5OLd Iohn of Gaunt, time honoured Lancaster,

6Hast thou according to thy oath and band

7Brought hither Henry Herford thy bold son:

8Heere to make good y^e boistrous late appeale,

9Which then our leysure would not let vs heare,

10Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

11Gaunt. I haue my Liege.

12King. Tell me moreouer, hast thou sounded him,

13If he appeale the Duke on ancient malice,

14Or worthily as a good subiect should

15On some knowne ground of treacherie in him.

16Gaunt. As neere as I could sift him on that argument,

17On some apparant danger seene in him,

18Aym'd at your Highnesse, no inueterate malice.

19Kin. Then call them to our presence face to face,

20And frowning brow to brow, our selues will heare

21Th' accuser, and the accused, freely speake;

22High stomackd are they both, and full of ire,

23In rage, deafe as the sea; hastie as fire.

25Bul. Many yeares of happy dayes befall

26My gracious Soueraigne, my most louing Liege.

27Mow. Each day still better others happinesse,

28Vntill the heauens enuying earths good hap,

29Adde an immortall title to your Crowne.

30King. We thanke you both, yet one but flatters vs,

31As well appeareth by the cause you come,

32Namely, to appeale each other of high treason.

33Coosin of Hereford, what dost thou obiect

34Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

35Bul. First, heauen be the record to my speech,

36In the deuotion of a subiects loue,

37Tendering the precious safetie of my Prince,

38And free from other misbegotten hate,

39Come I appealant to rhis Princely presence.

40Now Thomas Mowbray do I turne to thee,

41And marke my greeting well: for what I speake,

42My body shall make good vpon this earth,

43Or my diuine soule answer it in heauen.

44Thou art a Traitor, and a Miscreant;

45Too good to be so, and too bad to liue,

46Since the more faire and christall is the skie,

47The vglier seeme the cloudes that in it flye:

48Once more, the more to aggrauate the note,

49With a foule Traitors name stuffe I thy throte,

50And wish (so please my Soueraigne) ere I moue,

51What my tong speaks, my right drawn sword may proue

52Mow. Let not my cold words heere accuse my zeale:

53'Tis not the triall of a Womans warre,

54The bitter clamour of two eager tongues,

55Can arbitrate this cause betwixt vs twaine:

56The blood is hot that must be cooI'dfor this.

57Yet can I not of such tame patience boast,

58As to be husht, and nought at all to say.

59First the faire reuerence of your Highnesse curbes mee,

60From giuing reines and spurres to my free speech,

61Which else would post, vntill it had return'd

62These tearmes of treason, doubly downe his throat.

63Setting aside his high bloods royalty,

64And let him be no Kinsman to my Liege,

65I do defie him, and I spit at him,

66Call him a slanderous Coward, and a Villaine:

67Which to maintaine, I would allow him oddes,

68And meete him, were I tide to runne afoote,

69Euen to the frozen ridges of the Alpes,

70Or any other ground inhabitable,

71Where euer Englishman durst set his foote.

72Meane time, let this defend my loyaltie,

73By all my hopes most falsely doth he lie.

74Bul. Pale trembling Coward, there I throw my gage,

75Disclaiming heere the kindred of a King,

76And lay aside my high bloods Royalty,

77Which feare, not reuerence makes thee to except.

78If guilty dread hath left thee so much strength,

79As to take vp mine Honors pawne, then stoope.

80By that, and all the rites of Knight-hood else,

81Will I make good against thee arme to arme,

82What I haue spoken, or thou canst deuise.

83Mow. I take it vp, and by that sword I sweare,

84Which gently laid my Knight-hood on my shoulder,

85lIe answer thee in any faire degree,

86Or Chiualrous designe of knightly triall:

87And when I mount, aliue may I not light,

88If I be Traitor, or vniustly fight.

89King. What doth our Cosin lay to Mowbraies charge?

90It must be great that can inherite vs,

91So much as of a thought of ill in him.

92Bul. Looke what I said, my life shall proue it true,

93That Mowbray hath receiu'd eight thousand Nobles,

94In name of lendings for your Highnesse Soldiers,

95The which he hath detain'd for lewd employments,

96Like a false Traitor, and iniurious Villaine.

97Besides I say, and will in battaile proue,

98Or heere, or elsewhere to the furthest Verge

99That euer was suruey'd by English eye,

100That all the Treasons for these eighteene yeeres

101Complotted, and contriued in this Land,

102Fetch'd from false Mowbray their first head and spring.

103Further I say, and further will maintaine

104Vpon his bad life, to make all this good.

105That he did plot the Duke of Glousters death,

106Suggest his soone beleeuing aduersaries,

107And consequently, like a Traitor Coward,

108Sluc'd out his innocent soule through streames of blood:

109Which blood, like sacrificing Abels cries,

110(Euen from the toonglesse cauernes of the earth)

111To me for iustice, and rough chasticement:

112And by the glorious worth of my discent,

113This arme shall do it, or this life be spent.

