North. Nay, fpeak thy mind; and let him ne'er | We three are but thyfelf; and, speaking fo,

fpeak more,

That fpeaks thy words again, to do thee harm!
Willo. Tends that thou'dft fpeak, to the duke of
Hereford?

If it be fo, out with it boldly, man}

Quick is mine ear, to hear of good towards him.
Refs. No good at all, that I can do for him;
Unless you call it good, to pity him,

Bereft and gelded of his patrimony.

Thy words are but as thoughts; therefore, be bold,
North. Then thus :-I have from Port le Blanc,
In Britany, receiv'd intelligence,

[a bay
That Harry Hereford, Reignold Lord Cobham,
That late broke from the duke of Exeter 2;
His brother, archbishop late 3 of Canterbury,
Sir Thomas Erpingham, Sir John Ramston,
Sir John Norbery, Sir Robert Waterton, and
Francis Quoint,-

North. Now, afore heaven, 'tis fhame fuch All thefe, well furnih'd by the duke of Bretagne,

wrongs are borne,

In him a royal prince, and many more
Of noble blood in this declining land.
The king is not himself, but bafely led
By flatterers; and what they will inform,
Merely in hate, 'gainst any of us all,
That will the king feverely profecute
'Gainft us, our lives, our children, and our heirs.
Rojs. The commons hath he pill'd with griev-

ous taxes,

And quite loft their hearts; the nobles he hath fin'd
For ancient quarrels, and quite loft their hearts.

Willo. And daily new exactions are devis'd;
As-blanks, benevolences, and I wot not what :
But what, o' God's name, doth become of this?
North. War hath not wafted it, for warr'd he
hath not,

But bafely yielded upon compromise

That which his ancestors atchiev'd with blows:
More hath he spent in peace, than they in wars./
Rfs. The earl of Wiltshire hath the realm in
farm.

[man. Willo. The king's grown bankrupt, like a broken North. Reproach, and diffolution, hangeth over him.

Rofs. He hath not money for these Irish wars,
His burthenous taxations notwithstanding,
But by the robbing of the banish'd duke.

[king!
North. His noble kinfman :-Moft degenerate
But, lords, we hear this fearful tempeft fing,
Yet feek no fhelter to avoid the storm:
We fee the wind fit fore upon our fails,
And yet we strike not ', but fecurely perish.
Rofs. We fee the very wreck that we must suffer;
And unavoided is the danger now,
For fuffering fo the caufes of our wreck.

North. Not fo; even through the hollow eyes
I fpy life peering: but I dare not fay, [of death,
How near the tidings of our comfort is. [doft ours.
Willo. Nay, let us fhare thy thoughts, as thou
Ref. Be confident to speak, Northumberland:

With eight tall fuips, three thousand men of war,
Are making hither with all due expedience,
And fhortly mean to touch our northern fhore:
Perhaps, they had ere this; but that they stay
The first departing of the king for Ireland.
If then we fhall thake off our flavish yoke,
Imp out our drooping country's broken wing,
Redeem from broking pawn the blemish'd crown,
Wipe off the dust that hides our fcepter's gilt,
And make high majesty look like itself.
Away, with me, in poft to Ravenspurg :
But if you faint, as fearing to do fo,
Stay, and be fecret, and myfelf will go.
Rofs. To horfe, to horfe! urge doubts to them

Enter Queen, Buffy, and Bagot.
Buhy. Madam, your majefty is much too fad:
You promis'd, when you parted with the king,
To lay afide life-harming heavinefs,
And entertain a chearful difpofition.

Queen. To please the king I did; to please myself,
I cannot do it; yet I know no caufe
Why I should welcome fuch a gueft as grief,
Save bidding farewel to fo fweet a guest
As my fweet Richard: Yet again, methinks,
Some unborn forrow, ripe in fortune's womb,
Is coming toward me; and my inward foul
With nothing trembles: at fomething it grieves,
More than with parting from my lord the king.

