Weak men muft fall; for heaven ftill guards the Yea, diftaff women manage rufty bills

2 Called fo, becaufe the leaves of the yew are poifon,

The king's beadfmen were his chaplains. and the wood is employed for inftruments of death. 3 i. c. mould.

K. Rich. He does me double wrong, That wounds me with the flatteries of his tongue. fits,Ditcharge my followers, let them hence ;-Away, From Richard's night, to Bolingbroke's fair day. [Exeunt.

All murder'd:-For within the hollow crown,
That rounds the mortal temples of a king,
Keeps Death his court: and there the antic
Scoffing his ftate, and grinning at his pomp;
Allowing him a breath, a little fcene

To monarchize, be fear'd, and kill with locks;
Infuúng him with felf and vain concei',-
As if this flesh, which walls about our life,
Were brais impregnable; and, humour'd thus,
Comes at the lat, and with a little pia

Bores through his cattle wall, and-farewel king!
Cover your heads, and mock not fleth and blood
With folemn reverence; throw away respect,
Tradition 2, form, and ceremonious duty,
For you have but miftook me all this while :
I live on bread like you, feel want, taite grief,
Need friends;-Subjected thus,

How can you fay to me--I am a king?

Carl. My lord, wife men ne'er wail their fent woes,

The Camp of Bolingbroke, before Flint Cafle.
Enter with drum and colourt, Bolingbroke, York,
Northumberland, and attendants.

Boling. So that by this intelligence we learn,
The Welthmen are difpers'd; and Salisbury
gone to meet the king, who lately landed,
With fome few private friends, upon this coaft.
North. The news is very fair and good, my lord;
Richard, not far from hence, hath hid his head.

1. k. it would befeem the lord Northumberland, To fay-king Richard :--Alack the heavy day, pre-When fuch a iacred king fhould hide his head! North. Your grace mistakes; only to be brief, Left 1 his title out.

But prefently prevent the ways to wail.
To fear the foe, fince fear opprefeth ftrength,
Gives, in your weakness, ftrength unto your foe,
And fo your follies fight againft yourself.
Fear, and be flain; no worfe can come, to fight:
And fight and die, is death deftroying death 3;
Where fearing dying, pays death fervile breath.

Aum. My father hath a power, enquite of him;
And learn to make a body of a limb.

K. Rich. Thou chid'ft me well:-Proud Boling-
broke, I come

To change blows with thee for our day of doom.
This agac-fit of fear is over-blown;
An eary talk it is, to win our own.-

Say, Scroop, where lies our uncle with his power?
Speak fweetly, man, although thy looks be four.
Scroop. Men judge by the complexion of the fky
The ftate and inclination of the day;

So may you by my dull and heavy eye,

My tongue hath but a heavier tale to fay.
I play the torturer, by small and fmall,
To lengthen out the worst that must be spoken
Your uncle York hath join'd with Bolingbroke ;
And all your northern caftles yielded up;
And all your fouthern gentlemen in arms
Upon his party.

K. Rick. Thou haft faid enough.-
Defhrew thee, coufin, which didit lead me forth

To Aamerle.

1k. The time hath been,

fhould.

Would you have been fo brief with him, he would
Have been fo brief with you, to fhorten you,
For taking fo the head 5, the whole head's length.
Beling. Make not, uncle, farther than you
[thould,
York. Take not, good coufin, farther than you
Left you mit-take: The heavens are o'er your head.
Boling. I know it, uncle; and oppofe not
Myfelf against their will.-But who comes here?
Enter Percy.

Welcome, Harry; what, will not this caftle yield?
Percy. The caftle royally is mann'd, my lord,
Against thy entrance.

Beling. Royally! Why, it contains no king?
Percy. Yes, my good lord,

It doth contain a king; king Richard lies
Within the limits of yon lime and stone :
And with him lord Aumerle, lord Salisbury,
Sir Stephen Scroop; beides a clergyman
Of holy reverence, who, I cannot learn.
North. Pelike, it is the bishop of Carlile.
Beling. Noble lord,
To North,

Go to the rude ribs of that ancient caftle;
Through brazen trumpet fend the breath of parle
Into his ruin'd cars, and thus deliver :
Harry of Bolingbroke, on both his knees,
Deta kifs King Richard's hand;
And fends allegiance, and true faith of heart,

Of that fweet way I was in to defpair!
What fay you now? What comfort have we now? To his moft royal perfon; hither come

By heaven, I'll hate him everlastingly,

That bids me be of cotufort any more.
Go, to Flint caftle; there I'll pine away;
A king, woe's flave, fhall kingly woe obey.
That power I have, discharge; and let them go
To ear the land 4 that hath fome hope to grow,
For I have none :-Let no man ípeak again
To alter this, for counfel is but vain.
Aun. My liege, one word.

