There is my Gage, Aumerle, in gage to thine.
By that fair Sun, that fhews me where thou stand'st,
I heard thee fay, and vauntingly thou fpak'ft it,
That thou wert caufe of noble Glofter's death.
If thou deny'ft it, twenty times thou lieft;
And I will turn thy falfhood to thy heart,
Where it was forged, with my rapier's point'.
Aum. Thou dar'ft not, coward, live to fee the day.
Fitzw. Now, by my foul, I would it were this hour,
Aum. Fitzwater, thou art damn'd to hell for this.
Percy. Aumerle, thou lieft; his honour is as true,
In this appeal, as thou art all unjust;
And that thou art fo, there I throw my Gage
To prove it on thee, to th' extreameft point
Of mortal breathing. Seize it, if thou dar'ft.
Aum. And if I do not, may my hands rot off,
And never brandifh more revengeful steel
Over the glittering helmet of my foe.

* Another Lord. I take the earth to the like, forfworn Aumerle,

And fpur thee on with full as many lies

As may be hollow'd in thy treach'rous ear
From fin to fin. Here is my honour's pawn,

Engage it to the tryal, if thou darʼst.

Aum. Who fets me elfe? by heav'n, I'll throw at all.

I have a thousand fpirits in my breaft,

To answer twenty thoufand fuch as you,

Surry. My Lord Fitzwater, I remember well

The very time Aumerle and you did talk.

Fitzw. My Lord, 'tis true; you were in prefence then;

my rapier's point.] Shakespeare deferts the manners of the age in which his drama is placed very often, without neceffity or advantage. The edge of a fword had ferved his purpofe as well as the point of a rapier, and he had then efcaped the impropriety of giving the English nobles a weapon which

was not feen in England till two centuries afterwards.

*This fpeech I have restored from the first edition in humble imitation of former editors, though, I believe, against the mind of the authour. For the earth I fuppofe we should read, thy oath.

And

And you can witness with me, this is true.

Surry, As falfe, by heav'n, as heav'n itself is true. Fitzw. Surry, thou lieft.

Surry. Dishonourable boy,

That Lie fhall lye fo heavy on my fword,
That it fhall render vengeance and revenge,
Till thou the lie-giver, and that Lie, rest
In earth as quiet, as thy father's fcull.

In proof whereof, there is mine honour's pawn;
Engage it to the tryal, if thou darʼst.

Fitz. How fondly doft thou fpur a forward horse? If I dare eat, or drink, or breathe, or live,

2 I dare meet Surry in a wilderness,

And fpit upon him, whilft I fay, he lies,
And lies, and lies. There is my bond of faith,
To tie thee to my ftrong correction.
As I intend to thrive 3 in this new world,
Aumerle is guilty of my true appeal.
Befides I heard the banifh'd Norfolk say,
That thou, Aumerle, didft fend two of thy men
To execute the noble Duke at Calais.

Aum. Some honest christian truft me with a gage,
That Norfolk lies. Here do I throw down this,
If he may be repeal'd, to try his honour.

Boling. Thefe Diff'rences fhall all reft under gage, Till Norfolk be repeal'd; repeal'd he shall be, And, though mine enemy, reftor'd again To all his Signiories; when he's return'd, Against Aumerle we will enforce his tryal. Carl. That honourable day fhall ne'er be feen. Many a time hath banish'd Norfolk fought For Jefu Christ, in glorious christian field

2 I dare meet Surry in a wilderness.] I dare meet him where no Help can be had by me against him. So in Macbeth, O be alive again, And dare me to the defert with thy fword.

3 In this new world,] In this world where I have just begun to be an actor. Surry has, a few Lines above, called him boy.

Stream

Streaming the Enfign of the chriftian Crofs,
Againft black Pagans, Turks, and Saracens :
Then, toil'd with works of war, retir'd himfelf
To Italy, and there at Venice gave

His body to that pleafant Country's earth,
And his pure foul unto his captain Christ,
Under whofe Colours he had fought fo long.
Boling. Why, Bifhop, is Norfolk dead?
Carl. Sure as I live, my lord.

