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Richard II - Act 3, scene 3
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Richard II - Act 3, scene 3Act 3, scene 3
⌜Scene 3⌝
Synopsis:
Bolingbroke, approaching Flint Castle, learns that Richard is within. In answer to Bolingbroke’s trumpets, Richard and Aumerle appear on the battlements. Northumberland presents Bolingbroke’s demand that Richard yield Bolingbroke’s “lineal royalties” and lift the sentence of banishment. Richard agrees. Northumberland returns and asks that Richard descend to Bolingbroke, who awaits him in the outer court. The cousins meet and Richard expresses willingness to yield to Bolingbroke and accompany him to London.
Enter ⌜with Drum and Colors⌝ Bolingbroke, York,Northumberland, ⌜with Soldiers and Attendants.⌝
BOLINGBROKE
1610 So that by this intelligence we learn
1611 The Welshmen are dispersed, and Salisbury
1612 Is gone to meet the King, who lately landed
1613 With some few private friends upon this coast.
NORTHUMBERLAND
1614 5 The news is very fair and good, my lord:
1615 Richard not far from hence hath hid his head.
YORK
1616 It would beseem the Lord Northumberland
1617 To say “King Richard.” Alack the heavy day
1618 When such a sacred king should hide his head!
NORTHUMBERLAND
1619 10 Your Grace mistakes; only to be brief
1620 Left I his title out.
YORK
1621 The time hath been, would you have been so brief
1622 with him,
1623 He would have been so brief to shorten you,
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1624
15 For taking so the head, your whole head’s length.BOLINGBROKE
1625 Mistake not, uncle, further than you should.
YORK
1626 Take not, good cousin, further than you should,
1627 Lest you mistake. The heavens are over our heads.
BOLINGBROKE
1628 I know it, uncle, and oppose not myself
1629 20 Against their will. But who comes here?
Enter Percy.
1630 Welcome, Harry. What, will not this castle yield?
PERCY
1631 The castle royally is manned, my lord,
1632 Against thy entrance.
BOLINGBROKE
1633 Royally? Why, it contains no king.
PERCY 1634 25Yes, my good lord,
1635 It doth contain a king. King Richard lies
1636 Within the limits of yon lime and stone,
1637 And with him are the Lord Aumerle, Lord Salisbury,
1638 Sir Stephen Scroop, besides a clergyman
1639 30 Of holy reverence—who, I cannot learn.
NORTHUMBERLAND
1640 O, belike it is the Bishop of Carlisle.
BOLINGBROKE, ⌜to Northumberland⌝ 1641 Noble ⌜lord,⌝
1642 Go to the rude ribs of that ancient castle,
1643 Through brazen trumpet send the breath of parley
1644 35 Into his ruined ears, and thus deliver:
1645 Henry Bolingbroke
1646 On both his knees doth kiss King Richard’s hand
1647 And sends allegiance and true faith of heart
1648 To his most royal person, hither come
1649 40 Even at his feet to lay my arms and power,
1650 Provided that my banishment repealed
1651 And lands restored again be freely granted.
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1652
If not, I’ll use the advantage of my power1653 And lay the summer’s dust with showers of blood
1654 45 Rained from the wounds of slaughtered
1655 Englishmen—
1656 The which how far off from the mind of Bolingbroke
1657 It is such crimson tempest should bedrench
1658 The fresh green lap of fair King Richard’s land,
1659 50 My stooping duty tenderly shall show.
1660 Go signify as much while here we march
1661 Upon the grassy carpet of this plain.
⌜Northumberland and Trumpets
approach the battlements.⌝
1662 Let’s march without the noise of threat’ning drum,
1663 That from this castle’s tottered battlements
1664 55 Our fair appointments may be well perused.
1665 Methinks King Richard and myself should meet
1666 With no less terror than the elements
1667 Of fire and water when their thund’ring shock
1668 At meeting tears the cloudy cheeks of heaven.
1669 60 Be he the fire, I’ll be the yielding water;
1670 The rage be his, whilst on the earth I rain
1671 My waters—on the earth and not on him.
1672 March on, and mark King Richard how he looks.
⌜Bolingbroke’s Soldiers march,⌝ the trumpets sound.