Bushy. Each fubftance of a grief hath twenty

fhadows,

Which fhew like grief itself, but are not so :
For forrow's eye, glazed with blinding tears,
Divides one thing entire to many objects;
Like perfpectives, which, rightly gaz'd upon,
Shew nothing but confufion; ey'd awry,

To frike the fails, is, to contract them. 2 Mr. Steevens obferves, that this circumftance, of having broke from the duke of Exeter, applies folely to Thomas Arundel, fon and heir to the earl of Arundel who was beheaded in this reign; and from thence conjectures, that a line is loft, in which his name had originally a place. The archbishop next mentioned, was uncle to this young lord, though Shakspeare mistakenly calls him his brother. 3 Having been deprived by the pope of his fee, at the request of the king. 4 This expreffion is borrowed from falconry. Toimp a hawk, was to fupply fuch wing-feathers as dropped, or were forced out by any accident. 5 Warburton fays this is a fine fimilitude, and the thing meant is this; "Amongit mathematical recreations, there is one in optics, in which a figure is drawn, wherein all the rules of perspective are inverted: fo that, if held in the fame pofition with thofe pictures which are drawn according to the rules of perspective, it can prefent nothing but confufion: and to be feen in form, and under a regular appearance, it must be Jooked upon from a contrary ftation; or, as Shakipcare fays, ey'd awry."

Diftingui

Diftinguish form: fo your fweet majesty,
Looking awry upon your lord's departure,
Finds thapes of grief, more than himself, to wail;
Which, look'd on as it is, is nought but shadows
Of what it is not. Then, thrice gracious queen,
More than your lord's departure weep not; more's
not feen:

Or if it be, 'tis with falfe forrow's eye,
Which, for things true, weeps things imaginary.
Queen. It may be fo; but yet my inward foul
Pertuades me, it is otherwife: Howe'er
I cannot but be fad; fo heavy fad,

Queen. Now God in heaven forbid! Green. O, madam, 'tis tootrue; and that is worfe,-- Go, fellow, get thee home, provide fome carts, The lord Northumberland, his young fon Henry

I i. e. drawn it back. 2 The lordship of Plafhy was a town of the dutchefs of Glofter's in Effex. 3 i, e. difloyalty, treachery.

Fe 4

Baget. And that's the wavering commons: for To offer service to the duke of Hereford;

And fent me o'er by Berkley, to discover
What power the duke of York had levy'd there;
Then with direction to repair to Ravenspurg.

North. Have you forgot the duke of Hereford,
boy?

Percy. No, my good lord; for that is not forgot, Which ne'er I did remember: to my knowledge, I never in my life did look on him.

North. Then learn to know him now; this is

Percy. My gracious lord, I tender you my service,
Such as it is, being tender, raw, and young;
Which elder days fhell ripen and confirm
To more approved fervice and defert.

Boling. I thank thee, gentle Percy: and be fure,
I count myfelf in nothing elfe fo Lappy,
As in a foul remembring my good friends;
And, as my fortune ripens with thy love,
It shall be still thy true love's recompence:
My heart this covenant makes, my hand thus feals it.
North. How far is it to Berkley? And what stir
Keeps good old York there, with his men of war?
Percy. There ftands the castle, by yon tuft of

He was not fo refolv'd, when last we fpake together.
Percy. Because your lord p was proclaimed 1ork. Shew me thy humble heart, and not thy
But he, my lord, is gone to Ravenfpurg, [traitor. Whofe duty is deceivable and falfe.

Meaning, perhaps, the time of the king's abfence.

Baling. My gracious uncle !

York. Tut, tut!

Grace me no grace, nor uncle me no uncle :
I am no traitor's uncle; and that word-grace,
In an ungracious mouth, is but prophane.
Why have thofe banish'd and forbidden legs
Dar'd once to touch a duft of England's ground?
But more than why,Why have they dar'd

to march

So many miles upon her peaceful bofom;
Frighting her pale-fac'd villages with war,
And oftentation of despised arms?

Com'it thou because the anointed king is hence?
Why, foolish boy, the king is left behind,
And in my loyal bofom lies his power.
Were I but now the lord of fuch hot youth,
As when brave Gaunt, thy father, and myself,
Refcu'd the Black Prince, that young Mars of men,
From forth the ranks of many thousand French;
Oh, then, how quickly fhould this arm of mine,
Now prifoner to the palfy, chaftife thee,
And minifter correction to thy fault!
Boling. My gracious uncle, let me know my fault;
On what condition ftands it, and wherein ?
York. Even in condition of the worst degree,-
In grofs rebellion, and detefted treafon :
Thou art a banish'd man, and here art come,
Before the expiration of thy time,
In braving arms against thy fovereign.

