William Shakespeare - The Complete Works

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KING RICHARD THE SECOND Act 4 Scene 1 (Enter, as to Parliament, Bolingbroke Duke of Lancaster and Hereford, the Duke of Aumerle, the Earl of Northumberland, Harry Percy, Lord Fitzwalter, the Duke of Surrey, the Bishop of Carlisle, and the Abbot of Westminster) l1l Bolingbroke Call forth Bagot. (Enter Bagot, with officers) Now, Bagot, freely speak thy mind: l2l What thou dost know of noble GloucesterÆs death, l3l Who wrought it with the King, and who performed l4l The bloody office of his timeless end. l5l Bagot Then set before my face the Lord Aumerle. l6l Bolingbroke (to Aumerle) Cousin, stand forth, and look upon that man. (Aumerle stands forth) l7l Bagot My lord Aumerle, I know your daring tongue l8l Scorns to unsay what once it hath delivered. l9l In that dead time when GloucesterÆs death was plotted l10l I heard you say ôIs not my arm of length, l11l That reacheth from the restful English court l12l As far as Calais, to mine uncleÆs head?ö l13l Amongst much other talk that very time l14l I heard you say that you had rather refuse l15l The offer of an hundred thousand crowns l16l Than BolingbrokeÆs return to England, l17l Adding withal how blest this land would be l18l In this your cousinÆs death. Aumerle Princes and noble lords, l19l What answer shall I make to this base man? l20l Shall I so much dishonour my fair stars l21l On equal terms to give him chastisement? l22l Either I must, or have mine honour soiled l23l With the attainder of his slanderous lips. (He throws down his gage) l24l There is my gage, the manual seal of death l25l That marks thee out for hell. I say thou liest, l26l And will maintain what thou hast said is false l27l In thy heart blood, though being all too base l28l To stain the temper of my knightly sword. l29l Bolingbroke Bagot, forbear. Thou shalt not take it up. l30l Aumerle Excepting one, I would he were the best l31l In all this presence that hath moved me so. l32l Fitzwalter If that thy valour stand on sympathy, l33l There is my gage, Aumerle, in gage to thine. (He throws down his gage) l34l By that fair sun which shows me where thou standÆst, l35l I heard thee say, and vauntingly thou spakÆst it, l36l That thou wert cause of noble GloucesterÆs death. l37l If thou denyÆst it twenty times, thou liest, l38l And I will turn thy falsehood to thy heart, l39l Where it was forgΦd, with my rapierÆs point. l40l Aumerle Thou darÆst not, coward, live to see that day. l41l Fitzwalter Now by my soul, I would it were this hour. l42l Aumerle Fitzwalter, thou art damned to hell for this. l43l Harry Percy Aumerle, thou liest. His honour is as true l44l In this appeal as thou art all unjust; l45l And that thou art so, there I throw my gage (He throws down his gage) l46l To prove it on thee to the extremest point l47l Of mortal breathing. Seize it if thou darÆst. l48l Aumerle An if I do not, may my hands rot off, l49l And never brandish more revengeful steel l50l Over the glittering helmet of my foe. l51l Surrey My lord Fitzwalter, I do remember well l52l The very time Aumerle and you did talk. l53l Fitzwalter ÆTis very true. You were in presence then, l54l And you can witness with me this is true. l55l Surrey As false, by heaven, as heaven itself is true. l56l Fitzwalter Surrey, thou liest. Surrey Dishonourable boy, l57l That lie shall lie so heavy on my sword l58l That it shall render vengeance and revenge, l59l Till thou, the lie-giver, and that lie do lie l60l In earth as quiet as thy fatherÆs skull; l61l In proof whereof, there is my honourÆs pawn. (He throws down his gage) l62l Engage it to the trial if thou darÆst. l63l Fitzwalter How fondly dost thou spur a forward horse! l64l If I dare eat, or drink, or breathe, or live, l65l I dare meet Surrey in a wilderness l66l And spit upon him whilst I say he lies, l67l And lies, and lies. There is my bond of faith l68l To tie thee to my strong correction. l69l As I intend to thrive in this new world, l70l Aumerle is guilty of my true appeal. l71l Besides, I heard the banished Norfolk say l72l That thou, Aumerle, didst send two of thy men l73l To execute the noble Duke at Calais. l74l Aumerle Some honest Christian trust me with a gage. (He takes another's