Even at his feet to lay my arms and power;
Provided that, my banishment repeal'd,
And lands refter'd again, be freely granted:
If not, I'll ufe the advantage of my power,
And lay the fummer's duft with fhowers of blood,
Rain'd from the wounds of flaughter'd Englishmen :
The which, how far off from the mind of Boling-
broke

It is, fuch crimion tempeft fhould bedrench

This alludes to the antic or fool of old farces, whofe principal bunefs is to ridicule the graver an I more ipiendid perfonages. 2 Tradition feeins here ufed for traditional practices. 3 The meanings, to die fighting, is to return the evil that we futter, to destroy the destroyers. 4 i. c. to plough 5 To take the head is, to take undue liberties.

The fresh green lap of fair king Richard's land,
My ftooping duty tenderly fhall fhew.
Go, fignify as much: while here we march
Upon the graify carpet of this plain.-
Let's march without the noife of threat'ning drum,
That from this caftle's totter'd battlements
Our fair appointments may be well perus'd.
Methinks, king Richard and my felf thould meet
With no les terror than the elements
Of fire and water, when their thund'ring fhock
At meeting tears the cloudy chocks of heaven.
Be he the fire, I'll be the yielding water:
The rage be his, while on the earth I rain
My waters; on the earth, and not on him.
March on, and mark king Richard how he looks.
parle founded, and anfwered by another trumpet
within. Flourish. Enter on the walls King Ri-And, as I am a gentleman, I credit him.
chard, the Bijkop of Carlile, Hamerle, Scroop, and
Saliforry.

| Harry Bolingbroke, doth humbly kifs thy hand,
And by the honourable tomb he fwears,
That itands upon thy royal grandfire's bones;
And by the royalties of both your bloods,
Currents that fpring from one most gracious head;
And by the bury'd hand of warlike Gaunt ;
And by the worth and honour of himself,
Comprifing all that may be fworn or faid;-
is coming hither hath no farther scope,
Than for his lineal royalties, and to beg
Enfranchifement immediate on his knees:
Which on thy royal party granted once,
His glittering arms he will commend to rust,
His barbed fleeds to ftables, and his heart
To faithful fervice of your majefty.
This fwears he, as he is a prince, is just;

Yo k. See, fec, king Richard doth himself appear,
As doth the bluthing difcoatered fun
From out the fiery portal of the caft;
When he perceives, e envious clouds are bent
To dim his glory, and to ftain the tract
Of his bright paffage to the occident.
Yet looks he like a king; behold, his eye,
As bright as is the eagle's, lightens forth
Controlling majefty: Alack, alack, for woe,
That any harm fhould ftain fo fair a fhow!

K. Rich. We are amaz'd; and thus long have
we flood

To watch the fearful bending of thy knee, [To North.
Because we thought ourfelf thy lawful king :
And if we be, how dare thy joints forget
To pay their awful duty to our presence?
If we be not, fhew us the hand of God
That hath difmifs'd us from our ftewardship;
For well we know, no hand of blood and bone
Can gripe the facred handle of our fceptre,
Unless he do prophane, fteal, or ufurp.
And though you think, that all, as you have done,
Have torn their fouls, by turning them from us,
And we are barren, and bereft of friends;-
Yet know, my mafter, God omnipotent,
Is muft'ring in his clouds, on our behalf,
Armies of pettilence; and they thall frike
Your children vet unborn, and unbegut,
That lift your villal hands againit my head,
And threat the glory of my precious crown.
Tell Bolingbroke (for yond', inethink, he is)
That every fride he makes upon my land,
Is dangerous treafon: He is come to ope
The purple teftament of bleeding war;
But ere the crown he looks for live in peace,
Ten thoufand bloody crowns of mothers' fons
Shall ill become the flower of England's face ;
Change the complexion of her mad-pale peace
To fcarlet indignation, and bedew

Her patture's grafs with faithful English blood.
North. The King of heaven forbid, our lord
the king

Should fo with civil and uncivil arms
Be ruth'd upon! Thy thrice-noble cousin,

1 i. e. the fowery furface of England's foil.