But in this kind to come, in braving arms,
Be his own carver, and cut out his way,
To find out right with wrong,-it may not be ;
And you, that do abet him in this kind,
Cherish rebellion, and are rebels all.

North. The noble duke hath fworn, his coming is
But for his own; and, for the right of that,
We all have ftrongly worn to give him aid;
And let him ne'er fee joy, that breaks that oath.

Tork. Well, well, I fee the inlue of thefe arms;
I cannot mend it, I muft needs confefs,
Because my power is weak, and all ill left:
But, if I could, by Him that gave me life,
I would attach you all, and make you stoop.
Unto the fovereign mercy of the king;
But, face I cannot, be it known to you,
I do remain as neuter. So, fare you well;-
Unless you please to enter in the caftle,
And there repofe you for this night.

Boling. An offer, uncle, that we will accept.
But we muft win your grace, to go with us
To Briftol caftle; which, they fay, is held
By Buthy, Bagot, and their complices,
The caterpillars of the commonwealth,
Which I have fworn to weed, and pluck away.
York. It may be, I will go with you :—but yet
I'll paufe ;

For I am loth to break our country's laws.
[ford; Nor friends, nor foes, to me welcome you are:
Here-Things paft redreís, are now with me paft care.
[Excunt,

Boling. As I was banish'd, I was banish'd
But as I come, I come for Lancafter.
And, noble uncle, I befeech your grace,
Look on my wrongs with an indifferent eye:
You are my father, for, methinks, in you
I fee old Gaunt alive; O, then, my father!
Will you permit that I fhall stand condemn'd
A wand'ring vagabond; my rights and royalties
Pluck'd from my arms perforce, and given away
To upftart unthrifts? Wherefore was I born?
If that my coufin king be king of England,
It must be granted, I am duke of Lancaster.
You have a fon, Aumerle, my noble kinfman;
Had you first dy'd, and he been thus trod down,
He fhould have found his uncle Gaunt a father,
To roufe his wrongs, and chafe thein to the bay.
I am deny'd to fue my livery here,
And yet my letters-patents give me leave:
My father's goods are all diftrain'd, and fold:
And there, and all, are all amifs employ'd.
What would you have me do? I am a fubject,
And challenge law: Attornies are deny'd me;
And therefore perfonally I lay my claim
To my inheritance of free defcent.

[abus'd.

2 SCENE IV.
In Wales.

Enter Salfoury, and a Captain.

Cap. My lord of Salibury, we have staid ten days,.
And hardly kept our countrymen together,
And yet we hear no tidings from the king;
Therefore we will difperfe ourselves: farewel.

Sal. Stay yet another day, thou trufty Welshman;
The king repofeth all his confidence in thee. [itay.
Cap. 'Tis thought, the king is dead; we will not
The bay-trees in our country all are wither'd,
And meteors fright the fixed stars of heaven :
The pale-fac'd moon looks bloody on the earth,
And lean-look'd prophets whifper fearful change;
Rich men look fad, and ruffians dance and leap,-
The one, in fear to lofe what they enjoy,
The other, to enjoy by rage and war :
Thefe figns forerun the death of kings-
Farewel; our countrymen are gone and Aed,
As well affur'd, Richard their king is dead. [Exit.
Sal. Ah, Richard! with eyes of heavy mind,

North. The noble duke hath been too much I fee thy glory, like a thooting star,
Rofs. It ftands your grace upon, to do him right. Fall to the bafe earth from the firmament!
Willo. Bafe men by his endowments are made Thy fun fets weeping in the lowly weft,
great.
Witneffing storms to come, woe, and unrest :
Thy friends are fled, to wait upon thy foes;
And crossly to thy good all fortune goes.

York. My lords of England, let me tell you this,--
I have had feeling of my coufin's wrongs,
And labour'd all I could to do him right:

[Exeunt.

1 On for in. 2 Dr. Johnfon conjectures that this dialogue was probably the fecond fenc in the enfuing Act, and advifes the reader to infert it there.

ACT

SCENE

I.

Bolingbroke's Camp at Bristol.

Enter Bolingbroke, York, Northumberland, Refs, Percy,
Willoughby, with Bugby and Green, prijaners.

