Aum. Some honest Christian trust me with a gage,
That Norfolk lies: here do I throw down this,
If he may be repeal'd, to try his honour.[1588]85
Boling. These differences shall all rest under gage
Till Norfolk be repeal'd: repeal'd he shall be,
And, though mine enemy, restored again
To all his lands and signories: when he's return'd,[1589]
Against Aumerle we will enforce his trial.90
Car. That honourable day shall ne'er be seen.[1590]
Many a time hath banish'd Norfolk fought
For Jesu Christ in glorious Christian field,[1591]
Streaming the ensign of the Christian cross
Against black pagans, Turks, and Saracens;95
And toil'd with works of war, retired himself[1592]
To Italy; and there at Venice gave
His body to that pleasant country's earth,[1593]
And his pure soul unto his captain Christ,
Under whose colours he had fought so long.100
Boling. Why, bishop, is Norfolk dead?[1594]
Car. As surely as I live, my lord.[1595]
Boling. Sweet peace conduct his sweet soul to the bosom[1596][1597]
Of good old Abraham! Lords appellants,[1597][1598]
Your differences shall all rest under gage[1597]105
Till we assign you to your days of trial.
Enter York, attended.[1599]
York. Great Duke of Lancaster, I come to thee[1600]
From plume-pluck'd Richard; who with willing soul
Adopts thee heir, and his high sceptre yields[1601]
To the possession of thy royal hand:110
Ascend his throne, descending now from him;
And long live Henry, fourth of that name![1602]
Boling. In God's name, I'll ascend the regal throne.
Car. Marry, God forbid![1603][1604]
Worst in this royal presence may I speak,[1605]115
Yet best beseeming me to speak the truth.[1606]
Would God that any in this noble presence[1607]
Were enough noble to be upright judge
Of noble Richard! then true noblesse would[1608]
Learn him forbearance from so foul a wrong.120
What subject can give sentence on his king?
And who sits here that is not Richard's subject?[1609]
Thieves are not judged but they are by to hear,
Although apparent guilt be seen in them;
And shall the figure of God's majesty,125
His captain, steward, deputy, elect,[1610]
Anointed, crowned, planted many years,[1611]
Be judged by subject and inferior breath,[1612]
And he himself not present? O, forfend it, God,[1613]
That in a Christian climate souls refined130
Should show so heinous, black, obscene a deed!
I speak to subjects, and a subject speaks,
Stirr'd up by God, thus boldly for his king.[1604]
My Lord of Hereford here, whom you call king,
Is a foul traitor to proud Hereford's king:135
And if you crown him, let me prophesy;
The blood of English shall manure the ground,
And future ages groan for this foul act;[1614]
Peace shall go sleep with Turks and infidels,
And in this seat of peace tumultuous wars140
Shall kin with kin and kind with kind confound;
Disorder, horror, fear and mutiny
Shall here inhabit, and this land be call'd
The field of Golgotha and dead men's skulls.
O, if you raise this house against this house,[1615]145
It will the woefullest division prove
That ever fell upon this cursed earth.
Prevent it, resist it, let it not be so,[1616]
Lest child, child's children, cry against you 'woe!'[1617]