Internet Shakespeare Editions

Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: Catherine Lisak
Peer Reviewed

Richard II (Quarto 1, 1597)

King Richard the second.
Fall to the base earth from the firmament,
1305Thy sunne sets weeping in the lowly west,
Witnessing stormes to come, wo, and vnrest,
Thy friends are fled to wait vpon thy foes,
And crosly to thy good all fortune goes.
1310Enter Duke of Hereford, Yorke, Northumberland,
Bushie and Greene prisoners.
Bull. Bring forth these men.
Bushie and Greene, I will not vex your soules,
1315Since presently your soules must part your bodies
With too much vrging your pernitious liues,
For twere no charitie; yet to wash your bloud
From off my hands, heere in the view of men
I will vnfold some causes of your deaths:
1320You haue misled a Prince, a royall King,
A happy Gentleman in bloud and lineaments,
By you vnhappied, and disfigured cleane,
You haue in manner with your sinfull houres
Made a diuorce betwixt his Queene and him,
1325Broke the possession of a royall bed,
And stainde the beutie of a faire Queenes cheekes
With teares, drawen from her eies by your fowle wrongs,
My selfe a Prince, by fortune of my birth,
Neere to the King in bloud, and neere in loue,
1330Till you did make him misinterpret me,
Haue stoopt my necke vnder your iniuries,
And sigh't my English breath in forren cloudes,
Eating the bitter bread of banishment,
Whilst you haue fed vpon my segniories,
1335Disparkt my parkes, and felld my forrest woods,
From my owne windowes torne my houshold coate,
Rac't out my impreese, leauing me no signe,
Saue mens opinions, and my liuing bloud,
To shew the world I am a gentleman.
1340This and much more, much more then twice all this
Condemns you to the death: see them deliuered ouer
To execution and the hand of death.
Bushie