Give Mrs Shore one gentle kiss the more.

BUCKINGHAM

Good Catesby, go effect this business soundly.

CATESBY

My good lords both, with all the heed I can.

RICHARD GLOUCESTER

Shall we hear from you, Catesby, ere we sleep?

CATESBY You shall, my lord.

RICHARD GLOUCESTER

At Crosby House, there shall you find us both.

Exit Catesby

BUCKINGHAM

My lord, what shall we do if we perceive

Lord Hastings will not yield to our complots?

RICHARD GLOUCESTER

Chop off his head. Something we will determine.

And look when I am king, claim thou of me

The earldom of Hereford, and all the movables

Whereof the King my brother was possessed.

BUCKINGHAM

I’ll claim that promise at your grace’s hand.

RICHARD GLOUCESTER

And look to have it yielded with all kindness.

Come, let us sup betimes, that afterwards

We may digest our complots in some form. Exeunt

3.2 Enter a Messenger to the door of Lord Hastings MESSENGER (knocking)

My lord, my lord!

LORD HASTINGS ⌈within⌉ Who knocks?

MESSENGER

One from Lord Stanley.

⌈Enter Lord Hastings⌉

LORD HASTINGS

What is’t o’clock?

MESSENGER

Upon the stroke of four.

LORD HASTINGS

Cannot my Lord Stanley sleep these tedious nights?

MESSENGER

So it appears by that I have to say.

First he commends him to your noble self.

LORD HASTINGS What then?

MESSENGER

Then certifies your lordship that this night

He dreamt the boar had razed off his helm.

Besides, he says there are two councils kept,

And that may be determined at the one

Which may make you and him to rue at th’other.

Therefore he sends to know your lordship’s pleasure,

If you will presently take horse with him,

And with all speed post with him toward the north

To shun the danger that his soul divines.

LORD HASTINGS

Go, fellow, go, return unto thy lord.

Bid him not fear the separated councils.

His honour and myself are at the one,

And at the other is my good friend Catesby,

Where nothing can proceed that toucheth us

Whereof I shall not have intelligence.

Tell him his fears are shallow, without instance.

And for his dreams, I wonder he’s so simple,

To trust the mock’ry of unquiet slumbers.

To fly the boar before the boar pursues

Were to incense the boar to follow us,

And make pursuit where he did mean no chase.

Go, bid thy master rise, and come to me,

And we will both together to the Tower,

Where he shall see the boar will use us kindly.

MESSENGER

I’ll go, my lord, and tell him what you say. Exit

Enter Catesby

CATESBY

Many good morrows to my noble lord.

LORD HASTINGS

Good morrow, Catesby. You are early stirring.

What news, what news, in this our tott’ring state?

CATESBY

It is a reeling world indeed, my lord,

And I believe will never stand upright

Till Richard wear the garland of the realm.

LORD HASTINGS

How? ‘Wear the garland’? Dost thou mean the crown?

CATESBY Ay, my good lord.

LORD HASTINGS

I’ll have this crown of mine cut from my shoulders

Before I’ll see the crown so foul misplaced.

But canst thou guess that he doth aim at it?

CATESBY

Ay, on my life, and hopes to find you forward

Upon his party for the gain thereof—

And thereupon he sends you this good news:

That this same very day your enemies,

The kindred of the Queen, must die at Pomfret.

LORD HASTINGS

Indeed I am no mourner for that news,

Because they have been still my adversaries.

But that I’ll give my voice on Richard’s side

To bar my master’s heirs in true descent,

God knows I will not do it, to the death.

CATESBY

God keep your lordship in that gracious mind!

LORD HASTINGS

But I shall laugh at this a twelvemonth hence:

That they which brought me in my master’s hate,

I live to look upon their tragedy.

Well, Catesby, ere a fortnight make me older,

I’ll send some packing that yet think not on’t.

CATESBY

‘Tis a vile thing to die, my gracious lord,

When men are unprepared, and look not for it.

LORD HASTINGS

O monstrous, monstrous! And so falls it out

With Rivers, Vaughan, Gray—and so ‘twill do

With some men else, that think themselves as safe

As thou and I, who as thou know’st are dear

To princely Richard and to Buckingham.

CATESBY

The Princes both make high account of you—

(Aside) For they account his head upon the bridge.

LORD HASTINGS

I know they do, and I have well deserved it.

Enter Lord Stanley

Come on, come on, where is your boar-spear, man?

Fear you the boar, and go so unprovided?

STANLEY

My lord, good morrow.—Good morrow, Catesby.—

You may jest on, but by the Holy Rood

I do not like these several councils, I.

LORD HASTINGS

My lord, I hold my life as dear as you do yours,

And never in my days, I do protest,

Was it so precious to me as ‘tis now.

Think you, but that I know our state secure,

I would be so triumphant as I am?

STANLEY

The lords at Pomfret, when they rode from London,

Were jocund, and supposed their states were sure,

And they indeed had no cause to mistrust;

But yet you see how soon the day o’ercast.

This sudden stab of rancour I misdoubt.