K. Rich. Ratcliff,

Rat. My lord?

K. Rich.

:

[Exit.

Send out a pursuivant at arms
To Stanley's regiment: bid him bring his power
Before sun-rising, lest his son George fall
Into the blind cave of eternal night.-
Fill me a bowl of wine.-Give me a watch :-
[To CATESBY.
Saddle white Surrey for the field to-morrow.-
Look that my staves be sound, and not too heavy.
Ratcliff,-

Rat. My lord?
[berland?
K. Rich. Saw'st thou the melancholy lord Northum-
Rat. Thomas the earl of Surrey, and himself,
Much about cock-shut time, from troop to troop,
Went through the army cheering up the soldiers.
K. Rich. I am satisfied. Give me a bowl of wine:
I have not that alacrity of spirit,

Nor cheer of mind that I was wont to have.-
So, set it down.-Is ink and paper ready?
Rat. It is, my lord.
K. Rich.
Bid my guard watch; leave me.
About the mid of night, come to my tent,
And help to arm me.-Leave me, I say.
[KING RICHARD retires into his tent.
RATCLIFF and CATESBY.

Exeunt

RICHMOND's tent opens, & discovers him & his Officers, &c.
Enter STANLEY.

Stan. Fortune and victory sit on thy helm !
Richm. All comfort that the dark night can afford
Be to thy person, noble father-in-law !
Tell me how fares our loving mother?

Stan. I, by attorney, bless thee from thy mother,
Who prays continually for Richmond's good:
So much for that.-The silent hours steal on,
And flaky darkness breaks within the east.
In brief, for so the season bids us be,
Prepare thy battle early in the morning;
And put thy fortune to the arbitrement
Of bloody strokes, and mortal-staring war,
I, as I may, (that which I would, I cannot,)
With best advantage will deceive the time,
And aid thee in this doubtful shock of arms:
But on thy side I may not be too forward,
Lest, being seen, thy brother tender George
Be executed in his father's sight.
Farewell: The leisure and the fearful time
Cuts off the ceremonious vows of love,
And ample interchange of sweet discourse,
Which so long sunder'd friends should dwell upon;
God give us leisure for these rites of love!
Once more, adieu :-Be valiant, and speed well!

Richm. Good lords, conduct him to his regiment.
I'll strive, with troubled thoughts, to take a nap;
Lest leaden slumber peise me down to-morrow,
When I should mount with wings of victory:
Once more, good night, kind lords and gentlemen.
[Exeunt Lords, &c. with STANLEY.
O Thou! whose captain I account myself,
Look on my forces with a gracious eye;
Put in their hands thy bruising irons of wrath,
That they may crush down with a heavy fall
The usurping helmets of our adversaries!
Make us thy ministers of chastisement,
That we may praise thee in thy victory!
To thee I do commend my watchful soul,
Ere I let fall the windows of mine eyes;
Sleeping, and waking, O, defend me still! [Sleeps.
The Ghost of PRINCE EDWARD, son to HENRY The
SIXTH, 1ises between the two tents.
Ghost. Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow!
[TO KING RICHARD.
Think, how thou stab'dst me in my prime of youth
At Tewksbury; Despair therefore, and die !—
Be cheerful, Richmond; for the wronged souls
Of butcher'd princes fight in thy behalf:
King Henry's issue, Richmond, comforts thee.

The Ghost of KING HENRY THE SIXTH rises.
Ghost. When I was mortal, my anointed body
[To KING RICHARD.
By thee was punched full of deadly holes :
Think on the Tower and me; Despair, and die;
Harry the Sixth bids thee despair, and die.-
Virtuous and holy, be thou conqueror !

[To RICHMOND.
Harry, that prophesy'd thou should'st be king,
Doth comfort thee in thy sleep; Live, and flourish !
The Ghost of CLARENCE rises.