gage and throws it down) l75l That Norfolk lies, here do I throw down this, l76l If he may be repealed, to try his honour. l77l Bolingbroke These differences shall all rest under gage l78l Till Norfolk be repealed. Repealed he shall be, l79l And, though mine enemy, restored again l80l To all his lands and signories. When he is returned, l81l Against Aumerle we will enforce his trial. l82l Bishop Of Carlisle That honourable day shall never be seen. l83l Many a time hath banished Norfolk fought l84l For Jesu Christ in glorious Christian field, l85l Streaming the ensign of the Christian cross l86l Against black pagans, Turks, and Saracens; l87l And, toiled with works of war, retired himself l88l To Italy, and there at Venice gave l89l His body to that pleasant countryÆs earth, l90l And his pure soul unto his captain, Christ, l91l Under whose colours he had fought so long. l92l Bolingbroke Why, Bishop of Carlisle, is Norfolk dead? l93l Bishop Of Carlisle As surely as I live, my lord. l94l Bolingbroke Sweet peace conduct his sweet soul to the bosom l95l Of good old Abraham! Lords appellants, l96l Your differences shall all rest under gage l97l Till we assign you to your days of trial. (Enter the Duke of York) l98l York Great Duke of Lancaster, I come to thee l99l From plume-plucked Richard, who with willing soul l100l Adopts thee heir, and his high sceptre yields l101l To the possession of thy royal hand. l102l Ascend his throne, descending now from him, l103l And long live Henry, of that name the fourth! l104l Bolingbroke In GodÆs name IÆll ascend the regal throne. l105l Bishop Of Carlisle Marry, God forbid! l106l Worst in this royal presence may I speak, l107l Yet best beseeming me to speak the truth. l108l Would God that any in this noble presence l109l Were enough noble to be upright judge l110l Of noble Richard. Then true noblesse would l111l Learn him forbearance from so foul a wrong. l112l What subject can give sentence on his king? l113l And who sits here that is not RichardÆs subject? l114l Thieves are not judged but they are by to hear, l115l Although apparent guilt be seen in them; l116l And shall the figure of GodÆs majesty, l117l His captain, steward, deputy elect, l118l Anointed, crownΦd, planted many years, l119l Be judged by subject and inferior breath, l120l And he himself not present? O, forfend it, God, l121l That in a Christian climate souls refined l122l Should show so heinous, black, obscene a deed! l123l I speak to subjects, and a subject speaks l124l Stirred up by God thus boldly for his king. l125l My lord of Hereford here, whom you call king, l126l Is a foul traitor to proud HerefordÆs king; l127l And, if you crown him, let me prophesy l128l The blood of English shall manure the ground, l129l And future ages groan for this foul act. l130l Peace shall go sleep with Turks and infidels, l131l And in this seat of peace tumultuous wars l132l Shall kin with kin and kind with kind confound. l133l Disorder, horror, fear, and mutiny l134l Shall here inhabit, and this land be called l135l The field of Golgotha and dead menÆs skulls. l136l O, if you rear this house against this house l137l It will the woefullest division prove l138l That ever fell upon this cursΦd earth! l139l Prevent, resist it; let it not be so, l140l Lest child, childÆs children, cry against you woe. l141l Northumberland Well have you argued, sir, and for your pains l142l Of capital treason we arrest you here. l143l My lord of Westminster, be it your charge l144l To keep him safely till his day of trial. l145l May it please you, lords, to grant the CommonsÆ suit? l146l Bolingbroke Fetch hither Richard, that in common view l147l He may surrender. So we shall proceed l148l Without suspicion. York I will be his conduct. (Exit) l149l Bolingbroke Lords, you that here are under our arrest, l150l Procure your sureties for your days of answer. l151l Little are we beholden to your love, l152l And little looked for at your helping hands. (Enter Richard and the Duke of York, with attendants bearing the crown and sceptre) l153l Richard Alack, why am I sent for to a king l154l Before I have shook off the regal thoughts l155l Wherewith I reigned? I hardly yet have learned l156l To insinuate, flatter, bow, and bend my knee. l157l Give sorrow leave awhile to tutor me l158l To this submission. Yet I well remember l159l The favours of these men. Were they not mine? l160l Did they not sometime cry ôAll hail!