thy Fortune in this Royal Fight Farewel my Blood which if thou chance to shed Lament we may but not revenge the dead Bull. No noble eye be seen to loose a Tear On me if I be foil'd by Mowbrays Arm As confident as is the Faulcon's flight At tim'rous Birds do I with Mowbray fight O thou the gen'rous Author of my Blood To Gaunt Whose youthful Spirit enflames and lifts me up To reach at Victory above my Head Add proof to this my Armour with thy Pray'rs And with thy Blessings point my vengeful Sword To furbish new th' illustrious name of Gaunt Mow. However Heaven or Fortune cast my Lot There lives or dies a just and loyal man Never did wretched Captive greet the hour Of freedom with more welcome or delight Than my transported soul do's celebrate This Feast of battle Blessings on my King And peace on all King Farewell my Lord Virtue and Valour guard thee Marshal finish Marsh. Harry of Herford Lancaster and Derby Receive thy Sword and Heav'n defend thy Right Fear this to Mowbray Mow. Curse on your tedious Ceremonies more To us tormenting then t'expecting Bridegrooms The signal for Heav'ns sake Marsh. Sound Trumpets and set forward Combatants Stay stay the King has thrown his Warder down King Command the Knights once more back to their Posts And let the Trumpets sound a second charge Whilst with our Lords we briefly do advise Another flourish after which the King speaks Command 'em to resigne their Arms and listen To what we with our Council have Decreed For that our Eyes detest the spectacle Of Civil Wounds from whence the dire infection Of general War may spring we bar your Combat Suppress those Arms that from our Coast wou'd fright Fair Peace and make us wade in Kinsmen's Blood And lest your Neighbour-hood cause after-broils We banish you our Realms to different Climes You Bullingbrook on pain of Death Till twice five Summers have enircht our Fields Bull. And must this be your Pleasure well Your pleasure stand 't will be my comfort still The Sun that warms you here shall shine on me And guild my Banishment King Mowbray for thee remains a heavier doom The slow succeeding hours shall not determine The dateless limit of thy dear exile The hopeless word of never to return Breath we against thee upon pain of Death Mow. A heavy Sentence my most Sov'raign Lord The Language I have learnt these Forty years My native English must I now forgo I am too old to fawn upon a Nurse And learn the Prattle of a forraign tongue What is thy Sentence then but speechless Death You take the cruelst way to rob my Breath King Complaint comes all too late where we decree Mow. Then thus I turn me from my Countries light Pleas'd with my doom because it pleas'd the King Farewell my Lord now Mowbray cannot stray Let me shun England all the worlds my way King Return again and take an Oath with thee Lay on our Royal Sword your banisht Hands Swear by the duty that you owe to Heav'n Nere to embrace each others love in Banishment Nor ever meet nor write to reconcile This lowring tempest of your home-bred hate Nor Plot to turn the edge of your Revenge On Us our State our Subjects and our Land Bull. I Swear Mow. And I to keep all this Bull. By this time Mowbray had the King permitted One of our Souls had wandered in the Air As now our flesh is doomd on Earth to wander Confess thy Treason ere thou fly the Land Since thou hast far to go bear not along Th'incumbring Burden of a guilty Soul Mow. No Bullingbrook if ever I were false Let Heav'n renounce me as my Country has But what thou art Heav'n Thou and I do know And all my heart forbodes too soon shall rue My absence then shall yet this comfort bring Not to behold the Troubles of my King Exit King Uncle within thy tear-charg'd Eyes I read Thy hearts fell sorrow and that troubled Look Has from the number of his Banisht years Pluckt four away Six frozen Winters spent Return with welcome from thy Banishment Gaunt I thank my Liege that in regard to me He cuts off four years from my Sons exile But small advantage shall I reap thereby For ere those slow six years can change their Moons My inch of Taper will be spent and done Nor Gaunt have life to welcom home his Son King Despair not Uncle you have long to live Gaunt But not a Minute King that thou canst give King Thy Son was banisht upon advice To which thy Tongue a party Verdict gave Gaunt My interest I submitted to your Will You urg'd me like a Judge and I forgot A Father's Name and like a strict Judge doom'd Him Alas I look'd when some of you should say I was too strict to make my Own away But all gave leave to my unwilling Tongue To do my ag'd heart this unnatural wrong King Now for the Rebels that hold out in Ireland And turn our mild forbearance to contempt Fresh forces must be levi'd with best speed Ere farther leisure yield them further strength We will our self in person to this War And quench this flame before it