Ghost. Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow!
[TO KING RICHARD.
I, that was wash'd to death with fulsome wine,
Poor Clarence, by thy guile betray'd to death!
To-morrow in the battle think on me,
And fall thy edgeless sword; Despair, and die !-
Thou offspring of the house of Lancaster,

[To RICHMOND. The wronged heirs of York do pray for thee; Good angels guard thy battle! Live, and flourish! The Ghosts of RIVERS, GREY, and VAUGHAN rise. Riv. Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow, [To KING RICHARD. Rivers, that died at Pomfret! Despair, and die! Grey. Think upon Grey, and let thy soul despair! [TO KING RICHARD. Vaugh. Think upon Vaughan; and, with guilty fear, Let fall thy lance! Despair, and die !

[To KING RICHARD.
All. Awake! and think, our wrongs in Richard's
bosom
[To RICHMOND.
Will conquer him; awake, and win the day!

The Ghost of HASTINGS rises.
Ghost. Bloody and guilty, guiltily awake,
[TO KING RICHard.
And in a bloody battle end thy days!
Think on lord Hastings; and despair, and die !—
Quiet untroubled soul, awake, awake!

[TO RICHMOND. Arm, fight, and conquer, for fair England's sake!

The Ghosts of the two young Princes rise.
Ghosts. Dream on thy cousins smother'd in the
Let us be lead within thy bosom, Richard, [Tower,
And weigh thee down to ruin, shame, and death!
Thy nephews' souls bid thee despair, and die.—

Sleep, Richmond, sleep in peace, and wake in joy;
Good angels guard thee from the boar's annoy!
Live, and beget a happy race of kings!
Edward's unhappy sons do bid thee flourish.

[wife,

The Ghost of QUEEN ANNE rises.
Ghost. Richard, thy wife, that wretched Anne thy
That never slept a quiet hour with thee,
Now fills thy sleep with perturbations:
To-morrow in the battle think on me,
And fall thy edgeless sword; Despair, and die!—
Thou, quiet soul, sleep thou a quiet sleep;
[To RICHMOND.
Dream of success and happy victory;
Thy adversary's wife doth pray for thee.

The Ghost of BUCKINGHAM rises.
Ghost. The first was I, that help'd thee to the crown;
[TO KING RICHARD.

The last was I that felt thy tyranny:
O, in the battle think on Buckingham,
And die in terror of thy guiltiness!
Dream on, dream on, of bloody deeds and death;
Fainting, despair; despairing, yield thy breath!—
I died for hope, ere I could lend thee aid:

[TO RICHMOND.
But cheer thy heart, and be thou not dismay'd:
God, and good angels, fight on Richmond's side;
And Richard falls in height of all his pride.

[The Ghosts vanish. KING RICHARD starts
out of his dream.

K. Rich. Give me another horse,-bind up my

wounds,

Have mercy, Jesu!-Soft; I did but dream.—
O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me!-
The lights burn blue. It is now dead midnight.
Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh.
What do I fear? myself? there's none else by:
Richard loves Richard; that is, I am I.

Is there a murderer here? No ;--Yes; I am :
Then fly, What, from myself? Great reason: Why?
Lest I revenge. What? Myself on myself?
I love myself. Wherefore? for any good,
That I myself have done unto myself?
O, no: alas, I rather hate myself,
For hateful deeds committed by myself.

I am a villain: Yet I lie, I am not.

Fool, of thyself speak well :-Fool, do not flatter.
My conscience hath a thousand several tongues,
And every tongue brings in a several tale,
And every tale condemns me for a villain.
Perjury, perjury, in the high'st degree;
Murder, stern murder, in the dir'st degree;
All several sins, all us'd in each degree,
Throng to the bar, crying all,-Guilty!
I shall despair.-There is no creature loves me ;
And, if I die, no soul will pity me:~
Nay, wherefore should they? since that I myself
Find in myself no pity to myself.

guilty!

Methought, the souls of all that I had murder'd
Came to my tent: and every one did threat
To-morrow's vengeance on the head of Richard.
Enter RATCLIFF.

