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or any other man. The law must be upheld by all." |
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"And Henry knows this," Ian insisted. "Your father taught him and de Burgh alsohe abode by the law, however unfortunate his manner of doing it. I say again that what Henry has is a sickness, a fever roused in him by Winchester's mistaken ideas. There is no deep, basic fault in the king as there was in his father." |
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Richard did not answer directly. He agreed with Ian only to a certain extent. He had been a child in court when Henry was a younger child, and he knew the king's capacity for spite and deceit. However, he also knew Henry's capacity for loving and giving. Richard agreed that the king was acting out of character in this current violent severity. Henry did not enjoy severity. The king was very generous; he liked to give and to be thanked for it. He did not like to face anxiety and animosity and criticism and could not bear to be blamed for any fault. |
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"Well and so, but what do you recommend that I do?" Richard asked. |
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"Go back to your own lands, my lord," Geoffrey replied promptly. |
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Geoffrey was silent for a moment; he hated to say what he must say, for loyalty conflicted with justice. "Yes," he got out at last. "Hold your lands, my lord, with force if you must, although I hope it will not come to that. It would be harder to regain what had fallen into the king's handsand your efforts to regain your own would wake new anger and resentment. If Henry holds nothing of yours, which he might be tempted to give another" |
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There was a multiple, inarticulate sound. Every man there knew of Henry's predilection to giving away what was not hisparticularly to foreign relatives and suppliants. |
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Geoffrey glanced around but did not comment directly. "It will be much easier to forgive and |
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