."

"Where?"

"In his room in the Blue Boar Inn in the town of Salisbury."

"When?"

"On the afternoon of the second day of November last. When the Duke
had signed it he went direct to execution."

"And this document?" the King questioned.

"Was kept by me until presented to Your Majesty that same evening; and
by your direction deposited among your private papers, whence I took it
a few minutes since to give to Sir Aymer de Lacy."

Another murmur of astonishment went up from the Court, but died quickly
under Richard's glance.

"Methinks, my lord," he said addressing Darby, "the paper has been
sufficiently proven and is competent as a dying declaration of a
co-conspirator. Therefore, we admit it. . . Read it, my Lord
Chancellor."

The Bishop arose and spreading out the parchment began:

"I, Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, being about to suffer on the
block (which even now stands ready before my window) do hereby make,
publish and declare this as and for my dying declaration; trusting that
thereby I may be of service to one who, though my foe in war, has been
my friend in peaceful days, and now, as well, when all others have
forsaken and betrayed me--and may, at the same time, bring to justice a
pair of caitiffs. By these presents, do I denounce and proclaim Henry,
Lord Darby, and John Morton, ycleped Bishop of Ely, as perjured and
forsworn traitors to Richard, King of England, as well as betrayers of
their plighted faith to me. Further, do I hereby admonish Richard
Plantagenet that this Darby (whom I have but this hour observed among
his forces in this town) and the aforesaid priest, Morton, are the
instigators of my rebellion; that these two aided me in all the
scheming of the plot; that to Darby was assigned the proclaiming of
Henry Tudor in Yorkshire and the North; and that, within one week of
the day set for the rising, he was at Brecknock and completed the final
details. That he was a double traitor I knew not until I saw him here
in the courtyard this day. Also, I denounce----"

"Stay, my Lord Bishop!" the King interjected. "Read no further for the
present."

"Since when, I pray, Sire, has it become the law of England to admit
only such part of a paper as may suit the prosecution's plan?" Darby
cried.

"You wish it read entire?" Richard asked.

"Marry, that I do. Since I am already judged, it can work me no hurt."

Richard looked at him fixedly. "You are overbold, sirrah!"

"