text
stringlengths 0
63
|
---|
And in this thought they find a kind of ease, |
Bearing their own misfortunes on the back |
Of such as have before endured the like. |
Thus play I in one person many people, |
And none contented: sometimes am I king; |
Then treasons make me wish myself a beggar, |
And so I am: then crushing penury |
Persuades me I was better when a king; |
Then am I king'd again: and by and by |
Think that I am unking'd by Bolingbroke, |
And straight am nothing: but whate'er I be, |
Nor I nor any man that but man is |
With nothing shall be pleased, till he be eased |
With being nothing. Music do I hear? |
Ha, ha! keep time: how sour sweet music is, |
When time is broke and no proportion kept! |
So is it in the music of men's lives. |
And here have I the daintiness of ear |
To cheque time broke in a disorder'd string; |
But for the concord of my state and time |
Had not an ear to hear my true time broke. |
I wasted time, and now doth time waste me; |
For now hath time made me his numbering clock: |
My thoughts are minutes; and with sighs they jar |
Their watches on unto mine eyes, the outward watch, |
Whereto my finger, like a dial's point, |
Is pointing still, in cleansing them from tears. |
Now sir, the sound that tells what hour it is |
Are clamorous groans, which strike upon my heart, |
Which is the bell: so sighs and tears and groans |
Show minutes, times, and hours: but my time |
Runs posting on in Bolingbroke's proud joy, |
While I stand fooling here, his Jack o' the clock. |
This music mads me; let it sound no more; |
For though it have holp madmen to their wits, |
In me it seems it will make wise men mad. |
Yet blessing on his heart that gives it me! |
For 'tis a sign of love; and love to Richard |
Is a strange brooch in this all-hating world. |
Groom: |
Hail, royal prince! |
KING RICHARD II: |
Thanks, noble peer; |
The cheapest of us is ten groats too dear. |
What art thou? and how comest thou hither, |
Where no man never comes but that sad dog |
That brings me food to make misfortune live? |
Groom: |
I was a poor groom of thy stable, king, |
When thou wert king; who, travelling towards York, |
With much ado at length have gotten leave |
To look upon my sometimes royal master's face. |
O, how it yearn'd my heart when I beheld |
In London streets, that coronation-day, |
When Bolingbroke rode on roan Barbary, |
That horse that thou so often hast bestrid, |
That horse that I so carefully have dress'd! |
KING RICHARD II: |
Rode he on Barbary? Tell me, gentle friend, |
How went he under him? |
Groom: |
So proudly as if he disdain'd the ground. |
KING RICHARD II: |
So proud that Bolingbroke was on his back! |
That jade hath eat bread from my royal hand; |
This hand hath made him proud with clapping him. |
Would he not stumble? would he not fall down, |
Since pride must have a fall, and break the neck |
Of that proud man that did usurp his back? |
Forgiveness, horse! why do I rail on thee, |
Since thou, created to be awed by man, |
Wast born to bear? I was not made a horse; |
And yet I bear a burthen like an ass, |
Spurr'd, gall'd and tired by jouncing Bolingbroke. |
Keeper: |
Fellow, give place; here is no longer stay. |
KING RICHARD II: |
If thou love me, 'tis time thou wert away. |
Groom: |
What my tongue dares not, that my heart shall say. |
Keeper: |
My lord, will't please you to fall to? |
KING RICHARD II: |
Taste of it first, as thou art wont to do. |
Keeper: |
My lord, I dare not: Sir Pierce of Exton, who |
lately came from the king, commands the contrary. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.