The bloody office of his timeless' end. Bagot. Then set before my face the lord Aumerle. Boling. Cousin, stand forth, and look upon that man. Bagot. My lord Aumerle, I know your daring tongue Scorns to unsay what once it hath deliver'd. In that dead time when Gloster's death was plotted, I heard you say,-Is not my arm of length, That reacheth from the restful English court As far as Calais, to my uncle's head? Amongst much other talk, that very time, I heard you say, that you had rather refuse The offer of an hundred thousand crowns, Adding withal, how blest this land would be, Aum. Princes, and noble lords, What answer shall I make to this base man ? Boling. Bagot, forbear, thou shalt not take it up. 5 Untimely. Fitz. If that thy valour stand on sympathies, There is my gage, Aumerle, in gage to thine : By that fair sun that shows me where thou stand'st, I heard thee say, and vauntingly thou spak'st it, That thou wert cause of noble Gloster's death. If thou deny'st it, twenty times thou liest; And I will turn thy falsehood to thy heart, Where it was forged, with my rapier's point. Aum. Thou dar`st not, coward, live to see that day. Fitz. Now, by my soul, I would it were this hour. Aum. Fitzwater, thou art damn'd to hell for this. Percy. Aumerle, thou liest; his honour is as true, In this appeal, as thou art all unjust: And, that thou art so, there I throw my gage, Of mortal breathing; seize it, if thou dar'st. Over the glittering helmet of my foe! Lord. I take the earth to the like, forsworn Aumerle; And spur thee on with full as many lies As may be holla'd in thy treacherous ear From sun to sun: there is my honour's pawn; Engage it to the trial, if thou dar'st. Aum. Who sets me else? by heaven, I'll throw at all: I have a thousand spirits in one breast, To answer twenty thousand such as you. Surrey. My lord Fitzwater, I do remember well The very time Aumerle and you did talk. Fitz. My lord, 'tis true: you were in presence then; And you can witness with me, this is true. Surrey. As false, by heaven, as heaven itself is true. Fitz. Surrey, thou liest. Surrey. Dishonourable boy! That lie shall lie so heavy on my sword, honour's Engage it to the trial, if thou dar'st. pawn; Fitz. How fondly dost thou spur a forward horse! If I dare eat, or drink, or breathe, or live, I dare meet Surrey in a wilderness, And spit upon him, whilst I say, he lies, Aum. Some honest Christian trust me with a gage, Boling. These differences shall all rest under gage, To all his land and signories; when he's return'd, Car. That honourable day shall ne'er be seen.-- Streaming the ensign of the Christian cross, Boling. Sweet peace conduct his sweet soul to the bosom Of good old Abraham !-Lords appellants, Enter YoRK, attended. York. Great duke of Lancaster, I come to thee From plume-pluck'd Richard; who with willing soul Adopts thee heir, and his high scepter yields To the possession of thy royal hand : Ascend his throne, descending now from him,— Worst in this royal presence may I speak, 6 Nobleness. And who sits here, that is not Richard's subject? Shall here inhabit, and this land be call'd O, if you rear this house against this house, That ever fell upon this cursed earth : Prevent, resist it, let it not be so, Lest child, child's children, cry against you-woe! North. We'll have you argu'd, sir; and, for you pains, Of capital treason we arrest you here : My lord of Westminster, be it your charge |