the lord treasuror, William Scroope, earle of Wiltshire, and other of the kings priuie councell, as Iohn Bushie, William Bagot, Henrie Greene, and Iohn Russell, knights: of these he required to Greene were know what they thought good to be doone in this matter, concerning the duke of Lancaster, being on the seas. Their aduise was, summoned.] [Their useless advice army at St. Albans.] to collect an to depart from London vnto S. Albons, and there to gather an armie to resist the duke in his landing; but, to how small purpose their counsell serued, the conclusion thereof plainlie declared, for the most part that were called, when they came thither, boldlie protested, that they would not fight against the duke of Lancaster, whome they knew to be euill dealt withall. . . . The commōs denie to resist the duke of Lancaster. Lancaster ladeth [at Ravens pur] in Yorkshire, The duke of Lancaster, after that he had coasted alongst the shore a certeine time, & had got some intelligence how the peoples The duke of minds were affected towards him, landed about the beginning of Iulie 1 in Yorkshire, at a place sometime called Rauenspur, betwixt Hull and Bridlington; and with him not past threescore persons, as some write: but he was so ioifullie receiued of the lords, knights, and gentlemen of those parts, that he found means (by [Among the their helpe) forthwith to assemble a great number of people, that were willing to take his part. The first that came to him were Willoughby, the lords of Lincolneshire, and other countries adioining; as the Beaumont.] lords Willoughbie, Ros, Darcie, and Beaumont. Additions to first who came to him were Ros, and The defection, or resignation, of the Earl of Worcester, which Greene next announces (11. 58-61), occurred soon after Richard's return to Wales, late in July, 1399.2 Holinshed says: [Hol. iii. 499/2/74.] Sir Thomas Persie, earle of Worcester,3 1 On June 28, according to Usk, 24; 134. "circa festum [June 24] S. Johannis Baptista."-Eves., 151. "circa festum [July 4] translationis sancti Martini."-Ott, 203. 2 Richard landed in Wales on July 22, according to Usk, 27; 137. Eves.'s (149) date is July 25. In Trais. (46; 194) the date assigned to Richard's landing is August 13. 3 We learn from one chronicle (Ott., 206, 207) that when Richard, soon after landing, withdrew to Flint,-in Eulog., iii. 381, Conway is, with more probability, the place named, he left his household in Worcester's care. Worcester, weeping most bitterly, broke his staff, and dismissed the royal lord [p. 500] steward of the kings house, either being so commanded by the king, or else vpon displeasure (as some write) for that the king had proclaimed his brother the earle of Northumberland, traitor, brake his white staffe, (which is the representing signe and token of his office,) and without delaie went to duke Henrie. When the kings seruants of [the] houshold saw this (for it was doone before them all) they dispersed themselues, some into one countrie, and some into an other. A servingman enters, and says to York: "My Lord, your son was gone [to Ireland] before I came" (II. ii. 86). When Richard was at Dublin,1 The duke of arrived at Aumarle reinforcements]. [Hol. iii. 497/2/29.] the duke of Aumarle, with an hundred saile, arriued, of whose comming the king was right ioifull; and, although he had vsed no small negligence in that he came no sooner according to order before appointed, yet the king (as he was of a gentle nature) courteouslie accepted his excuse. Whether [His good he was in fault or not, I haue not to saie; but verelie he was doubted. greatlie suspected, that he dealt not well in tarieng so long after his time assigned. This servingman, whom York would send to Pleshey, to borrow money from the Duchess of Gloucester, answers: "An houre before I came the Dutchesse died (II. ii. 97). Holinshed (514/2/3) records her death.2 "What, are there no Posts dispatcht for Ireland?" exclaims York (II. ii. 103). So QI (1597). Q2 (1598) reads "two Posts," and Fı has "What, are there postes dispatcht for Ireland?" The reading of Q2 is at variance with the following excerpt from Holinshed, which shows that but one opportunity occurred of sending news to Ireland of servants. Wals. (ii. 233) says that Worcester was authorized by Richard to release them from their duties till better times should come. Frois. (xiv. 167) has a story-to which, I suppose, Hol. refers-that Richard, before going to Ireland, published a sentence of banishment against Northumberland and Henry Percy, and thereby angered Worcester; who is not, however, said by Frois. to have done anything to revenge the injury. Cp. Rich. II., II. iii. 26-30. 1 I cannot reconcile the date when, according to Creton (Archaeol. xx. 27, 298), the campaign began,-which, after a few days, became a march to Dublin, -with the dates subsequently given by him. Hol. (497/2/ sidenote 2), on the authority of Annales Hiberniae, a MS. printed in Camden's Britannia, ed. 1607, p. 832, gives June 28 as the date of Richard's arrival at Dublin, and Creton says (Ibid. 45, 309) that Aumerle arrived on the same day; a date quite irreconcilable with Creton's subsequent scheme of time. The inscription on her tomb in Westminster Abbey shows that the Duchess died on October 3, 1399. faith |