With this there was a great shout, crieng; King Richard, king Richard. And then the lords went vp to the king (for so was he from that time called) and the people departed, talking diuerslie of the matter, euerie man as his fantasie gaue him. But much they talked and maruelled of the maner of this dealing, that the matter was on both parts made so strange, as though neither had euer communed with other thereof before, when that themselues wist there was no man so dull that heard them, but he perceiued well inough that all the matter was made betwéene them. Howbeit some excused that againe, and said all must be doone in good order though: and men must sometime for the maners sake, not be aknowen what they know [though it be hard to outreach the circumspect, wise, & vigilant minded man; as the poet saith:
Iuuenal. sat. 2.
----non facile est tibi
Decipere Vlyssem.]
For at the consecration of a bishop, euerie man woteth well by the paieng for his buls, that he purposeth to be one, & though he paie for nothing else. And yet must he be twise asked whether he will be bishop or no, and he must twise saie naie, and the third time take it, as compelled therevnto by his owne will. And in a stage plaie, all the people know right well, that one plaieng the Soldan, is percase a sowter; yet if one should can so little good, to shew out of season what acquaintance he hath with him, and cast him by his owne name while he standeth in his maiestie, one of his tormentors might hap to breake his head (and worthie) for marring of the plaie. And so they said, that these matters be kings games, as it were stage plaies, and for the more part plaied vpon scaffolds, in which poore men be but the lookers on. And they that wise be will meddle no further. For they that sometime step vp, and plaie with them, when they can not plaie their parts, they disorder the plaie, and doo themselues no good.
Thus farre Edward the fift, who was neuer king crowned, but shamefullie
by his vncle slaine, as in the processe following appeereth,
RICHARD.
Transcriber's Notes:
Simple grammar and typographical errors were corrected. Spelling variations were changed to the most common version. The archaic spelling was not otherwise corrected.