DRAMATIS PERSONÆ KING RICHARD the Second. JOHN OF GAUNT, Duke of Lancaster, EDMUND OF LANGLEY, Duke of York, f uncles to the King. HENRY, surnamed 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. BUSHY, BAGOT, servants to King Richard. EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND. HENRY PERCY, surnamed Hotspur, his son. LORD WILLOUGHBY. LORD FITZWATER. Bishop of Carlisle. Abbot of Westminster. SIR STEPHEN SCROOP. SIR PIERCE of Exton. Captain of a band of Welshmen. QUEEN to King Richard. DUCHESS OF York. DUCHESS OF GLOUCESTER. Lady attending on the Queen. Lords, Heralds, Officers, Soldiers, two Gardeners, Keeper, Messenger, Groom, and other Attendants. SCENE: England and Wales. DURATION OF TIME I. Dramatic Time. - Fourteen days represented on the stage, with indeterminable intervals. II. Historic Time.-From April 29, 1398, to March 12, 1400, when what was officially stated to be the body of Richard was brought to London. INTRODUCTION RICHARD II. was first published in a which was entered in Quarto Early the History. Literary edition of 1597, The Tragedie of King Ri-chard the Se-cond. 1597. A second Quarto appeared in the following year, bearing Shakespeare's name. A third, in 1608, was announced to contain 'new additions of the Parlia|ment Sceane, and the deposing | of King Richard, as it hath been lately acted by the Kinges | Majesties Seruantes, at the Globe.'1 A fourth Quarto, reprinted from the third, appeared in 1615; and on this was evidently based the text of the Folio of 1623, certain errors being corrected, while, on the other hand, a number of short passages were excised, doubtless those currently omitted on the stage. A fifth Quarto, entitled 'The Life and Death of King 1 Some extant copies do not contain this announcement, the old title-page having been sub stantially reprinted from Q |