SCENE I. Bristol. Before the castle. The Life and Death of Richard the Second  Shakespeare homepage  |  Richard II  | Act 3, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE I. Bristol. Before the castle. 

 Enter HENRY BOLINGBROKE, DUKE OF YORK,  NORTHUMBERLAND, LORD ROSS, HENRY PERCY, LORD WILLOUGHBY, with BUSHY and GREEN, prisoners  HENRY BOLINGBROKE  Bring forth these men. 

 Bushy and Green, I will not vex your souls-- 

 Since presently your souls must part your bodies-- 

 With too much urging your pernicious lives, 

 For 'twere no charity; yet, to wash your blood 

 From off my hands, here in the view of men 

 I will unfold some causes of your deaths. 

 You have misled a prince, a royal king, 

 A happy gentleman in blood and lineaments, 

 By you unhappied and disfigured clean: 

 You have in manner with your sinful hours 

 Made a divorce betwixt his queen and him, 

 Broke the possession of a royal bed 

 And stain'd the beauty of a fair queen's cheeks 

 With tears drawn from her eyes by your foul wrongs. 

 Myself, a prince by fortune of my birth, 

 Near to the king in blood, and near in love 

 Till you did make him misinterpret me, 

 Have stoop'd my neck under your injuries, 

 And sigh'd my English breath in foreign clouds, 

 Eating the bitter bread of banishment; 

 Whilst you have fed upon my signories, 

 Dispark'd my parks and fell'd my forest woods, 

 From my own windows torn my household coat, 

 Razed out my imprese, leaving me no sign, 

 Save men's opinions and my living blood, 

 To show the world I am a gentleman. 

 This and much more, much more than twice all this, 

 Condemns you to the death. See them deliver'd over 

 To execution and the hand of death. 

 BUSHY  More welcome is the stroke of death to me 

 Than Bolingbroke to England. Lords, farewell. 

 GREEN  My comfort is that heaven will take our souls 

 And plague injustice with the pains of hell. 

 HENRY BOLINGBROKE  My Lord Northumberland, see them dispatch'd. 



 Exeunt NORTHUMBERLAND and others, with the prisoners  Uncle, you say the queen is at your house; 

 For God's sake, fairly let her be entreated: 

 Tell her I send to her my kind commends; 

 Take special care my greetings be deliver'd. 

 DUKE OF YORK  A gentleman of mine I have dispatch'd 

 With letters of your love to her at large. 

 HENRY BOLINGBROKE  Thank, gentle uncle. Come, lords, away. 

 To fight with Glendower and his complices: 

 Awhile to work, and after holiday. 



 Exeunt  Shakespeare homepage  |  Richard II  | Act 3, Scene 1 

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