Richard II by William Shakespeare
Act 2 - Scene 3
Wilds in Gloucestershire.
Lord Ross : Your presence makes us rich, most noble lord.
Lord Willoughby : And far surmounts our labour to attain it.
Lord Berkeley : My Lord of Hereford, my message is to you.
Lord Berkeley : Mistake me not, my lord; 'tis not my meaning
[p]To raze one title of
your honour out:
[p]To you, my lord, I come, what lord you
will,
[p]From the most gracious regent of this land,
[p]The Duke of
York, to know what pricks you on
[p]To take advantage of the absent
time
[p]And fright our native peace with self-born arms.
Edmund of Langley : Show me thy humble heart, and not thy knee,
[p]Whose duty is
deceiveable and false.
Edmund of Langley : Tut, tut!
[p]Grace me no grace, nor uncle me no uncle:
[p]I am no
traitor's uncle; and that word 'grace.'
[p]In an ungracious mouth is
but profane.
[p]Why have those banish'd and forbidden legs
[p]Dared
once to touch a dust of England's ground?
[p]But then more 'why?' why
have they dared to march
[p]So many miles upon her peaceful
bosom,
[p]Frighting her pale-faced villages with war
[p]And
ostentation of despised arms?
[p]Comest thou because the anointed king
is hence?
[p]Why, foolish boy, the king is left behind,
[p]And in my
loyal bosom lies his power.
[p]Were I but now the lord of such hot
youth
[p]As when brave Gaunt, thy father, and myself
[p]Rescued the
Black Prince, that young Mars of men,
[p]From forth the ranks of many
thousand French,
[p]O, then how quickly should this arm of
mine.
[p]Now prisoner to the palsy, chastise thee
[p]And minister
correction to thy fault!
Edmund of Langley : Even in condition of the worst degree,
[p]In gross rebellion and
detested treason:
[p]Thou art a banish'd man, and here art
come
[p]Before the expiration of thy time,
[p]In braving arms against
thy sovereign.
Lord Ross : It stands your grace upon to do him right.
Lord Willoughby : Base men by his endowments are made great.
Edmund of Langley : My lords of England, let me tell you this:
[p]I have had feeling of my
cousin's wrongs
[p]And laboured all I could to do him right;
[p]But in
this kind to come, in braving arms,
[p]Be his own carver and cut out
his way,
[p]To find out right with wrong, it may not be;
[p]And you
that do abet him in this kind
[p]Cherish rebellion and are rebels
all.
Edmund of Langley : Well, well, I see the issue of these arms:
[p]I cannot mend it, I must
needs confess,
[p]Because my power is weak and all ill left:
[p]But if
I could, by Him that gave me life,
[p]I would attach you all and make
you stoop
[p]Unto the sovereign mercy of the king;
[p]But since I
cannot, be it known to you
[p]I do remain as neuter. So, fare you
well;
[p]Unless you please to enter in the castle
[p]And there repose
you for this night.
Edmund of Langley : It may be I will go with you: but yet I'll pause;
[p]For I am loath to
break our country's laws.
[p]Nor friends nor foes, to me welcome you
are:
[p]Things past redress are now with me past care.
Previous: Act 2 - Scene 2
Next: Act 2 - Scene 4
