Go, signify as much; while here we march [NORTHUMBERLAND advances to the Castle, Let's march without the noise of threat'ning drum, Of fire and water, when their thund'ring shock March on, and mark king Richard how he looks. Aparle sounded, and answered by another Trumpet within. Flourish. Enter, on the walls, King RICHARD, the Bishop of Carlisle, AUMERLE, SCROOP and SALISBURY. York. See, see, king Richard doth himself appear, As doth the blushing discontented sun From out the fiery portal of the east ; When he perceives the envious clouds are bent K.Rich.We are amaz'd; and thus long have we stood That hath dismiss'd us from our stewardship; And though you think, that all, as you have done, Armies of pestilence; and they shall strike That lift your vassal hands against my head, Her pastures' grass with faithful English blood. Be rush'd upon! Thy thrice-noble cousin, Harry Bolingbroke, doth humbly kiss thy hand; That stands upon thy royal grandsire's bones; Currents that spring from one most gracious head; This swears he, as he is a prince, is just ; K. Rich. Northumberland, say,-thus the king re turns ; [4] I believe our author uses the word testament in its legal sense. Bolingbroke is come to open the testament of war, that he my peruse what is decreed there in his favour Purple is an epithet referring to the future effusion of blood. STEEV. [5] By the flower of England's face, is meant the choicest youths of England, who shall be slaughter'd in this quarrel, or have bloody crowns The flower of England's face, to design her choicest youth, is a fine and noble expression. Pericles, by a similar thought, said that the destruction of the Athenian youth was a fatality like cutting off the spring from the year. WARB. His noble cousin is right welcome hither; [To AUM. Aum. No, good my lord; let's fight with gentle words, Till time lend friends, and friends their helpful swords. K. Rich. O God! O God! that e'er this tongue of mine, That laid the sentence of dread banishment On yon proud man, should take it off again Swell'st thou, proud heart? I'll give thee scope to beat, Aum. Northumberland comes back from Bolingbroke. K.Rich. What must the king do now? Must he submit? The king shall do it. Must he be depos'd? [6] Sooth is sweet, as well as true. In this place, sooth means sweetness, or softness, a signification yet retained in the verb, to sooth. JOHNS. [7] Dr. Gray observes, "that King Richard's expense in regard to dress, was very extraordinary." Holinshed has the same remark; and adds that he had one cote which he caused to be made for him of gold and stone, valued at 30,000 marks." STEEV [8] The phrase is still used by common people. When they speak of a Toad much frequented, they say, "it is a road of much traffick STEEV. May hourly trample on their sovereign's head: Aumerle, thou weep'st; My tender-hearted cousin!- Within the earth; and, therein laid,-There lies North. My lord, in the base court2 he doth attend To speak with you; may't please you to come down? K.Rich. Down, down, I come; like glistering Phaeton, Wanting the manage of unruly jades. [NORTH. retires to BOLING. In the base court? Base court, where kings grow base, To come at traitors' calls, and do them grace.. In the base court? Come down? Down, court! down king! For night-owls shriek, where mounting larks should sing. [Exeunt from above, Boling. What says his majesty ? North. Sorrow and grief of heart Makes him speak fondly, like a frantick man: Yet he is come. Enter King RICHARD, and his Attendants below. Boling. Stand all apart, And show fair duty to his majesty. My gracious lord, [Kneeling. [9] Shakspeare is very apt to deviate from the pathetic to the ridiculous. Had the speech of Richard ended at this line it had exhibited the natural language of submissive misery, conforming its intention to the present for. tune, and calmly ending its purposes in death. JOHNS. [1] Here is another instance of injury done to the poet's metre by chang ing his orthography. I, which was Shakspeare's word. rhymed very welf with die; but ay has quite a different sound. TYRWHITT. [2] Bas cour, Fr. STEEV. K. Rich. Fair cousin, you debase your princely knee, To make the base earth proud with kissing it : Me rather had, my heart might feel your love, Than my unpleas'd eye see your courtesy. Up, cousin, up; your heart is up I know, Thus high at least, [Touching his own head.] although your knee be low. Boling. My gracious lord, I come but for mine own. K. Rich. Your own is yours, and I am yours, and all. Boling. So far be mine, my most redoubted lord, As my true service shall deserve your love. K. Rich. Well you deserve :-They well deserve to have, That know the strong'st and surest way to get.- Set on towards London :-Cousin, is it so ? Boling. Yea, my good lord. K.Rich. Then I must not say, no. [Flourish. Exeunt. SCENE IV. Langley, The Duke of YORK's Garden. Enter the Queen, and two Ladies. Queen. What sport shall we devise here in this garden, To drive away the heavy thought of care ? 1 Lady. Madam, we'll play at bowls. Queen. "Twill make me think, The world is full of rubs, and that my fortune 1 Lady. Madam, we will dance. Queen. My legs can keep no measure in delight, Queen. Of sorrow, or of joy ? 1 Lady. Of either, madam. Queen. Of neither, girl: For if of joy, being altogether wanting, It doth remember me the more of sorrow; |