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High-ftomach'd are they both, and full of ire,
In rage deaf as the fea, hafty as fire.

Enter Bolingbroke and Mowbray.

Boling. May many years of happy days befal My gracious fovereign, my moft loving liege! Mowb. Each day ftill better other's happiness; Until the heavens, envying earth's good hap, Add an immortal title to your crown!

K. Rich. We thank you both: yet one but flatters us,
'As well appeareth by the cause you come ;
Namely, to appeal each other of high treafon.-
Coufin of Hereford, what doft thou object
Against the duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?
Boling. First (heaven be the record to my speech!)
In the devotion of a fubject's love,

Tendering the precious fafety of my prince,
And free from other mifbegotten hate,
Come I appellant to this princely prefence.-
Now, Thomas Mowbray, do I turn to thee,
And mark my greeting well; for what I fpeak;
My body shall make good upon this earth,
Or my divine foul answer it in heaven.

Thou art a traitor, and a mifcreant;
Too good to be fo, and too bad to live;
Since, the more fair and crystal is the fky,
The uglier feem the clouds that in it fly.
Once more, the more to aggravate the note,
With a foul traitor's name ftuff I thy throat;
And wish, (fo please my fovereign) ere I move,

What my tongue fpeaks, my right-drawn fword may

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Mowb. Let not my cold words here accufe my zeal:

Tis not the trial of a woman's war,

The bitter clamour of two eager tongues,

Can arbitrate this caufe betwixt us twain;
The blood is hot, that must be cool'd for this.
Yet can I not of fuch tame patience boaft,
As to be hush'd, and nought at all to say:
First, the fair reverence of your highness curbs me,'
From giving reins and fpurs to my free speech;
Which else would poft, until it had return'd
These terms of treafon doubled down his throat.
Setting afide his high blood's royalty,
And let him be no kinfman to my liege,

I do defy him, and I fpit at him;

Call him—a flanderous coward, and a villain;
Which to maintain, I would allow him odds;
And meet him, were I ty'd to run a-foot
Even to the frozen ridges of the Alps,
Or any other ground inhabitable

f

Where ever Englishman durft fet his foot.
Mean time, let this defend my loyalty,—
By all my hopes, moft falfely doth he lie.

Boling. Pale trembling coward, there I throw my "gage Disclaiming here the kindred of a king;

And lay afide my high blood's royalty,

Which fear, not reverence, makes thee to except:

If guilty dread hath left thee fo much strength,
As to take up mine honour's pawn, then stoops
By that, and all the rites of knighthood elfe,
Will I make good against thee, arm to arm,
What I have fpoken, or thou canst devise.

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ridges of the Alps,]-the Alps lying in ridges.
eunhabitable.
f ever]-never.
gage,]-glove, gauntlet, earnest of challenging.
canft worje devije-imagine more infamous..

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Mowb. I take it up; and, by that fword I swear,
Which gently lay'd my knighthood on my shoulder,
I'll answer thee in any fair degree,

Or chivalrous design of knightly trial:
And, when I mount, alive may I not light,
If I be traitor, or unjustly fight!

K. Rich. What doth our coufin lay to Mowbray's charge? It must be great, than can 'inherit us

So much as of a thought of ill in him.

k

Boling. Look, what I said, my life shall prove it true ;—
That Mowbray hath receiv'd eight thousand * nobles,
'In name of lendings for your highness' foldiers;
The which he hath detain'd for lewd employments,
Like a falfe traitor, and injurious villain.
Befides I fay, and will in battle prove,

Or here, or elsewhere, to the furtheft verge
That ever was furvey'd by English eye,-
That all the treasons, for these eighteen years
Complotted and contrived in this land,

Fetch from false Mowbray their first head and spring.
Further I fay, and further will maintain

Upon his bad life, to make all this good,-
That he did plot the duke of Glofter's death;
Suggest his foon-believing adversaries;
And, confequently, like a traitor coward,
Sluic'd out his innocent foul through ftreams of blood:
Which blood, like facrificing Abel's, cries,
Even from the tongueless caverns of the earth,
To me, for juftice, and rough chastisement;
And, by the glorious worth of my descent,
This arm fhall do it, or this life be spent.

inherit us]-poffefs, infpire us with. knobles,]-coin rated at 6s. 8d.

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In name of lendings,]-Granted for the payment of.
Suggeft-Stir up by false infinuations, tempt, feduce.

K. Rich

K. Rich. How high a pitch his resolution foars!-
Thomas of Norfolk, what fay'ft thou to this?
Mowb. O, let my fovereign turn away his face,
And bid his ears a little while be deaf,
'Till I have told this flander of his blood,
How God, and good men, hate fo foul a liar.

K. Rich. Mowbray, impartial are our eyes, and ears:
Were he my brother, nay, my kingdom's heir,
(As he is but my father's brother's fon)
Now by my scepter's awe I make a vow,
Such neighbour nearness to our facred blood
Should nothing privilege him, nor partialize
The unftooping firmness of my upright foul:
He is our fubject, Mowbray, fo art thou;
Free speech, and fearless, I to thee allow.

Mowb. Then, Bolingbroke, as low as to thy heart,
Through the falfe paffage of thy throat, thou lieft!
Three parts of that receipt I had for Calais,
Difburs'd I to his highness' foldiers :
The other part referv'd I by confent;
For that my fovereign liege was in my debt,
Upon remainder of a " dear account,

Since laft I went to France to fetch his queen :
Now fwallow down that lie.For Glofter's death,
I flew him not; but, to mine own difgrace,
Neglected my fworn duty in that cafe.--
For you, my noble lord of Lancaster,
The honourable father to my foe,-
Once did I lay an ambush for your life,
A trespass that doth vex my grieved foul:
But, ere I last receiv'd the facrament,

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I did confefs it; and exactly begg'd

Your grace's pardon, and, I hope, I had it.

dear account,]-a confiderable fum, VOL. III.

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exactly-exprefsly.

This

This is my fault: As for the reft appeal'd,
It iffues from the rancour of a villain,
A recreant and moft degenerate traitor:
Which in myself I boldly will defend;
And interchangeably hurl down my gage
Upon this over-weening traitor's foot,
To prove myself a loyal gentleman

Even in the best blood chamber'd in his bofom:
In hafte whereof, moft heartily I pray

Your highness to affign our trial day.

K. Rich. Wrath-kindled gentlemen, be rul'd by me; Let's purge this choler without letting blood: This we prescribe, though no physician; Deep malice makes too deep incifion : Forget, forgive; conclude, and be agreed; Our doctors fay, this is no time to bleed.Good uncle, let this end where it begun; We'll calm the duke of Norfolk, you your

fon.

Gaunt. To be a make-peace fhall become my age:Throw down, my fon, the duke of Norfolk's gage. K. Rich. And, Norfolk, throw down his.

Gaunt. When, Harry? when

Obedience bids, I fhould not bid again.

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R. Rich. Norfolk, throw down; we bid; there is no

boot.

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Mowb. Myfelf I throw, dread fovereign, at thy foot: My life thou fhalt command, but not my shame;' The one, my duty owes; but my fair name, (Defpight of death, that lives upon my grave) To dark difhonour's use thou fhalt not have.

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I am difgrac'd, impeach'd, and baffled here;
Pierc'd to the foul with flander's venom'd fpear;

the rest appeal'd,]-the remainder of the charge.
there is no boot.]—'tis in vain to delay, or refufe.
baffled-contumeliously treated.

The

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