Let heaven revenge; for I may never lift 40 An angry arm against His minister.

Duch. Where then, alas, may I complain myself? 1

Gaunt. To God, the widow's champion and defence.

Duch. Why, then, I will. Farewell, old
Gaunt.

Thou go'st to Coventry, there to behold
Our cousin Hereford and fell Mowbray fight:
O, sit my husband's wrongs on Hereford's
spear,

That it may enter butcher Mowbray's breast!
Or, if misfortune miss the first career,

Be Mowbray's sins so heavy in his bosom, 50 That they may break his foaming courser's back,

And throw the rider headlong in the lists,
A caitiff recreant to my cousin Hereford!
Farewell, old Gaunt: thy sometimes brother's
wife

With her companion grief must end her life.

Gaunt. Sister, farewell; I must to Coventry: As much good stay with thee as go with

SCENE III. Gosford Green, near Coventry. Lists set out, and a throne. Heralds, Attendants, &c.

Enter the LORD MARSHAL and the DUKE OF AUMERLE.

Mar. My Lord Aumerle, is Harry Hereford arm'd?

Aum. Yea, at all points; and longs to enter in.

Mar. The Duke of Norfolk, sprightfully and bold,2

Stays but the summons of the appellant's trumpet.

Aum. Why, then, the champions are prepar'd, and stay

For nothing but his majesty's approach.

Flourish of trumpets. Enter KING RICHARD, who takes his seat on the throne; GAUNT, BUSHY, BAGOT, GREEN, and others, who take their places. Then enter NORFOLK, defendant, in armour, preceded by a Herald.

K. Rich. Marshal, demand of yonder champion

The cause of his arrival here in arms:
Ask him his name; and orderly proceed
To swear him in the justice of his cause. 10
Mar. In God's name and the king's, say
who thou art,

And why thou com'st thus knightly clad in

arms,

Against what man thou com'st, and what thy quarrel:

Speak truly, on thy knighthood and thy oath; As so defend thee heaven and thy valour!

Nor. My name is Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk;

Who hither come, engaged by my oath,Which God defend a knight should violate!— Both to defend my loyalty and truth

To God, my king, and my succeeding issue, 20 Against the Duke of Hereford that appeals me; [And, by the grace of God and this mine arm,} To prove him, in defending of myself, A traitor to my God, my king, and me:] And as I truly fight, defend me heaven! [He takes his seat.

2 Bold is here an adverb= boldly.

Before King Richard in his royal lists? Against whom comest thou? and what's thy quarrel?

Speak like a true knight, so defend thee heaven!

Boling. Harry of Hereford, Lancaster, and
Derby,

Am I; who ready here do stand in arms,
To prove, by God's grace and my body's valour,
In lists, on Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk,
That he's a traitor, foul and dangerous,
To God of heaven, King Richard, and to me;
And as I truly fight, defend me heaven!

39

[He takes his seat. Mar. On pain of death, no person be so bold,

Or daring-hardy, as to touch the lists,
Except the marshal, and such officers
Appointed to direct these fair designs.

Boling. Lord marshal, let me kiss my sovereign's hand,

And bow my knee before his majesty:
For Mowbray and myself are like two men
That vow a long and weary pilgrimage;
Then let us take a ceremonious leave
And loving farewell of our several friends.
Mar. The appellant in all duty greets your
highness,

50

And craves to kiss your hand, and take his leave.

K. Rich. We will descend, and fold him in

our arms.

[Flourish of trumpets. Bolingbroke rises, and kneels to the King. Cousin of Hereford, as thy cause is right, So be thy fortune in this royal fight!

1 Plated, clad in plated armour.

2 Depose him, take his evidence or deposition.

[Farewell, my blood;3 which if to-day thou

shed,

Lament we may, but not revenge thee dead.