K. Kich. Northumberland, fay, thus the king

returns :

His noble coufin is right welcome hither;
And all the number of his fair demands
Shall be accomplish'd without contradiction:
With all the gracious utterance thou haft,
Speak to his gentle hearing kingl commends.-
We do debafe our felf, coufin, do we not, [To Aum.
To look fo poorly, and to fpeak fo fair?
Shall we call back Northumberland, and fend
Defiance to the traitor, and fo die?

[words,

Aun. No, good my lord; let's fight with gentle
'Till time lend friends, and friends their helpful
fwords.
[of mine,

K. Rich. Oh God! oh God! that e'er this tongue
That laid the fentence of dread banishment
On yon proud man, fhould take it off again
With words of footh! Oh, that I were as great
As is my grief, or letter than my name!
Or that I could forget what I have been!
Or not remember what I must be now!
Swell'it thou, proud heart? I'll give thee fcope to
Since foes have fcope to beat both thee and me.
Aum. Northumberland comes back from Bo-
[fubmit?

lingbroke.

[beat,

K. Rich. What must the king do now?"
"Muft he
The king fhall do it. Muft he be depos'd?
The king fhall be contented. Muft he lofe
The name of king? o' God's name, let it go :
I'll give my jewels for a fet of beads;
My gorgeous palace, for a hermitage;
My gay apparel, for an alms-man's gown ;
My figur'd gablets, for a difh of wood;
My fceptro, for a palmer's walking-staff;
My fubjects, for a pair of carved faints;
And my large kingdom, for a little grave,
A little little grave, an obfcure grave :--
Or I'll be bury'd in the king's highway,
Some way of common trade, where fubjects' feet
May hourly trample on their fovereign's head:
For on my heart they tread, now whilft I I've;
And, bury'd once, why not upon my head ?-
Aumerle, thou weep'ft; My tender-hearted

coufin!

We'll make foul weather with defpifed tears;
Our fighs, and they, fhall lodge the fummer corn,

2 In this place footh means fweetness or fuftnefs, And

[North. retires to Bol.
In the base court? Bafe court, where kings grow
To come at traitors' calls, and do them grace.[bafe,
In the bafe court? Come down? Down, court !For what I have, I need not to repeat;

Boling. So far be mine, my moft redoubted lord, That look too lofty in our commonwealth:
As my true fervice shall deferve your love.
All must be even in our government.――

K. Rich. Well you deserve :-They well de- You thus employ'd, I will go root away

That know the strongest and fureft way to get.-The foil's fertility from wholefome flowers.

Uncle, give me your hand: nay, dry your eyes;
Tears show their love, but want their remedies.
Coufin, I am too young to be your father,
Though you are old enough to be my heir.
What you will have, I'll give, and willing too;
For do we must, what force will have us do.-
Set on towards London :-Coufin, is it so ?
Boling. Yea, my good lord.

K. Rick. Then I muft not fay, no.

Serv. Why should we, in the compass of a pale,
Keep law, and form, and due proportion,
Shewing, as in a model, our firm state;
When our fea-walled garden, the whole land,
Is full of weeds; her faireft flowers choak'd up,
Her fruit-trees all unprun'd, her hedges ruin'd,
Her knots diforder'd, and her wholesome herbs
Swarming with caterpillars ?

Gard. Hold thy peace :—
[Flourish. Exeunt. He that hath fuffer'd this diforder'd spring,

1 Bas cour, Fr. 2 i. e. foolishly.

Hath now himfelf met with the fall of leaf:

The weeds, that his broad fpreading leaves did
shelter,

That feem'd, in eating him, to hold him up,
Are pull'd up, roet and all, by Bolingbroke;
1 mean, the earl of Wiltshire, Bufhy, Green.
Serv. What, are they dead?

