Who hither come engaged by my oath,
(Which, heaven defend, a knight should violate!)
Both to defend my loyalty and truth,

To God, my king, and my succeeding issue,
Against the duke of Hereford that appeals me;
And, by the grace of God, and this mine arm,
To prove him, in defending of myself,

A traitor to my God, my king, and me:
And, as I truly fight, defend me heaven!

[He takes his seat.

Trumpet sounds. Enter BOLINGBROKE, in armour ; preceded by a Herald.

K. Rich. Marshal, ask yonder knight in arms,
Both who he is, and why he cometh hither
Thus plated in habiliments of war;
And formally according to our law

Depose him in the justice of his cause.

Mar. What is thy name? and wherefore com'st thou hither,

Before king Richard in his royal lists?

Against whom comest thou? and what's thy quarrel?
Speak like a true knight, so defend thee heaven!

Boling. Harry of Hereford, Lancaster, and Derby,
Am I; who ready here do stand in arms,

To prove, by heaven's grace, and my body's valour,
In lists, on Thomas Mowbray duke of Norfolk,
That he's a traitor, foul and dangerous,

To God of heaven, king Richard, and to me;
And, as I truly fight, defend me heaven!

Mar. On pain of death, no person be so bold,
Or daring-hardy, as to touch the lists;

Except the marshal, and such officers
Appointed to direct these fair designs.

Boling. Lord marshal, let me kiss my sovereign's hand,

And bow my knee before his majesty:

For Mowbray, and myself, are like two men

That vow a long and weary pilgrimage;

entered the lists first; and this indeed must have been the regular method of the combat, for the natural order of things requires that the accuser should be at the place of appointment first.-STEEVENS.

'Then let us take a ceremonious leave,

And loving farewell, of our several friends.

Mar. The appellant in all duty greets your highness, And craves to kiss your hand, and take his leave.

K. Rich. We will descend, and fold him in our arms. Cousin of Hereford, as thy cause is right,

So be thy fortune in this royal fight!

Farewell, my blood; which if to-day thou shed,
Lament we may, but not revenge thee dead.

Boling. O, let no noble eye profane a tear,
For me, if I be gor'd with Mowbray's spear;
As confident, as in the falcon's flight
Against a bird, do I with Mowbray fight.-

My loving lord, [to Lord Marshal,] I take my leave of
Of you my noble cousin, lord Aumerle :-

Not sick, although I have to do with death;
But lusty, young, and cheerly drawing breath.
Lo, as at English feasts, so I regreet

[you;

[to GAUNT.

The daintiest last to make the end most sweet:
O thou, the early author of my blood,-
Whose youthful spirit, in me regenerate,
Doth with a two-fold vigour lift me up
To reach at victory above my head,-
Add proof unto mine armour with thy prayers;
And with thy blessings steel my lance's point,
That it may enter Mowbray's waxen coat,"
And furbish new the name of John of Gaunt,

Even the lusty 'haviour of his son.

Gaunt. Heaven in thy good cause make thee prosBe swift like lightning in the execution;

And let thy blows, doubly redoubled,

Fall like amazingh thunder on the casque

Of thy adverse pernicious enemy:

[perous!

Rouse up thy youthful blood, be valiant and live. Boling. Mine innocency, and saint George to thrive ! [He takes his seat.

waxen coat,] The object of Bolingbroke's request is, that the temper of his lance's point might as much exceed the mail of his adversary, as the iron of that mail was harder than wax.-HENLEY.

h

found.

amazing-] To amaze, in ancient language, signifies to stun, to con

Nor. [rising.] However heaven, or fortune, cast my lot,

There lives, or dies, true to king Richard's throne,

A loyal, just, and upright gentleman :

Never did captive with a freer heart

Cast off his chains of bondage, and embrace
His golden uncontroll❜d enfranchisement,
More than my dancing soul doth celebrate
This feast of battle with mine adversary.
Most mighty liege-and my companion peers,→
As gentle and as jocund, as to jest,i

Go I to fight; Truth hath à quiet breast.

K. Rich. Farewell, my lord: securely I espy Virtue with valour couched in thine eye. inte Order the trial marshal, and begin.

[The King and the Lords return to their seats. Mar. Harry of Hereford, Lancaster, and Derby, Receive thy lance; and God defend the right!

Boling. [rising.] Strong as a tower in hope, I cry

amen..

Mar. Go bear this lance [to an Officer,] to Thomas duke of Norfolk.

