CAR. My lord, wife men ne'er wail their present. woes,

But prefently prevent the ways to wail.
To fear the foe, fince fear oppreffeth ftrength,
Gives, in your weakness, ftrength unto your foe,
And fo your follies fight against yourself.
Fear, and be flain; no worfe can come, to fight:
And fight and die, is death destroying death;3
Where fearing dying, pays death fervile breath.

AUM. My father hath a power, inquire of him; And learn to make a body of a limb.

K. RICH. Thou chid'ft me well:-Proud Bolingbroke, I come

To change blows with thee for our day of doom. This ague-fit of fear is over-blown ;

An eafy talk it is, to win our own.

Say, Scroop, where lies our uncle with his power? Speak fweetly, man, although thy looks be four. SCROOP. Men judge by the complexion of the fky

The state and inclination of the day: So may you by my dull and heavy eye,

My tongue hath but a heavier tale to say. I play the torturer, by fmall and small,

To lengthen out the worst that must be spoken:-
Your uncle York hath join'd with Bolingbroke;
And all your northern castles yielded up,

And all your fouthern gentlemen in arms
Upon his party.

K. RICH.

Thou haft faid enough. Befhrew thee, coufin, which didft lead me forth

2

[To AUMERLE.

-death deftroying death;] That is, to die fighting, is to return the evil that we fuffer, to deftroy the destroyers. I once read death defying death; but deftroying is as well. JOHNSON.

Of that sweet way I was in to despair!

What say you now? What comfort have we now?
By heaven, I'll hate him everlastingly,
That bids me be of comfort any more.
Go, to Flint caftle; there I'll pine away;
A king, woe's flave, fhall kingly woe obey.
That power I have, discharge; and let them go
To ear the land that hath fome hope to grow,
For I have none :-Let no man speak again
To alter this, for counsel is but vain.

4

AUм. My liege, one word.

K. RICH. He does me double wrong, That wounds me with the flatteries of his tongue. Discharge my followers, let them hence;-Away, From Richard's night, to Bolingbroke's fair day. [Exeunt.

3 I'll hate him everlastingly,

That bids me be of comfort-] This fentiment is drawn from nature. Nothing is more offenfive to a mind convinced that its diftrefs is without a remedy, and preparing to fubmit quietly to irrefiftible calamity, than thefe petty and conjectured comforts which unskilful officioufnefs thinks it virtue to adminifter.

JOHNSON.

• To ear the land—] i. e. to plough it. So, in All's well that ends well;

"He that ears my land, fpares my team." STEEVENS.

Enter with drum and colours, BOLINGBROKE and Forces; YORK, NORTHUMBERLAND, and Others.

BOLING. So that by this intelligence we learn, The Welshmen are difpers'd; and Salisbury Is gone to meet the king, who lately landed, With fome few private friends, upon this coaft.

NORTH. The news is very fair and good, my lord; Richard, not far from hence, hath hid his head.

YORK. It would befeem the lord Northumberland, To fay-king Richard:-Alack the heavy day, When fuch a facred king should hide his head! NORTH. Your grace mistakes me;" only to be brief, Left I his title out.

YORK. The time hath been, Would you have been fo brief with him, he would Have been fo brief with you, to fhorten you, For taking fo the head, your whole head's length. BOLING. Miftake not, uncle, further than you fhould.

5 Flint Caftle.] In our former edition I had called this scene the fame with the preceding. That was at Barkloughly castle, on the coaft where Richard landed; but Bolingbroke never marched further in Wales than to Flint. The interview between him and Richard was at the castle of Flint, where this scene should be faid to lie, or rather in the camp of Bolingbroke before that castle."Go to Flint caftle." See above. STEEVENS.

6 Your grace mistakes me ;] The word-me, which is wanting in the old copies, was fupplied by Sir T. Hanmer. STEEVENS.

7 For taking fo the head,] To take the head is, to act without reftraint; to take undue liberties. We now fay, we give the horfe his head, when we relax the reins. JOHNSON.