114King. How high a pitch his resolution soares:

115Thomas of Norfolke, what sayest thou to this?

116Mow. Oh let my Soueraigne turne away his face,

117And bid his eares a little while be deafe,

118Till I haue told this slander of his blood,

119How God, and good men, hate so foule a lyar.

120King. Mowbray, impartiall are our eyes and eares,

121Were he my brother, nay our kingdomes heyre,

122As he is but my fathers brothers sonne;

123Now by my Scepters awe, I make a vow,

124Such neighbour-neerenesse to our sacred blood,

125Should nothing priuiledge him, nor partialize

126The vn-stooping firmenesse of my vpright soule.

127He is our subiect ( Mowbray) so art thou,

128Free speech, and fearelesse, I to thee allow.

129Mow. Then Bullingbrooke, as low as to thy heart.

130Through the false passage of thy throat; thou lyest:

131Threc parts of that receipt I had for Callice,

132Disburst I to his Highnesse souldiers;

133The other part reseru'd I by consent,

134For that my Soueraigne Liege was in my debt,

135Vpon remainder of a deere Accompt,

136Since last I went to France to fetch his Queene:

137Now swallow downe that Lye. For Glousters death,

138I slew him not; but (to mine owne disgrace)

139Neglected my sworne duty in that case:

140For you my noble Lord of Lancaster,

141The honourable Father to my foe,

142Once I did lay an ambush for your life,

143A trespasse that doth vex my greeued soule:

144But ere I last receiu'd the Sacrament,

145I did confesse it, and exactly begg'd

146Your Graces pardon, and I hope I had it.

147This is my fault: as for the rest appeal'd,

148It issues from the rancour of a Villaine,

149A recreant, and most degenerate Traitor,

150Which in my selfe I boldly will defend,

151And interchangeably hurle downe my gage

152Vpon this ouer-weening Traitors foote,

153To proue my selfe a loyall Gentleman,

154Euen in the best blood chamber'd in his bosome.

155In hast whereof, most heartily I pray

156Your Highnesse to assigne our Triall day.

157King. Wrath-kindled Gentlemen be rul'd by me:

158Let's purge this choller without letting blood:

159This we prescribe, though no Physition,

160Deepe malice makes too deepe incision.

161Forget, forgiue, conclude, and be agreed,

162Our Doctors say, This is no time to bleed.

163Good Vnckle, let this end where it begun,

164Wee'l calme the Duke of Norfolke; you, your son.

165Gaunt. To be a make-peace shall become my age,

166Throw downe (my sonne) the Duke of Norfolkes gage.

167King. And Norfolke, throw downe his.

168Gaunt. When Harrie when? Obedience bids,

169Obedience bids I should not bid agen.

170King. Norfolke, throw downe, we bidde; there is

171 no boote.

172Mow. My selfe I throw (dread Soueraigne) at thy foot.

173My life thou shalt command, but not my shame,

174The one my dutie owes, but my faire name

175Despight of death, that liues vpon my graue

176To darke dishonours vse, thou shalt not haue.

177I am disgrac'd, impeach'd, and baffel'd heere,

178Pierc'd to the soule with slanders venom'd speare:

179The which no balme can cure, but his heart blood

180Which breath'd this poyson.

181King. Rage must be withstood:

182Giue me his gage: Lyons make Leopards tame.

183Mo, Yea, but not change his spots: take but my shame,

184And I resigne my gage. My deere, deere Lord,

185The purest treasure mortall times afford

186Is spotlesse reputation: that away,

187Men are but gilded loame, or painted clay.

188A Iewell in a ten times barr'd vp Chest,

189Is a bold spirit, in a loyall brest.

190Mine Honor is my life; both grow in one:

191Take Honor from me, and my life is done.

192Then (deere my Liege) mine Honor let me trie,

193In that I liue; and for that will I die.

194King. Coosin, throw downe your gage,

195Do you begin.

196Bul. Oh heauen defend my soule from such foule sin.

197Shall I seeme Crest-falne in my fathers sight,

198Or with pale beggar-feare impeach my hight

199Before this out-dar'd dastard? Ere my toong,

200Shall wound mine honor with such feeble wrong;

201Or sound so base a parle: my teeth shall teare

202The slauish motiue of recanting feare,

203And spit it bleeding in his high disgrace,

204Where shame doth harbour, euen in Mowbrayes face.

206King. We were not borne to sue, but to command,

207Which since we cannot do to make you friends,

208Be readie, (as your liues shall answer it)

209At Couentree, vpon S. Lamberts day:

210There shall your swords and Lances arbitrate

211The swelling difference of your setled hate:

212Since we cannot attone you, you shall see

213Iustice designe the Victors Chiualrie.

214Lord Marshall, command our Officers at Armes,

215Be readie to direct these home Alarmes. Exeunt.