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To him brought, vivâ voce, to his face:
At which appear'd against him, his furveyor;
Sir Gilbert Peck his chancellor; and John Court,
Confeffor to him; with that devil-monk,
Hopkins, that made this mifchief.

2. GENT.

That fed him with his prophecies?

1. GENT.

That was he,

The fame.
All these accus'd him ftrongly; which he fain
Would have flung from him, but, indeed, he could

not:

And fo his peers, upon this evidence,

Have found him guilty of high treafon. Much
He spoke, and learnedly, for life; but all
Was either pitied in him, or forgotten."

2. GENT. After all this, how did he bear himself?
I. GENT. When he was brought again to the bar,-
to hear

His knell rung out, his judgement, he was stirr'd
With fuch an agony, he fweat extremely,'
And fomething spoke in choler, ill, and hafty:
But he fell to himself again, and, fweetly,
In all the reft fhow'd a moft noble patience.

2. GENT. I do not think, he fears death.
1. GENT.

Sure, he does not,

He never was fo womanish; the cause
He may a little grieve at.

2. GENT.

Certainly,

The cardinal is the end of this.

2 Was either pitied in him, or forgotten.] Either produced no effect, or produced only ineffectual pity. MALONE.

3he feat extremely,] This circumftance is taken from Holinfhed. After he was found guilty, the duke was brought to the bar, fore-chafing, and fweat marvelously." STEEVENS.

1

'Tis likely,

I. GENT.
By all conjectures: First, Kildare's attainder,
Then deputy of Ireland; who remov'd,

Earl Surrey was fent thither, and in hafte too,
Left he should help his father.

2. GENT.

Was a deep envious one.

I. GENT.

That trick of state

At his return,

No doubt, he will requite it. This is noted,
And generally; whoever the king favours,
The cardinal inftantly will find employment,
And far enough from court too.

All the commons

2. GENT. Hate him perniciously, and, o' my confcience, With him ten fathom deep: this duke as much They love and dote on; call him, bounteous Buckingham,

The mirror of all courtesy; ^

1. GENT.

Stay there, fir, And fee the noble ruin'd man you speak of.

Enter BUCKINGHAM from his arraignment; Tipftaves before him, the axe with the edge towards him; halberds on each fide: with him, Sir THOMAS LOVELL, Sir NICHOLAS VAUX, Sir WILLIAM SANDS, and common people.

2. GENT. Let's ftand close, and behold him. BUCK. All good people,

4 The mirror of all courtefy;] See the concluding words of n. 3, P. 41. STEEVENS.

5 Sir William Sands,] The old copy reads-Sir Walter. STEEVENS.

The correction is juftified by Holinfhed's Chronicle, in which it is faid, that Sir Nicholas Vaux, and Sir William Sands, received Buckingham at the Temple, and accompanied him to the Tower.

You that thus far have come to pity me,
Hear what I fay, and then go home and lofe me.
I have this day receiv'd a traitor's judgement,
And by that name muft die; Yet, heaven bear wit-
nefs,

And, if I have a confcience, let it fink me,

Even as the axe falls, if I be not faithful!
The law I bear no malice for my death,

It has done, upon the premises, but justice;
But thofe, that fought it, I could with more chrif-

tians:

Be what they will, I heartily forgive them :
Yet let them look they glory not in mifchief,
Nor build their evils on the
graves of great men;"
For then my guiltless blood muft cry against them.
For further life in this world I ne'er hope,

Nor will I fue, although the king have mercies More than I dare make faults. You few that lov'd me,"

And dare be bold to weep for Buckingham,
His noble friends, and fellows, whom to leave
Is only bitter to him, only dying,

Sir W. Sands was at this time, (May, 1521,) only a baronet, [rather, a knight; as baronetage was unknown till 1611] not being created Lord Sands till April 27, 1527. Shakspeare probably did not know that he was the fame perfon whom he has already introduced with that title. He fell into the error by placing the king's vifit to Wolfey, (at which time Sir William was Lord Sands,) and Buckingham's condemnation in the fame year; whereas that vifit was made fome years afterwards. MALONE.

