Enter, as to the Parliament, HENRY BOLINGBROKE, DUKE OF AUMERLE, NORTHUMBERLAND, HENRY PERCY, LORD FITZWATER, DUKE OF SURREY, the BISHOP OF CARLISLE, the Abbot Of Westminster, and another Lord, Herald, Officers, and BAGOT HENRY BOLINGBROKE Call forth Bagot.
Now, Bagot, freely speak thy mind;
What thou dost know of noble Gloucester's death, Who wrought it with the king, and who perform'd The bloody office of his timeless end. BAGOT Then set before my face the Lord Aumerle. HENRY BOLINGBROKE Cousin, stand forth, and look upon that man. BAGOT My Lord Aumerle, I know your daring tongue Scorns to unsay what once it hath deliver'd.
In that dead time when Gloucester's death was plotted, I heard you say, 'Is not my arm of length, That reacheth from the restful English court As far as Calais, to mine uncle's head?'
Amongst much other talk, that very time, I heard you say that you had rather refuse The offer of an hundred thousand crowns Than Bolingbroke's return to England;
Adding withal how blest this land would be In this your cousin's death. DUKE OF AUMERLE Princes and noble lords, What answer shall I make to this base man?
Shall I so much dishonour my fair stars, On equal terms to give him chastisement?
Either I must, or have mine honour soil'd With the attainder of his slanderous lips.
There is my gage, the manual seal of death, That marks thee out for hell: I say, thou liest, And will maintain what thou hast said is false In thy heart-blood, though being all too base To stain the temper of my knightly sword. HENRY BOLINGBROKE Bagot, forbear; thou shalt not take it up. DUKE OF AUMERLE Excepting one, I would he were the best In all this presence that hath moved me so. LORD FITZWATER If that thy valour stand on sympathy, There is my gage, Aumerle, in gage to thine:
By that fair sun which shows me where thou stand'st, I heard thee say, and vauntingly thou spakest it That thou wert cause of noble Gloucester's death.
If thou deny'st it twenty times, thou liest;
And I will turn thy falsehood to thy heart, Where it was forged, with my rapier's point. DUKE OF AUMERLE Thou darest not, coward, live to see that day. LORD FITZWATER Now by my soul, I would it were this hour. DUKE OF AUMERLE Fitzwater, thou art damn'd to hell for this. HENRY PERCY Aumerle, thou liest; his honour is as true In this appeal as thou art all unjust;
And that thou art so, there I throw my gage, To prove it on thee to the extremest point Of mortal breathing: seize it, if thou darest. DUKE OF AUMERLE An if I do not, may my hands rot off And never brandish more revengeful steel Over the glittering helmet of my foe! Lord I task the earth to the like, forsworn Aumerle;
And spur thee on with full as many lies As may be holloa'd in thy treacherous ear From sun to sun: there is my honour's pawn;
Engage it to the trial, if thou darest. DUKE OF AUMERLE Who sets me else? by heaven, I'll throw at all:
I have a thousand spirits in one breast, To answer twenty thousand such as you. DUKE OF SURREY My Lord Fitzwater, I do remember well The very time Aumerle and you did talk. LORD FITZWATER 'Tis very true: you were in presence then;
And you can witness with me this is true. DUKE OF SURREY As false, by heaven, as heaven itself is true. LORD FITZWATER Surrey, thou liest. DUKE OF SURREY Dishonourable boy!
That lie shall lie so heavy on my sword, That it shall render vengeance and revenge Till thou the lie-giver and that lie do lie In earth as quiet as thy father's skull:
In proof whereof, there is my honour's pawn;
Engage it to the trial, if thou darest. LORD FITZWATER How fondly dost thou spur a forward horse!
If I dare eat, or drink, or breathe, or live, I dare meet Surrey in a wilderness, And spit upon him, whilst I say he lies, And lies, and lies: there is my bond of faith, To tie thee to my strong correction.
As I intend to thrive in this new world, Aumerle is guilty of my true appeal:
Besides, I heard the banish'd Norfolk say That thou, Aumerle, didst send two of thy men To execute the noble duke at Calais. DUKE OF AUMERLE Some honest Christian trust me with a gage That Norfolk lies: here do I throw down this, If he may be repeal'd, to try his honour. HENRY BOLINGBROKE These differences shall all rest under gage Till Norfolk be repeal'd: repeal'd he shall be, And, though mine enemy, restored again To all his lands and signories: when he's return'd, Against Aumerle we will enforce his trial. BISHOP OF CARLISLE That honourable day shall ne'er be seen.
Many a time hath banish'd Norfolk fought For Jesu Christ in glorious Christian field, Streaming the ensign of the Christian cross Against black pagans, Turks, and Saracens:
And toil'd with works of war, retired himself To Italy; and there at Venice gave His body to that pleasant country's earth, And his pure soul unto his captain Christ, Under whose colours he had fought so long. HENRY BOLINGBROKE Why, bishop, is Norfolk dead? BISHOP OF CARLISLE As surely as I live, my lord. HENRY BOLINGBROKE Sweet peace conduct his sweet soul to the bosom Of good old Abraham! Lords appellants, Your differences shall all rest under gage Till we assign you to your days of trial.
Enter DUKE OF YORK, attended DUKE OF YORK Great Duke of Lancaster, I come to thee From plume-pluck'd Richard; who with willing soul Adopts thee heir, and his high sceptre yields To the possession of thy royal hand:
Ascend his throne, descending now from him;
And long live Henry, fourth of that name! HENRY BOLINGBROKE In God's name, I'll ascend the regal throne. BISHOP OF CARLISLE Marry. God forbid!
Worst in this royal presence may I speak, Yet best beseeming me to speak the truth.
Would God that any in this noble presence Were enough noble to be upright judge Of noble Richard! then true noblesse would Learn him forbearance from so foul a wrong.
What subject can give sentence on his king?
And who sits here that is not Richard's subject?
Thieves are not judged but they are by to hear, Although apparent guilt be seen in them;