spread too far Ex. with Attendants Gaunt O to what purpose dost thou hoard thy words When thou shouldst breath dear farewels to thy Friends That round thee all like silent Mourners gaze Bull. They will not censure me whose scanty time And breath 's too little to take leave of you My dear Companions you have known my Heart Too long to doubt it on a silent grief Ha! by my swelling blood my Father 's pale How fare's your honour good my Lords your hands Gaunt I feel a heaviness like Death and hope It is no counterfeit All shall be well Bull. By Heav'n it shall I feel my veins work high And conscious glory kindling in my brest Inspires a Thought to vast to be exprest Where this disgrace will end the Heav'ns can tell And Herford's Soul divines that 't will be well A Beam of royal splendor strikes my Eye Before my charm'd sight Crowns and Scepters fly The minutes big with Fate too slowly run But hasty Bullingbrook shall push 'em on Ex. The End of the First Act. ACT II. A Chamber Gaunt Sick to him York York NOW Brother what cheer Gaunt Why well 't is with me as old Gaunt cou'd wish York What Harry sticks with you still well I hear he 's safe in France and very busie Gaunt My Blood were never Idle York I fear too busie come he 's a parlous Boy I smell a confed'racy betwixt him and his Companions here Mischief will come on 't cut him off I say Let him be Kites-meat I would hang a Son to kill a Traytor Gaunt Go sleep good York and wake with better thoughts York Heav'n grant we sleep not all 'till Alarums wake us I tell you Brother I lik'd not the manner of his departure 't was the very smooth smiling
Face of Infant Rebellion with what familiar Courtesie did he caress the Rabble What reverence did he throw away on Slaves Off goes his Bonnet to an Oysterwench A Brace of Dray-men bid God speed him well And had the Tribute of his supple knee Then shakes a Shoo-maker by the waxt Thumbs With thanks my Country-men my Friends my Brothers Then comes a Peal of sighs wou'd knock a Church down Roguery mechanick Roguery rank Treason Gaunt My sickness grows upon me set me higher York Villany takes its time all goes worse and worse in Ireland Rebellion is there on the Wing and here in the Egg yet still the Court dances after the French Pipe Eternal Apes of Vanity Mutiny stirring Discipline asleep Knaves in Office all 's wrong make much of your Sickness Brother if it be Mortal 't is worth a Duke-dome Gaunt How happy Heav'n were my approaching death Cou'd my last words prevail upon the King Whose easie gentle Nature has expos'd His unexperienc'd Youth to flatterers frauds Yet at this hour I hope to bend his Ear To Councel for the Tongues of dying men Enforce attention like deep Harmony Where words are scarce th' are seldom spent in Vain For they breath Truth that breath their Words in Pain Enter King Queen Northumberland Ross Willoughby Piercye c. With Guards and Attendants Queen How fares our Noble Uncle Lancaster King How is' t with aged Gaunt Gaunt Ag'd as your Highness says and Gaunt indeed Gaunt as a Grave whose Womb holds nought but Bones King Can sick men play so nicely with their Names Gaunt Since thou dost seek to kill my Name in me I mock my Name great King to flatter thee King Should dying men then flatter those that Live Gaunt No no Men living flatter those that dye King Thou now a dying sayst thou flatter'st me Gaunt Oh! no Thou dyest though I the sicker am King I am in health breath free but see thee ill Gaunt Now he that made me knows I see thee ill Thy death-bed is no less than the whole Land Whereon thou ly'st in Reputation sick Yet hurri'd on by a malignant fate Commit'st thy annoynted Body to the Cure Of those Physitians that first Poyson'd thee Upon thy Youth a Swarm of flatterers hang And with their fulsome weight are daily found To bend thy yielding Glories to the ground King Judge Heav'n how poor a thing is Majesty Be thou thy self the Judge when thou sick Wight Presuming on an Agues Priviledge Dar'st with thy Frozen admonition Make pale our Cheek but I excuse thy weakness Gaunt Think not the Ryot of your Court can last Tho fed with the dear Life blood of your Realms For vanity at last preys of it self This Earth of Majesty this seat of Mars This Fortress built by Nature in the Floods Whose Rocky shores beat back the foaming Sedge This England Conqu'rour of the Neighbring Lands Makes now a shameful Conquest on it self York Now will I stake my Liege my Soul upon 't Old Gaunt is hearty in his wishes for you And what he speaks is out of honest Zeal And tho thy Anger prove to me as Mortal As is to him this sickness yet blunt York Must Eccho to his words and cry Thou art abus'd and flatter'd King Gentle Uncle Excuse the sallies of my youthful Blood I know y' are Loyal both and mean us well Nor shall we be unmindful to redress However difficult our States corruption And purge the Vanities