The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 4 of 9]Shakespeare, William
General
The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 4 of 9]
Shakespeare, William
English drama
_K. Rich._ Northumberland, say thus the king returns:[1463]
His noble cousin is right welcome hither;
And all the number of his fair demands
Shall be accomplish'd without contradiction:[1464]
With all the gracious utterance thou hast[1464][1465] 125
Speak to his gentle hearing kind commends.[1466]
We do debase ourselves, cousin, do we not, [_To Aumerle._[1467]
To look so poorly and to speak so fair?
Shall we call back Northumberland, and send
Defiance to the traitor, and so die? 130
_Aum._ No, good my lord; let's fight with gentle words[1468]
Till time lend friends and friends their helpful swords.[1469]
_K. Rich._ O God, O God! that e'er this tongue of mine,
That laid the sentence of dread banishment
On yon proud man, should take it off again[1470] 135
With words of sooth! O that I were as great
As is my grief, or lesser than my name!
Or that I could forget what I have been,
Or not remember what I must be now!
Swell'st thou, proud heart? I'll give thee scope to beat, 140
Since foes have scope to beat both thee and me.
_Aum._ Northumberland comes back from Bolingbroke.
_K. Rich._ What must the king do now? must he submit?
The king shall do it: must he be deposed?
The king shall be contented: must he lose 145
The name of king? o' God's name, let it go:[1471]
I'll give my jewels for a set of beads,
My gorgeous palace for a hermitage,
My gay apparel for an almsman's gown,[1472]
My figured goblets for a dish of wood, 150
My sceptre for a palmer's walking-staff,
My subjects for a pair of carved saints
And my large kingdom for a little grave,
A little little grave, an obscure grave;
Or I'll be buried in the king's highway, 155
Some way of common trade, where subjects' feet[1473]
May hourly trample on their sovereign's head;
For on my heart they tread now whilst I live;[1474]
And buried once, why not upon my head?[1474]
Aumerle, thou weep'st, my tender-hearted cousin![1475] 160
We'll make foul weather with despised tears;
Our sighs and they shall lodge the summer corn,
And make a dearth in this revolting land.
Or shall we play the wantons with our woes,
And make some pretty match with shedding tears?[1476] 165
As thus, to drop them still upon one place,[1477]
Till they have fretted us a pair of graves
Within the earth; and, therein laid,--there lies[1478][1479]
Two kinsmen digg'd their graves with weeping eyes.[1478]
Would not this ill do well? Well, well, I see[1478] 170
I talk but idly, and you laugh at me.[1478][1480]
Most mighty prince, my Lord Northumberland,
What says King Bolingbroke? will his majesty
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account