5 Nor build their evils on the graves of great men ;] Evils in this place are forica. So, in Meajure for Measure:

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Having wafte ground enough,

"Shall we defire to raze the fanctuary,

"And pitch our evils there ?”

See Vol. IV. p. 246, n. 6. STEEVENS.

6

You few that lov'd me, &c.] Thefe lines are remarkably

tender and pathetick. JOHNSON.

Go with me, like good angels, to my end;
And, as the long divorce of fteel falls on me,
Make of your prayers one fweet facrifice,

And lift my foul to heaven.8-Lead on, o'God's

name.

Lov. I do befeech your grace, for charity, If ever any malice in your heart

Were hid against me, now to forgive me frankly.
Buck. Sir Thomas Lovell, I as free forgive you,
As I would be forgiven: I forgive all;

There cannot be thofe numberlefs offences
'Gainst me, I can't take peace with: no black envy
Shall make my grave.'-Commend me to his grace;
And, if he fpeak of Buckingham, pray, tell him,

7 the long divorce-] So, in Lord Sterline's Darius, 1603: "Scarce was the lafting laft divorcement made

"Betwixt the bodie and the foule &c." STEEVENS. And lift my foul to heaven.] So, Milton, Paradife Loft, Book IV:

9

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"Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to heaven."

no black envy

MALONE.

Shall make my grave.] Shakspeare, by this expreffion, meant no more than to make the duke fay, No action expreffive of malice fhall conclude my life. Envy by our authour is ufed for malice and hatred in other places, and, perhaps, in this.

Again, in the ancient metrical romance of Syr Bevys of Hampton, bl. 1. no date:

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They drewe theyr fwordes haftely, "And fmot together with great envy."

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And Barrett, in his Alvearie, or Quadruple Dictionary, 1580, thus interprets it.

To make a grave, however, may mean to close it. So, in The Comedy of Errors:

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Why at this time the doors are made against you." i. e, clofed, but. The fenfe will then be (whether quaintly, or

You met him half in heaven: my vows and prayers
Yet are the king's; and, till my foul forfake me,
Shall cry for bleffings on him: May he live
Longer than I have time to tell his years!
Ever belov'd, and loving, may his rule be!
And, when old time fhall lead him to his end,
Goodness and he fill up one monument!

Lov. To the water fide I must conduct your grace; Then give my charge up to fir Nicholas Vaux, Who undertakes you to your end.

VAUX.

Prepare there, The duke is coming: fee, the barge be ready; And fit it with fuch furniture, as fuits

The greatness of his person.

BUCK.
Nay, fir Nicholas,
Let it alone; my ftate now will but mock me.3

poetically expreffed, let the reader determine,) no malicious action thall clofe my grave, i. e. attend the conclufion of my existence, or terminate my life; the laft action of it shall not be uncharitable.

STEEVENS.

Envy is frequently used in this fenfe by our author and his contemporaries. See Vol. V. p. 495, n. 3; and p. 555, l. 12. I have therefore no doubt that Mr. Steevens's expofition is right. Dr. Warburton reads-mark my grave; and in fupport of the emendation it may be obferved that the fame error has happened in King Henry V.; or at least that all the editors have fuppofed fo, having there adopted a similar correction. See Vol. IX. p. 325,

n. 8.

Dr. Warburton's emendation alfo derives fome fupport from the following paffage in The Comedy of Errors:

2

"A vulgar comment will be made of it;
"And that fuppofed by the common rout

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Against your yet ungalled estimation,

"That may with foul intrufion enter in,

"And dwell upon your grave, when you are dead."

MALONE.

-forfake me,] The latter word was added by Mr. Rowe.

3 Nay, fir Nicholas,

MALONE.

Let it alone; my flate now will but mock me.] The last verse

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