intent to seeme innocent and faultlesse of his brothers dooings. Montague's But other iudge that he did it, for that, contrarie to his promise [Two explanations of conduct.] [Soldiers flocked to Warwick.] made to his brother, he was determined to take part with king Edward, with whome (as it shall after appeare) he in small space entered into grace and fauour.1 Act IV., scc. ii., iii.2" Enter Warwicke and Oxford in England, with French Souldiors" (sc. ii.). Warwick is confident of success (11. 1, 2): Trust me, my Lord, all hitherto goes well; The common people by numbers swarme to vs. Though the rest of sc. ii., and parts of sc. iii., dramatize an event which happened in the Summer of 1469, the historical date of Warwick's remark must be August or September, 1470; when, as the chronicler notes: [Hol. iii. 675/1/63. Halle, 282.] It is almost not to be beleeued, how manie thousands men of warre at the first tidings of the earles landing resorted vnto him. They are joined by Clarence and Somerset; the former of whom Warwick thus addresses (11. 13-17): And now what rests but, in Nights Couerture, Thy Brother being carelessely encamp'd, His Souldiors lurking in the Towne about, And but attended by a simple Guard, Wee may surprize and take him at our pleasure? In sc. iii. "Warwicke, Clarence, Oxford, Somerset, and French Souldiors," enter, "silent all"; put to flight the royal "Guard " ;— composed of three "Watchmen "-and seize Edward, whe demurs at 1 In the Spring of 1470, after Warwick's withdrawal to France (see p. 317 above), Edward "began seriously to immagine who were his frendes, and who were his foes, many, trustyng to the kynges pardon, submitted and yelded theimself[s] to the Kynges clemencye. Emongest whome Ihon Marques Montacute humbly yelded hymself, and vowed to bee euer true to the kyng (as he had doen before tyme); whom he [Edward] with muche humanitie and faire wordes did receiue and intertain," -Halle, 280. Hol. iii. 674/2/48. 2 The True Tragedie has one scene here, opening thus: "Enter Warwike and Oxford, with souldiers." The talk between three "Watchmen "—with which scene iii. opens in 3 Hen. VI.-is not in the earlier text, nor are they mentioned in it. The entry of Warwick and the others (sc. iii.), with "French Souldiers, silent all," is not in T. T. 3 On August 5 the landing of Clarence and Warwick was expected "evyrye daye."—Paston, ii. 406. August was the month in which, according to John Hooker (Hol. iii. 676/2/63), they landed. Other chroniclers give the following dates about September 8 (Three Chronicles, B. L. C., 183); September 13 (Stow, 701); "a lytelle before Michaelmesse" (Warkw., 10). being spoken of by Warwick as "the Duke." The King-maker answers When you disgrac'd me in my Embassade, After Warwick's landing, in 1470, [Warwick proclaimed Henry VI., and charged men to fight against Edward [Hol. iii. 675/1/58. Halle, 282.] he made proclamation in the name of king Henrie1 the sixt, vpon high paines commanding and charging all men able to bear armor, to prepare themselues to fight against Edward duke of Yorke, which contrarie to right had Duke of vsurped the crowne. "But Henry now shall weare the English Crowne," says Warwick, taking-according to the stage direction in 3 Henry VI.—the crown off Edward's head. Warwick then provides for his late sovereign's detention (11. 51-53): My Lord of Somerset, at my request, See that forthwith Duke Edward be conuey'd The Earl has still to fight "with Pembrooke and his fellowes "; [Hol. iii. 673/1/50. Halle, 275.] assembled his power, and was comming toward the earle, who, being aduertised thereof, sent to the duke of Clarence, requiring him to come and ioine with him. The duke, being not farre off, with all speed repaired to the earle, and so they ioined their powers togither, and vpon secret knowledge had, that the king (bicause they were entered into termes by waie of communication to haue a peace) tooke small heed to himselfe, nothing doubting anie outward attempt of his enimies. The earle of Warwike, intending not to leese such opportunitie 1 "Applaud the Name of Henry with your Leader!" is the order addressed by Warwick to the soldiers, when they are setting forth to surprise Edward (3 Hen. VI., IV. ii. 27). In 3 Hen. VI. this line is followed by the stage direction: "They all cry 'Henry!'" In T. T. the soldiers, unbidden, shout, "A Warwike, a Warwike!" Halle says (283) that when Warwick landed, in 1470, "al the tounes and al the countrey adiacent [Lincolnshire] was in a great rore, and made fiers and sange songes; criyng, 'king Henry, kyng Henry! a Warwycke, a Warwycke!"" 