Do wound the bark, the skin of our fruit-trees; 1 Serv. What, think you then, the king shall be Gard. Depress'd he is already; and depos'd, Queen. O, I am press'd to death, Through want of speaking!-Thou, old Adam's likeness, [Coming from her concealment. Set to dress this garden, how dares Thy harsh-rude tongue sound this unpleasing news? Why dost thou say, king Richard is depos'd? Gard. Pardon me, madam: little joy have I, Of Bolingbroke; their fortunes both are weigh'd: In your lord's scale is nothing but himself, And some few vanities that make him light; And with that odds he weighs king Richard down. Post you to London, and you'll find it so; Queen. Nimble mischance, that art so light of foot, Doth not thy embassage belong to me, And am I last that knows it? O, thou think'st Gard. Poor queen! so that thy state might be no worse, I would, my skill were subject to thy curse.- [Exeunt. VOL. V. Adding withal, how blest this land would be, Aum. Princes, and noble lords, What answer shall I make to this base man? Shall I so much dishonour my fair stars, On equal terms to give him chastisement? Either I must, or have mine honour soil'd With the attainder of his sland'rous lips. There is my gage, the manual seal of death, That marks thee out for hell: I say, thou liest, And will maintain, what thou hast said, is false, In thy heart-blood, though being all too base To stain the temper of my knightly sword. Boling. Bagot, forbear, thou shalt not take it up. Aum. Excepting one, I would he were the best In all this presence, that hath mov'd me so. Fitz. If that thy valour stand on sympathies, There is my gage, Aumerle, in gage to thine: By that fair sun that shows me where thou stand'st, I heard thee say, and vauntingly thou spak'st it, That thou wert cause of noble Gloster's death. If thou deny'st it, twenty times thou liest; And I will turn thy falsehood to thy heart, Where it was forged, with my rapier's point. Aum. Thou dar'st not, coward, live to see that day. Fitz. Now, by my soul, I would it were this hour. Aum. Fitzwater, thou art damn'd to hell for this. Percy. Aumerle, thou liest; his honour is as true, In this appeal, as thou art all unjust: And, that thou art so, there I throw my gage, And never brandish more revengeful steel Over the glittering helmet of my foe! Lord. I take the earth to the like, forsworn And spur thee on with full as many lies at all: I have a thousand spirits in one breast, pawn; do remember well The very time Aumerle and you did talk. Fitz. My lord, 'tis true: you were in presence then; And you can witness with me, this is true. Surrey. As false, by heaven, as heaven itself is true. Fitz. Surrey, thou liest. Surrey. In proof whereof, there is my honour's pawn; Fitz. How fondly dost thou spur a forward horse! If I dare eat, or drink, or breathe, or live, I dare meet Surrey in a wilderness, And spit upon him, whilst I say, he lies, in this new world,] In this world where I have just begun to be an actor. Surrey, a few lines above, called him boy. |