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And, as the long divorce of steel falls on me,

Make of your prayers one sweet facrifice,

And lift my foul to heaven.-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 Lovel, I as free forgive you,
As I would be forgiven: I forgive all;

There cannot be those numberless offences

'Gainft me, that 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,
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 muft 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;

-no black envy

Shall make my grave.-] Shakspeare, by this expreffion, meant no more than to make the duke fay, No action expreffive of malice fball conclude my life. Envy by our author is ufed for malice and batred in other places, and, perhaps, in this. Again, in the ancient metrical romance of Syr Bevis of Hampton, bl. 1. no date:

"They drewe theyr fwordes haftely,

"And fmot together with great envy."

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

Envy is frequently used in this fenfe by our author and his contemporaries. See Vol. III. p. 73, n. 2; and p. 116, 1. 9. 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 K. Henry V.; or at least that all the edi. tors have fuppofed fo, having there adopted a fimilar correction. See Vol. V. p. 487, n. 6. MALONE.

-for fake me,] The latter word was added by Mr, Rowe. MALONE.

And

And fit it with fuch furniture, as fuits

The greatness of his perfon.

Buck. Nay, fir Nicholas,

Let it alone; my ftate now will but mock me.
When I came hither, I was lord high constable,

And duke of Buckingham; now, poor Edward Bohun*:
Yet I am richer than my bafe accufers,

That never knew what truth meant: I now feal it 3;
And with that blood, will make them one day groan for't,
My noble father, Henry of Buckingham,

Who first rais'd head against ufurping Richard,

Flying for fuccour to his fervant Banister,
Being diftrefs'd, was by that wretch betray'd,
And without trial fell; God's peace be with him!
Henry the feventh fucceeding, truly pitying
My father's lofs, like a moft royal prince,
Reftor'd me to my honours, and, out of ruins,
Made my name once more noble. Now his fon,
Henry the eighth, life, honour, name, and all
That made me happy, at one ftroke has taken
For ever from the world. I had my trial,
And, muft needs fay, a noble one; which makes me
A little happier than my wretched father:

2

- poor Edward Bohun:] The duke of Buckingham's name was Stafford: Shakspeare was led into the mistake by Holinfhed. STEEVENS. This is not an expreffion thrown out at random, or by mistake, but one ftrongly marked with hiftorical propriety. The name of the duke of Buckingham moft generally known, was Stafford; but the Hift. of Remarkable Trials, 8vo. 1715, p. 170, fays: " it feems he affected that furname [of Bobun] before that of Stafford, he being defcended from the Bobuns, earls of Hereford." His reafon for this might be, because he was lord high conftable of England by inheritance of tenure from the Bebuns; and as the poet has taken particular notice of his great office, does it not feem probable that he had fully confidered of the duke's foundation for affuming the name of Bobun? In truth, the duke's name was BAGOT; for a gentleman of that very ancient family married the heirefs of the barony of Stafford, and their fon relinquifhing his paternal furname, affumed that of his mother, which continued in his pofterity. TOLLET.

Of all this probably Shakspeare knew nothing. MALONE. 3- I now feal it ; &c.] 1 now feal my truth, my loyalty, with blood, which blood hall one day make them groan. JOHNSON.

Yet

Yet thus far we are one in fortunes,--Both
Fell by our fervants, by those men we lov'd moft;
A moft unnatural and faithless service!

Heaven has an end in all: Yet, you that hear me,
This from a dying man receive as certain:

Where you are liberal of your loves, and counfels,
Be fure, you be not loose; for those you make friends,
And give your hearts to, when they once perceive
The leaft rub in your fortunes, fall away

Like water from ye, never found again

But where they mean to fink ye. All good people,
Pray for me! I muft now forfake ye; the last hour
Of my long weary life is come upon me,

Farewel:

And when you would fay fomething that is fad, Speak how I fell.-I have done; and God forgive me! [Exeunt BUCKINGHAM and Train, 1. Gen. O, this is full of pity!-Sir, it calls,

I fear, too many curfes on their heads,

That were the authors.