1 Her. Harry of Hereford, Lancaster, and Derby, Stands here for God, his sovereign, and himself,

On pain to be found false and recreant,

To prove the duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray,
A traitor to his God, his king, and him,

And dares him to set forward to the fight.

2 Her. Here standeth Thomas Mowbray, duke of Nor

On pain to be found false and recreant,
Both to defend himself, and to approve
Henry of Hereford, Lancaster, and Derby,
To God, his sovereign, and to him, disloyal;
Courageously, and with a free desire,

Attending but the signal to begin.

[folk,

Mar. Sound trumpets; and set forward, combatants.

[A Charge sounded.

Stay, the king hath thrown his warder' down.

iAs gentle and as jocund, as to jest,] To jest sometimes signifies in the old language to play a part in a mask.-FARMER.

k

hath thrown his warder-] A warder appears to have been a kind of

[spears,

K. Rich. Let them lay by their helmets and their And both return back to their chairs again: Withdraw with us :-and let the trumpet sound, While we return these dukes what we decree.—

Draw near

[A long flourish.

[to the Combatants.

And list, what with our counsel we have done.

For that our kingdom's earth should not be soil'd
With that dear blood which it hath fostered;
And for our eyes do hate the dire aspéct

Of civil wounds plough'd up with neighbours' swords; ['And for we think the eagle-winged pride

Of sky-aspiring and ambitious thoughts,
With rival-hating envy, set you on

To wake our peace, which in our country's cradle
Draws the sweet infant breath of gentle sleep ;]
Which so rous'd up with boisterous untun'd drums,
With harsh resounding trumpets' dreadful bray,
And grating shock of wrathful iron arms,
Might from our quiet confines fright fair peace,
And make us wade even in our kindred's blood;-
Therefore, we banish you our territories :-
You, cousin Hereford, upon pain of death,
Till twice five summers have enrich'd our fields,

Shall not regreet our fair dominions,

But tread the stranger paths of banishment.

Boling. Your will be done: This must my comfort

be,

That sun, which warms you here, shall shine on me ;
And those his golden beams to you here lent,

Shall point on me, and gild my banishment.

K. Rich. Norfolk, for thee remains a heavier doom, Which I with some unwillingness pronounce:

The sly-slow hours shall not determinate

The dateless limit of thy dear exile ;

truncheon carried by the person who presided at these single combats.STEEVENS.

1 And for we think the eagle-winged pride, &c.] These five verses are omitted in some editions, and restored from the first of 1598.-POPE.

m

sly-slow hours-] This is the old reading in all the copies. Pope reected this epithet, which he arbitrarily changed for fly-slow.

The hopeless word of-never to return

Breathe I against thee, upon pain of life.

Nor. A heavy sentence, my most sovereign liege,
And all unlook'd for from your highness' mouth:
A dearer merit," not so deep a maim

As to be cast forth in the common air,

Have I deserved at your highness' hand.
The language I have learn'd these forty years,
My native English, now I must forego;
And now my tongue's use is to me no more,
Than an unstringed viol, or a harp;
Or like a cunning instrument cas'd up,
Or, being open, put into his hands

That knows no touch to tune the harmony.
Within my mouth you have engaol'd my tongue,
Doubly portcullis'd, with my teeth, and lips;
And dull, unfeeling, barren ignorance
Is made my gaoler to attend on me.
I am too old to fawn upon a nurse,
Too far in years to be a pupil now;

What is thy sentence then but speechless death,
Which robs my tongue from breathing native breath?
K. Rich. It boots thee not to be compassionate;°·
After our sentence plaining comes too late.

Nor. Then thus I turn me from my country's light, To dwell in solemn shades of endless night. [Retiring. K. Rich. Return again, and take an oath with thee. Lay on our royal sword your banish'd hands; Swear by the duty that you owe to heaven, (Our part therein we banish with yourselves,P). To keep the oath that we administer :You never shall (so help you truth and heaven!) Embrace each other's love in banishment;

Nor never look upon each other's face;

n dearer merit,] Merit is here used in the sense of reward: in the same manner, Shakspeare frequently uses meed in the sense of merit.-M. MASON.

compassionate ;]-for plaintive.

P (Our part, &c.] It is a question much debated amongst the writers of the law of nations, whether a banished man may be still tied in his allegiance to the state which sent him into exile. Tully and lord chancellor Clarendon declare for the affirmative: Hobbes and Puffendorf hold the negative. Our author, by this line, seems to be of the same opinion.—WARBURTON.