KING RICHARD II.

KING RICHARD THE SECOND.

Uncles to the

King.

EDMUND of LANGLEY, Duke of York, JOHN of GAUNT, Duke of Lancaster, HENRY, furnamed BOLINGBROKE, Duke of Hereford, afterwards King Henry the Fourth, Son to JOHN of GAUNT. DUKE of AUMERLE, now Albermarle, a Town in Normandy, Son to the Duke of York. MOWBRAY, Duke of Norfolk.

EARL of NORTHUMBERLAND.

PERCY, Son to NORTHUMBERLAND.

LORD ROSS, now Roos, one of the Duke of Rutland's Titles,

LORD WILLOUGHBY.

LORD FITZWATER.

BISHOP of CARLISLE.

SIR STEPHEN SCROOP.

LORD MARSHAL; and another Lord.

ABBOT of WESTMINSTER.

SIR PIERCE of EXTON.

Captain of a Band of Welchmen.

QUEEN to KING RICHARD.
DUTCHESS of GLOSTER.

DUTCHESS of YORK.

Ladies, attending on the Queen.

Heralds, two Gardiners, Keeper, Meffenger, Groom, and other Attendants.

SCENE, difperfedly, in ENGLAND and WALES.

THIS PLAY, like the former, was taken from our old English Historians, chiefly from Holized, whofe very language, as well as arguments, Shakspeare fometimes adopts, with very fmall variation: It was written about the year 1597, and comprifes little more than the tranfactions of the two laft years of this Prince's reign.

THE

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF

KING RICHARD II.

ACT I.

SCENE I.

The Court.

Enter King Richard, John of Gaunt, with other nobles and attendants.

K. Rich. Old John of Gaunt, time-honour'd Lancafter, Haft thou, according to thy oath and a band, Brought hither Henry Hereford thy bold fon; Here to make good the boisterous late appeal, Which then our leifure would not let us hear, Against the duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray ? Gaunt. I have, my liege.

K. Rich. Tell me moreover, haft thou founded him,

b

If he appeal the duke on ancient malice;

Or worthily, as a good fubject fhould,

On fome known ground of treachery in him?

Gaunt. As near as I could fift him on that argument,On fome apparent danger feen in him,

Aim'd at your highness, no inveterate malice.

K. Rich. Then call them to our prefence; face to face, And frowning brow to brow, ourselves will hear

The accufer, and the accufed, freely speak

High-ftomach'd are they both, and full of ire,
In rage deaf as the fea, hafty as fire.

Enter Bolingbroke and Mowbray.

Boling. May many years of happy days befal My gracious fovereign, my most loving liege! Mowb. Each day ftill better other's happiness; Until the heavens, envying earth's good hap, Add an immortal title to your crown!

K. Rich. We thank you both: yet one but flatters us,
As well appeareth by the cause you come ;
Namely, to appeal each other of high treafon.-
Coufin of Hereford, what doft thou object
Against the duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?
Boling. First (heaven be the record to my speech!)
In the devotion of a fubject's love,

Tendering the precious fafety of my prince,
And free from other mifbegotten hate,
Come I appellant to this princely prefence.-
Now, Thomas Mowbray, do I turn to thee,
And mark my greeting well; for what I fpeak,
My body shall make good upon this earth,
Or my divine foul answer it in heaven.
Thou art a traitor, and a miscreant;
Too good to be fo, and too bad to live;
Since, the more fair and cryftal is the sky,
The uglier seem the clouds that in it fly.
Once more, the more to aggravate the note,
With a foul traitor's name ftuff I thy throat;
And wifh, (fo please my fovereign) ere I move,
What my tongue fpeaks, my right-drawn fword may

c

prove.

right-drawn]-drawn in a right, or just cause.

Mowb

Mowb. Let not my cold words here accufe my zeal:

Tis not the trial of a woman's war,

The bitter clamour of two eager tongues,

Can arbitrate this caufe betwixt us twain ;
The blood is hot, that must be cool'd for this.
Yet can I not of such tame patience boast,
As to be hufh'd, and nought at all to fay:

First, the fair reverence of your highness curbs me,
From giving reins and fpurs to my free speech;
Which elfe would poft, until it had return'd
These terms of treafon doubled down his throat.
Setting afide his high blood's royalty,
And let him be no kinfman to my liege,

I do defy him, and I spit at him;

Call him-a flanderous coward, and a villain;
Which to maintain, I would allow him odds;
And meet him, were I ty'd to run a-foot
Even to the froz ridges of the Alps,
Or any other ground inhabitable

Where 'ever Englishman durft fet his foot.
Mean time, let this defend my loyalty,-
By all my hopes, moft falfely doth he lie.

Boling. Pale trembling coward, there I throw my gage Disclaiming here the kindred of a king;

And lay afide my high blood's royalty,

Which fear, not reverence, makes thee to except:
If guilty dread hath left thee fo much ftrength,
As to take up mine honour's pawn, then ftoop;
By that, and all the rites of knighthood elfe,
Will I make good against thee, arm to arm,

What I have spoken, or thou "canft devife.

ridges of the Alps,]-the Alps lying in ridges.

e unbabitable.

fever]-never.

gage,]-glove, gauntlet, carneft of challenging..

上 canft worje devije-imagine more infamous.

Mcwb.