King Richard the Second ebook

Contents

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

ACT 1

SCENE I. London. A Room in the palace.

SCENE II. The same. A room in the DUKE OF LANCASTER'S palace.

SCENE III. Open Space, near Coventry.

SCENE IV. London. A Room in the King's Castle

ACT 2

SCENE I. London. An Apartment in Ely House.

SCENE II. The Same. A Room in the Castle.

SCENE III. The Wolds in Gloucestershire.

SCENE IV. A camp in Wales.

ACT 3

SCENE I. Bristol. BOLINGBROKE'S camp.

SCENE II. The coast of Wales. A castle in view.

SCENE III. Wales. Before Flint Castle.

SCENE IV. Langley. The DUKE OF YORK's garden.

ACT 4

SCENE I. Westminster Hall.

ACT 5

SCENE I. London. A street leading to the Tower.

SCENE II. The same. A room in the DUKE OF YORK's palace.

SCENE III. Windsor. A room in the Castle.

SCENE IV. Another room in the Castle.

SCENE V. Pomfret. The dungeon of the Castle.

SCENE VI. Windsor. An Apartment in the Castle.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

KING RICHARD THE SECOND

JOHN OF GAUNT, Duke of Lancaster - uncle to the King

EDMUND LANGLEY, Duke of York - uncle to the King

HENRY, surnamed BOLINGBROKE, Duke of Hereford, son of

John of Gaunt, afterwards King Henry IV

DUKE OF AUMERLE, son of the Duke of York

THOMAS MOWBRAY, Duke of Norfolk

DUKE OF SURREY

EARL OF SALISBURY

LORD BERKELEY

BUSHY - Servant to King Richard

BAGOT - Servant to King Richard

GREEN - Servant to King Richard

EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND

HENRY PERCY, surnamed Hotspur, his son

LORD ROSS

LORD WILLOUGHBY

LORD FITZWATER

BISHOP OF CARLISLE

ABBOT OF WESTMINSTER

LORD MARSHAL

SIR PIERCE OF EXTON

SIR STEPHEN SCROOP

Captain of a band of Welshmen

QUEEN TO KING RICHARD

DUCHESS OF GLOUCESTER

DUCHESS OF YORK

Lady attending on the Queen

Lords, Heralds, Officers, Soldiers, Gardeners, Keeper, Messenger, Groom, and other Attendants

SCENE: Dispersedly in England and Wales.

ACT 1

SCENE I. London. A Room in the palace

[Enter KING RICHARD, attended; JOHN OF GAUNT, with other NOBLES.]

KING RICHARD.

Old John of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster,

Hast thou, according to thy oath and band,

Brought hither Henry Hereford thy bold son,

Here to make good the boisterous late appeal,

Which then our leisure would not let us hear,

Against the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?

GAUNT.

I have, my liege.

KING RICHARD.

Tell me, moreover, hast thou sounded him

If he appeal the Duke on ancient malice,

Or worthily, as a good subject should,

On some known ground of treachery in him?

GAUNT.

As near as I could sift him on that argument,

On some apparent danger seen in him

Aim’d at your Highness, no inveterate malice.

KING RICHARD.

Then call them to our presence: face to face

And frowning brow to brow, ourselves will hear

The accuser and the accused freely speak.

High-stomach’d are they both and full of ire,

In rage, deaf as the sea, hasty as fire.

[Re-enter Attendants, with BOLINGBROKE and MOWBRAY.]

BOLINGBROKE.

Many years of happy days befall

My gracious sovereign, my most loving liege!

MOWBRAY.

Each day still better other’s happiness

Until the heavens, envying earth’s good hap,

Add an immortal title to your crown!

KING RICHARD.

We thank you both; yet one but flatters us,

As well appeareth by the cause you come;

Namely, to appeal each other of high treason.

Cousin of Hereford, what dost thou object

Against the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?

BOLINGBROKE.

First,–heaven be the record to my speech!–

In the devotion of a subject’s love,

Tendering the precious safety of my prince,

And free from other misbegotten hate,

Come I appellant to this princely presence.

Now, Thomas Mowbray, do I turn to thee,

And mark my greeting well; for what I speak

My body shall make good upon this earth,

Or my divine soul answer it in heaven.

Thou art a traitor and a miscreant;

Too good to be so and too bad to live,

Since the more fair and crystal 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 stuff I thy throat;

And wish, so please my sovereign, ere I move,

What my tongue speaks, my right drawn sword may prove.

MOWBRAY.

Let not my cold words here accuse my zeal:

'Tis not the trial of a woman’s war,

The bitter clamour of two eager tongues,

Can arbitrate this cause 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 hush’d and nought at all to say.

First, the fair reverence of your highness curbs me

From giving reins and spurs to my free speech;

Which else would post 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 slanderous coward and a villain:

Which to maintain, I would allow him odds

And meet him, were I tied to run afoot

Even to the frozen ridges of the Alps,

Or any other ground inhabitable,

Wherever Englishman durst set his foot.

Meantime let this defend my loyalty:

By all my hopes, most falsely doth he lie.

BOLINGBROKE.

Pale trembling coward, there I throw my gage,

Disclaiming here the kindred of the king;

And lay aside my high blood’s royalty,

Which fear, not reverence, makes thee to except:

If guilty dread have left thee so much strength

As to take up mine honour’s pawn, then stoop:

By that, and all the rites of knighthood else,

Will I make good against thee, arm to arm,

What I have spoke or thou canst worst devise.

MOWBRAY.

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