SCENE IV.
The entrance of the Tower.
Enter the bishop of Rochester, attended.
1 Ser.
Is it your honour's pleasure we shall stay,
Or come back in the afternoon to fetch you?
-- 341 --
Roch.
Now you have brought me here into the Tower,
You may go back unto the porter's lodge,
Where, if I have occasion to employ you,
I'll send some officer to call you to me.
Into the city go not, I command you:
Perhaps I may have present need to use you.
2 Ser.
We will attend your honour here without.
3 Ser.
Come, we may have a quart of wine at the
Rose at Barking, and come back an hour before he'll go.
1 Ser.
We must hie us then.
3 Ser.
Let's away.
[Exeunt.
Roch
Ho, master lieutenant.
Enter Lieutenant of the Tower.
Lieu.
Who calls there?
Roch.
A friend of yours.
Lieu.
My lord of Rochester! your honour's welcome.
Roch.
Sir, here is my warrant from the council,
For conference with sir John Oldcastle,
Upon some matter of great consequence.
Lieu.
Ho, sir John.
Har. [Within.]
Who calls there?
Lieu.
Harpool, tell sir John, that my lord of Rochester
Comes from the council to confer with him.
I think you may as safe without suspicion
As any man in England, as I hear,
For it was you most labour'd his commitment.
Roch.
I did, sir,
And nothing do repent it, I assure you.
-- 342 --
Enter lord Cobham and Harpool.
Master lieutenant, I pray you give us leave;
I must confer here with sir John a little.
Lieu.
With all my heart, my lord.
[Exit lieutenant.
Har.
My lord, be rul'd
By me; take this occasion while 'tis offer'd,
And on my life your lordship will escape.
[Aside.
Cob.
No more I say; peace, lest he should suspect it.
Roch.
Sir John, I am come to you from the lords o' the council,
To know if yet you do recant your errors.
Cob.
My lord of Rochester, on good advice,
I see my error; but yet understand me;
I mean not error in the faith I hold,
But error in submitting to your pleasure.
Therefore your lordship, without more to do,
Must be a means to help me to escape.
Roch.
What means, thou heretick?
Dar'st thou but lift thy hand against my calling?
Cob.
No, not to hurt you, for a thousand pound.
Har.
Nothing but to borrow your upper garments
a little: not a word more; peace for waking the children.
There; put them on; dispatch, my lord; the
window that goes out into the leads is sure enough:
as for you, I'll bind you surely in the inner room.
[Carries the bishop into the Tower, and returns.
Cob.
This is well begun; God send us happy speed:
Hard shift, you see, men make in time of need.
[Puts on the bishop's cloak.
Re-enter the bishop of Rochester's servants.
1 Ser.
I marvel that my lord should stay so long.
2 Ser.
He hath sent to seek us, I dare lay my life.
3 Ser.
We come in good time; see where he is
coming.
-- 343 --
Har.
I beseech you, good my lord of Rochester,
Be favourable to my lord and master.
Cob.
The inner rooms be very hot and close;
I do not like this air here in the Tower.
Har.
His case is hard, my lord. [Aside.] You shall
scarcely get out of the Tower, but I'll down upon
them* note: in which time get you away. Hard under
Islington wait you my coming; I will bring my lady
ready with horses to get hence.
Cob.
Fellow, go back again unto thy lord,
And counsel him.
Har.
Nay, my good lord of Rochester, I'll bring
you to St. Alban's, through the woods, I warrant you.
Cob.
Villain, away.
Har.
Nay, since I am past the Tower's liberty,
You part not so.
[He draws.
Cob.
Clubs, clubs, clubs.
1 Ser.
Murder, murder, murder.
2 Ser.
Down with him.
Har.
Out you cowardly rogues.
[Cobham escapes.
Enter lieutenant of the Tower and warders.
Lieu.
Who is so bold to dare to draw a sword
So near unto the entrance of the Tower?
1 Ser.
This ruffian, servant to sir John Oldcastle,
Was like to have slain my lord.
Lieu.
Lay hold on him.
Har.
Stand off, if you love your puddings.
Roch. [Within.]
Help, help, help, master lieutenant, help.
Lieu.
Who's that within? some treason in the Tower,
Upon my life. Look in, who's that which calls?
[Exit one of the warders.
-- 344 --
Re-enter Warder, and the bishop of Rochester bound.
Lieu.
Without your cloak, my lord of Rochester?
Har.
There, now I see it works: then let me speed,
For now's the fittest time to scape away.
[Exit Harpool.
Lieu.
Why do you look so ghastly and affrighted?
Roch.
Oldcastle that traitor, and his man,
When you had left me to confer with him,
Took, bound, and stripp'd me, as you see I am,
And left me lying in his inner chamber8 note,
And so departed.
1 Ser.
And I9 note—
Lieu.
And you now say that the lord Cobham's man
Did here set on you like to murder you.
1 Ser.
And so he did.
Roch.
It was upon his master then he did,
That in the brawl the traitor might escape.
Lieu.
Where is this Harpool?
2 Ser.
Here he was even now.
Lieu.
Where fled, can you tell?—They are both escap'd* note
.
Since it so happens that he is escap'd,
I am glad you are a witness of the same:
It might have else been laid unto my charge,
That I had been consenting to the fact.
Roch.
Come;
Search shall be made for him with expedition.
The haven's laid1 note that he shall not escape;
And hue and cry continue throughout England,
To find this damned, dangerous heretick.
Exeunt.
-- 345 --
Edmond Malone [1780], Supplement to the edition of Shakspeare's plays published in 1778 By Samuel Johnson and George Steevens. In two volumes. Containing additional observations by several of the former commentators: to which are subjoined the genuine poems of the same author, and seven plays that have been ascribed to him; with notes By the editor and others (Printed for C. Bathurst [and] W. Strahan [etc.], London) [word count] [S10911].
