Lets ftep into the fhadow of thefe trees.
My wretchedneffe vnto a row of pines *.
They will talke of ftate, for euery one doth fo,
Against a change woe is fore-runne with woe.
Gard. Goe bind thou vp yon dangling apricockes,
Which like vnruly children make their fire
Stoope with oppreffion of their prodigall weight:
Giue fome fupportance to the bending twigs.
Goe thou, and like an executioner
Cut off the heads of two ‡ faft growing sprayes,
That looke too loftie in our common-wealth:
All must be euen in our gouerment.
You thus imployde, I will goe roote away
The noyfome weedes that without profit fucke
The foyles fertilitie from holfome flowers.
Man. Why should we in the compasse of a pale,
Keepe law and forme, and due proportion,
Shewing in a modell our firme eftate ++.
When our fea-walled garden, the whole land.
Is full of weedes; her faireft flowers choakt vp,
Her fruit trees all vnprund her hedges ruinde,
Her knots difordered, and her holesome hearbes
Swarming with caterpillers.
Gard. Hold thy peace,
He that hath fuffred this difordered spring,
Hath now himselfe met with the fall of leafe :
The weedes that his broad fpreading leaues did fhelter,
That feemde in eating him, to hold him vp,
Are puld vp, roote and all, by Bullingbrooke:
I meane the earle of Wiltshire, Bufbie, Greene.
Man *. What, are they dead?
Gard. They are,
And Bullingbrooke hath feizd the waftfull king.
Oh what pittie it is, that he had not fot trimde
And dreft his land; as we this garden, at time of yeere
Do wound the barke, the skinne of our fruit trees,
Least being ouer-proud with fappe and blood,
With too much riches it confound it felfe.
Had he done fo, to great and growing men,
They might haue liude to beare, and he to tafte
Their fruites of duetie: fuperfluous branches
We loppe away, that bearing boughes may liue:
Had he done fo, himfelfe had borne the crowne,
Which waste of || idle houres hath quite throwne downe.
Man §. What, thinke you the king fhall be depofde?
Gard. Deprest he is already, and depofde
T'is doubt ** he will be. Letters came last night
To a deare friend of the ++ duke of Yorkes,
That tell blacke tidinges.
Queen. Oh! I am preft to death through want of speaking Thou old Adams likenes fet to dreffe this garden,
How dares thy harsh rude ‡‡ tongue found his vnpleafing
What Eue? what ferpent hath fuggested thee,
To make a fecond fall of curfed man?
Why deft thou fay king Richard is depofde?
Darft thou, thou little better thing then earth
Diuine his downe fall? fay, where, when, and how
Camft thou by this ill tidinges? fpeake thou wretch?
Gard. Pardon me madam, little ioy haue I
To breath these newes, yet what I fay is true;
King Richard, he is in the mighty hold
Of Bullingbrooke: their fortunes both are weyde .
In your lo. fcale, is nothing but himselfe,
And fome few vanities that make him light:
But in the ballance of great Bullingbrooke,
Befides himselfe, are all the English peeres,
And with that oddes, he wheighes king Richard downe.
Poft you to London, and you will finde it fo;
I fpeake no more then euery one doth know.
Queen. Nimble mifchaunce, that art fo light of foote,
Doth not thy emballage belong to me,
And am I laft that knowes † it? oh thou thinkest
To ferue me laft, that I may longest keepe
Thy forrow in my breaft: come ladyes, goe
To meete at London, Londons king in woe.
What, was I borne to this, that my fadd looke,
Should grace the triumph of great Bullingbrooke?
Gardner, for telling me thefe ‡ newes of woe,
Pray God, the plants thou graftst may neuer grow.
Gard. Poore queene, fo that thy ftate might be no worse
I would my skill were fubiect to thy curse,
Heere did the drop a teare, heere in this place,
Ile fet a bancke of rewfowre hearbe-of-grace:
Rew, euen for ruth, heere fhortly fhall be feene,
In remembrance of a weeping queene. ||||
++ Enter Bullingbrooke, Aumerle, and others. Bull. Call, foorth Bagot.
Now Bagot, freely fpeake thy mind,
What thou doft know of noble Glocefters death,
lords
+ know
Scana Prima.
In the | A&us Quartus. tt Enter as to the parliament, Bullingbrooke, Aumerle, Northumberland, Percy, Fitzwater, Surrey, Carlile, abbot of Westmimfter,
berald, officers, and Bagot.
Who wrought it with the king, and who performde
The bloodie office of his timeleffe end?
Bagot. Then fet before my face the lord Aumerle.
Bull. Coofin, ftand foorth, and looke vpon that man.
Bagot. My lord Aumerle, I know your daring tongue,
Scornes to vnfay what once it hath deliuered:
In that dead time when Glocefters death was plotted,
I heard you fay, Is not my arme of length,
That reacheth from the reftfull English court
As farre as Callice to mine vncklęs head?
Amongst much other talke, that very time
I heard you say, that you had rather refuse
The offer of an hundred thousand crownes,
Then Bullingbrookes returne to England, adding withall,
How bleft this land would be in this your coofins death.
Aum. Princes, and noble lords,
What anfwere fhall I make to this bafe man?
Shall I fo much difhonour my faire ftarres,
On equall tearmes to giue him chafticement?
Either I muft, or haue mine honour foyld
With the attainder of his flaunderous lips:
There is my gage, the manuall feale of death,
That markes thee out for hell: thou liest,
And will maintaine what thou haft fayd, is falfe,
In thy heart blood, though being all too bafe
To ftaine the temper of my knightly fword.
Bull. Bagot, forbeare, thou shalt not take it vp.
Aum. Excepting one, I would he were the best
In all this prefence, that hath mooud me fo.
Fitz. If that thy valour ftand on fimpathie,
There is my gage Aumerle, in gage to thine;
By that faire funne that fhewes me where thou ftandst,
I heard thee fay, and vauntingly thou fpakst it,
That thou wert caufe of noble Glocefters death:
If thou deniest it twentie times, thou lyeft,
And I will turne thy falfhood to thy heart,
Where it was forged, with my rapiers poynt.
Aum. Thou darft not (coward) fiue I* to see the day.
Fitz. Now by my foule, I would it were this houre.
Aum. Fitzwaters, thou art damnd to hell for this.
L. Per. Aumerle, thou lieft, his honour is as true,
In this appeale, as thou art all vniuft,
And that thou art fo, there I throw my gage,
To prooue it on thee to the extreamest poynt
Of mortall breathing, feize it if thou dar'ft.
Aum. And if I do not, may my hands rot off.
And neuer brandish more reuengefull steele
Ouer the glittering helmet of my foe.
↑ Another L. I take the earth to the like (forfworne Aumerle) And fpur thee on with full as many lies,
As it may be hollowed in thy trecherous care
From finne to finne: there is my honours pawne,
Ingage it to the tryall if thou darft.
Aum. Who fets me elfe? by heauen lle throw at all. I have a thousand fpirits in one breaft,
To answer twenty thousand such as you.
Sur. My lord Fitzwater, I doe remember well
The verie time Aumerle and you did talke.
Fitz. Tis very true, you were in prefence then,
And you can witneffe with me this is true.
Sur. As falfe by heauen, as heauen it felfe is true.
Fitz. Surrie, thou lieft.
Sur. Dishonourable boy, that ly fhall ly fo heauie on my
That it fhall render vengeance and reuenge
Till thou the lie-giuer, and that lie do lie,
Thefe lines are omitted in the laft edition.
|| My lord, tis, &c.
|