Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·Richard II, Act II.i ·John of Gaunt
"This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England."
Not quite the line.
How it's usually quoted
"This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England."
What Shakespeare actually wrote
"This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, / This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings." John of Gaunt — Richard II, Act II.i
Why it matters
The quoted list is the first half of a much longer catalogue. Gaunt's speech is 30 lines of England-praise; its first breath is all most people ever meet.
More from the canon.
Browse the rest of the shelf, or try a cold reading.