ö to me? l161l So Judas did to Christ. But He in twelve l162l Found truth in all but one; I, in twelve thousand, none. l163l God save the King! Will no man say ôAmenö? l164l Am I both priest and clerk? Well then, Amen. l165l God save the King, although I be not he. l166l And yet Amen, if heaven do think him me. l167l To do what service am I sent for hither? l168l York To do that office of thine own good will l169l Which tired majesty did make thee offer: l170l The resignation of thy state and crown l171l To Henry Bolingbroke. l172l Richard (to an attendant) Give me the crown. (To Bolingbroke) Here, cousin, seize the crown. l173l Here, cousin. On this side my hand, on that side thine. l174l Now is this golden crown like a deep well l175l That owes two buckets filling one another, l176l The emptier ever dancing in the air, l177l The other down, unseen, and full of water. l178l That bucket down and full of tears am I, l179l Drinking my griefs, whilst you mount up on high. l180l Bolingbroke I thought you had been willing to resign. l181l Richard My crown I am, but still my griefs are mine. l182l You may my glories and my state depose, l183l But not my griefs; still am I king of those. l184l Bolingbroke Part of your cares you give me with your crown. l185l Richard Your cares set up do not pluck my cares down. l186l My care is loss of care by old care done; l187l Your care is gain of care by new care won. l188l The cares I give I have, though given away; l189l They Ætend the crown, yet still with me they stay. l190l Bolingbroke Are you contented to resign the crown? l191l Richard Ay, no; no, ay; for I must nothing be; l192l Therefore no, no, for I resign to thee. l193l Now mark me how I will undo myself. l194l I give this heavy weight from off my head, (Bolingbroke accepts the crown) l195l And this unwieldy sceptre from my hand, (Bolingbroke accepts the sceptre) l196l The pride of kingly sway from out my heart. l197l With mine own tears I wash away my balm, l198l With mine own hands I give away my crown, l199l With mine own tongue deny my sacred state, l200l With mine own breath release all duteous oaths. l201l All pomp and majesty I do forswear. l202l My manors, rents, revenues I forgo. l203l My acts, decrees, and statutes I deny. l204l God pardon all oaths that are broke to me. l205l God keep all vows unbroke are made to thee. l206l Make me, that nothing have, with nothing grieved, l207l And thou with all pleased, that hast all achieved. l208l Long mayst thou live in RichardÆs seat to sit, l209l And soon lie Richard in an earthy pit. l210l ôGod save King Henry,ö unkinged Richard says, l211l ôAnd send him many years of sunshine days.ö l212l What more remains? Northumberland (giving Richard papers) No more but that you read l213l These accusations and these grievous crimes l214l Committed by your person and your followers l215l Against the state and profit of this land, l216l That by confessing them, the souls of men l217l May deem that you are worthily deposed. l218l Richard Must I do so? And must I ravel out l219l My weaved-up follies? Gentle Northumberland, l220l If thy offences were upon record, l221l Would it not shame thee in so fair a troop l222l To read a lecture of them? If thou wouldst, l223l There shouldst thou find one heinous article l224l Containing the deposing of a king l225l And cracking the strong warrant of an oath, l226l Marked with a blot, damned in the book of heaven. l227l Nay, all of you that stand and look upon l228l Whilst that my wretchedness doth bait myself, l229l Though some of you, with Pilate, wash your hands, l230l Showing an outward pity, yet you Pilates l231l Have here delivered me to my sour cross, l232l And water cannot wash away your sin. l233l Northumberland My lord, dispatch. Read oÆer these articles. l234l Richard Mine eyes are full of tears; I cannot see. l235l And yet salt water blinds them not so much l236l But they can see a sort of traitors here. l237l Nay, if I turn mine eyes upon myself l238l I find myself a traitor with the rest, l239l For I have given here my soulÆs consent l240l TÆ undeck the pompous body of a king, l241l