Some haunted by the ghofts they have depos'd;
Some poifon'd by their wives, fome fleeping kill'd;
All murder'd:-For within the hollow crown,
That rounds the mortal temples of a king,
Keeps death his court: and there the antick fits,
Scoffing his ftate, and grinning at his pomp;
Allowing him a breath, a little scene

To monarchize, be fear'd, and kill with looks;
Infufing him with felf and vain conceit,—
As if this flesh, which walls about our life,
Were brafs impregnable; and, humour'd thus,
Comes at the last, and with a little pin

Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!
Cover your heads, and mock not flesh and blood
With folemn reverence; throw away respect,
Tradition, form, and ceremonious duty,
For you have but miftook me all this while :
I live with bread like you, feel want, taste grief,
Need friends:-Subjécted thus,

How can you fay to me I am a king?

CAR. My lord, wife men ne'er wail their prefent woes,

But presently prevent the ways to wail.

To fear the foe, fince fear oppreffeth ftrength,
Gives, in your weakness, ftrength unto your foe,
And fo your follies fight against yourself.
Fear, and be flain; no worse can come, to fight:
And fight and die, is death deftroying death;
Where fearing dying, pays death fervile breath.
AUM. My father hath a power, inquire of him;

And learn to make a body of a limb.

K. RICH. Thou chid'ft me well:-Proud Bolingbroke, I come

To change blows with thee for our day of doom.

This ague-fit of fear is over-blown ;

An eafy tafk it is, to win our own.

Say, Scroop, where lies our uncle with his power?
Speak fweetly, man, although thy looks be four.
SCROOP. Men judge by the complexion of the sky
The state and inclination of the day:

So may you by my dull and heavy eye,
My tongue hath but a heavier tale to fay.
I play the torturer, by fmall and fmall,

To lengthen out the worst that must be spoken:
Your uncle York hath join'd with Bolingbroke;
And all northern caftles yielded up,

And all

your

your

fouthern gentlemen in arms

Upon his party.

K. RICH. Thou haft faid enough.

Befhrew thee, coufin, which didst lead me forth

Of that sweet way I was in to despair!

[TO AUMERLE.

What say you now? What comfort have we now ?
By heaven, I'll hate him everlastingly,

That bids me be of comfort any more.
Go, to Flint castle; there I'll pine away;
A king, woe's flave, fhall kingly woe obey.

That power I have, difcharge; and let them go
To ear the land that hath fome hope to grow,
For I have none :-Let no man speak again
To alter this, for counfel is but vain.

AUм. My liege, one word.

K. RICH. He does me double wrong,

That wounds me with the flatteries of his tongue.
Discharge my followers, let them hence ;-Away,
From Richard's night, to Bolingbroke's fair day.

[Excunt.

SCENE III. Wales. Before Flint Caftle.

Enter with drum and colours, BOLINGBROKE and Forces ;
YORK, NORTHUMBERLAND, and Others.
BOLING. So that by this intelligence we learn,
The Welshmen are difpers'd; and Salisbury
Is gone to meet the king, who lately landed,
With fome few private friends, upon this coast.

NORTH. The news is very fair and good, my lord;
Richard, not far from hence, hath hid his head.
YORK. It would befeem the lord Northumberland,
To fay-king Richard :-Alack the heavy day,
When fuch a facred king fhould hide his head!
NORTH. Your grace mistakes me; only to be brief,
Left I his title out.

YORK. The time hath been,

Would you have been fo brief with him, he would
Have been fo brief with you, to fhorten you,
For taking fo the head, your whole head's length.

BOLING. Miftake not, uncle, further than you should.
YORK. Take not, good coufin, further than you should,
Left
you mif-take: The heavens are o'er your head.
BOLING. I know it, uncle; and oppose not
Myself against their will.-But who comes here?
Enter PERCY.

Well, Harry; what, will not this castle yield?
PERCY. The caftle royally is mann'd, my lord,
Against thy entrance.

BOLING. Royally!

Why, it contains no king?

PERCY. Yes, my good lord,

It doth contain a king; king Richard lies
Within the limits of yon lime and stone :

And with him are lord Aumerle, lord Salisbury,
Sir Stephen Scroop; befides a clergyman
Of holy reverence, who, I cannot learn.

NORTH. Belike, it is the bishop of Carlifle.
BOLING. Noble lord,

[TO NORTH.

Go to the rude ribs of that ancient caftle;
Through brazen trumpet fend the breath of parle
Into his ruin'd ears, and thus deliver.

Harry Bolingbroke

On both his knees, doth kiss king Richard's hand;
And fends allegiance, and true faith of heart,
To his most royal perfon: hither come
Even at his feet to lay my arms and power;
Provided that, my banishment repeal'd,
And lands reftor'd again, be freely granted:
If not, I'll use the advantage of my power,

And lay the fummer's duft with fhowers of blood,
Rain'd from the wounds of flaughter'd Englishmen :
The which, how far off from the mind of Bolingbroke
It is, fuch crimson tempeft should bedrench

The fresh green lap of fair king Richard's land,

My stooping duty tenderly fhall fhow.

Go, fignify as much; while here we march

Upon the graffy carpet of this plain.—

[NORTHUMBERLAND advances to the Caftle, with a Trumpet.
Let's march without the noise of threat'ning drum,
That from the caftle's totter'd battlements
Our fair appointments may be well perus'd.
Methinks, king Richard, and myself should meet
With no less terror than the elements

Of fire and water, when their thund'ring fhock
At meeting tears the cloudy cheeks of heaven.
Be he the fire, I'll be the yielding water:

The

rage

be his, while on the earth I rain
My waters; on the earth, and not on him.

March on, and mark king Richard how he looks.
A parle founded, and anfwered by another trumpet within.
Flourish. Enter on the walls King RICHARD, the Bishop
of CARLISLE, AUMERLE, SCROOP, and SALISBURY.
YORK. See, fee, king Richard doth himself appear,
As doth the blushing discontented fun

From out the fiery portal of the east;

When he perceives the envious clouds are bent
To dim his glory, and to ftain the track
Of his bright paffage to the occident.
Yet looks he like a king; behold, his eye,
As bright as is the eagle's, lightens forth
Controlling majefty; Alack, alack, for woe,
That any harm should stain fo fair a show!

K. RICH. We are amaz'd; and thus long have we ftood
To watch the fearful bending of thy knee,

[TO NORTHUMBerland.
Because we thought ourfelf thy lawful king:
And if we be, how dare thy joints forget
To pay their awful duty to our prefence?
If we be not, fhow us the hand of God
That hath difmifs'd us from our stewardship;
For well we know, no hand of blood and bone
Can gripe the facred handle of our scepter,
Unless he do profane, fteal, or ufurp.

And though you think, that all, as you have done,
Have torn their fouls, by turning them from us,
And we are barren, and bereft of friends;-
Yet know, my mafter, God omnipotent,
Is must'ring in his clouds, on our behalf,
Armies of peftilence; and they shall strike