Sluic'd out his innocent soul through streams of blood:
Which blood, like sacrificing Abel's, cries, 104
Even from the tongueless caverns of the earth,
To me for justice and rough chastisement;
And, by the glorious worth of my descent,
This arm shall do it, or this life be spent. 108
K. Rich. How high a pitch his resolution soars!
Thomas of Norfolk, what sayst thou to this?
Mow. O! let my sovereign turn away his face
And bid his ears a little while be deaf, 112
Till I have told this slander of his blood
How God and good men hate so foul a liar.
K. Rich. Mowbray, impartial are our eyes and ears:
Were he my brother, nay, my kingdom's heir,— 116
As he is but my father's brother's son,—
Now, by my sceptre's awe I make a vow,
Such neighbour nearness to our sacred blood
Should nothing privilege him, nor partialize 120
The unstooping firmness of my upright soul.
He is our subject, Mowbray; so art thou:
Free speech and fearless I to thee allow.
Mow. Then, Bolingbroke, as low as to thy heart, 124
Through the false passage of thy throat, thou liest.
Three parts of that receipt I had for Calais
Disburs'd I duly to his highness' soldiers;
The other part reserv'd I by consent, 128
For that my sovereign liege was in my debt
Upon remainder of a dear account,
Since last I went to France to fetch his queen.
109 pitch: height
120 partialize: render partial
126 receipt: money
130 Upon remainder: for the balance
dear: heavy
131 Cf. n.
