As bright as is the eagle's, lightens forth K. Rich. We are amaz'd; and thus long have we [To NORTHUMBERLAND. stood And though you think that all, as you have done, Her pastures' grass with faithful English blood. North. The King of heaven forbid, our lord the king Should so with civil and uncivil arms Be rush'd upon! Thy thrice-noble cousin, Harry Bolingbroke, doth humbly kiss thy hand; And by the honourable tomb he swears, That stands upon your royal grandsire's bones, K. Rich. Northumberland, say,-thus the king re turns. His noble cousin is right welcome hither; Speak to his gentle hearing kind commends. [NORTHUMBERLAND retires to Bolingbroke. We do debase ourself, cousin, [To AUMERLE.] do we not, To look so poorly, and to speak so fair? Shall we call back Northumberland, and send Defiance to the traitor, and so die? Aum. No, good my lord: let's fight with gentle words, Till time lend friends, and friends their helpful swords. K. Rich. O God! O God! that e'er this tongue of mine, 1 This swears he, as he is a prince, is just,] The correct reading of the folio. The quartos of 1597 and 1598 have," as he is a princesse just," and the quartos of 1608 and 1615," as he is a prince, just." That laid the sentence of dread banishment On yond' proud man, should take it off again Or not remember what I must be now! Swell'st thou, proud heart? I'll give thee scope to beat, Since foes have scope to beat both thee and me. Aum. Northumberland comes back from Boling broke. K. Rich. What must the king do now? Must he submit? The king shall do it. Must he be depos'd? Within the earth; and, therein laid, there lies North. My lord, in the base court he doth attend Phaeton, Wanting the manage of unruly jades. [NORTH. retires again to BOLING. In the base court? Base court, where kings grow base, To come at traitors' calls, and do them grace. In the base court? Come down? Down, court! down, king! For night-owls shriek, where mounting larks should sing. [Exeunt, from above. Sorrow and grief of heart Boling. What says his majesty? North. Makes him speak fondly, like a frantic man: Yet he is come. Enter King RICHARD, and his Attendants, below. Boling. Stand all apart, And show fair duty to his majesty.— My gracious lord,— [Kneeling. K. Rich. Fair cousin, you debase your princely knee, To make the base earth proud with kissing it: Me rather had, my heart might feel your love, Than my unpleas'd eye see your courtesy. 2 and Bolingbroke says AY.] For the rhyme we ought to read, as in the old copies, "and Bolingbroke says I," for "ay" was then almost invariably spelt with a capital I. Hundreds of instances may be found in our dramatists of the reigns of Elizabeth and James I. Up, cousin, up: your heart is up, I know, Thus high at least, although your knee be low. Boling. My gracious lord, I come but for mine own. K. Rich. Your own is yours; and I am yours, and all. Boling. So far be mine, my most redoubted lord, As my true service shall deserve your love. K. Rich. Well you deserve:-they well deserve to have, That know the strong'st and surest way to get.- K. Rich. Then, I must not say no. [Flourish. Exeunt. SCENE IV. Langley. The Duke of YORK's Garden. Enter the QUEEN, and two Ladies. Queen. What sport shall we devise here in this garden, To drive away the heavy thought of care? 1 Lady. Madam, we'll play at bowls. Queen. Twill make me think the world is full of rubs, And that my fortune runs against the bias. 1 Lady. Madam, we'll dance. Queen. My legs can keep no measure in delight, VOL. IV. N |