K. Rich. Thy son is banish'd upon good advice," Whereto thy tongue a party verdict gave; Why at our justice seem'st thou then to lower? Gaunt. Things sweet to taste, prove in digestion sour. You urg'd me as a judge; but I had rather, To smooth his fault I should have been more mild: A partial slander sought I to avoid, And in the sentence my own life destroy'd. so; Six years we banish him, and he shall go. Flourish. Exeunt K. RICHARD and Train. Aum. Cousin, farewell: what presence must not know, From where you do remain, let paper show. Mar. My lord, no leave take I; for I will ride, As far as land will let me, by your side. Gaunt. O, to what purpose dost thou hoard thy words, That thou return'st no greeting to thy friends? 1 upon good advice,] Upon great consideration. 2 A partial slander-] That is, the reproach of partiality. This is a just picture of the struggle between principle and affection. Gaunt. What is six winters? they are quickly gone. Boling. To men in joy; but grief makes one hour ten. Gaunt. Call it a travel that thou tak'st for plea sure. Boling. My heart will sigh, when I miscall it so, Which finds it an enforced pilgrimage. Gaunt. The sullen passage of thy weary steps Boling. Nay, rather, every tedious stride I make Having my freedom, boast of nothing else, Gaunt. All places that the eye of heaven visits, Are to a wise man ports and happy havens : Teach thy necessity to reason thus; There is no virtue like necessity. Think not, the king did banish thee; But thou the king: Woe doth the heavier sit, To lie that way thou go'st, not whence thou com'st; The grass whereon thou tread'st, the presence strew'd;3 The flowers, fair ladies; and thy steps, no more 3 the presence strew'd;] An allusion to the ancient practice of strewing rushes over the floor of the presence chamber. 4 Than a delightful measure, or a dance: Had I thy youth, and cause, I would not stay. Boling. Then, England's ground, farewell; sweet soil, adieu; My mother, and my nurse, that bears me yet! [Exeunt. SCENE IV. The same. A Room in the King's Castle. Enter King RICHARD, BAGOT, and GREEN; K. Rich. We did observe.-Cousin Aumerle, 5 way measure,] A measure was a formal court dance. ? yet a trueborn Englishman.] Here the first Act ought to end, that between the first and second Acts there may be time for John of Gaunt to accompany his son, return, and fall sick. Then the first scene of the second Act begins with a natural con Aum. I brought high Hereford, if you call him So, But to the next highway, and there I left him. K. Rich. And, say, what store of parting tears were shed? Aum. 'Faith, none by me: except the north-east Which then blew bitterly against our faces, K. Rich. What said our cousin, when you parted Aum. Farewell: And, for my heart disdained that my tongue That word seem'd buried in my sorrow's grave. Marry, would the word farewell have lengthen'd hours, And added years to his short banishment, K. Rich. He is our cousin, cousin; but 'tis doubt, When time shall call him home from banishment, versation, interrupted by a message from John of Gaunt, by which the King is called to visit him, which visit is paid in the following scene. As the play is now divided, more time passes between the two last scenes of the first Act, than between the first Act and the second. JoHNSON. And patient underbearing of his fortune, Green. Well, he is gone; and with him go these thoughts. Now for the rebels, which stand out in Ireland;— K. Rich. We will ourself in person to this war. For our affairs in hand: If that come short, Bushy, what news? Enter BUSHY. Bushy. Old John of Gaunt is grievous sick, my lord; Suddenly taken; and hath sent post-haste, To entreat your majesty to visit him. 6 -the tribute of his supple knee,] To illustrate this phrase, it should be remembered that courtesying, (the act of reverence now confined to women,) was anciently practised by men. 7 Expedient-] i. e. expeditious. for our coffers- i. e. because. |