Beling. Buhy, and Green, I will not vex your

DRING forth these men.

fouls

(Since prefently your fouls must part your bodies)
With too much urging your pernicious lives,
For 'twere no charity: yet to wath your blood
From off my hands, here, in the view of men,
1 will unfold fome caufes of your death.
You have mifled a prince, a royal king,
A happy gentleman in blood and lineaments,
By you unhappy'd and disfigur'd clean.

You have, in manner, with your finful hours,
Made a divorce betwixt his queen and him;
Broke the polletion of a royal bed,

And ftain'd the beauty of a fair queen's cheeks
With tears drawn from her eyes by your foul

wrongs.

Myfelf-a prince, by fortune of my birth;
Near to the king in blood; and near in love,
"Till you did make him misinterpret me,————
Have ftoop'd my neck under your injuries,
And figh'd my English breath in foreign clouds,
Eating the bitter bread of banishment:
Whilft you have fed upon my fignories,
Difpark'd my parks, and fell'd my forest woods;
From mine own windows torn my houfhold coat 2,
Raz'd out my imprefs 3, leaving me no fign,-
Save men's opinions, and my living blood,—
To fhew the world I am a gentleman.
This, and much more, much more than twice all this,
Condemns you to the death:-See them deliver'd

over

To execution and the hand of death.

[me, Busby. More welcome is the stroke of death to Than Bolingbroke to England.-Lords, farewel. Green. My comfort is, that heaven will take our fouls,

And plague injuftice with the pains of hell.

SS CENE II.
The coast of Wales. A caftle in view.
Flourife: drums and trumpets.

Enter King Richard, Aumerle, Bishop of Carlisle,
and foldiers.

K. Rib. Barkloughly caftle call you this at hand?
Aum. Yea, my lord: How brooks your grace
the air,

After your late tofling on the breaking feas ?
K. Rich. Needs mutt I like it well; I weep
for joy,

To ftand upon my kingdom once again.
Dear earth, I do falute thee with my hand,
Though rebels wound thee with their horfes' hoofs:
As a long-parted mother with her child
Plays fondly with her tears, and smiles in meeting;
So, weeping, fmiling, greet I thee, my earth,
And do thee favour with my royal hands.
Feed not thy fovereign's foe, my gentle earth,
Nor with thy fweets comfort his rav'nous fente:
But let thy fpiders, that fuck up thy venom,
And heavy-gaited toads, lie in their way;
Doing annoyance to the treacherous feet,
Which with ufurping fteps do trample thee:
Yield stinging nettles to mine enemies :
And when they from thy bofom pluck a flower,
Guard it, I pray thee, with a lurking adder;
Whole double tongue may with a mortal touch
Throw death upon thy fovereign's enemies.-
Mock not my fenfeless conjuration, lords:
This earth fhall have a feeling, and thefe itones
Prove armed foldiers, ere her native king
Shall faulter under foul rebellious arms.

Bifhep. Fear not, my lord; that Power, that
made you king,

Hath power to keep you king, in fpight of all.
The means that heaven yields must be embrac'd,
And not neglected; elfe, if heaven would,
And we would not heaven's offer, we refufe
The proffer'd means of fuccour and redress.

Aum. He means, my lord, that we are too remifs;

Baling. My lord Northumberland, fee them dif- Whilft Bolingbroke, through our fecurity,

patch'd.

Uncle, you fay, the queen is at your houfe;
For heaven's fake, fairly let her be entreated:
Tell her, I fend to her my kind commends;
Take fpecial care my greetings be deliver'd.

York. A gentleman of mine I have difpatch'd
With letters of your love to her at large.
Boling. Thanks, gentle uncle.-Come, lords,

Grows ftrong and great, in fubftance, and in friends.

K. Rich. Discomfortable coufin! know'ft thou not,
That, when the searching eye of heaven is hid
Behind the globe, and lights the lower world,
Then thieves and robbers range abroad unfeen,
In murders, and in outrage, bloody here;
But when, from under this terrestrial ball,
He fires the proud tops of the eastern pines,
And darts his light through every guilty hole,
Then murders, treasons, and detefted fins, [backs,
The cloak of night being pluck'd from off their

1 To difpark is to throw down the hedges of an enclosure. 2 It was then the practice to anneal the arms of the family in the windows of the house. 3 The imprefs was a device or motto. 4 Theobald is of opinion (and we think his reafons for thinking fo are juft), that this line is an interpolation. 5 Here Dr. Johnlon thinks, may be properly inferted the laft fcene of the fecond Act.

Stand