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Richard II (Quarto 1, 1597)

Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: Catherine Lisak
Peer Reviewed
Enter Bullingbrookewith the Lords to parliament.
Bull. Call forth Bagot.
Enter Bagot.
1925Now Bagot, freely speake thy mind,
What thou doest know of noble Gloucesters death,
Who wrought it with the King, and who performde
The bloudy office of his timeles end.
Bagot Then set before my face the Lord Aumerle.
1930Bull. Cousin, stand foorth, and looke vpon that man.
Bagot My Lord Aumerle, I know your daring tong
Scornes to vnsay what once it hath deliuered.
In that dead time when Glocesters death was plotted
I heard you say, Is not my arme of length,
1935That reacheth from the restful English court,
As farre as Callice to mine vncles head?
Amongst much other talke that very time
I heard you say, that you had rather refuse
The offer of an hundred thousand crownes,
1940Then Bullingbrookes returne to England, adding withall,
How blest this land would be in this your cosins death.
Aum. Princes and noble Lords,
What answer shall I make to this base man?
Shall I so much dishonour my faire starres
1945On equall termes to giue them chasticement?
Either I must, or haue mine honour soild
With the attainder of his slaunderous lippes,
There is my gage, the manual seale of death,
That matkes thee out for hell, I say thou liest,
1950And wil maintaine what thou hast said is false
In thy heart bloud, though being all too base
To staine the temper of my knightly sword.
Bull. Bagot, forbeare, thou shalt not take it vp.
Aum. Excepting one, I would he were the best
1955In all this presence that hath moude me so.
Fitz. If that thy valure stand on simpathie,
There is my gage Aumerle, in gage to thine;
By that faire Sunne which shews me where thou standst,
I heard thce say, and vauntingly thou spakst it,
1960That thou wert cause of noble Gloucesters death.
If thou deniest it twenty times, thou liest,
And I will turne thy falshoode to thy heart,
Where it was forged with my rapiers point.
Aum. Thou darst not (coward) liue to see that day.
1965Fitz. Now by my soule, I would it were this houre.
Aum. Fitzwaters, thou art damnd to hell for this.
L.Per. Aumerle, thou liest, his honour is as true
In this appeale as thou art all vniust,
And that thou art so, there I throwe my gage,
1970To prooue it on thee to the extreamest point
Of mortall breathing, ceaze it if thou darst.
Aum. And if I do not, may my hands rot off,
And neuer brandish more reuengefull steele
Ouer the glittering helmet of my foe.
1974.1Another L. I taske the earth to the like (forsworne Aumerle)
And spurre thee on with full as many lies
As it may be hollowed in thy treacherous eare
From sinneto sinne: there is my honors pawne
.5Ingage it to the triall if thou darest.
Aum. Who sets me else? by heauen Ile throwe at all,
I haue a thousand spirites in one breast,
To answer twenty thousand such as you.
1975Sur. My lord Fitzwater, I do remember well
The very time (Aumerle) and you did talke.
Fitz. Tis very true you were in presence then,
.
1980And you can witnes with me this is true.
Sur. As false, by heauen, as heauen it selfe is true.
Fitz. Surrie thou liest.
Sur. Dishonorable boy, that lie shall lie so heauie onmy
That it shall render vengeance and reuenge,
Till thou the lie-giuer, and that lie do lie,
In earth as quiet as thy fathers scull.
In proofe whereof there is my honours pawne,
1990Ingage it to the triall if thou darst.
Fitz. How fondly doest thou spurre a forward horse!
If I dare eate, or drinke, or breathe, or liue,
I dare meet Surry in a wildernes,
And spit vpon him whilst I say, he lies,
1995And lies, and lies: there is bond of faith,
To tie thee to my strong correction:
As I intende to thriue in this new world,
Aumerle is guiltie of my true appeale.
Besides I heard the banished Norffolke say,
2000That thou Aumerle didst send two of thy men,
To execute the noble Duke at Callice.
