Ten thousand bloody crowns of mothers' fons
Shall ill become the flower of England's face;
Change the complexion of her maid-pale peace
To scarlet indignation, and bedew
Her pastures' grass with faithful English blood.
North. The King of heaven forbid, our lord the

king
Should so with civil and uncivil arms
Be rush'd upon! Thy thrice-noble cousin,
Harry Bolingbroke, doth humbly kiss thy hand,

But e'er the crown, he looks for, light in peace, i. e. defcend and settle upon Bolingbroke's head in peace. Again, I have a small quarrel to the third line quoted. Would the poet say, that bloody crowns should disfigure the flowers that spring on the ground, and bedew the grass with blood ? Surely the two images are too similar. I have suspected,

Shall ill become the fioor of England's face; i. e. fall make a dismal spectacle on the surface of the kingdom's earth. THEOBALD.

By the flower of England's face, is meant the chcicest youths of England, who shall be flaughtered in this quarrel, or have bloody crowns. The flower of England's face, to design her choiceft youth, is a fine and noble expreflion. Pericles, by a similar thought, said that the destruction of the Athenian youth was a fatality like cutting off the spring from the year. Yet the Oxford Editur, who did not apprehend the figure, alters the line thus,

Shall misbecome the flow'ry England's face. Which means I know not what. WARBURTON.

Dr. Warburton has inserted light in peace in the text of his own edition, but live in peace is more suitable to Richard's intention, which is to tell him, that though he hould get the crown by rebellion, it will be long before it will live in be so settled as to be firm. The flower of England's face, is very happily explained, and any alteration is therefore needless.

JOHNSON. The Acwer of England's face, I believe, means England's fowery face, the flowery surface of England's joil. The same kind of expression is used in Sidney's Arcadia, p. 2. “ opening “ the cherry of her lips," i. c. “ her cherry lips." So Drayton in Mortimer's Epifle to Queen Ijabell.

« And in the field advance our plumy creft,
“ And march upon fair England's flow'ry breat."

STEEVENS.

peace,

And

And by the honourable tomb he swears,
That stands upon your royal grandsire's bones;
And by the royalties of both your bloods,
Currents that spring from the most gracious head i
* And by the bury'd hand of warlike Gaunt;
And by the worth and honour of himself,
Comprising all that may be sworn, or said
His coming hither hath no farther scope,
Than for his lineal royalties, and to beg
Infranchisement immediate on his knees :
Which on thy royal party granted once,
His glittering arms he will commend to rust,
His barbed steeds to stables, and his heart
To faithful service of your majesty.
This fwears he, as he is a prince, is just;
And, as I am a gentleman, I credit him.
K. Rich. Northumberland, say-thus the king ree

turns :
His noble cousin is right-welcome hither ;
And all the number of his fair demands
Shall be accomplish'd without contradiction.
With all the gracious utterance thou hast,
Speak to his gentle hearing kind commends.
We do debase ourself, cousin, do we not,
To look so poorly, and to speak so fair?
Shall we call back Northumberland, and fend
Defiance to the traitor, and so die?
Aum. No, good my lord; let's fight with gentle

words Till time lend friends, and friends their helpful swords. K. Rich. Oh God! oh God! that e'er this tongue of

mine, That laid the sentence of dread banishment On

yon proud man, shall take it off again * And by the bury'd hand of warlike Gaunt,] It should be read just the other way,

And by the warlike hand of bury'd Gaunt. WARB.
I see no great difference. JOHNSON.
M 2

With

[To Aum.

