ACT IV. SCENE I. LONDON. WESTMINSTER HALL. The Lords spiritual, on the right side of the throne; the Lords temporal, on the left; the Commons below. Enter Bolingbroke, Aumerle, Surry, Northumberland, Percy, Fitzwater, another Lord, Bishop of Carlisle, Abbot of Westminster, and Attendants. Officers behind, with Bagot. Boling. Call forth Bagot: Now, Bagot, freely speak thy mind; What thou dost know of noble Glo'ster's death; Who wrought it with the king, and who perform'd 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. Princes, and noble lords, In this your cousin's death. Aum. Shall I so much dishonour my Boling. Bagot, forbear, thou shalt not take it up. Aum. Excepting one, I would he were the best In all this presence, that hath mov'd me so. 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 Glo'ster'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, Aum. And if I do not, may my hands rot off, And never brandish more revengeful steel Over the glittering helmet of my foe! Lord. I take the earth to the like, forsworn And spur thee on with full as many lies pawn; 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. Surry. 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. Surry. As false, by heaven, as heaven itself is true. Fitz. Surry, thou liest. Surry. Dishonourable boy! pawn; Fitz. How fondly dost thou spur a forward horse! If I dare eat, or drink, or breathe, or live, I dare meet Surry in a wilderness, And spit upon him, whilst I say, he lies, And lies, and lies: there is my bond of faith, To tie thee to my strong correction. As I intend to thrive in this new world, Besides, I heard the banish'd Norfolk say, 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. Boling. These differences shall all rest under gage, Till Norfolk be repeal'd: repeal'd he shall be, To all his land and signories; when he's return'd, Car. That honourable day shall ne'er be seen.Many a time hath banish'd Norfolk fought For Jesu Christ; in glorious Christian field Streaming the ensign of the Christian cross, Against black pagans, Turks, and Saracens: And, toil'd with works of war, retir'd himself To Italy; and there, at Venice, gave His body to that pleasant country's earth, And his pure soul unto his captain Christ, Under whose colours he had fought so long. Boling. Why, bishop, is Norfolk dead? Car. As sure as I live, my lord. Boling. Sweet peace conduct his sweet soul to Of good old Abraham!-Lords appellants, Till we assign you to your days of trial. 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,— And long live Henry, of that name the fourth! Boling. In God's name, I'll ascend the regal throne. Car. Marry, God forbid !— Worst in this royal presence may I speak, |