Richard II by William Shakespeare
Act 1 - Scene 1
London. KING RICHARD II’s palace.
King Richard II : Old John of Gaunt, time-honour'd Lancaster,
[p]Hast thou, according to
thy oath and band,
[p]Brought hither Henry Hereford thy bold
son,
[p]Here to make good the boisterous late appeal,
[p]Which then
our leisure would not let us hear,
[p]Against the Duke of Norfolk,
Thomas Mowbray?
John of Gaunt : I have, my liege.
King Richard II : Tell me, moreover, hast thou sounded him,
[p]If he appeal the duke on
ancient malice;
[p]Or worthily, as a good subject should,
[p]On some
known ground of treachery in him?
John of Gaunt : As near as I could sift him on that argument,
[p]On some apparent
danger seen in him
[p]Aim'd at your highness, no inveterate malice.
King Richard II : Then call them to our presence; face to face,
[p]And frowning brow to
brow, ourselves will hear
[p]The accuser and the accused freely
speak:
[p]High-stomach'd are they both, and full of ire,
[p]In rage
deaf as the sea, hasty as fire.
Thomas Mowbray : Each day still better other's happiness;
[p]Until the heavens, envying
earth's good hap,
[p]Add an immortal title to your crown!
King Richard II : We thank you both: yet one but flatters us,
[p]As well appeareth by
the cause you come;
[p]Namely to appeal each other of high
treason.
[p]Cousin of Hereford, what dost thou object
[p]Against the
Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?
Thomas Mowbray : Let not my cold words here accuse my zeal:
[p]'Tis not the trial of a
woman's war,
[p]The bitter clamour of two eager tongues,
[p]Can
arbitrate this cause betwixt us twain;
[p]The blood is hot that must
be cool'd for this:
[p]Yet can I not of such tame patience boast
[p]As
to be hush'd and nought at all to say:
[p]First, the fair reverence of
your highness curbs me
[p]From giving reins and spurs to my free
speech;
[p]Which else would post until it had return'd
[p]These terms
of treason doubled down his throat.
[p]Setting aside his high blood's
royalty,
[p]And let him be no kinsman to my liege,
[p]I do defy him,
and I spit at him;
[p]Call him a slanderous coward and a
villain:
[p]Which to maintain I would allow him odds,
[p]And meet him,
were I tied to run afoot
[p]Even to the frozen ridges of the
Alps,
[p]Or any other ground inhabitable,
[p]Where ever Englishman
durst set his foot.
[p]Mean time let this defend my loyalty,
[p]By all
my hopes, most falsely doth he lie.
Thomas Mowbray : I take it up; and by that sword I swear
[p]Which gently laid my
knighthood on my shoulder,
[p]I'll answer thee in any fair
degree,
[p]Or chivalrous design of knightly trial:
[p]And when I
mount, alive may I not light,
[p]If I be traitor or unjustly fight!
King Richard II : What doth our cousin lay to Mowbray's charge?
[p]It must be great that
can inherit us
[p]So much as of a thought of ill in him.
King Richard II : How high a pitch his resolution soars!
[p]Thomas of Norfolk, what
say'st thou to this?
Thomas Mowbray : O, let my sovereign turn away his face
[p]And bid his ears a little
while be deaf,
[p]Till I have told this slander of his blood,
[p]How
God and good men hate so foul a liar.
King Richard II : Mowbray, impartial are our eyes and ears:
[p]Were he my brother, nay,
my kingdom's heir,
[p]As he is but my father's brother's son,
[p]Now,
by my sceptre's awe, I make a vow,
[p]Such neighbour nearness to our
sacred blood
[p]Should nothing privilege him, nor partialize
[p]The
unstooping firmness of my upright soul:
[p]He is our subject, Mowbray;
so art thou:
[p]Free speech and fearless I to thee allow.
Thomas Mowbray : Then, Bolingbroke, as low as to thy heart,
[p]Through the false
passage of thy throat, thou liest.
[p]Three parts of that receipt I
had for Calais
[p]Disbursed I duly to his highness' soldiers;
[p]The
other part reserved I by consent,
[p]For that my sovereign liege was
in my debt
[p]Upon remainder of a dear account,
[p]Since last I went
to France to fetch his queen:
[p]Now swallow down that lie. For
Gloucester's death,
[p]I slew him not; but to my own
disgrace
[p]Neglected my sworn duty in that case.
[p]For you, my noble
Lord of Lancaster,
[p]The honourable father to my foe
[p]Once did I
lay an ambush for your life,
[p]A trespass that doth vex my grieved
soul
[p]But ere I last received the sacrament
[p]I did confess it, and
exactly begg'd
[p]Your grace's pardon, and I hope I had it.
[p]This is
my fault: as for the rest appeall'd,
[p]It issues from the rancour of
a villain,
[p]A recreant and most degenerate traitor
[p]Which in
myself I boldly will defend;
[p]And interchangeably hurl down my
gage
[p]Upon this overweening traitor's foot,
[p]To prove myself a
loyal gentleman
[p]Even in the best blood chamber'd in his
bosom.
[p]In haste whereof, most heartily I pray
[p]Your highness to
assign our trial day.
King Richard II : Wrath-kindled gentlemen, be ruled by me;
[p]Let's purge this choler
without letting blood:
[p]This we prescribe, though no
physician;
[p]Deep malice makes too deep incision;
[p]Forget, forgive;
conclude and be agreed;
[p]Our doctors say this is no month to
bleed.
[p]Good uncle, let this end where it begun;
[p]We'll calm the
Duke of Norfolk, you your son.
John of Gaunt : To be a make-peace shall become my age:
[p]Throw down, my son, the
Duke of Norfolk's gage.
King Richard II : And, Norfolk, throw down his.
John of Gaunt : When, Harry, when?
[p]Obedience bids I should not bid again.
King Richard II : Norfolk, throw down, we bid; there is no boot.
Thomas Mowbray : Myself I throw, dread sovereign, at thy foot.
[p]My life thou shalt
command, but not my shame:
[p]The one my duty owes; but my fair
name,
[p]Despite of death that lives upon my grave,
[p]To dark
dishonour's use thou shalt not have.
[p]I am disgraced, impeach'd and
baffled here,
[p]Pierced to the soul with slander's venom'd
spear,
[p]The which no balm can cure but his heart-blood
[p]Which
breathed this poison.
King Richard II : Rage must be withstood:
[p]Give me his gage: lions make leopards
tame.
Thomas Mowbray : Yea, but not change his spots: take but my shame.
[p]And I resign my
gage. My dear dear lord,
[p]The purest treasure mortal times
afford
[p]Is spotless reputation: that away,
[p]Men are but gilded
loam or painted clay.
[p]A jewel in a ten-times-barr'd-up chest
[p]Is
a bold spirit in a loyal breast.
[p]Mine honour is my life; both grow
in one:
[p]Take honour from me, and my life is done:
[p]Then, dear my
liege, mine honour let me try;
[p]In that I live and for that will I
die.
King Richard II : Cousin, throw up your gage; do you begin.
King Richard II : We were not born to sue, but to command;
[p]Which since we cannot do
to make you friends,
[p]Be ready, as your lives shall answer it,
[p]At
Coventry, upon Saint Lambert's day:
[p]There shall your swords and
lances arbitrate
[p]The swelling difference of your settled
hate:
[p]Since we can not atone you, we shall see
[p]Justice design
the victor's chivalry.
[p]Lord marshal, command our officers at
arms
[p]Be ready to direct these home alarms.
Next: Act 1 - Scene 2