61

Boling. O, let no noble eye profane a tear For me, if I be gor'd with Mowbray's spear:] As confident as is the falcon's flight Against a bird, do I with Mowbray fight.[To Lord Marshal] My loving lord, I take my leave of you;—

Of you, my noble cousin, Lord Aumerle;
[Not sick, although I have to do with death,
But lusty, young, and cheerly drawing breath.-
Lo, as at English feasts, so I regreet1

The daintiest last, to make the end most sweet:]

[To Gaunt] O thou, the earthly author of my blood,

[Whose youthful spirit, in me regenerate, 70
Doth with a two-fold vigour lift me up
To reach at victory above my head,—]
Add proof unto mine armour with thy prayers;
And with thy blessings steel my lance's point,
[That it may enter Mowbray's waxen coat,
And furbish new the name of John o' Gaunt,
Even in the lusty haviour of his son.]

Gaunt. God in thy good cause make thee
prosperous!

[Be swift like lightning in the execution; And let thy blows, doubly redoubled, Fall like amazing thunder on the casque Of thy adverse pernicious enemy:] Rouse up thy youthful blood, be valiant, live! Boling. Mine innocency and Saint George to thrive !7 [He takes his seat. Nor. [Kneeling to the King] However God

or fortune cast my lot,

Mar. [To an Officer] Go bear this lance to
Thomas, Duke of Norfolk.

First Her. Harry of Hereford, Lancaster, and Derby,

Stands here for God, his sovereign, and himself,

On pain to be found false and recreant,

To prove the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray,

A traitor to his God, his king, and him;
And dares him to set forward to the fight.
Sec. Her. Here standeth Thomas Mowbray,
Duke of Norfolk,

On pain to be found false and recreant,
Both to defend himself, and to approve2
Henry of Hereford, Lancaster, and Derby,
To God, his sovereign, and to him disloyal;
[Courageously, and with a free desire,
Attending3 but the signal to begin.]

110

Therefore, we banish you our territories :--
You, cousin Hereford, upon pain of life,
Till twice five summers have enrich'd our fields
Shall not regreet our fair dominions,
But tread the stranger paths of banishment.
Boling. Your will be done: this must my
comfort be,-

That sun that warms you here shall shine on me;

And those his golden beams to you here lent Shall point on me and gild my banishment.

K. Rich. Norfolk, for thee remains a heavier doom,

Attending, awaiting.

Return, report to.

160

The language I have learn'd these forty years,
My native English, now I must forego:
And now my tongue's use is to me no more
Than an unstringed viol or a harp,
[Or like a cunning instrument cas'd up,
Or, being open, put into his hands
That knows no touch to tune the harmony:
Within my mouth you have engaol'd1 my
tongue,

Doubly portcullis'd with my teeth and lips;
And dull unfeeling barren ignorance

Is made my gaoler to attend on me.

I am too old to fawn upon a nurse,

Too far in years to be a pupil now:
:]

170

What is thy sentence then but speechless

K. Rich. Return again, and take an oath
with thee. [Norfolk returns to King.
Lay on our royal sword your banish'd hands;
Swear by the duty that you owe to God,— 180
Our part therein3 we banish with yourselves,—
To keep the oath that we administer:
You never shall,-so help you truth and
God!-

Embrace each other's love in banishment;
Nor never look upon each other's face;
Nor never write, regreet, nor reconcile
This louring tempest of your home-bred hate;
Nor never by advised purpose meet
To plot, contrive, or complot any ill
'Gainst us, our state, our subjects, or our land.
Boling. I swear.

Nor. And I, to keep all this.

189

My oil-dri'd lamp and time-bewasted light Shall be extinct with age and endless night; [My inch of taper will be burnt and done, And blindfold death not let me see my son. K. Rich. Why, uncle, thou hast many years to live.

Gaunt. But not a minute, king, that thou canst give:

Shorten my days thou canst with sullen sorrow, And pluck nights from me, but not lend a

morrow ;

230

Thou canst help time to furrow me with age,
But stop no wrinkle in his pilgrimage;
Thy word is current with him for my death,
But dead, thy kingdom cannot buy my
breath.]

K. Rich. Thy son is banish'd upon good advice,