3 With words of footh! Oh, that I were as great
As is my grief, or lesser than my name !
Or that I could forget what I have been !
Or not remember what I must be now !
Swell'st thou, proud heart ? I'll give thee scope to beat,
Since foes have scope to beat both thee and me.
Aum. Northumberland comes back from Boling-

broke.
K. Rich. What must the king do now? must he

submit?
The king shall do it. Must he be depos'd ?
The king shall be contented: must he lose
The name of king ? oʻGod's name, let it go.
I'll give my jewels for a set of beads;
My gorgeous palace, for a hermitage;
My gay apparel, for an alms-man's gown;
My figurd goblets, for a dish of wood;
My scepter, for a palmer's walking staff;
My subjects, for a pair of carved saints ;
And my large kingdom, for a little grave;
A little, little grave-an obscure grave :-
4 Or I'll be bury'd in the king's highway,
Some way of common trade, where subjects' feet
May hourly tramples on their sovereign's head;

For

3 With words of footh !-) Sooth is sweet as well as true. In this place fouth means weetnes or softuels, a signification yet retained in the verb to footh. Johnson.

+ Or I'll be buried in the king's highway,

Some way of common trade,-) As fpecious as this reading ap-pears, Mr. Warburton, Mr. Bishop, and I, all concurred in lurpecting it, and in the amendment which now possesses the text;

Some way of common treadi.e. a high road. He subjoins immediately;

For on my heart they tread now, while I live ; and we know how much it is Shakespeare's way to diversify the image with the same word. THEOBALD.

Dr. Warburton has put tread in his own text, but trade will serve very well in the sense either of commerce or custom. Johns.

s in their fovereign's head;] Shakespeare is very apt to deviate from the pathetic to the ridiculous. Had the speech of

Richard

For on my heart they tread now, whilst I live;
And, bury'd once, why not upon my head ?
Aumerle, thou weep'st ; my tender-hearted cousin !
We'll make foul weather with despised tears ;
Our sighs, and they, shall lodge the summer corn,
And make a dearth in this revolting land.
Or shall we play the wantons with our woes,
And make some pretty match, with shedding tears ?
As thus; — to drop them still upon one place,
Till they have fretted us a pair of graves
Within the earth; and therein laid-There lies
Two kinsmen, digg'd their graves with weeping eyes.
Would not this ill do well ?-Well, well, I see
I talk but idly, and you mock at me.

[North. advances.
Most mighty prince, my lord Northumberland,
What says king Bolingbroke ? will his majesty
Give Richard leave to live till Richard die?
You make a leg, and Bolingbroke says, ay,

North. My lord, in the base court he doth attend To speak with you; may't please you to come down. K. Rich. Down, down I come; like glittring Phae

ton, Wanting the manage of unruly jades.

[North. retires to Bol. In the base court? base court, where kings grow base, To come at traitors' calls, and do them grace. In the base court, come down ? Down court! down

king! For night-owls shriek, where mounting larks should sing.

[Exeunt from above. Boling. What says his majesty ? North. Sorrow, and grief of heart, Makes him speak fondly, like a frantiç man;

[Enter Richard below.

Yet he is come.

Richard ended at this line it had exhibited the natural language of submissive misery, conforming its intention to the present fortune, and calmly ending its purposes in death. JOHNSON.

Boling

M 3

Boling. Stand all apart,
And shew fair duty to his majesty.--
My gracious lord-

[Kneels.
K. Rich. Fair cousin, you debase your princely knee,
To make the base earth proud with kissing it.
Me rather had, my heart might feel your love,
Than my unpleas'd eye fee your courtesy.
Up, cousin, up; your heart is

up, I know, Thus high at least, although your knee be low.

[Touching his own head. Boling. My gracious lord, I come but for mine own. K. Rich. Your own is yours, and I am yours, and

all.
Boling. So far be mine, my most redoubted lord,
As my true service shall deserve your love.
K. Rich. Well you deserve :--they well deserve to

have,
That know the strongest and surest way to get.-
Uncle, give me your hand: nay, dry your eyes ;
Tears shew their love, but want their remedies.
Cousin, I am too young to be your father,
Though you are old enough to by my heir.
What you will have, I'll give, and willing too;
For do we must, what force will have us do.
Set on towards London. Cousin, is it so ?

Boling. Yea, my good lord.
K. Rich. Then I must not say, no. (Flourish. Exeunt.

SCE N E IV.

A garden, in the queen's court.

Enter queen and two ladies.
Queen. What sport shall we devise here in this

garden, To drive away the heavy thought of care ?

Lady. Madam, we'll play at bowls.

Queen.