that Crown'd our Court. Gaunt My gracious Liege your Pardon this bold duty Was all that stood betwixt my Grave and me Your Sycophants bred from your Child-hood with you Have such advantage had to work upon you That scarce your failings can be call'd your faults Now to Heav'ns care and your own Piety I leave my sacred Lord and may you have In life that peace that waits me in the Grave King Thanks my good Uncle bear him to his Bed Exit Gaunt Attend him well and if a Princes Prayers Have more than common interest with Heav'n Our Realm shall yet enjoy his honest Councel And now my Souldiers for our Irish Wars We must suppress these rough prevailing Kerns That live like Venom where no Venom else But only they have priviledg to live But first our Uncle Gaunt being indispos'd We do create his Brother both in Blood And Loyalty our Uncle York Lord Governour of England in our absence Observe me Lords and pay him that respect You give our Royal Presence Enter Northumberland North. My Liege old Gaunt commends him to your Highness King What says our Uncle North. Nothing all is said His Tongue is now a stringless instrument But call'd on your lov'd name and blest you dying King The ripest fruit falls first and so doe's He His course is done our Pilgrimage to come So much for that return we to our War And cause our Coffers with too great a Court And liberal Largess are grown somewhat Light Prest with this exigence we for a time Do seize on our dead Uncles large Revenues In Herford's absence York O my Liege pardon me if you please if not I please not to be pardon'd spare to seize the Royalties and Rights of banisht Herford I fear already he 's too apt t' engage against your Power and these proceedings will give countenance and growth to his Designs forbear to draw such Dangers on your Head King Be Heav'n our judge we mean him nothing fowl But shortly will with interest restore The Loan our sudden streights make necessary Weep not my Love nor drown with boding Tears Our springing Conquest bear our absence well Nor think that I have joy to part with Thee Tho never vacant Swain in silent Bowers Cou'd boast a passion so sincere as mine Yet where the int'rest of the Subject calls We wave the dearest Transports of our Love Flying from Beauty ' Arms to rugged War Conscience our first and Thou our second Care Exeunt Manent Morthumberland Piercy Ross Willoughby North. Well Lords the Duke of Lancaster is dead Will. And living too if Justice had her right For Herford then were more than a bare Name Who now succeeds departed Gaunt in nothing But in his mind 's rich Virtues the Kings pleas'd To have occasion for his temporal wealth O my heart swells but let it burst with silence Ere it be disburden'd with a liberal tongue Perc. Now rot the tongue that scants a Subjects freedom Loosers at least are priviledgd to talk And who accounts not Herfords looss his own Deserves not the esteem of Herford's friend There 's none of us here present but did weep At parting and if there be any one Whose tears are not converted now to fire He is a Crocadile North. The fate of Bullingbrook will soon be ours We hear the Tempest sing yet seek no shelter We see our wreck and yet securely perish A sure but willful Fate for had ye Spirits But worthy to receive it I cou'd say How near the tidings of our comfort
that I shall stand Condemnd A wandring Vagabond my Rights and Royalties Snatcht from my Hand perforce and giv'n away To up-start Unthrifts wherefore was I Born If that my Cousen King be King of England It must be granted I am Duke of Lancaster York Thy words are all as false as thy Intents The King but for the Service of the State Has Borrow'd thy Revenue for a time And Pawn'd to me his Honour to repay it Which I as Gaunt Executour allow'd Bull. Then Uncle I am sorry you have drawn the Guilt on your own head and that of Course Justice must fall there too we must Commit you to our Guards Custody York Perfidious Villain Now he that has a Soul give me a Sword And since my Followers are too few to Engage Give but this Villain here and me a Ring And if you do not see a Traytor Cudgell'd As a Vile Traytor should I 'll give ye leave To hang my Brawn i' th' Sun North. The Duke has sworn he comes but for his own And in that Claim we all resolve to Assist him York What says Northumberland thou rev'rend Rebel Think what a Figure makes thy Beard amongst This Callow Crew allow that he were wrong'd As on the Kings Faith and mine he is not Yet in this kind to come with threatning Arms To Compass right with wrong it may not be And you that do abet him in this sort From the hoar'd Head to the raw beardless Chin Cherish Rebellion and are Rebels all Bull. We have not leisure to debate strike Drums York Now the Villains Curse light on thee and if thou dost seize the Crown mayst thou be more Plagu'd with being King than I am with being Deputy