Dramatis Perfonæ.

KING Richard the Second.

Duke of York,

}

John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, Uncles to the King.
Bolingbroke, Son to John of Gaunt, afterwards King
Henry the Fourth.

Aumerle, Son to the Duke of York.
Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk.

Earl of Salisbury.

Earl of Berkley.

Bufhy, 7

Bagot,

Green,

Servants to King Richard.

Earl of Northumberland,

Percy, Son to Northumberland, Friends to Bolingbroke.

Rofs,
Willoughby,
Bishop of Carlisle,

Sir Stephen Scroop,
Fitzwater,

Surry,

Abbot of Westminster,
Sir Pierce of Exton,

Queen to King Richard.

Dutchess of Gloucester.

Dutchess of York.

Friends to King Richard.

Lords in the Parliament.

Ladies, attending on the Queen.

Heralds, two Gardiners, Keeper, Messenger, Groom, and other Attendants.

SCENE, difperfedly, in feveral Parts of

England.

The

(1) The LIFE and DEATH of KING RICHARD II.

A C
Ӓ TI.

SCENE, the COURT.

Enter King Richard, John of Gaunt, with other Nobles and Attendants.

O

King RICHARD.

LD John of Gaunt, time-honour'd Lancaster, Haft thou, according to thy oath and bond, Brought hither Henry Hereford thy bold fon, Here to make good the boift'rous late appeal,

(1) The life and death of King Richard II.] But this history comprizes little more than the two laft years of this unfortunate Prince, The action of the drama begins with Bolingbroke's appealing the Duke of Norfolk, on an accufation of high treafon, which fell out in the year 1398; and it clofes with the murder of King Richard at PomfretCafle, towards the end of the year 1400, or the beginning of the enfuing year. Mr. Gildon acknowledges, that Shakespeare has drawn K. Richard's character according to the beft accounts of hiftory; that is, infolent, proud, and thoughtless in profperity; dejected, and defponding on the appearance of danger. But whatever blemishes

he had either in temper or conduct, the diftreffes of his latter days, the double divorce from his throne and Queen, are painted in fuch ftrong colours, that thofe blemishes are lost in the fhade of his mitfortunes; and our compaffion for him wipes out the memory of fuch fpots, quas kumana parum cavit natura.

A 3

Which

Which then our leifure would not let us hear,
Against the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?
Gaunt. I have, my Liege.

K. Rich. Tell me moreover, haft thou sounded him, If he appeal the Duke on ancient malice,

Or worthily, as a good fubject should,

On fome known ground of treachery in him?
Gaunt. As near as I could fift him on that argument,
On fome apparent danger seen in him

Aim'd at your Highnefs; no inver'rate malice.

K. Rich. Then call them to our prefence; face to face, And frowning brow to brow, ourselves will hear Th' accufer, and th' accufed freely fpeak: High-ftomach'd are they both, and full of ire; In rage, deaf as the fea; baily as fire.

Enter Bolingbroke and Mowbray.

Boling. May many years of happy days befal My gracious Sovereign, my moft loving Liege! Mob. Each day ftill better other's happiness; Until the heavens, envying earth's good hap, Add an immortal title to your crown!

K. Rich. We thank you both, yet one but flatters us, As well appeareth by the caufe

you come;

Namely, t'appeal each other of high treason.

Coufin of Hereford, what doft thou object

Against the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray ?

Boling. Firft, (Heaven be the record to my fpeech!)

In the devotion of a fubject's love,

Tend'ring the precious fafety of my Prince,
And free from other mif begotten hate,
Come I appellant to this princely prefence.
Now, Thomas Morubray, do I turn to thee,
And mark my greeting well; for what I speak,
My body shall make good upon this earth,
Or my divine foul answer it in heav'n.
Thou art a traitor and a miscreant;
Too good to be fo, and too bad to live;
Since, the more fair and cryftal is the fky,
The uglier feem the clouds, that in it fly.

Once

Once more, the more to aggravate the note,
With a foul traitor's name stuff I thy throat:
And wish, so please my Sov'reign, e're I move,

What my tongue fpeaks, my sight-drawn fword may prove. Mowb. Let not my cold words here accuse my zeal; 'Tis not the tryal of a woman's war,

The bitter clamour of two eager tongues,

Can arbitrate this caufe betwixt us twain;

The blood is hot, that must be cool'd for this.
Yet can I not of fuch tame patience boast,
As to be hufh'd, and nought at all to lay.
First, the fair rev'rence of your Highnefs curbs me,
From giving reins and fpurs to my free fpeech;
Which elfe would post, until it had return'd
These terms of treafon doubled down his throat.
Setting afide his high blood's royalty,
And let him be no kinfman to my Liege,
I do defy him, and I spit at him;

Call him a flanderous coward, and a villain;
Which to maintain, I would allow him odds,
And meet him, were I ty'd to run a-foot
Even to the frozen ridges of the Alps,
Or any other ground unhabitable, (2)

Where

(2) Or any other ground inhabitable.] I don't know that this word, (like the French term, inhabitable,) will admit the two different accep tations of a place to be dwelt in, and not to be dwelt in: (or that it may be taken in the latter fenfe, as inhabitabilis (among the Latines) fignifies uninhabitable; tho' inhabitare fignifies only to inhabit :) and therefore I have ventur'd to read,

Or any other ground unhabitable;

So in the old Quarto, or first rough draught of our author's Taming of the Shrew;

Unhabitable as the burning Zone.

I confefs, there is a paffage in Ben. Jonfon's tragedy of Catiline, which
fhould feem to favour the equivocal conftruction and ufe of this word;
And who, in such a cause, and 'gainst fuch fiends,
Would not now with himself all arm and weapon,

To cut fuch poifons from the earth, and let
Their blood out, to be drawn away in clouds,

And pour'd on fome inhabitable place,

Where the hot fun and flime breeds nought but monsters?