Aum. Some honest Christian trust me with a gage,
That Norffolke lies, heere do I throwe downe this,
If he may be repeald to trie his honour.
2005Bull. These differences shall all rest vnder gage,
Till Norffolke be repeald, repeald he shallbe,
And though mine enimie, restord againe
To all his landes and signiories: when he is returnd,
Against Aumerle we will inforce his triall.
2010Carl. That honourable day shall neuer be seene.
Manie a time hath banisht Norffolke fought,
For Iesu Christ in glorious Christian feild,
Streaming the ensigne of the Christian Crosse,
Against blacke Pagans, Turkes, and Saracens,
2015And toild with workes of warre, retird himselfe
To Italie, and there at Venice gaue
His bodie to that pleasant Countries earth,
And his pure soule vnto his Captaine Christ,
Vnder whose coulours he had fought so long.
2020Bull. Why B. is Norffolke dead?
Carl. As surely as I liue my Lord.
Bull. Sweet peace conduct his sweete soule to the bosome,
Of good olde Abraham: Lords Appellants,
Your differences shall all rest vnder gage,
2025Till we assigne you to your daies of triall.
Enter Yorke
Yorke Great Duke of Lancaster I come to thee,
From plume-pluckt Richard, who with willing soule,
Adopts the heire, and his high scepter yeeldes,
2030To the possession of thy royaIl hand:
Ascend his throne, descending now from him,
And long liue Henry fourth of that name.
Bull. In Gods name Ile ascend the regall throne.
Car. Mary God forbid.
2035Worst in this royall presence may I speake.
Yet best beseeming me to speake the truth,
Would God that any in this noble presence,
Were enough noble to be vpright iudge
Of noble Richard. Then true noblesse would
2040Learne him forbearance from so foule a wrong,
What subiect can giue sentence on his King:
And who sits here that is not Richards subiect?
Theeues are not iudgd but they are by to heare,
Although apparant guilt be seene in them,
2045And shall the figure of Gods Maiesty,
His Captaine, steward, deputy, elect,
Annointed, crowned, planted, many yeares
Be iudgd by subiect and infetiour breath,
And he himselfe not present? Oh forfend it God,
2050That in a Christian climate soules refinde,
Should shew so heinous blacke obsceene a deed
I speake to subiects and a subiect speakes,
Stird vp by God thus boldly for his King,
My Lord ofHereford here whom you call King,
2055Is a foule traitour to proud Herefords King,
And if you crowne him let me prophesie,
The bloud of English shall manure the ground,
And future ages groane for this foule act,
Peace shall go sleepe with turkes and infidels,
2060And in this seate of peace, tumultuous warres,
Shall kin with kin, and kinde with kind confound:
Disorder, horror, feare, and mutiny,
Shall heere inhabit, and this land be cald,
The field of Golgotha and dead mens sculs.
2065Oh if yon raise this house against this house,
It will the wofullest diuision proue,
That euer fell vpon this cursed earth:
Preuent it, resist it, let it not be so,
Lest child, childs children, crie against you wo.
2070North. Well haue you argued sir, and for your paines,
Of Capitall treason, we arrest you heere:
My Lord of Westminster, be it your charge,
To keepe him safely till his day of triall.
Bull. Let it be so, and loe on wednesday next,
We solemnly proclaime our Coronation,
2245Lords be ready all.
Exeunt.
2245.1
Manent West. Caleil, Aumerle.
Abbot. A wofull Pageant haue we heere beheld.
Car. The woe's to come, the children yet vnborne,
Shall feele this day as sharpto them as thorne.
Aum. You holy Clergy men, is there no plot,
2250To ridde the realme of this pernitious blot?
Abbot. My Lo. before I freely speake my mind heerein,
You shall not onely take the Sacrament,
To burie mine intents, but also to effect,
What euer I shall happen to deuise:
2255I see your browes are full of discontent,
Your harts of sorrow, and your eies of teares:
Come home with me to supper, Ile lay a plot,
Shall shew vs all a merrie daie.
Exeunt.