In our Notice to the First Part of this play we mentioned that we knew of no contemporary portrait or effigy of Humphrey Duke of Gloster. A figure supposed to represent him exists in a piece of tapestry belonging to St. Mary's Hall, at Coventry; but the tapestry is, in our opinion, of the date of Henry VII., although Major Hamilton Smith, in his Ancient Costume of England,' quotes the suggestion of an antiquarian friend that it was put up in all probability during the lives of Henry VI. and Queen Margaret, who both frequently visited the city, and were entertained in that hall. Our reason for doubting this circumstance is, that the costume is evidently of a later date than the accession of Edward IV., and that during the reign of that monarch, or of Richard III., not even the Lancastrian citizens of Coventry would have been likely to venture so ostentatious a display of the portraits of Henry, Margaret, Cardinal Beaufort, the Duke of Bedford, Duke Humphrey, and all the principal nobility and courtiers attached to the party of the Red Rose. We believe it to have been executed immediately after the triumph of Henry VII. at Bosworth Field; and, therefore, though we shall give two or three figures from it in this Part of the play as illustrations, they must not be taken as authorities for the dress of this precise period. The plates in Major Hamilton Smith's work are incorrectly drawn and coloured; ours were taken from a careful copy of the original tapestry made many years ago, and exhibit on the dresses of the King and Queen the peculiar pine-apple pattern so much in vogue during the close of the fifteenth century. The attitudes alone have been altered; Henry and Margaret being represented kneeling in the original. Of Cardinal Beaufort we give the effigy from his monument described in Part I. Of Edmund Beaufort, the Duke of Somerset in this Part of the play, we have no representation: he was buried in the Abbey of St. Alban's. Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, is depicted on glass in Trinity Hall, Cambridge: the figure has been frequently but improperly engraved as Richard Duke of Gloster. Sandford mentions another painting on glass of this Richard Plantagenet, in the east window of the north aisle of Cirencester church in Gloucestershire," having on the pomel of his sword the arms of Mortimer Earl of March, it may be thereby to signifie that, although he was forced to use the blade to dispute his right to the crown, yet did he shroud himself under the shield or hilt of a good title." Of Humphrey Stafford Duke of Buckingham, or of the Cliffords, father and son, we have no representation: neither know we any of Richard Nevil Earl of Salisbury; but his son Richard Nevil Earl of Warwick is depicted by Rouse in the Warwick Roll, College of Arms, London, from which, by permission, our copy is made. The general costume of this period may be observed in our engraving from Lydgate's MS. in the Harleian Collection mentioned in Part I.; and, as a curious rather than an authentic illustration, we give (p. 81) the composition supposed to represent the marriage of Henry VI. and Margaret of Anjou, from Walpole's Anecdotes of Painting in England.' SCENE I-London. A Room of State in the And humbly now upon my bended knee, Palace. Flourish of Trumpets: then hautboys. Enter, on one side, KING HENRY, Duke of GLOSTER, SALISBURY, WARWICK, and CARDINAL BEAUFORT; on the other, QUEEN MARGARET, led in by SUFFOLK; YORK, SOMERSET, BUCKINGHAM, and others following. Suff. As by your high imperial majesty To marry princess Margaret for your grace; Seven earls, twelve barons, and twenty reverend bishops, I have perform'd my task, and was espous'd: In sight of England and her lordly peers, To your most gracious hands, that are the sub stance Of that great shadow I did represent; K. Hen. Suffolk, arise.- Welcome, queen I can express no kinder sign of love, Q. Mar. Great king of England, and my gra cious lord, The mutual conference that my mind hath had, By day, by night,-waking, and in my dreams, In courtly company, or at my beads,-- K. Hen. Her sight did ravish; but her grace in speech, Her words y-clad with wisdom's majesty, Q. Mar. We thank you all. [Flourish. Suf. My lord protector, so it please your grace, Here are the articles of contracted peace, Between our sovereign, and the French king Charles, For eighteen months concluded by consent. Glo. [Reads.] Imprimis, It is agreed between the French king, Charles, and William de la Poole, marquess of Suffolk, ambassador for Henry king of England, that the said Henry shall espouse the lady Margaret, daughter unto Reignier king of Naples, Sicilia, and Jerusalem; and crown her queen of England, ere the thirtieth of May next ensuing.-Item,-That the duchy of Anjou and the county of Maine shall be released and delivered to the king her father'-K. Hen. Uncle, how now? Glo. Pardon me, gracious lord; Some sudden qualm hath struck me at the heart, And dimm'd mine eyes, that I can read no further. K. Hen. Uncle of Winchester, I pray, read on. Car. Item,-It is further agreed between them, that the duchies of Anjou and Maine shall be released and delivered over to the king her • Alder-liefest-dearest of all. This beautiful word is a Saxon compound. Alder, of all, is thus frequently joined with an adjective of the superlative degree,-as alderfirst, alderlast. Liefest, levest, is the superlative of lefe, leve, dear. This line is usually pointed thus: "Makes me, from wondering, fall to weeping joys." But wondering is an adjective agreeing with joys as well as weeping. • Gloster reads this document thus:-" That the duchy of Anjou and the county of Maine shall be released," &c. In the Cardinal's hands the words are changed-" That the duchies of Anjou and Maine shall be released," &c. Malone says, "The words in the instrument could not thus vary whilst it was passing from the hands of the duke to those of the Cardinal;" and he adds that the inaccuracy is not found in the original play. It seems to us that the variation was intentional. The Cardinal reads the document correctly; but Gloster, whose miud had seized upon the substance of the articles before he recited the conclusion of the sentence, ceases to read when the sudden qualm hath struck him at the heart, and delivers the import of the words which have so moved him with substantial correctness but formal inaccuracy. father; and she sent over of the king of England's own proper cost and charges, without having any dowry.' K. Hen. They please us well.- Lord marquess, kneel down; We here create thee the first duke of Suffolk, And girt thee with the sword. Cousin of York, We here discharge your grace from being regent In the parts of France, till term of eighteen months Be full expir'd. Thanks, uncle Winchester, We thank you all for this great favour done, [Exeunt KING, QUEEN, and Suffolk. Glo. Brave peers of England, pillars of the state, To you duke Humphrey must unload his grief; And hath his highness in his infancy Car. Nephew, what means this passionate dis course, This peroration with such circumstance? Been is not in the original. |