Gaunt. Now, He, that made me, knows I see thee The waste is no whit lesser than thy land. K. Rich. a lunatic, 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 caroused: (Whom fair befall in heaven 'mongst happy souls!) That thou respect'st not spilling Edward's blood: Live in thy shame, but die not shame with thee! [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 He loves you, on my life, and holds you dear K. Rich. Right; you say true: as Hereford's love, so 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; His hands were guilty of no kindred's blood, K. Rich. Why, uncle, what's the matter? 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, And prick my tender patience to those thoughts [hands K. Rich. Think what you will; we seize into our 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 loved us well. Come on, our queen: to-morrow must we part; [Flourish [Exeunt King, Queen, Bushy, Aumerie, 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, thoud 'st speak, to the duke of If it be so, out with it boldly, man; [Hereford! 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 In him a royal prince, and many more Of noble blood in this declining land. The king is not himself, but basely led By flatterers; and what they will inform, [are borue, 'Gainst us, our lives, our children, and our heirs. And lost their hearts: the nobles hath he fined North. Wars have not wasted it, for warr'd he hath But basely yielded upon compromise That which his ancestors achieved with blows: man. North. Reproach, and dissolution, hangeth over him. Ross. He hath not money for these Irish wars, His burdenous taxations notwithstanding, But by the robbing of the banish'd duke. North. His noble kinsman: most degenerate king! But, lords, we hear this fearful tempest sing, Yet seek no shelter to avoid the storm; We see the wind sit sore upon our sails, And yet we strike not, but securely perish. Ross. We see the very wreck that we must suffer; And unavoided is the danger now, For suffering so the causes of our wreck. North. Not so; even through the hollow eyes of death, I spy life peering; but I dare not say How near the tidings of our comfort is. Willo. Nay, let us share thy thoughts, as thou dost ours. Ross. Be confident to speak, Northumberland: That Harry Hereford, Reignold lord Cobham, Sir Thomas Erpingham, Sir John Ramston, Sir John Norbery, Sir Robert Waterton, and Francis All these well furnish'd by the duke of Bretagne, But, if you faint, as fearing to do so, Stay, and be secret, and myself will go. Ross. To horse, to horse! urge doubts to them that Willo. Hold out my horse, and I will first be there. [Exeunt. SCENE II. The same. A Room in the Palace. Enter QUEEN, BUSHY, and BAGOT. Bushy. Madam, your majesty is too much sad: You promised, when you parted with the king. To lay aside life-harming heaviness, And entertain a cheerful disposition. Queen. To please the king, I did; to please myself, I cannot do it; yet I know no cause Why I should welcome such a guest as grief, |