Gard. They are; and Bolingbroke
Hath feiz'd the wasteful king.-What pity is it,
That he had not fo trimm'd and dress'd his land,
As we this garden! who at time of year
Do wound the bark, the skin of our fruit-trees;
Left, being over-proud with fap and blood,
With too much riches it confound itself :
Had he done fo to great and growing men,
They might have liv'd to bear, and he to tafte
Their fruits of duty. All fuperfluous branches
We lop away, that bearing boughs may live :
Had he done fo, himself had borne the crown,
Which warte and idle hours hath quite thrown down.
Serv. What think you then, the king fhall be
depos'd?

Gard. Deprefs'd he is already; and depos'd,
'Tis doubt, he will be: Letters came last night
To a dear friend of the good duke of York's,
That tell black tidings.

Queen. Oh, I am prefs'd to death, through want of

fpeaking!

[Coming from her concealment. Thou old Adam's likeness, fet to drefs this garden, How dares thy harsh tongue found this unpleafing news?

What Eve, what ferpent hath fuggested thee
To make a fecond fall of curfed man?
Why doft thou fay, king Richard is depo:'d ?

Dar'ft thou, thou little better thing than earth,
Divine his downfal? Say, where, when, and how,
Cam'st thou by thefe ill tidings?. Speak, thou
wretch.

Gard. Pardon me, madam: little joy have I
To breathe thefe news, yet, what I fay, is true.
King Richard, he is in the mighty hold
Of Bolingbroke; their fortunes both are weigh'd;
In your lord's fcale is nothing but himself,
And fome few vanities that make him light;
But in the balance of great Bolingbroke,
Befides himself, are all the English peers,
And with that odds he weighs king Richard down.--
Poft you to London, and you'll find it fo:

I fpeak no more than every one doth know.
Queen. Nimble mischance, that art fo light of foot,
Doth not thy emballage belong to me,
And am I laft that knows it? Oh, thou think'ft
To ferve me laft, that I may longest keep
Thy forrow in my breaft.-Come, ladies, go,
To meet at London London's king in woe.-
What, was I born to this! that my fad look
Should grace the triumph of great Bolingbroke !-
Gard'ner, for telling me thefe news of woe,

I would, the plants, thou graft'st, may never grow.
[Exeunt Queen and Ladies.
Gard. Poor queen! fo that thy ftate might be
no worse,

I would my skill were subject to thy curse.--
Here did the drop a tear; here, in this place,
I'll fet a bank of rue, four herb of grace:
Rue, even for ruth, here shortly shall be seen,
In the remembrance of a weeping queen.

[Exeunt Gard, and firs.

I heard you fay, "You rather had refufe
The offer of an hundred thoufand crowns,
"Than Bolingbroke return to England;
Adding withal, how blett this land would be,
In this your coufin's death."

London. The Parliament-Houfe.
Enter Bolingbroke, Aumerle, Northumberland, Percy,"
Fitzwater, Surry, Bishop of Carlifle, Abbot of
Wjminfter, Herald, Officers, and Bagot.

ALL forth :

Aum. Princes, and noble lords,
What anfwer fhall I make to this bafe man?

Buling. Cow, Bagot, freely fpeak thy mind; Shall I so much difhonour my fair stars 2,

What thou doft know of noble Gloiter's death;
Who wrought it with the king, and who perform'd
The bloody office of his timeless end.

On equal terms to give him chastisement ?
Either I muft, or have mine honour foil'd
With the attainder of his fland'rous lips.
There is my gage, the manual feal of death,
That marks thee out for hell: Thou lieft, and
[tongue I will maintain what thou haft faid, is falfe,
Bagot. My lord Aumerle, I know, your daring In thy heart-blood, though being all too base
Scorns to unfay what once it hath deliver'd.

Bagot. Then fet before my face the lord Aumerle.
Boling. Coufin, stand forth, and look upon that

man.

In that dead time when Glofter's death was plotted,
I heard you fay,—" Is not my arm of length,
"That reacheth from the reftful English court
"As far as Calais, to my uncle's head?"
Amongst much other talk, that very time,

To ftain the temper of my knightly sword.
Boling. Bagot, forbear, thou thalt not take it up.
Aum. Excepting one, I would he were the buit
In all this prefence, that hath mov'd me io.
Fitzw. If that thy valour ftand on fympathies 3,
There is my gage, Aumerle, in gage to thine:

Timeless for untimely. 2 Meaning, his high or noble birth. 3 i. c. upon equality of blond.

By