Richard appeareth on the walls ⌜with Aumerle.⌝
1673 See, see, King Richard doth himself appear
1674 65 As doth the blushing discontented sun
1675 From out the fiery portal of the east
1676 When he perceives the envious clouds are bent
1677 To dim his glory and to stain the track
1678 Of his bright passage to the occident.
YORK
1679 70 Yet looks he like a king. Behold, his eye,
1680 As bright as is the eagle’s, lightens forth
1681 Controlling majesty. Alack, alack for woe
1682 That any harm should stain so fair a show!
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KING RICHARD, ⌜to Northumberland, below⌝ 1683 We are amazed, and thus long have we stood
1684 75 To watch the fearful bending of thy knee,
1685 Because we thought ourself thy lawful king.
1686 An if we be, how dare thy joints forget
1687 To pay their awful duty to our presence?
1688 If we be not, show us the hand of God
1689 80 That hath dismissed us from our stewardship,
1690 For well we know no hand of blood and bone
1691 Can gripe the sacred handle of our scepter,
1692 Unless he do profane, steal, or usurp.
1693 And though you think that all, as you have done,
1694 85 Have torn their souls by turning them from us,
1695 And we are barren and bereft of friends,
1696 Yet know, my master, God omnipotent,
1697 Is mustering in his clouds on our behalf
1698 Armies of pestilence, and they shall strike
1699 90 Your children yet unborn and unbegot,
1700 That lift your vassal hands against my head
1701 And threat the glory of my precious crown.
1702 Tell Bolingbroke—for yon methinks he stands—
1703 That every stride he makes upon my land
1704 95 Is dangerous treason. He is come to open
1705 The purple testament of bleeding war;
1706 But ere the crown he looks for live in peace,
1707 Ten thousand bloody crowns of mothers’ sons
1708 Shall ill become the flower of England’s face,
1709 100 Change the complexion of her maid-pale peace
1710 To scarlet indignation, and bedew
1711 Her pastures’ grass with faithful English blood.
NORTHUMBERLAND
1712 The King of heaven forbid our lord the King
1713 Should so with civil and uncivil arms
1714 105 Be rushed upon! Thy thrice-noble cousin,
1715 Harry Bolingbroke, doth humbly kiss thy hand,
1716 And by the honorable tomb he swears
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1717
That stands upon your royal grandsire’s bones,1718 And by the royalties of both your bloods,
1719 110 Currents that spring from one most gracious head,
1720 And by the buried hand of warlike Gaunt,
1721 And by the worth and honor of himself,
1722 Comprising all that may be sworn or said,
1723 His coming hither hath no further scope
1724 115 Than for his lineal royalties, and to beg
1725 Enfranchisement immediate on his knees;
1726 Which on thy royal party granted once,
1727 His glittering arms he will commend to rust,
1728 His barbèd steeds to stables, and his heart
1729 120 To faithful service of your Majesty.
1730 This swears he, as he is ⌜a prince and⌝ just,
1731 And as I am a gentleman I credit him.
KING RICHARD
1732 Northumberland, say thus the King returns:
1733 His noble cousin is right welcome hither,
1734 125 And all the number of his fair demands
1735 Shall be accomplished without contradiction.
1736 With all the gracious utterance thou hast,
1737 Speak to his gentle hearing kind commends.
⌜Northumberland returns to Bolingbroke.⌝
1738 ⌜To Aumerle.⌝ We do debase ourselves, cousin, do
1739 130 we not,
1740 To look so poorly and to speak so fair?
1741 Shall we call back Northumberland and send
1742 Defiance to the traitor and so die?
AUMERLE
1743 No, good my lord, let’s fight with gentle words,
1744 135 Till time lend friends, and friends their helpful
1745 swords.