2 Warkw., 6. York.] (The armies and Clarence of Warwick were near Edward, who took small heed to himself.] of aduantage, in the dead of the night, with an elect companie of men of warre, (as secretlie as was possible,) set on the kings field, killing them that kept the watch, and, yer the king was ware, (for he thought of nothing lesse than of that which then hapned,) at a place called Wolnie [? Honiley,1 Warwickshire], foure miles from Warwike, he was taken prisoner and brought to the castell of Warwike. And, to the intent his friends should not know what was become of him, the earle caused him by secret iournies in the night to be conueied to Middleham castell in Yorkeshire; and Archbishop there to be kept vnder the custodie of the archbishop of Yorke,2 and other his freends in those parties. King Edward taken prisoner Į, conveyed to] Middleham castell [, and kept there by the of York). K. Edwards freends take Act IV. sc. iv.-Queen Elizabeth and Rivers enter. More than a historic year has elapsed since Edward's capture, but she has just had news of this mischance. Being with child she resolves to take sanctuary (1. 31). When, in the Autumn of 1470, Edward's flight from England was known, all his [Hol. iii. 677/2/5. Halle, 285.] trustie freends went to diuerse sanctuarie. sanctuaries, and amongst other his wife queene Elizabeth tooke sanctuarie at Westminster, and there, in great penurie, forsaken of all hir friends, was deliuered of a faire son called Edward. Queene Elizabeth deliucred of a prince. Act IV. sc. v.-Gloucester discloses to Lord Hastings and Sir William Stanley a plan for rescuing Edward (ll. 4-13): He shall heere finde his Friends with Horse and Men, 12 In October, 1469, Edward recovered the liberty which he had lost soon after Edgcote field (July 26, 1469). His escape is thus narrated: [Hol. iii. 673/1/73. Halle, 275.] King Edward, being thus in 1 Gent. Mag., 1839, ii. 616. 2 the archbishop of Yorke] Hol. the Archebishop of Yorke hys brother] Halle, 275. 3 On September 29, 1469, Edward was at York, and virtually a prisoner.Warkw., 7 cp. Cont. Croyl., 552. On October 13, 1469, he was in London, and free.-Paston, ii. 389. (Mr. Gairdner informed me that the privy seal dates show Edward to have been in London as early as October 13.) ... had leave to hunt.] Sir William Stanleie. captiuitie, spake euer faire to the archbishop, and to his other [Edward keepers, so that he had leaue diuerse daies to go hunt. . . . Now, on a daie, vpon a plaine, when he was thus abrode, there met with him sir William Stanleie, sir Thomas a Borough, and diuers other of his friends, with such a great band of men, is delivered that neither his keepers would, nor once durst, moue him to returne vnto prison againe. Some haue thought that his keepers were corrupted with monie, or faire promises, and therfore suffred him thus to scape out of danger. Edward and a Huntsman enter. The King's question-" whether shall we?"-is answered by Hastings (11. 