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IN the exchange between Richard, Buckingham, and the young Prince Edward in III.i of Shakespeare's King Richard III, the discussion turns to topics without warrant in Shakespeare's sources: whether Julius Caesar first established the Tower of London, and whether enduring fame depends on written history or on the power of oral tradition. I quote the passage in its entirety:

Prince: I do not like the Tower, of any place. 
 —Did Julius Caesar build that palace, my lord? 
Buckingham: He did, my gracious lord, begin that place, 
 Which since succeeding ages have re-edified. 
Prince: Is it upon record, or else reported 
 Successively from age to age, he built it? 
Buckingham: Upon record, my gracious lord. 
Prince: But say, my lord, it were not registered, 
 Methinks the truth should live from age to age,...

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