Richard II

Richard II

ACT II SCENE III	Wilds in Gloucestershire.
	Enter HENRY BOLINGBROKE and NORTHUMBERLAND, with Forces
HENRY BOLINGBROKE	How far is it, my lord, to Berkeley now?
NORTHUMBERLAND	Believe me, noble lord,
	I am a stranger here in Gloucestershire:
	These high wild hills and rough uneven ways	5
	Draws out our miles, and makes them wearisome,
	And yet your fair discourse hath been as sugar,
	Making the hard way sweet and delectable.
	But I bethink me what a weary way
	From Ravenspurgh to Cotswold will be found	10
	In Ross and Willoughby, wanting your company,
	Which, I protest, hath very much beguiled
	The tediousness and process of my travel:
	But theirs is sweetened with the hope to have
	The present benefit which I possess;	15
	And hope to joy is little less in joy
	Than hope enjoy'd: by this the weary lords
	Shall make their way seem short, as mine hath done
	By sight of what I have, your noble company.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE	Of much less value is my company	20
	Than your good words. But who comes here?
	Enter HENRY PERCY
NORTHUMBERLAND	It is my son, young Harry Percy,
	Sent from my brother Worcester, whencesoever.
	Harry, how fares your uncle?
HENRY PERCY	I had thought, my lord, to have learn'd his health of you.	25
NORTHUMBERLAND	Why, is he not with the queen?
HENRY PERCY	No, my good Lord; he hath forsook the court,
	Broken his staff of office and dispersed
	The household of the king.
NORTHUMBERLAND	What was his reason?	30
	He was not so resolved when last we spake together.
HENRY PERCY	Because your lordship was proclaimed traitor.
	But he, my lord, is gone to Ravenspurgh,
	To offer service to the Duke of Hereford,
	And sent me over by Berkeley, to discover	35
	What power the Duke of York had levied there;
	Then with directions to repair to Ravenspurgh.
NORTHUMBERLAND	Have you forgot the Duke of Hereford, boy?
HENRY PERCY	No, my good lord, for that is not forgot
	Which ne'er I did remember: to my knowledge,	40
	I never in my life did look on him.
NORTHUMBERLAND	Then learn to know him now; this is the duke.
HENRY PERCY	My gracious lord, I tender you my service,
	Such as it is, being tender, raw and young:
	Which elder days shall ripen and confirm	45
	To more approved service and desert.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE	I thank thee, gentle Percy; and be sure
	I count myself in nothing else so happy
	As in a soul remembering my good friends;
	And, as my fortune ripens with thy love,	50
	It shall be still thy true love's recompense:
	My heart this covenant makes, my hand thus seals it.
NORTHUMBERLAND	How far is it to Berkeley? and what stir
	Keeps good old York there with his men of war?
HENRY PERCY	There stands the castle, by yon tuft of trees,	55
	Mann'd with three hundred men, as I have heard;
	And in it are the Lords of York, Berkeley, and Seymour;
	None else of name and noble estimate.
	Enter LORD ROSS and LORD WILLOUGHBY
NORTHUMBERLAND	Here come the Lords of Ross and Willoughby,
	Bloody with spurring, fiery-red with haste.	60
HENRY BOLINGBROKE	Welcome, my lords. I wot your love pursues
	A banish'd traitor: all my treasury
	Is yet but unfelt thanks, which more enrich'd
	Shall be your love and labour's recompense.
LORD ROSS	Your presence makes us rich, most noble lord.	65
LORD WILLOUGHBY	And far surmounts our labour to attain it.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE	Evermore thanks, the exchequer of the poor;
	Which, till my infant fortune comes to years,
	Stands for my bounty. But who comes here?
	Enter LORD BERKELEY
NORTHUMBERLAND	It is my Lord of Berkeley, as I guess.	70
LORD BERKELEY	My Lord of Hereford, my message is to you.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE	My lord, my answer is--to Lancaster;
	And I am come to seek that name in England;
	And I must find that title in your tongue,
	Before I make reply to aught you say.	75
LORD BERKELEY	Mistake me not, my lord; 'tis not my meaning
	To raze one title of your honour out:
	To you, my lord, I come, what lord you will,
	From the most gracious regent of this land,
	The Duke of York, to know what pricks you on	80
	To take advantage of the absent time
	And fright our native peace with self-born arms.
