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History of Richard II

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Act III, Scene 1

Bristol. Before the castle.

       
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[Enter HENRY BOLINGBROKE, DUKE OF YORK,] [p]NORTHUMBERLAND, LORD ROSS, HENRY PERCY, LORD [p]WILLOUGHBY, with BUSHY and GREEN, prisoners]

  • Henry IV. Bring forth these men. 1360
    Bushy and Green, I will not vex your souls—
    Since presently your souls must part your bodies—
    With too much urging your pernicious lives,
    For 'twere no charity; yet, to wash your blood
    From off my hands, here in the view of men 1365
    I will unfold some causes of your deaths.
    You have misled a prince, a royal king,
    A happy gentleman in blood and lineaments,
    By you unhappied and disfigured clean:
    You have in manner with your sinful hours 1370
    Made a divorce betwixt his queen and him,
    Broke the possession of a royal bed
    And stain'd the beauty of a fair queen's cheeks
    With tears drawn from her eyes by your foul wrongs.
    Myself, a prince by fortune of my birth, 1375
    Near to the king in blood, and near in love
    Till you did make him misinterpret me,
    Have stoop'd my neck under your injuries,
    And sigh'd my English breath in foreign clouds,
    Eating the bitter bread of banishment; 1380
    Whilst you have fed upon my signories,
    Dispark'd my parks and fell'd my forest woods,
    From my own windows torn my household coat,
    Razed out my imprese, leaving me no sign,
    Save men's opinions and my living blood, 1385
    To show the world I am a gentleman.
    This and much more, much more than twice all this,
    Condemns you to the death. See them deliver'd over
    To execution and the hand of death.
  • Bushy. More welcome is the stroke of death to me 1390
    Than Bolingbroke to England. Lords, farewell.
  • Green. My comfort is that heaven will take our souls
    And plague injustice with the pains of hell.
  • Henry IV. My Lord Northumberland, see them dispatch'd.
    [Exeunt NORTHUMBERLAND and others, with the] 1395
    prisoners]
    Uncle, you say the queen is at your house;
    For God's sake, fairly let her be entreated:
    Tell her I send to her my kind commends;
    Take special care my greetings be deliver'd. 1400
  • Edmund of Langley. A gentleman of mine I have dispatch'd
    With letters of your love to her at large.
  • Henry IV. Thank, gentle uncle. Come, lords, away.
    To fight with Glendower and his complices:
    Awhile to work, and after holiday. 1405

[Exeunt]