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had no bloody designs against their lives, and that he merely intended keeping them out of the way for a while until he should be fairly settled in his new dignity.

Up to this moment, Gloucester's life had been without a stain(Pauli, Aufsätze); he had become, by the right of legislature, the ruler of the kingdom for which position he was eminently fit, and, had he been content with this position, his after life would have been a very different one; his name would perhaps have been pronounced by posterity with respect and admiration. But unfortunately his ambition awoke; the thought of being obliged one day to return the power he now possessed to those who had entrusted him with it for a time, and to step back into the number of humble subjects, was insupportable to his proud mind, and thus urged him on to deeds which, if not quite so many, nor quite so black as they have been represented by Shakespeare, yet are numerous and black enough to inflict an indelible stain upon his name. When the first fatal step was done, there was no stopping in his downward course, resembling the stone that, once pitched over the edge of a precipice, rushes down the side of the abyss with increasing rapidity, crushing every obstacle in its way, and not stopping until it is burried deeply into the ground, or scattered into fragments.

It had been decided, that the coronation of Prince Edward was to be on the 22nd of June 1483, and great preparations were making for it, and invitations issued to the nobility, but the coronation never took place because, very likely, Richard in the last hour decided on getting the crown himself, and now took the necessary measures with all the energy he was capable of. Before the appointed day arrived he sent letters to York, and asked to send down as many armed men as they could muster to assist him against his enemies, and at the same time oders were sent to Pomfret to put to death the Lords Rivers, Grey and Vaughan, which orders were promptly executed. It has never been explained what the danger was that Richard pretended to be threatened by, but it is not impossible that the nobility, who began to be dissatisfied with Richard's govern- ment, had conspired against him, and that the lords were implicated in the plot.

After those poor lords had been executed, there were others of the nobility Richard had to get rid of one way or another. Among them Lord Hastings was the most important. He had always been an intimate friend of King Edward, and was still the sincerest friend of young Prince Ed- ward. Richard, before proceeding against him, wanted to sound him whether there was no chance to win him over to his party, and so Catesby was dispatched by Buckingham with this com- mission:

. Sound thou lord Hastings

How he doth stand affected to our purpose;

And summon him to-morrow to the Tower,

To sit about the coronation.

If thou dost find him tractable to us,

Encourage him, and tell him all our reasons;

If he be leäden, icy, cold, unwilling,

Be thou so too; and so break off the talk,

And give us notice of his inclination.(Richard III. III. 1.) Catesby does as he is bidden; he goes to Hastings, and alludes to Richard's intention of getting the crown, but Hastings will not hear of it.