Deposing thee before thou wert possess'd, K. Rich.a lunatick lean-witted fool, Make pale our cheek; chasing the royal blood, Now by my seat's right royal majesty, Wert thou not brother to great Edward's son, This tongue, that runs so roundly in thy head, Should run thy head from thy unreverend shoulders. Gaunt. O, spare me not, my brother Edward's son, For that I was his father Edward's son; That blood already, like the pelican, Hast thou tapp'd out, and drunkenly carous'd: That thou respect'st not spilling Edward's blood: Love they to live, that love and honour have. [Exit, borne out by his Attendants. K. Rich. And let them die, that age and sullens have; For both hast thou, and both become the grave. York. 'Beseech your majesty, impute his words To wayward sickliness and age in him: He loves you, on my life, and holds you dear As Harry duke of Hereford, were he here. K. Rich. Right; you say true: as Hereford's love, so his ; As theirs, so mine; and all be as it is. Enter NORTHUMBERLAND. North. My liege, old Gaunt commends him to your majesty. K. Rich. What says he now? North. Nay, nothing; all is said: His tongue is now a stringless instrument; Words, life, and all, old Lancaster hath spent. York. Be York the next that must be bankrupt so! Though death be poor, it ends a mortal woe. K. Rich. The ripest fruit first falls, and so doth he; And for these great affairs do ask some charge, York. How long shall I be patient? Ah, how long Shall tender duty make me suffer wrong? Not Gloster's death, nor Hereford's banishment, Of whom thy father, prince of Wales, was first; In K. Rich. Why, uncle, what's the matter? Pardon me, if you please; if not, I, pleas'd Seek you to seize, and gripe into your hands, Is not his heir a well-deserving son? Take Hereford's rights away, and take from time His livery, and deny his offer'd homage, K. Rich. Think what you will; we seize into our hands His plate, his goods, his money, and his lands. York. I'll not be by, the while: My liege, farewell : What will ensue hereof, there's none can tell : But by bad courses may be understood, That their events can never fall out good. [Exit. K. Rich. Go, Bushy, to the earl of Wiltshire straight; Bid him repair to us to Ely-house, To see this business: To-morrow next We will for Ireland; and 'tis time, I trow; And we create, in absence of ourself, Our uncle York lord governor of England, For he is just, and always lov'd us well.— Come on, our queen: to-morrow must we part; merry, for our time of stay is short. Be [Flourish. [Exeunt King, Queen, BUSHY, AUMERLE, GREEN, and BAGOT. North. Well, lords, the duke of Lancaster is dead. Ross. And living too; for now his son is duke. Willo. Barely in title, not in revenue. North. Richly in both, if justice had her right. Ross. My heart is great; but it must break with silence, Ere't be disburden'd with a liberal tongue. North. Nay, speak thy mind; and let him ne'er speak more, That speaks thy words again, to do thee harm! Willo. Tends that, thou'dst speak, to the duke of Hereford? If it be so, out with it boldly, man; Quick is mine ear, to hear of good towards him. Unless you call it good, to pity him, Bereft and gelded of his patrimony. North. Now, afore heaven, 'tis shame such wrongs are borne, In him a royal prince, and many more 'Gainst us, our lives, our children, and our heirs. Ross. The commons hath he pill'd with grievous taxes, And lost their hearts: the nobles hath he fin'd For ancient quarrels, and quite lost their hearts. 1 |