And furbish new the name of John a Gaunt,

Even in the lusty haviour of his son.

Gaunt. God in thy good cause make thee prosperous!

Be swift like lightning in the execution;

And let thy blows, doubly redoubled,

80

Fall like amazing thunder on the casque

Of thy adverse pernicious enemy:

Rouse up thy youthful blood, be valiant and live.

Boling. Mine innocency and Saint George to thrive!
Mow. However God or fortune cast my lot,

85

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,
Take from my mouth the wish of happy years:
As gentle and as jocund as to jest

Go I to fight: truth hath a quiet breast.

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

Mar. Harry of Hereford, Lancaster and Derby,
Receive thy lance; and God defend the right!
Boling. Strong as a tower in hope, I cry amen.

Mar. Go bear this lance to Thomas, Duke of Norfolk. First 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..

Sec. Her. Here standeth Thomas Mowbray, Duke of

Norfolk,

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.

Mar. Sound, trumpets; and set forward, combatants.

[A charge sounded.

Stay, the king hath thrown his warder down.

K. Rich. Let them lay by their helmets and their

spears,

And both return back to their chairs again:
Withdraw with us: and let the trumpets sound

While we return these dukes what we decree.

Draw near,

[A long flourish.

And list what with our council 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 aspect

Of civil wounds plough'd up with neighbours' sword;
And for we think the eagle-winged pride
Of sky-aspiring and ambitious thoughts,

130

With rival-hating envy, set on you

To wake our peace, which in our country's cradle
Draws the sweet infant breath of gentle sleep;

Which so roused up with boisterous untuned drums,
With harsh-resounding trumpets' dreadful bray,

135

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 life,

140

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 that 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,

145

135.

136.

With] And Pope.
wrathful iron] harsh resound-

ing Qr

Mow. A heavy sentence, my most sovereign liege,

And all unlook'd for from your highness' mouth:

155

A dearer merit, not so deep a maim

As to be cast forth in the common air,

Have I deserved at your highness' hands.

The language I have learn'd these forty years,
My native English, now I must forego:

160

And now my tongue's use is to me no more
Than an unstringed viol or a harp;

Or like a cunning instrument cased up,

Or, being open, put into his hands

That knows no touch to tune the harmony:

165

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.

Mow. Then thus I turn me from my country's light,

150. sly slow] slie slow Q,Q2Q3Q4• slye slow F1Q5F3F4. flye slow F2. flyslow Pope. sly-slow Malone. slideslow Keightley conj. See note (XI). 151. dear] drear Anon. conj. 153. life] death Anon. conj. 156. merit, not] mede, and not Johnson conj.

159. learn'd] FfQs. learnt Q.Q2 learnd Q3Q4.

166-169. Within...on me] Put in the margin as spurious by Pope.

166. engaol'd] F,F2Q5. engaold QQ ingayld Q3Q4. engoal'd F3F4. 167. portcullis'd] portculist Q. portcullist Q percullist Q3Q4F1F2 F3. purcullist Q5. percullis'd F4.

169. gaoler] Q.Q2F,F2Q5. Tayler Q3Q4. goaler F3F4·

172.

174.

then] FfQ5. om. Q,Q2Q3Q4• be compassionate] be so passionate Singer. become passionate Grant White (Theobald conj.).

175. too] to F2.

170

175

To dwell in solemn shades of endless night.

K. Rich. Return again, and take an oath with thee.

Our part therein we banish with yourselves-
To keep the oath that we administer:

You never shall, so help you truth and God!
Embrace each other's love in banishment;
Nor never look upon each other's face;
Nor never write, regreet, nor reconcile

185

This louring tempest of your home-bred hate;
Nor never by advised purpose meet
To plot, contrive, or complot any ill

'Gainst us, our state, our subjects, or our land. Boling. I swear.

190

Mow. And I, to keep all this.

Boling. Norfolk, so far as to mine enemy:

By this time, had the king permitted us,
One of our souls had wander'd in the air,
Banish'd this frail sepulchre of our flesh,
As now our flesh is banish'd from this land:
Confess thy treasons ere thou fly the realm;
Since thou hast far to go, bear not along
The clogging burthen of a guilty soul.

Mow. No, Bolingbroke: if ever I were traitor,
My name be blotted from the book of life,

177. solemn] sullen S. Walker conj.

178. thee] ye Rowe.

180. you owe] FfQ5. y' owe QiQ2 Q3Q4

180, 183, 204. God] QxQzQ3Q4 heaven FfQ5.

183. never] ueuer F1.

185, 186, 188. never] Q1Q2Q3Q4 ever FfQ5.

186. write, regreet] write; regreete Q3Q4. writ, regreet Q5. write regrect

Delius.

nor] QiQ2Q3Q4. or FfQ5. 187. louring] lowring Q.Q2FfQ5.

louing Q3Q4.

189. plot...complot] plot...compass
or plan...complot Keightley conj.
191. swear] swear, my liege Sey-
mour conj.

192. [Kissing the King's sword.
Collier (Collier MS.).

193. far] F4 fare Q1Q2Q3Q4F..
farre F2Q5F3.

enemy:-] Theobald. enemy:
QIQ2 enemie: Q3Q4. enemie, F1F....
enemy, Q5F3. enemy F4. enemy:-
[in salutation] Hanmer. A line omit-
ted. Anon. conj.

198. the] QQ2Q3Q4. this FfQ5.

195

200