K. Rich. We are amazed; and thus long have we stood To watch the fearful bending of thy knee, [TO NORTHUMBErland. And though you think, that all, as you have done, Her pastures' grass with faithful English blood. Should so with civil and uncivil arms . Be rushed upon! Thy thrice-noble cousin, Harry Bolingbroke, doth humbly kiss thy hand; And by the honorable tomb he swears, 1 i. e. England's flowery face; or, according to Warburton, the choicest youth of England. That stands upon thy royal grandsire's bones; This swears he, as he is a prince, is just; K. Rich. Northumberland, say, thus the king returns ; His noble cousin is right welcome hither; [TO AUMERLE. To look so poorly, and to speak so fair? 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 With words of sooth! O, that I were as great Or that I could forget what I have been! 1 Sooth is sweet, as well as true. In this place, sooth means sweetness or softness. Thus, to soothe still means to calm and sweeten the mind. Or not remember what I must be now! Swell'st thou, proud heart? I'll give thee scope to beat, Since foes have scope to beat both thee and me. 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 deposed? 2 Some way of common trade, where subjects' feet I talk but idly, and you mock at me.— 1 Richard's expense in regard to dress was very extraordinary. "He had one coate which he caused to be made for him of gold and stone, valued at 3000 marks."-Holinshed. 2 "Some way of common trade" is some way of frequent resort, a common course; as, at present, "a road of much traffic," i. e. frequent resort. Most mighty prince, my lord Northumberland, North. My lord, in the base court he doth attend To speak with you; may't please you to come down? K. Rich. Down, down, I come; like glistering Phaëton, 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. Sorrow and grief of heart Boling. What says his majesty? North. Makes him speak fondly, like a frantic 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. K. Rich. Fair cousin, you debase your princely knee, To make the base earth proud with kissing it. Thus high at least, [Touching his own head.] although your knee be low. Boling. My gracious lord, I come but for mine own. 1 A bow. 2 It should be remembered that the affirmative particle ay, was formerly written and sounded I, which rhymed well with die. 3 That is, the lower court of the castle (basse cour, Fr.). 4 Foolishly. 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.— Then I must not say, no.1 [Flourish. Exeunt. SCENE IV. Langley. 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? 'Twill make me think, 1 Lady. Madam, we'll play at bowls. 1 Lady. Madam, we will dance. Queen. My legs can keep no measure in delight, When my poor heart no measure keeps in grief. Therefore, no dancing, girl; some other sport. 1 "The duke, with a sharpe high voyce bade bring forth the king's horses; and then two little nagges, not worth forty franks, were brought forth the king was set on one, and the earle of Salisburie on the other; and thus the duke brought the king from Flint to Chester, where he was delivered to the duke of Gloucester's sonne (that loved him but little, for he had put their father to death,) who led him straight to the castle."-Stowe (p. 521. edit. 1605), from a manuscript account written by a person who was present. 2 The bias was a weight inserted in one side of a bowl, which gave it a particular inclination in bowling. |