Boling. Sweet peace conduct his foul
To th' bofom of good Abraham!-Lords appealants,
Your diff'rences fhall all reft under gage,

Till we affign you to your days of tryal.

York. Great Duke of Lancaster, I come to thee
From plume-pluckt Richard, who with willing foul
Adopts thee Heir, and his high Scepter yields
To the Poffeffion of thy royal hand.

Afcend his Throne, defcending now from him,
And long live Henry, of that name the Fourth!
Boling. In God's name, I'll afcend the regal throne,
Carl. Marry, heav'n forbid!

as Lids fo I
Worst in this royal prefence may I fpeak, // de
* Yet best befeeming me to fpeak the truth.is
Would God, that any in this noble prefence Lige 10
Were enough noble to be upright judge picvIA
Of noble Richard; then true Noblenefs would.
Learn him forbearance from fo foul a wrong.
What Subject can give Sentence on his King?
And who fits here, that is not Richard's Subject?
Thieves are not judg'd, but they are by to hear,
Although apparent Guilt be feen in them.

4 Yet beft befeeming me to speak the truth.

the truth.] It might be. But I do not think it is printed, otherwife than as Shakespeare QUIT

read more grammatically,

L

Yet beft befeems it me to peak

wrote it.

And

And fhall the Figure of God's Majefty,
His Captain, Steward, Deputy elect,
Anointed, crown'd, and planted many years,
Be judg'd by fubject and inferior breath,
And he himself not prefent? oh, forbid it!
That, in a chriftian climate, fouls refin'd
Should fhew fo heinous, black, obscene a deed.
I speak to Subjects, and a Subject speaks,
Stirr'd up by heav'n, thus boldly for his King.
My lord of Hereford here, whom you call King,
Is a foul traitor to proud Hereford's King.
And if you crown him, let me prophefie,
The blood of English fhall manure the ground,
And future ages groan for this foul act.
Peace fhall go fleep with Turks and Infidels,
And in this feat of peace, tumultuous wars
Shall kin with kin, and kind with kind, confound.
Disorder, horror, fear and mutiny

Shall here inhabit, and this Land be call'd
The field of Golgotha, and dead men's fculls.
Oh, if you rear this house against this houfe,
It will the wofulleft divifion prove,

That ever fell upon this curfed earth.
Prevent, refift it, let it not be fo,

Left children's children cry against you, woe.
North. Well have you argu'd, Sir; and for your

pains,

Of capital treafon we arreft you here.

My lord of Westminster, be it your charge,
To keep him fafely till his day of trial.

And fhall the figure, &c.] Here is another proof that our authour did not learn in King James's court his elevated notions of the right of kings. I know not any flatterer of the Stuarts who has expreffed this doctrine in much ftronger terms.

May't

May't please you, lords, to grant the Common's fuit? Boling. Fetch hither Richard, that in common view He may furrender. So we fhall proceed

Without fufpicion.

York. I will be his conduct.

[Exit.

Boling. Lords, you that here are under our Arrest, Procure your fureties for your days of answer. Little are we beholden to your love,

And little look'd for at your helping hands.

SCENE III.

Enter King Richard, and York.

K. Rich. Alack, why am I fent for to a King, Before I have hook off the regal thoughts Wherewith I reign'd? I hardly yet have learn'd T' infinuate, flatter, bow, and bend my knee. Give forrow leave a-while, to tutor me

To this fubmiffion. Yet I well remember
7 The favours of thefe men were they not mine?
Did they not fometime cry, all hail! to me?

So Judas did to Chrift; but he, in twelve,
Found truth in all, but one; I, in twelve thoufand,

none.

God fave the King!-will no man fay, Amen?

Am I both priest and clerk? well then, Amen.
God fave the King, although I be not he;
And yet, Amen, if heav'n do think him me.
To do what fervice, am I fent for hither?
York. To do that office of thine own good will,
Which tired Majefty did make thee offer,
The Refignation of thy State and Crown.

cefs of dethroning and debafing
King Richard, was added after
the first edition of 1598, and
before the fecond of 1615.
Part of the addition is proper,
and part might have been for-

born without much lofs. The authour, I fuppofe, intended to make a very moving scene.

7 The favours.] The countenances; the features.

K. Rich,