KING RICHARD

II.

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ment.

DR A MATIS PERSON Æ. KING RICHARD II.

Ross,

friends to Duke of York,

Willoughby, $ Bolingbroke. John of Gaunt, uncles to Bishop of Carlisle, friends Dukeof Lan- / the King.

Sir Stephan to King
Scroop,

Richard. Bolingbroke, fon to John of

Fitzwater,

Lords Gaunt, afterwards King Surry,

in the Henry IV.

Abbot of Westmin Aumerle, son to the Duke of

fter,

parliaYork.

Sir Pierce of Exton,
Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk.
Earl of Salisbury.

Queen to King Richard.
Lord Berkley.

Duchess of Gloucester. Bushy,

Duchess of York. fervants to King Bagot,

Ladies attending on the Richard. Green,

Queeni Earl of Northum- friends

Heralds, two Gardeners, Percy, son to Nor- (ling- Keeper, Messenger, Groom,

thumberland, broke. and other Attendants. SCENE, dispersedly, in several parts of England.

The Court. Enter King Richard, John of Gaunt, with other Nobles

and attendants. K. Rich. LD John of Gaunt, time-honour'd

Lancaster,
Hast thou, according to thy oath and

bond,
Brought hither Henry Hereford thy bold son,
Here to make good the boist'rous late appeal,
Which then our leisure would not let us hear,
Against the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?

Gaunt.

A 2

. Gaunt, I have, my Liege..en

K. Rich. Tell me moreover, haft thou founded him,
If he appeal* the Duke on ancient malice, s.
Or worthily, as a good subject should,
On some known ground of treachery in him..?

Gaunt. As near as I could fift him on that argument,
On some apparent danger seen in him
Aim'd at your Highness; no invet'rate malice.

K. Rieb. Then call them to my presence; face to face,
And frowning brow to brow, ourselves will hear
Th' accufer and th' aecused freely speak :
High-ftomach'd are they both, and full of irc;
In rage, deaf as the sea; hasty as fire:

SC. E N E

N E' II.
Enter Bolingbroke and Mowbray.
Boling. May many years of happy days befal
My gracious Sovereign, 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 crówn !

K. Rich. We thank you both, yet one but fatters us,
As well appeareth by the cause you come;
Namely, t'appeal each other of high treason.
Cousin of Hereford, what doft thou object'
Against the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?

Boling. First, (Heav'n be the record to my speech!):
In the devotion of a subject's love,
Tend'ring the precious fafety of my prince,
And free from other mitbegotten hate,
Come I appel?ant to this princely presence,
Now, Thomas Mowbray, do I turn to thee;
And mark my greeting well; for what I speak,
My body fall make good upon this earth,
Or
my

divine foul answer it in heav'n.' Thou art a traitor and a miscreant. +

Mowb.

• i.e. call, demand. challenge, from appello. Mr. Pepe. +

Mowb. Let not my cold words here accuse my zeal; Tis not the trial of a woman's war, The bitter elainour of two eager tongiles, Can arbitrate this cause betwixt us twain ; The blood is hot that must be coolid for this. Yet can I not of such tame patience boast, As to be huih’d, and nought at all to say. First, the fair rev'rence of your Highness curbs me, From giving reins and spurs to my free speech; Which else would poft, until it had return'd These terms of treason doubled down his throat. Setting aside his high blood's royalty, And let him be no kinsman to my Liege, I do defy him, and I spit at him; Call him a sland'rous coward, and a villain; Which to maintain, I would allow him odds, And meet him, were'l ty'd to run a-foot Even to the frozen ridges of the Alps, Or any other ground unhabitable, Where never Englishman durft fet his foot, Meantime, let this defend my loyalty ; By all my hopes, most falfely doth he lye.

Boling. Pale trembling coward there I throw my Disclaiming here the kindred of a King, [gage. And lay aside my high blood's royalty ; (Which fear, not rev'rence, makes thee to except): if guilty dread hath left thee so much strength, As to take up mine honour's pawn, then stoop. By that, and all the rights of knighthood else, Will I make good against thee, arm to arm, What I have spoken, or thou canst devise.

Mowb. I take it up, and by that sword I swear, Which gently laid my knighthood on my shoulder, I'll answer thee in any fair degree, Or chivalrous design of knightly trial; And when I mount, alive may I not light, If I bé traitor, or unjustly fight !

Once more, the more to agg avate the note,
Wiih a toul traitor's namt fulf I thy throat;
And with, to please my Sou'reign, ere I move,
What my to gue fpeaks, my right-drawn sword may prove.
Morb. Let got, &c.

K, Rick.

K. Rich. What doth our coufin lay to Mowbray's
It must be great, that can inhabit us [charge?
So much as of a thought of ill in him.

Boling. Look what said, my life thall prove it true,
That Mowbray hath received eight thousand nobles,
In name of lendings for your Highness' foldiers,
The which he hath detain'd for lewd employments;
Like a false traitor and injurious villain.
Besides, I say, and will in battle prove,
Or here, or elsewhere, to the furthest verge
That ever was furvey'd by English eye,
That all the treasons for thefe eighteen years,
Complotted and contrived in this land,
Fetch from false Mowbray their first head and spring.
Further, I fay, and further will maintain
Upon his bad life to make all this good,
That he did plot 'the Duke of Gloucester's death;
Suggest his foon-believing adversaries;
And consequently, like a traitor-coward,
Sluce'd out his inn'cent soul through streams of blood;
Which blood, like facrificing Abel's, cries
Even from the tongueless caverns of the earth,
To me, for justice, and rough chaitisement.
And, by the glorious worth of my descent,
This arm shall do it, or this life be spent.

K. Rich. How high a pitch his resolution foars !
Thomas of Norfolk, what say'st thou to this?

Mowb. O, let my Sovereign turn away his face,
And bid his ears a little while be deaf,
Till I have told this slander of his blood,
How God and good men hate to foul a lyar.

K. Rich. Mowbray, impartial are our eyes and cars.
Were he our brother, nay, our kingdom's heir,
As he is but our father's brother's lon;
Now by my fceptre's awe, I make a vow,
Such neighbour-nearnefs to our sacred blood
Should nothing priv'lege him, nor partialize
Th’unstooping firmness of my upright soul.
He is cur subject, Mowbray, so art thou ;
Free {peech and fearless I to thee allow.

Jomb. Then, Bolingbroke, as low as to thy heart
Through the falle palliage of thy throat thou lyelt!

Three