20, 21): To Lyn, my Lord, And ship from thence to Flanders. Edward's escape from the Nevilles' custody (October, 1469), and his flight after Warwick's landing (September, 1470), are here fused into one event. During the historic interval Edward was formally reconciled to Warwick, and in March, 1470, suppressed a revolt which the Earl had stirred up (see p. 317 above). On the failure of this attempt, Warwick and Clarence withdrew to France, whence they invaded England in September, 1470 (see p. 322 above). Edward was unable to oppose them, out of captiuitie. with [Hol. iii. 675/1/73. Halle, 283.] and therefore, being accom- [Edward fled panied with the duke of Glocester his brother, the lord Hastings Gloucester his chamberlaine, (which had maried the earles [Warwick's] sister, Hastings.] and yet was euer true to the king his maister,) and the lord Scales, brother to the queene, he departed into Lincolneshire. And, bicause he vnderstood that all the realme was vp against him, and some part of the earle of Warwiks power was within halfe a daies iournie of him, following the aduise of his counsell, with all hast possible, he passed the Washes in great ieopardie, & comming to Lin found there an English ship, and two hulkes of Holland, taketh ship readie (as fortune would) to make saile. Wherevpon he, with his brother the duke of Glocester, the lord. Scales, and diuerse other his trustie friends, entered into the ship. The lord Hastings taried a while after, exhorting all his acquaintance, that of necessitie should tarie behind, to shew themselues 1 Cont. Croyl., 552. King Edward cometh to Lin and to passe over seas. The lord (told his ac Hastings quaintance left in England to selves friends of King openlie as friends to king Henrie1 for their owne safegard, but hartilie required them in secret to continue faithfull to king Edward. This persuasion declared, he entered the ship with the other, and so they departed ;2 being in number in that one ship and The number two hulkes, about seuen or eight hundred persons, hauing no furniture of apparell or other necessarie things with them, sauing apparel for warre. that passed over with king Edward. King Henrie fetched out of restored to Act IV. sc. vi.—This scene opens with Henry's deliverance from the Tower. I quote an account of his liberation and reassumption of kingly state. In the beginning of October,3 1470, Warwick [Hol. iii. 677/2/40. Halle, 285.] rode to the Tower of London, the Tower & and there deliuered king Henrie out of the ward, where he before was kept, and brought him to the kings lodging, where he was serued according to his degree. his kinglie gouernement. On the fiue and twentith day of the said moneth, the duke of Clarence, accompanied with the earles of Warwike and Shrewesburie, the lord Strange, and other lords and gentlemen, some for feare, and some for loue, and some onelie to gaze at the wauering world, went to the Tower, and from thense brought king Henrie, apparelled in a long gowne of blew veluet, through London to the 1 When the Mayor hesitates to open the gates of York to Edward, Hastings says (3 Hen. VI., IV. vii. 28): "Open the Gates; we are King Henries friends." In Halle (283) the passage which I quote in my text (Hol. iii. 675/2/14, &c.) runs thus: "The lord Chamberlayne taried a while after, exhortyng al his acquaintaunce, that of necessitie should tarye behinde, to shew themselfs openly as frendes to the parte aduerse for their owne sauegard," 2 On (Warkw., 11) or about (Cont. Croyl., 554) September 29, 1470. 3 On October 6, according to Stow (702), Warwick removed Henry from the Tower to the Bishop of London's palace at St. Pauls. On October 13 Henry went a procession crowned in Paules Church."-Ibid. Cont. Croyl. (554) also gives October 13 as the date of this public function, but the place is not named. Halle (285), Hol.'s authority, makes October 12 the date on which Warwick removed Henry from a ward in the Tower to the royal lodgings therein; whence, on October 25, the King was publicly escorted to the Bishop of London's palace. Fab. (659) says that, on October 13, Clarence, "accompanyed with the Erlys of Warwyke, of Shrowysbury, and the lord Stanley, rode vnto the Tower, and there with all honour and reuerence fet out kynge Henry, and conueyed hym to Paulys, and there lodgyd hym in the Bysshoppes Palays, & so was than admytted and taken for kynge thorugh all the lande." Stow's early date-probably derived from Three Chronicles (B. L. C.), 183-for Henry's removal from the Tower is to be preferred, because the restored King's writs for the election of coroners were dated on October 9.-Rymer, xi. 661. |