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fate. Now Buckingham was very busy, he gathered around him all Lancastrians, and enroled troops, which measures(taken in that far-off country of Wales) remained for some time unknown to Richard. When Buckingham thought to be sufficiently prepared for action, he invited Henry to land in England. When Richard heard at last of Buckingham's defection, he was very much surprised and vexed, called Buckingham in an autograph letter“the most untrue creature living, and a false traitor“, raised at once an army, kept all along the Welsh boundary spies, who were to inform him of Buckingham's least movements, offered great rewards for capturing him, and any conspirator, had all bridges, fords, and ordinary passes leading from Wales to England closely watched, and kept ships of war cruising in the Channel to watch the coast; yet he would have been in an awkward position had not circumstances favored him. Buckingham, on leaving Wales in order to meet Richard, was so much hindered by inundations and famine that he was forced to return to Wales where his men disbanded. But on returning to Brecknock he found it already öccupied by Richard's people, and was forced to hide himself. He succeeded for some time in escaping discovery, but at last was taken in the cottage of a man whom he believed much attached to him, but who very likely betrayed his benefactor in order to get the large sum offered for his discovery. He was taken to Salisbury, and at once beheaded without being permitted to see once more his king, whom he is said to have intended stabbing with a knife hidden under his garment.(Halsted, Richard III.)

Shakespeare places the revolt and execution of Buckingham nearly at the end of Richard's short career, whilst in reality it follows closely the murder of the princes. It occurred in the month of October 1483, and his head fell under the executioner's axe on the 2ud of November.

Now the tragedy draws rapidly to its close. The last scenes of it, in which we see Henry Richmond upon his march from Wales to Bosworth Field, keep close to history. Shakespeare deviates from it only by making the two foes meet, and Richmond prove his superiority of strength and skill by killing Richard. It is an ordeal, as it were, in which God gives victory to the good, and makes perish the wicked.

Richard had certainly heard early enough of the intended landing of Henry, but as he did not know the exact place where it was to take place, he could not do much to prevent it. Yet he did all that was possible to be done under those circumstances. He sent commissioners to all counties with instructions for enlisting soldiers. He himself went to reside at Nottingham because from its central position he could hasten to any place threatened. From Nottingham he issued a fulminating proclamation in which he called Richmond an outlaw, and a traitor, exhorted all true Englishmen to stand by him, and to let themselves be led to victory. Henry was not slow to reply by a proclamation containing expressions quite as strong; he called Richard a homicide, and an unnatural tyrant, promised to come to England to fight him, and invited every body to join him, and to help delivering the country. Soon he was enabled to start for his dangerous under- taking, for Charles VIII. of France not only lent him a sum of money, but furnished him also 3000 men, whilst the Duke of Brittany gave him 2000 men, altogether rather an undisciplined band, but full of courage, and ready for anything. This band of foreigners was joined by about 2000 Englishmen so that Henry mustered an army of no more than 7000 men, which certainly was a very small force for such an undertaking, but which was expected to increase considerably by all discontented flocking to it as soon as it should have landed in England, a supposition that proved erroneous. So Richard would have crushed his enemies had he not been surrounded by