KING RICHARD
1746 O God, O God, that e’er this tongue of mine
1747 That laid the sentence of dread banishment
1748 On yon proud man should take it off again
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1749
140 With words of sooth! O, that I were as great1750 As is my grief, or lesser than my name!
1751 Or that I could forget what I have been,
1752 Or not remember what I must be now.
1753 Swell’st thou, proud heart? I’ll give thee scope to
1754 145 beat,
1755 Since foes have scope to beat both thee and me.
AUMERLE
1756 Northumberland comes back from Bolingbroke.
KING RICHARD
1757 What must the King do now? Must he submit?
1758 The King shall do it. Must he be deposed?
1759 150 The King shall be contented. Must he lose
1760 The name of king? I’ God’s name, let it go.
1761 I’ll give my jewels for a set of beads,
1762 My gorgeous palace for a hermitage,
1763 My gay apparel for an almsman’s gown,
1764 155 My figured goblets for a dish of wood,
1765 My scepter for a palmer’s walking-staff,
1766 My subjects for a pair of carvèd saints,
1767 And my large kingdom for a little grave,
1768 A little, little grave, an obscure grave;
1769 160 Or I’ll be buried in the King’s highway,
1770 Some way of common trade, where subjects’ feet
1771 May hourly trample on their sovereign’s head;
1772 For on my heart they tread now whilst I live
1773 And, buried once, why not upon my head?
1774 165 Aumerle, thou weep’st, my tender-hearted cousin.
1775 We’ll make foul weather with despisèd tears;
1776 Our sighs and they shall lodge the summer corn
1777 And make a dearth in this revolting land.
1778 Or shall we play the wantons with our woes
1779 170 And make some pretty match with shedding tears?
1780 As thus, to drop them still upon one place
1781 Till they have fretted us a pair of graves
1782 Within the earth; and therein laid—there lies
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1783
Two kinsmen digged their graves with weeping eyes.1784 175 Would not this ill do well? Well, well, I see
1785 I talk but idly, and you laugh at me.
⌜Northumberland approaches the battlements.⌝
1786 Most mighty prince, my Lord Northumberland,
1787 What says King Bolingbroke? Will his Majesty
1788 Give Richard leave to live till Richard die?
1789 180 You make a leg, and Bolingbroke says ay.
NORTHUMBERLAND
1790 My lord, in the base court he doth attend
1791 To speak with you, may it please you to come down.
KING RICHARD
1792 Down, down I come, like glist’ring Phaëton,
1793 Wanting the manage of unruly jades.
1794 185 In the base court—base court, where kings grow
1795 base,
1796 To come at traitors’ calls and do them grace.
1797 In the base court come down—down court, down
1798 king,
1799 190 For nightowls shriek where mounting larks should
1800 sing.
⌜Richard exits above
and Northumberland returns to Bolingbroke.⌝
BOLINGBROKE 1801 What says his Majesty?
NORTHUMBERLAND 1802 Sorrow and grief of heart
1803 Makes him speak fondly like a frantic man,
1804 195 Yet he is come.
⌜Richard enters below.⌝
BOLINGBROKE 1805 Stand all apart,
1806 And show fair duty to his Majesty.He kneels down.
1807 My gracious lord.
KING RICHARD
1808 Fair cousin, you debase your princely knee
1809 200 To make the base earth proud with kissing it.
1810 Me rather had my heart might feel your love
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1811
Than my unpleased eye see your courtesy.1812 Up, cousin, up. Your heart is up, I know,
1813 Thus high at least ⌜indicating his crown,⌝ although
1814 205 your knee be low.
BOLINGBROKE, ⌜standing⌝
1815 My gracious lord, I come but for mine own.
KING RICHARD
1816 Your own is yours, and I am yours, and all.
BOLINGBROKE
1817 So far be mine, my most redoubted lord,
1818 As my true service shall deserve your love.
KING RICHARD
1819 210 Well you deserve. They well deserve to have
1820 That know the strong’st and surest way to get.—
1821 Uncle, give me your hands. Nay, dry your eyes.
1822 Tears show their love but want their remedies.—
1823 Cousin, I am too young to be your father,
1824 215 Though you are old enough to be my heir.
1825 What you will have I’ll give, and willing too,
1826 For do we must what force will have us do.
1827 Set on towards London, cousin, is it so?
BOLINGBROKE
1828 Yea, my good lord.
KING RICHARD 1829 220 Then I must not say no.
⌜They exit.⌝