Now, my Lord Hastings and Sir William Stanley,
Leave off to wonder why I drew you hither
Into this chiefest thicket of the park.
Thus stands the case: you know our King, my brother,
Is prisoner to the Bishop here, at whose hands
He hath good usage and great liberty,
And often but attended with weak guard,
Comes hunting this way to disport himself.
I have advertised him by secret means
That if about this hour he make this way,
Under the colour of his usual game,
He shall here find his friends with horse and men
To set him free from his captivity.
Now, my Lord Hastings and Sir William Stanley, stop wondering why I brought you here into this thick part of the forest. Here's the situation: you know our King, my brother, is a prisoner of the Bishop here, at whose hands he receives good treatment and much freedom, and often, attended only by a weak guard, comes hunting this way for amusement. I've told him by secret means that if he comes this way about now, under the pretense of his usual hunting, he will find his friends here with horses and soldiers to set him free from captivity.
Okay, Hastings and Stanley, you can stop wondering why I dragged you into the thickest part of the forest. Here's what's going on: the King—my brother—is the Bishop's prisoner, and the Bishop treats him pretty well and lets him have a lot of freedom. Often with just a small guard, he comes out here hunting for fun. I've secretly let him know that if he comes this way about now, pretending it's just his regular hunting trip, he'll find us here with horses and men to break him out.
wondering why i brought u here king is prisoner but bishop treats him ok let him come hunting and we'll break him out
This way, my lord, for this way lies the game.
This way, my lord, for the game is in this direction.
This way, my lord, the hunting is this way.
hunt's this way my lord
Nay, this way, man. See where the huntsmen stand.
Now, brother of Gloucester, Lord Hastings, and the rest,
Stand you thus close to steal the Bishop’s deer?
No, this way, man. See where the hunters stand. Now, you—brother of Gloucester, Lord Hastings, and the rest—are you standing so close here to steal the Bishop's deer?
No, this way. Look where the hunters are standing. Richard, Hastings, the rest of you—are you really standing here trying to steal the Bishop's hunting?
this way wait ur hunting the bishop's deer
Brother, the time and case requireth haste;
Your horse stands ready at the park corner.
Brother, the situation and the time require speed; your horse is ready at the park's edge.
Brother, we need to move fast; your horse is waiting at the corner of the park.
we gotta go now horse is ready at the park corner
But whither shall we then?
But where shall we go then?
But where are we going?
where we going
In this short scene, Richard does everything. He identifies the opportunity, sends the secret message, chooses the location, arranges the horses, and delivers the plan to Hastings and Stanley. Edward arrives at the rendezvous having done nothing except follow orders. This is a pattern in Henry VI Part 3: Richard is consistently the most operationally effective York brother, while Edward is the most politically disastrous. Richard's competence is not incidental — it's the engine that keeps the Yorkist cause alive despite Edward's impulsiveness, and it's the basis for Richard's calculation that he could run things better alone. Keep watching: every time Richard saves Edward, he's also demonstrating that Edward needs saving.
To Lynn, my lord, and shipped from thence to Flanders.
We will travel to Lynn, my lord, and from that port have you shipped across to Flanders.
To Lynn, your Majesty, and then we'll ship you to Flanders.
to lynn then ship to flanders
Well guessed, believe me, for that was my meaning.
Good guess, believe me, for that was exactly what I intended.
Right on—that's exactly where I was planning to take you.
exactly where i planned
Stanley, I will requite thy forwardness.
Stanley, I will reward your eagerness to help.
Stanley, I'll repay you for your loyalty.
stanley i'll reward u for this
But wherefore stay we? ’Tis no time to talk.
But why do we delay? There's no time for talking.
But why are we wasting time? There's no time for talking.
no time to talk let's go
Huntsman, what sayst thou? Wilt thou go along?
Huntsman, what do you say? Will you come with us?
Huntsman, what do you say? You coming?
huntsman u coming with us
Better do so than tarry and be hanged.
It's better to do that than to stay and be hanged.
Better to go than stay and get hanged.
better to come than stay and die
Come then, away! Let’s ha’ no more ado.
Come then, let's go! No more delay or fuss.
Come on, let's get out of here! No more wasting time.
let's go now stop wasting time
Bishop, farewell; shield thee from Warwick’s frown,
And pray that I may repossess the crown.
Bishop, goodbye; protect yourself from Warwick's anger, and pray that I may regain the crown.
Bishop, farewell. Protect yourself from Warwick's anger, and pray I get my crown back.
bye bishop hope u survive warwick and i get my crown back
The Reckoning
A brisk, almost comic scene of escape — Edward blundering out of captivity on a horse while pretending to hunt. Richard has planned everything, Edward just has to follow instructions. There's something almost undignified about it: the king whisked off like a package. But it works, and the Huntsman's matter-of-fact 'better do so than tarry and be hanged' is the wittiest exit in the play.
If this happened today…
A fired CEO who's been put on 'administrative leave' gets a tip from his most loyal lieutenant that a car is waiting in the company parking garage at 11pm. He's supposed to be using the company gym, but there's a driver with fake plates and his brother-in-law has arranged a private flight out of a small airport. The whole thing takes fifteen minutes. He leaves his company laptop behind and texts 'bishop, farewell' — which his assistant does not understand.