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Her fruit-trees all unprun'd, her hedges ruin'd, Her knots disorder'd, and her wholesome herbs Swarming with caterpillars?

Hold thy peace :—

GARD. He that hath suffer'd this disorder'd spring, Hath now himself met with the fall of leaf: The weeds, that his broad-spreading leaves did shelter,

That seem'd in eating him to hold him up, Are pluck'd up, root and all, by Bolingbroke; I mean the Earl of Wiltshire, Bushy, Green. What, are they dead?

1 SERV. GARD.

They are; and Bolingbroke Hath seiz'd the wasteful king.-Oh! what pity

is it,

That he had not so trimm'd and dress'd his land,
As we this garden! We at time of year
Do wound the bark, the skin of our fruit-trees;
Lest, being over-proud with sap and blood,
With too much riches it confound itself:
Had he done so to great and growing men,
They might have liv'd to bear, and he to taste
Their fruits of duty. All superfluous branches
We lop away, that bearing boughs may live :
Had he done so, himself had borne the crown,
Which waste of idle hours hath quite thrown
down.

1 SERV. What, think you then, the king shall be depos'd?

GARD. Depress'd he is already; and depos'd, 'Tis doubt, he will be: Letters came last night To a dear friend of the good duke of York's, That tell black tidings.

QUEEN. O, I am press'd to death, Through want of speaking!-Thou, old Adam's likeness, [Coming from her concealment.

Set to dress this garden, how dares

Thy harsh-rude tongue sound this unpleasing news?

What Eve, what serpent hath suggested thee
To make a second fall of cursed man?

Why dost thou say, king Richard is depos'd? Dar'st thou, thou little better thing than earth,

Divine his downfall? Say, where, when, and how,

Cam'st thou by these ill-tidings? speak, thou wretch.

GARD. Pardon me, madam; little joy have I, To breathe this news: yet, what I say is true. King Richard, he is in the mighty hold

Of Bolingbroke; their fortunes both are weigh'd: your lord's scale is nothing but himself,

In

And some few vanities that make him light;
But in the balance of great Bolingbroke,
Besides himself, are all the English peers,
And with that odds he weighs king Richard
down.

Post you to London, and you'll find it so :
I speak no more than every one doth know.
QUEEN. Nimble mischance, that art so light

of foot,

Doth not thy embassage belong to me,

And am I last that knows it? O, thou think'st
To serve me last, that I may longest keep
Thy sorrow in my breast.-Come, ladies, go,
To meet at London London's king in woe.-
What, was I born to this! that my sad look
Should grace the triumph of great Bolingbroke?
Gardener, for telling me this news of woe,
I would, the plants thou graft'st, may never
[Exeunt QUEEN and Ladies.

grow.

GARD. Poor queen! so that thy state might be no worse,

I would my skill were subject to thy curse.-
Here did she drop a tear; here, in this place,
I'll set a bank of rue, sour herb of grace:
Rue, even for ruth, here shortly shall be seen,
In the remembrance of a weeping queen.

K. RICHARD II., A. 3, s. 4.

THE KING'S DEATH.

GROOM. Hail, royal prince!
K. RICHARD.

Thanks, noble peer;

The cheapest of us is ten groats too dear.
What art thou? and how comest thou hither,
Where no man never comes, but that sad dog
That brings me food, to make misfortune live?
GROOM. I was a poor groom of thy stable,
king,

When thou wert king; who, travelling towards
York,

With much ado, at length have gotten leave
To look upon my sometimes master's face.
O, how it yearn'd my heart, when I beheld,
In London streets that coronation day,
When Bolingbroke rode on roan Barbary!
That horse, that thou so often hast bestrid;
That horse, that I so carefully have dress'd!
K. RICH. Rode he on Barbary? Tell me,
gentle friend,

How went he under him?

GROOM. So proudly, as if he disdain'd the ground.

K. RICH. So proud that Bolingbroke was on his back!

That jade hath eat bread from my royal hand; This hand hath made him proud with clapping him.

Would he not stumble? Would he not fall down,

(Since pride must have a fall,) and break the neck

Of that proud man, that did usurp his back?
Forgiveness, horse! why do I rail on thee,
Since thou, created to be aw'd by man,

Was born to bear? I was not made a horse;
And yet I bear a burden like an ass,

Spur-gall'd, and tir'd by jauncing Bolingbroke.
Enter Keeper, with a dish.

KEEPER. Fellow, give place; here is no longer stay. [To the Groom. K. RICH. If thou love me, 'tis time thou wert away. GROOM. What my tongue dares not, that heart shall say.

my

[Exit. KEEP. My lord, will't please you to fall to? K. RICH. Taste of it first, as thou art wont to do.

KEEP. My lord, I dare not; sir Pierce of Exton, who

Lately came from the king, commands the contrary.

K. RICH. The devil take Henry of Lancaster,

and thee!

Patience is stale, and I am weary of it.

KEEP. Help, help, help!

[Beats the Keeper.

Enter EXTON, and Servants, armed.

K. RICH. How now? what means death in

this rude assault?

Villain, thy own hand yields thy death's instrument. [Snatching a weapon, and killing one. Go thou, and fill another room in hell. [He kills another, then EXTON strikes him down. That hand shall burn in never-quenching fire, That staggers thus my person.-Exton, thy fierce hand

Hath with the king's blood stain'd the king's own land.

Mount, mount, my soul! thy seat is up on

high;

Whilst my gross flesh sinks downward, here to

die.

[Dies.

K. RICHARD II., A. 5, s. 5.

THE KING'S DEATH.

WHY, so:-now have I done a good day's work;You peers, continue this united league :

I every day expect an embassage

From my Redeemer to redeem me hence;

And more in peace my soul shall part to heaven,
Since I have made my friends at peace on earth.
Rivers and Hastings, take each other's hand;
Dissemble not your hatred, swear your love.
Take heed, you dally not before your king;
Lest he, that is the supreme King of kings,
Confound your hidden falsehood, and award
Either of you to be the other's end.

Madam, yourself are not exempt in this,—
Nor your son Dorset,-Buckingham, nor you;—
You have been factious one against the other.
Wife, love lord Hastings, let him kiss your hand;
And what you do, do it unfeignedly.

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