SCENE the Fourth Enter Rabble A Shoomaker Farrier Weaver Tanner Mercer Brewer Butcher Barber and infinite others with a Confused Noise 1. Silence hea I Revelation Stitch Command Silence All. Peace hoa 1. Am I not Nobly Descended and Honourably Born 2. Right the Field is Honourable and there was he Born under a Hedge 1. Have I not born Commission with Watt Tyler witness our luminary lost in that Service and was I not president at Iack Straw's Councel to kill all the Nobility and Clergy but the Fryers mendicant that in our Reign wou'd soon have starv'd out o' th' way All. Hum hum hem 1. What place then do our guifts desere at such a season where the temporal King is absent and Usurpers invade 2. Why it behoveth thee to take unto thee a good Conscience and make thy felf King 1. Simon Shuttle I never lik't thy Politicks our meanest Brethren pretend to the spirit of Governing our Talent is to govern the Governour therefore as Bullingbrook shall approve himself to our liking we will fix him upon the last of the Government or cast him out amongst the shreds and shavings of the Common-wealth 4. But pray Neighbour what is this same Common-wealth 3. You may see it at Smithfield all the Fair-time 't is the Butt End of the Nation 5. Peace hea hear Master Revelation expound it 1. Why the Common-wealth is a-Kin to your-a-republick like Man and Wife the very same thing only the Common-wealth is the Common-wealth and the Republick is the Republick 2. What an excellent Spirit of knowledge is here 3. Wee 'l have no more Bills nor Bonds but all shall be reduc't to the Score and Tally 4. No Physick but what shall be administer'd in a Horn. 5. We 'l have Priviledges taken off and all sorts compell'd to pay their Debts 7. I except against that I would rather break than have gentlemen out of my debt it gives us priviledg of being Sawcy how are we fain to cringe 'till we have got them into our Books and then I warrant we can cock up with the best of ' em I hate mortally to be paid off it makes a man such a sneaking Rascal 1. We will have strict and wholsom Laws 6. Laws Strict Laws so will there be no mischief done and our Profession starve I 'll ha' no Laws Others no Laws no Laws no Laws Others Laws Laws Laws They Scuffle 1. Hark Bullingbrook approaches put your selves in posture and Sow-gelder wind me a strong Blast to return their Complement Flourish here Enter Bullingbrook with his Army North. Behold my Lord an Object strange and suddain The Rabble up in Arms to mock your pow'rs As once the Indian Apes are said to have done To Alexander's Army Pierc Death my Lord. Permit me play for once the Scavinger And sweep this Dirt out of your way Bull. Gently my valiant Piercy Rage is the proper weapon of these Bruits With which 't is odds they foil us Rainston go to 'em Bespeak 'em fair and know what caus'd this Tumult 1. Oh an envoy know of him his Quality 4. 'T is Sir Iohn Rainston I have wrought for him 1. Down on thy knee now because we will observe Decorums of State rise up Sir Iohn Drench and Treat with him Bull. Hold Rainston we will treat with 'em in person For in their looks I read a sober judgment All carefull to preserve the publick weal Chiefly this awful man to whose grave Censure We do refer the justice of our Arms. 2. Goodly what a gracious person he is Bull. I weep for joy to see so brave a spirit So jealous of your Liberty and Rights Trust me my Countrymen my Friends my Brothers 'T is worthy of the fame the world affords you And that curst Limb that stirs against your Priviledges Why let it Rot tho' it were this right hand All. A Bullingbrook a Bullingbrook c. Bull. Mistake not my dear Countrymen our purpose You think perhaps cause we are now arriv'd With formal Arms in absence of the King That we take this occasion to Usurp Alas we harbour no such foul design 1. How 's that not usurp hear ye that Neighbours he refuses to Usurp Others Fall on then he is not for our turn down with him 1. Sir we shall give you to understand that we want a Usurper and if you refuse to usurp you are a Traytor and so we put our selves in Battail array Bull. Yet hear me what you mean by Usurpation I may mistake and beg to be informd If it be only to ascend the Throne To see that justice has a liberal course In needful Wars to lead you forth to Conquest And then dismiss you laden home with Spoils If you mean this I am at your disposal And for your profit am content to take The burden of the State upon my hands All A Bullingbrook a Bullingbrook c. 1. One word of caution Friend be not Chicken-hearted but pluck up a Spirit for the work before thee it was revealed to me that now there should arise a Son of Thunder a second Tyler and I am resolv'd the vision shall not Lie therefore I say again pluck up a Spirit otherwise I shall discharge my Conscience and usurp my Self Bull. Friends think me not made of such easie