Dramatis Personae

King Richard II

Act I

Scene I London. King Richard II's Palace.

Scene II The Duke Of Lancaster's Palace.

Scene III The Lists At Coventry.

Scene IV The Court.

Act II

Scene I Ely House.

Scene II The Palace.

Scene III Wilds In Gloucestershire.

Scene IV A Camp In Wales.

Act III

Scene I Bristol. Before The Castle.

Scene II The Coast Of Wales. A Castle In View.

Scene III Wales. Before Flint Castle.

Scene IV Langley. The Duke Of York's Garden.

Act IV

Scene I Westminster Hall.

Act V

Scene I London. A Street Leading To The Tower.

Scene II. The Duke Of York's Palace.

Scene III A Royal Palace.

Scene IV The Same.

Scene V Pomfret Castle.

Scene VI Windsor Castle.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

King Richard The Second. (King Richard Ii:)

Uncles To The King

John Of Gaunt, Duke Of Lancaster

Edmund Of Langley, Duke Of York (Duke Of York:)

Henry, Surnamed Bolingbroke (Henry Bolingbroke:), Duke Of Hereford,  Son To John Of Gaunt; Afterwards King Henry IV.

Duke Of Aumerle, Son To The Duke Of York.

Thomas Mowbray, Duke Of Norfolk.

Duke Of Surrey:

Earl Of Salisbury:

Lord Berkeley:

Servants To King Richard

Bushy |

Bagot

Green

Earl Of Northumberland (Northumberland:)

Henry Percy, Surnamed Hotspur, His Son. (Henry Percy:)

Lord Ross:

Lord Willoughby:

Lord Fitzwater:

Bishop Of Carlisle:

Abbot Of Westminster (Abbot:)

Lord Marshal (Lord Marshal:)

Sir Stephen Scroop:

Sir Pierce Of Exton (Exton:)

Captain Of A Band Of Welshmen. (Captain:)

Queen To King Richard (Queen:)

Duchess Of York (Duchess Of York:)

Duchess Of Gloucester (Duchess:)

Lady attending on the Queen. (Lady:)

Lords, Heralds, Officers, Soldiers, two Gardeners,  Keeper, Messenger, Groom, and other Attendants.

 (Lord:)

 (First Herald:)

 (Second Herald:)

 (Gardener:)

 (Keeper:)

 (Groom:)

 (Servant:)

SCENE England and Wales.

KING RICHARD II

ACT I

SCENE I London. KING RICHARD II's palace.

[Enter KING RICHARD II, JOHN OF GAUNT, with other NOBLES and ATTENDANTS]

(1) KING RICHARD II Old John of Gaunt, time-honour'd Lancaster,

 Hast thou, according to thy oath and band,

 Brought hither Henry Hereford thy bold son,

 Here to make good the boisterous late appeal,

 Which then our leisure would not let us hear,

 Against the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?

JOHN OF GAUNT I have, my liege.

KING RICHARD II Tell me, moreover, hast thou sounded him,

 If he appeal the duke on ancient malice;

(10) Or worthily, as a good subject should,

 On some known ground of treachery in him?

JOHN OF GAUNT As near as I could sift him on that argument,

 On some apparent danger seen in him

 Aim'd at your highness, no inveterate malice.

KING RICHARD II Then call them to our presence; face to face,

 And frowning brow to brow, ourselves will hear

 The accuser and the accused freely speak:

 High-stomach'd are they both, and full of ire,

 In rage deaf as the sea, hasty as fire.

[Enter HENRY BOLINGBROKE and THOMAS MOWBRAY]

(20) HENRY BOLINGBROKE Many years of happy days befal

 My gracious sovereign, my most loving liege!

THOMAS MOWBRAY Each day still better other's happiness;

 Until the heavens, envying earth's good hap,

 Add an immortal title to your crown!

KING RICHARD II We thank you both: yet one but flatters us,

 As well appeareth by the cause you come;

 Namely to appeal each other of high treason.

 Cousin of Hereford, what dost thou object

 Against the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?

(30) HENRY BOLINGBROKE First, heaven be the record to my speech!

 In the devotion of a subject's love,

 Tendering the precious safety of my prince,

 And free from other misbegotten hate,

 Come I appellant to this princely presence.

 Now, Thomas Mowbray, 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 soul answer it in heaven.

 Thou art a traitor and a miscreant,

(40) Too good to be so and too bad to live,

 Since the more fair and crystal is the sky,

 The uglier seem the clouds that in it fly.

 Once more, the more to aggravate the note,

 With a foul traitor's name stuff I thy throat;

 And wish, so please my sovereign, ere I move,

 What my tongue speaks my right drawn sword may prove.

THOMAS MOWBRAY Let not my cold words here accuse my zeal:

 'Tis not the trial of a woman's war,

 The bitter clamour of two eager tongues,

(50) Can arbitrate this cause betwixt us twain;

 The blood is hot that must be cool'd for this:

 Yet can I not of such tame patience boast

 As to be hush'd and nought at all to say:

 First, the fair reverence of your highness curbs me

 From giving reins and spurs to my free speech;

 Which else would post until it had return'd

 These terms of treason doubled down his throat.

 Setting aside his high blood's royalty,

 And let him be no kinsman to my liege,

(60) I do defy him, and I spit at him;

 Call him a slanderous coward and a villain:

 Which to maintain I would allow him odds,

 And meet him, were I tied to run afoot

 Even to the frozen ridges of the Alps,

 Or any other ground inhabitable,

 Where ever Englishman durst set his foot.

 Mean time let this defend my loyalty,

 By all my hopes, most falsely doth he lie.

HENRY BOLINGBROKE Pale trembling coward, there I throw my gage,

(70) Disclaiming here the kindred of the king,

 And lay aside my high blood's royalty,

 Which fear, not reverence, makes thee to except.

 If guilty dread have left thee so much strength

 As to take up mine honour's pawn, then stoop:

 By that and all the rites of knighthood else,

 Will I make good against thee, arm to arm,

 What I have spoke, or thou canst worse devise.

THOMAS MOWBRAY I take it up; and by that sword I swear

 Which gently laid my knighthood on my shoulder,

(80) I'll answer thee in any fair degree,

 Or chivalrous design of knightly trial:

 And when I mount, alive may I not light,

 If I be traitor or unjustly fight!

KING RICHARD II What doth our cousin lay to Mowbray's charge?

 It must be great that can inherit us

 So much as of a thought of ill in him.

HENRY BOLINGBROKE Look, what I speak, my life shall prove it true;

 That Mowbray hath received eight thousand nobles

 In name of lendings for your highness' soldiers,

(90) The which he hath detain'd for lewd employments,

 Like a false traitor and injurious villain.

 Besides I say and will in battle prove,

 Or here or elsewhere to the furthest verge

 That ever was survey'd by English eye,

 That all the treasons for these eighteen years

 Complotted and contrived in this land

 Fetch from false Mowbray their first head and spring.

 Further I say and further will maintain

 Upon his bad life to make all this good,

(100) That he did plot the Duke of Gloucester's death,

 Suggest his soon-believing adversaries,

 And consequently, like a traitor coward,

 Sluiced out his innocent soul through streams of blood:

 Which blood, like sacrificing Abel's, cries,

 Even from the tongueless caverns of the earth,

 To me for justice and rough chastisement;

 And, by the glorious worth of my descent,

 This arm shall do it, or...