But ere the crown he looks for live in peace, Ten thousand bloody crowns of mothers' sons Shall ill become the flower of England's face, Change the complexion of her maid-pale peace To scarlet indignation and bedew Her pastures' grass with faithful English blood. NORTHUMBERLAND 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, And by the royalties of both your bloods, Currents that spring from one most gracious head, And by the buried hand of warlike Gaunt, And by the worth and honour of himself, Comprising all that may be sworn or said, His coming hither hath no further scope Than for his lineal royalties and to beg Enfranchisement immediate on his kn ees:
Which on thy royal party granted once, His glittering arms he will commend to rust, His barbed steeds to stables, and his heart To faithful service of your majesty.
This swears he, as he is a prince, is just;
And, as I am a gentleman, I credit him. KING RICHARD II Northumberland, say thus the king returns:
His noble cousin is right welcome hither;
And all the number of his fair demands Shall be accomplish'd without contradiction:
With all the gracious utterance thou hast Speak to his gentle hearing kind commends.
We do debase ourselves, cousin, do we not, To DUKE OF AUMERLE
To look so poorly and to speak so fair?
Shall we call back Northumberland, and send Defiance to the traitor, and so die? DUKE OF AUMERLE No, good my lord; let's fight with gentle words Till time lend friends and friends their helpful swords. KING RICHARD II O God, O God! that e'er this tongue of mine, That laid the sentence of dread banishment On yon proud man, should take it off again With words of sooth! O that I were as great As is my grief, or lesser than my name!
Or that I could forget what I have been, 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. DUKE OF AUMERLE Northumberland comes back from Bolingbroke. KING RICHARD II What must the king do now? must he submit?
The king shall do it: must he be deposed?
The king shall be contented: must he lose The name of king? o' God's name, let it go:
I'll give my jewels for a set of beads, My gorgeous palace for a hermitage, My gay apparel for an almsman's gown, My figured goblets for a dish of wood, My sceptre for a palmer's walking staff, My subjects for a pair of carved saints And my large kingdom for a little grave, A little little grave, an obscure grave;
Or I'll be buried in the king's highway, Some way of common trade, where subjects' feet May hourly trample on their sovereign's head;
For on my heart they tread now whilst I live;
And buried once, why not upon my head?
Aumerle, thou weep'st, my tender-hearted cousin!
We'll make foul weather with despised tears;
Our sighs and they shall lodge the summer corn, And make a dearth in this revolting land.
Or shall we play the wantons with our woes, And make some pretty match with shedding tears?
As thus, to drop them still upon one place, Till they have fretted us a pair of graves Within the earth; and, therein laid,--there lies Two kinsmen digg'd their graves with weeping eyes.
Would not this ill do well? Well, well, I see I talk but idly, and you laugh at me.
Most mighty prince, my Lord Northumberland, What says King Bolingbroke? will his majesty Give Richard leave to live till Richard die?
You make a leg, and Bolingbroke says ay. NORTHUMBERLAND My lord, in the base court he doth attend To speak with you; may it please you to come down. KING RICHARD II Down, down I come; like glistering Phaethon, Wanting the manage of unruly jades.
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 HENRY BOLINGBROKE What says his majesty? NORTHUMBERLAND Sorrow and grief of heart Makes him speak fondly, like a frantic man Yet he is come.
Enter KING RICHARD and his attendants below HENRY BOLINGBROKE Stand all apart, And show fair duty to his majesty.
He kneels down My gracious lord,-- KING RICHARD II 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 unpleased eye see your courtesy.
Up, cousin, up; your heart is up, I know, Thus high at least, although your knee be low. HENRY BOLINGBROKE My gracious lord, I come but for mine own. KING RICHARD II Your own is yours, and I am yours, and all. HENRY BOLINGBROKE So far be mine, my most redoubted lord, As my true service shall deserve your love. KING RICHARD II Well you deserve: they well deserve to have, That know the strong'st and surest way to get.
Uncle, give me your hands: nay, dry your eyes;
Tears show their love, but want their remedies.
Cousin, I am too young to be your father, Though you are old enough to be my heir.
What you will have, I'll give, and willing too;
For do we must what force will have us do.
Set on towards London, cousin, is it so? HENRY BOLINGBROKE Yea, my good lord. KING RICHARD II Then I must not say no.