ENTER KING RICHARD, IOHN
OF GAVNT, WITH OTHER
Nobles and attendants.

King Richard.

Vid Iohn of Gaunt time honoured Lancafter.
Haft thou according to thy oath and bande
Brought hither Henrie Herford thy bolde fonne,
Here to make good the boiftrous late appeale.
Which then our leyfure would not let vs heare
Against the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Moubray?
Gaunt, I haue my Leige.

King. Tell me morcouer haft thou founded him,
If he appeale the Duke on ancient malice,
Or worthily as a good fubic& fhould

On fome knowne ground of treacherie in him.
Gaunt. As neere as I could fift him on that argument,
On fome apparent daunger feene in him,

Aimde at your highnes, no inueterate malice.

King. Then call them to our prefence face to face,
And frowning brow to brow our felves will heare,
The accufer and the accufed freely fpeake:
High ftomackt are they both and full of ire,
In rage, deafe as the fea,haftie as fire.

Enter Bullingbrooke and Mowbray,

Bulling. Manie yeares of happie daies befall,
My gratious foueraigne my molt louing liege.

A 2

Mow.

The Tragedie of

Mowb. Each day ftill better others happines,
Vntill the heauens enuying earths good hap,
Adde an immortall title to your Crowne.

King. We thanke you both, yet one but flatters vs,
As well appeareth by the cause you come,
Namely to appeale each other of high treafon:
Coofin of Herford, what doft thou obiect

Against the Duke of Norffolke Thomas Mowbray?
Bull. Furft,heauen be the record to my speech,
In the deuotion of a fubiects love,

Tendring the pretious fafetie of my Prince,
And free from other misbegotten hate,
Come I appellant to this princely presence.
Now Thomas Mowbray do I turne to thee,
And marke my greeting well: for what I speake
My body shall make good vpon this earth,
Or
my
diuine foule answer it in heauen:
Thou art a traitour and a mifcreant,
Too good to be fo,and too bad to liue,
Since the more faire and criftall is the skie,
The vglier feeme the cloudes that in it flie:
Once more,the more to aggrauate the note,.
With a foule traitors name stuffe I thy throte,
And with (fo please my Soueraigne) ere I moue,

What my tong fpeaks my right drawen fword may proue.
Mow. Let not my cold wordes here accuse my zeate,

Tis not the triall of a womans warro,

The bitter clamour of two eger tongues

Can arbitrate this caufe betwixt vs twaine,

The bloud is hote that must be coold for this,
Yet can I not of fuch tame patience boast,
As to be huifht, and naught at all to fay..

First the faire reuerence of your Highneffe curbs me,
From giving reines and fpurres to my free speech,
Which elfe would poft vntill it had returnd,
Thefe termes of treafon doubled downe his throat:
Setting afide his high blouds royaltie,

And

King Richard the second.

And let him be no kinfinan to my Liege,
I do defie him, and I spit at him,

Call him a flaunderous coward,and a villaine,
Which to maintaine, I would allow him ods,
And meete him were I tied to runne afoote,
Euen to the frozen ridges of the Alpes,
Or any other ground inhabitable,
Where euer Englishman durft fet his foote,
Meane time,let this defend my loyaltie,
By all my hopes moft falfly doth he he.

Bull. Pale trembling coward there I throw my gage,
Difclaiming here the kinred of the King,
And lay afide my high bloudes royaltie

Which Feare, not Reuerence makes thee to except.
Ifguilty dread haue left thee so much strength,
As to take vp mine honours pawne, then flowpe,
By that, and all the rites of Knighthoode elle,
Will I make good against thee arme to arme,
What i haue Ipoke, or thou canst worse deuise.
Mow. I take it vp, and by that fword I sweare,
Which gently laid my Knighthood on my shoulder,
1le anfwer thee in any faire degree,

Or chivalrous defigne of knightly triall:

And when I mount, aliue may I not light,
It be traitor or vniuftly fight.

King. What doth our coufin lay to Mowbraics charge?
It must be great that can inherit vs.

So much as of a thought of ill in him.

Bul. Looke what I fpeake,my life (hall proue it true,
That Mowbray hath receiude eight thousand nobles
In name of Lendings for your Highnes fouldiours,
The which he hath detaind for lewd imployments,
Like a falfe traitour, and iniurious villaine:
Befides I fay, and will in battle proue,
Or here, or elsewhere to the furtheft Verge
That euer was furueyed by English eye,
That all the treafons for thefe eighteene yeares,

A 3

Com

ᏞᎥ.

96

The Tragedie

Complotted and contriued in this land:

Fetch from falfe Mowbray their first head and spring.
Further I fay and further will maintaine

Vpon his bad life to make all this good,

100

That he did plotte the Duke of Glocefters death,

Suggeft his foone beleeuing aduerfaries,

And confequently like a taitour coward,

100

704

108

112

+116

1201

12-1

!

Slucte out his innocent foule through ftreames of bloud
Which bloud, like facrificing Abels cries,

Even from the toungleffc Cauernes of the earth,
To me for iuftice and rough chastisement;
And by the glorious worth of my defcent,
This arme fhall do it, or this life be spent.
King. How high a pitch his refolution foares,
Thomas of Norfolke what faift thou to this?

Mowb. Oh let my foucraigne turne awaie his face,
And bid his cares a little while be deafe.
Till I haue tolde this flaunder of his bloud,
How God and good men hate fo foule a lier.

King. Mowbray impartiall are our cies and eares,
Were he my brother,nay, my kingdomes heire,
As he is but my fathers brothers fonne,
Now by fcepters awe I make a vowe,
Such neighbour neerenes to our facred bloud
Should nothing priuiledge him nor partialize
The vnftooping firmencfle of my vpright foule,
He is our fubiect Mowbray fo art thou,
Free speech and feareleffe I to thee allowe.

Mowb. Then Bullingbrooke as lowe as to thy heart
Through the falle paffage of thy throate thou lieft.
Three partes of that receipte I had for Calhice,
Disburft I duely to his highineffe fouldiers,

The other part referudel by consent,

128

For that my foueraigne liege was in my

132

Vpon remainder of a deare account:

debt.

Since last I went to France to fetch his Qucene:

Now (wallow downe that lie. For Glocefters death,