Allowing him a breath, a little scene, 164
To monarchize, be fear'd, and kill with looks,
Infusing him with self and vain conceit
As if this flesh which walls about our life
Were brass impregnable; and humour'd thus 168
Comes at the last, and with a little pin
Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!
Cover your heads, and mock not flesh and blood
With solemn reverence: throw away respect, 172
Tradition, form, and ceremonious duty,
For you have but mistook me all this while:
I live with bread like you, feel want,
Taste grief, need friends: subjected thus, 176
How can you say to me I am a king?
Car. My lord, wise men ne'er sit and wail their woes,
But presently prevent the ways to wail.
To fear the foe, since fear oppresseth strength, 180
Gives in your weakness strength unto your foe,
And so your follies fight against yourself.
Fear and be slain; no worse can come to fight:
And fight and die is death destroying death; 184
Where fearing dying pays death servile breath.
Aum. My father hath a power; inquire of him
And learn to make a body of a limb.
K. Rich. Thou chid'st me well. Proud Bolingbroke, I come 188
To change blows with thee for our day of doom.
This ague-fit of fear is over-blown;
An easy task it is, to win our own.—
Say, Scroop, where lies our uncle with his power? 192
166 self and vain conceit; cf. n.
168, 169 and . . . Comes: and to him who has been thus humored, death comes
176 subjected: brought low; cf. n.
179 prevent: escape
183 to fight: by fighting
189 change: exchange
190 over-blown: past