	Enter DUKE OF YORK attended
HENRY BOLINGBROKE	I shall not need transport my words by you;
	Here comes his grace in person. My noble uncle!
	Kneels
DUKE OF YORK	Show me thy humble heart, and not thy knee,	85
	Whose duty is deceiveable and false.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE	My gracious uncle--
DUKE OF YORK	Tut, tut!
	Grace me no grace, nor uncle me no uncle:
	I am no traitor's uncle; and that word 'grace.'	90
	In an ungracious mouth is but profane.
	Why have those banish'd and forbidden legs
	Dared once to touch a dust of England's ground?
	But then more 'why?' why have they dared to march
	So many miles upon her peaceful bosom,	95
	Frighting her pale-faced villages with war
	And ostentation of despised arms?
	Comest thou because the anointed king is hence?
	Why, foolish boy, the king is left behind,
	And in my loyal bosom lies his power.	100
	Were I but now the lord of such hot youth
	As when brave Gaunt, thy father, and myself
	Rescued the Black Prince, that young Mars of men,
	From forth the ranks of many thousand French,
	O, then how quickly should this arm of mine.	105
	Now prisoner to the palsy, chastise thee
	And minister correction to thy fault!
HENRY BOLINGBROKE	My gracious uncle, let me know my fault:
	On what condition stands it and wherein?
DUKE OF YORK	Even in condition of the worst degree,	110
	In gross rebellion and detested treason:
	Thou art a banish'd man, and here art come
	Before the expiration of thy time,
	In braving arms against thy sovereign.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE	As I was banish'd, I was banish'd Hereford;	115
	But as I come, I come for Lancaster.
	And, noble uncle, I beseech your grace
	Look on my wrongs with an indifferent eye:
	You are my father, for methinks in you
	I see old Gaunt alive; O, then, my father,	120
	Will you permit that I shall stand condemn'd
	A wandering vagabond; my rights and royalties
	Pluck'd from my arms perforce and given away
	To upstart unthrifts? Wherefore was I born?
	If that my cousin king be King of England,	125
	It must be granted I am Duke of Lancaster.
	You have a son, Aumerle, my noble cousin;
	Had you first died, and he been thus trod down,
	He should have found his uncle Gaunt a father,
	To rouse his wrongs and chase them to the bay.	130
	I am denied to sue my livery here,
	And yet my letters-patents give me leave:
	My father's goods are all distrain'd and sold,
	And these and all are all amiss employ'd.
	What would you have me do? I am a subject,	135
	And I challenge law: attorneys are denied me;
	And therefore, personally I lay my claim
	To my inheritance of free descent.
NORTHUMBERLAND	The noble duke hath been too much abused.
LORD ROSS	It stands your grace upon to do him right.	140
LORD WILLOUGHBY	Base men by his endowments are made great.
DUKE OF YORK	My lords of England, let me tell you this:
	I have had feeling of my cousin's wrongs
	And laboured all I could to do him right;
	But in this kind to come, in braving arms,	145
	Be his own carver and cut out his way,
	To find out right with wrong, it may not be;
	And you that do abet him in this kind
	Cherish rebellion and are rebels all.
NORTHUMBERLAND	The noble duke hath sworn his coming is	150
	But for his own; and for the right of that
	We all have strongly sworn to give him aid;
	And let him ne'er see joy that breaks that oath!
DUKE OF YORK	Well, well, I see the issue of these arms:
	I cannot mend it, I must needs confess,	155
	Because my power is weak and all ill left:
	But if I could, by Him that gave me life,
	I would attach you all and make you stoop
	Unto the sovereign mercy of the king;
	But since I cannot, be it known to you	160
	I do remain as neuter. So, fare you well;
	Unless you please to enter in the castle
	And there repose you for this night.
HENRY BOLINGBROKE	An offer, uncle, that we will accept:
	But we must win your grace to go with us	165
	To Bristol castle, which they say is held
	By Bushy, Bagot and their complices,
	The caterpillars of the commonwealth,
	Which I have sworn to weed and pluck away.
DUKE OF YORK	It may be I will go with you: but yet I'll pause;	170
	For I am loath to break our country's laws.
	Nor friends nor foes, to me welcome you are:
	Things past redress are now with me past care.
	Exeunt