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 lose145
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
Give Richard leave to live till Richard die?
You make a leg, and Bolingbroke says ay.175
North. My lord, in the base court he doth attend
To speak with you; may it please you to come down.[1481]
K. Rich. Down, down I come; like glistering Phaeton,
Wanting the manage of unruly jades.[1482]
In the base court? Base court, where kings grow base,[1483][1484]180
To come at traitors' calls and do them grace.[1483]
In the base court? Come down? Down, court! down, king![1483][1485]
For night-owls shriek where mounting larks should sing.[1483]
[Exeunt from above.[1486]
Boling. What says his majesty?
North. Sorrow and grief of heart[1487]
Makes him speak fondly, like a frantic man:185
Yet he is come.[1488]
Enter King Richard and his attendants below.[1488][1489]
Boling. Stand all apart,[1488]
And show fair duty to his majesty.[1488] [He kneels down.[1490]
My gracious lord,—[1488]
K. Rich. Fair cousin, you debase your princely knee[1491]190
To make the base earth proud with kissing it:
Me rather had my heart might feel your love
Than my unpleased eye see your courtesy.
Up, cousin, up; your heart is up, I know,[1492][1493]
Thus high at least, although your knee be low.[1492][1494]195
Boling. My gracious lord, I come but for mine own.