2. Gen. If the duke be guiltless,

'Tis full of woe: yet I can give you inkling Of an enfuing evil, if it fall,

Greater than this.

1. Gen. Good angels keep it from us!

What may it be? You do not doubt my faith, fir? 2. Gen. This fecret is fo weighty, 'twill require Aftrong faith to conceal it,

1. Gen. Let me have it;

I do not talk much.

1. Gen. I am confident;

You fhall, fir: Did you not of late days hear

A buzzing, of a feparation

Between the king and Catharine?

1. Gen. Yes, but it held not:

And when you would fay fomething that is fad, &c.] So, in K Richard II:

"Tell thou the lamentable tale of me,

"And fend the hearers weeping to their beds. STEEVENS.

5 Strong faith-] is great fidelity. JOHNSON.

For

For when the king once heard it, out of anger
He fent command to the lord mayor, ftraight
To stop the rumour, and allay those tongues
That durft difperfe it.

2 Gen. But that flander, fir,

Is found a truth now: for it grows again
Fresher than e'er it was; and held for certain,
The king will venture at it. Either the cardinal,
Or fo me about him near, have, out of malice
To the good queen, poffefs'd him with a fcruple
That will undo her: To confirm this too,
Cardinal Campeius is arriv'd, and lately;
As all think, for this business.

1 Gen. 'Tis the cardinal;

And meerly to revenge him on the emperor,
For not beftowing on him, at his afking,

The archbishoprick of Toledo, this is purpos'd.

2 Gen. I think, you have hit the mark: But is't not

cruel,

That she should feel the smart of this? The cardinal

Will have his will, and fhe muft fall.

1 Gen. 'Tis woeful.

We are too open here to argue this ;
Let's think in private more.

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[Exeunt.

Enter the Lord Chamberlain, reading a letter.

Cham. My lord,-The horfes your lordship fent for, with all the care I had, I faw well chofen, ridden, and furnished. They were young, and handsome; and of the best breed in the north. When they were ready to fet out for London, a man of my lord cardinal's, by commiffion, and main power, took em from me; with this reafon,-His mafter would be ferved before a fubject, if not before the king: which stopp'd our mouths, fir.

I fear, he will, indeed: Well, let him have them;
He will have all, I think.

Enter

Enter the Dukes of NORFOLK, and SUFFOLK,

Nor. Well met, my lord chamberlain,
Cham. Good day to both your graces.
Suf. How is the king employ'd?
Cham. I left him private,

Full of fad thoughts and troubles.

Nor. What's the cause?

Cham. It seems, the marriage with his brother's wife Has crept too near his conscience.

Suf. No, his conscience

Has crept too near another lady.

Nor. 'Tis fo;

This is the cardinal's doing, the king-cardinal:

That blind priest, like the eldest son of fortune,

Turns what he lifts. The king will know him one day.
Suf. Pray God, he do! he'll never know himself elfe.
Nor. How holily he works in all his business!

And with what zeal! For, now he has crack'd the league
Between us and the emperor, the queen's great nephew,
He dives into the king's foul; and there scatters
Dangers, doubts, wringing of the confcience,
Fears, and defpairs, and all these for his marriage:
And, out of all these to restore the king,

He counfels a divorce: a lofs of her,
That, like a jewel, has hung twenty years?
About his neck, yet never loft her luftre ;
Of her, that loves him with that excellence
That angels love good men with; even of her,
That, when the greatest stroke of fortune falls,
Will blefs the king: And is not this courfe pious?
Cham. Heaven keep me from fuch counfel! 'Tis most
true,

Thefe news are every where; every tongue speaks them,
And every true heart weeps for't: All, that dare

-lifts.-] Old Copy-lift. Corrected by Sir Thomas Hanmer.

MALONE.

7 That, like a jewel, has bung twenty years, &c.] See Vol. IV. p. 240, n. 7. MALONE.

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