The Life and Death of Richard the Second — Act 5, Scene 4: The same.

At Pomfret, Exton enters with a servant and asks whether they heard the king complain that he had no friend to free him from his “living fear.” The servant confirms that Richard repeated the words and looked directly at Exton as if wishing he would be the one to remove this threat. Exton takes the remark as a clear invitation to murder Richard and says he understands the king’s meaning. He resolves to act on it at once, declaring that he will serve the king by getting rid of his enemy. He and the servant then leave together.

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Didst thou not mark the king, what words he spake,

'Have I no friend will rid me of this living fear?'

Was it not so?

These were his very words.

'Have I no friend?' quoth he: he spake it twice,

And urged it twice together, did he not?

He did.

And speaking it, he wistly look'd on me,

And who should say, 'I would thou wert the man'

That would divorce this terror from my heart;'

Meaning the king at Pomfret. Come, let's go:

I am the king's friend, and will rid his foe.