Made glory base and sovereignty a slave, l242l Proud majesty a subject, state a peasant. l243l Northumberland My lordù l244l Richard No lord of thine, thou haught-insulting man, l245l Nor no manÆs lord. I have no name, no title, l246l No, not that name was given me at the font, l247l But Ætis usurped. Alack the heavy day, l248l That I have worn so many winters out l249l And know not now what name to call myself! l250l O, that I were a mockery king of snow, l251l Standing before the sun of Bolingbroke l252l To melt myself away in water-drops! l253l Good king, great kingùand yet not greatly goodù l254l An if my word be sterling yet in England, l255l Let it command a mirror hither straight, l256l That it may show me what a face I have, l257l Since it is bankrupt of his majesty. l258l Bolingbroke Go some of you and fetch a looking-glass. (Exit one or more) l259l Northumberland Read oÆer this paper while the glass doth come. l260l Richard Fiend, thou tormentÆst me ere I come to hell. l261l Bolingbroke Urge it no more, my lord Northumberland. l262l Northumberland The Commons will not then be satisfied. l263l Richard They shall be satisfied. IÆll read enough l264l When I do see the very book indeed l265l Where all my sins are writ, and thatÆs myself. (Enter one with a glass) l266l Give me that glass, and therein will I read. (Richard takes the glass and looks in it) l267l No deeper wrinkles yet? Hath sorrow struck l268l So many blows upon this face of mine l269l And made no deeper wounds? O flattÆring glass, l270l Like to my followers in prosperity, l271l Thou dost beguile me! Was this face the face l272l That every day under his household roof l273l Did keep ten thousand men? Was this the face l274l That like the sun did make beholders wink? l275l Is this the face which faced so many follies, l276l That was at last outfaced by Bolingbroke? l277l A brittle glory shineth in this face. l278l As brittle as the glory is the face, (He shatters the glass) l279l For there it is, cracked in an hundred shivers. l280l Mark, silent King, the moral of this sport: l281l How soon my sorrow hath destroyed my face. l282l Bolingbroke The shadow of your sorrow hath destroyed l283l The shadow of your face. Richard Say that again: l284l ôThe shadow of my sorrowöùha, letÆs see. l285l ÆTis very true: my grief lies all within, l286l And these external manner of laments l287l Are merely shadows to the unseen grief l288l That swells with silence in the tortured soul. l289l There lies the substance, and I thank thee, King, l290l For thy great bounty that not only givÆst l291l Me cause to wail, but teachest me the way l292l How to lament the cause. IÆll beg one boon, l293l And then be gone and trouble you no more. l294l Shall I obtain it? Bolingbroke Name it, fair cousin. l295l Richard Fair cousin? I am greater than a king; l296l For when I was a king my flatterers l297l Were then but subjects; being now a subject, l298l I have a king here to my flatterer. l299l Being so great, I have no need to beg. l300l Bolingbroke Yet ask. l301l Richard And shall I have? l302l Bolingbroke You shall. l303l Richard Then give me leave to go. l304l Bolingbroke Whither? l305l Richard Whither you will, so I were from your sights. l306l Bolingbroke Go some of you, convey him to the Tower. l307l Richard O good, ôconveyö! Conveyors are you all, l308l That rise thus nimbly by a true kingÆs fall. (Exit, guarded) l309l Bolingbroke On Wednesday next we solemnly set down l310l Our coronation. Lords, prepare yourselves. (Exeunt all but the Abbot of Westminster, the Bishop of Carlisle, and Aumerle) l311l Abbot Of Westminster A woeful pageant have we here beheld. l312l Bishop Of Carlisle The woeÆs to come, the children yet unborn l313l Shall feel this day as sharp to them as thorn. l314l Aumerle You holy clergymen, is there no plot l315l To rid the realm of this pernicious blot? l316l Abbot Of Westminster My lord, before I freely speak my mind herein, l317l You shall not only take the sacrament l318l To bury mine intents, but also to effect l319l Whatever I shall happen to devise. l320l I see your brows are full of discontent, l321l Your hearts of sorrow, and your eyes of tears. l322l Come home with me to supper. I will lay l323l A plot shall show us all a merry day. (Exeunt)