Rat. My lord,

K. Rich. Who's there?

Rat. Ratcliff, my lord; 'tis I. The early village cock!

549

Hath twice done salutation to the morn;
Your friends are up, and buckle on their armour.
K. Rich. O, Ratcliff, I have dream'd a fearful
dream!-

What thinkest thou, will our friends prove all true?
Rat. No doubt, my lord.

K. Rich.

Ratcliff, I fear, I fear,-
Rat. Nay, good my lord, be not afraid of shadows.
K. Rich. By the apostle Paul, shadows to-night
Have struck more terror to the soul of Richard,
Than can the substance of ten thousand soldiers,
Armed in proof, and led by shallow Richmond.
It is not yet near day. Come, go with me;
Under our tents I'll play the eaves-dropper,
To hear if any mean to shrink from me.

[Exeunt KING RICHARD and RATCLIFF. RICHMOND wakes. Enter OXFORD and others. Lords. Good morrow, Richmond.

[der'd,

Richm. 'Cry mercy, lords, and watchful gentlemen,
That you have ta'en a tardy sluggard here.
Lords. How have you slept, my lord?
That ever enter'd in a drowsy head,
Richm. The sweetest sleep, and fairest-boding
Have I since your departure had, my lords.
[dreams,
Methought, their souls, whose bodies Richard mur-
Came to my tent, and cried-On! victory!
I promise you, my heart is very jocund
In the remembrance of so fair a dream.
How far into the morning is it, lords?
Lords. Upon the stroke of four.
Richm. Why, then 'tis time to arm, and give direc-
tion.-
[He advances to the troops.
More than I have said, loving countrymen,
Forbids to dwell on: Yet remember this,—,
The leisure and enforcement of the time
The prayers of holy saints, and wronged souls,
God, and our good cause, fight upon our side;
Like high-rear'd bulwarks, stand before our faces;
Richard except, those, whom we fight against,
Had rather have us win, than him they follow.
For what is he they follow? truly, gentlemen,
A bloody tyrant, and a homicide;

One rais'd in blood, and one in blood establish'd;
One that made means to come by what he hath,
A base foul stone, made precious by the foil, [him;
And slaughter'd those that were the means to help
Of England's chair, where he is falsely set;
One that hath ever been God's enemy:
Then if you fight against God's enemy,
God will, in justice, ward you as his soldiers;
If
you
do sweat to put a tyrant down,
You sleep in peace, the tyrant being slain;
If you do fight against your country's foes,
Your country's fat shall pay your pains the hire;
If you do fight in safeguard of your wives,
Your wives shall welcome home the conquerors;

If you do free your children from the sword,

Your children's children quit it in your age.
Then, in the name of God, and all these rights,
Advance your standards, draw your willing swords :
For me, the ransom of my bold attempt
Shall be this cold corpse on the earth's cold face;
But if I thrive, the gain of my attempt
The least of you shall share his part thereof.
Sound, drums and trumpets, boldly and cheerfully;
God, and Saint George! Richmond and victory!
[Exeunt.

Re-enter KING RICHARD, RATCLIFF, Attendants,
and Forces.

K. Rich. What said Northumberland, as touching
Richmond?

Rat. That he was never trained up in arms.
K.Rich. He said the truth: And what said Surrey
then?

Rat. He smil'd and said, the better for our purpose.
K. Rich. He was i' the right; and so, indeed, it is.
[Clock strikes.
Tell the clock there.-Give me a calendar.-
Who saw the sun to-day?
Rat.

Not I, my lord.

And, on record, left them the heirs of shame.
Shall these enjoy our lands? lie with your wives?
Ravish our daughters?- Hark, I hear their drum.
[Drum afar off.

Fight, gentlemen of England! fight, bold yeomen!
Draw, archers, draw your arrows to the head!
Spur your proud horses hard, and ride in blood;
Amaze the welkin with your broken staves!—
Enter a Messenger.

K.Rich. Then he disdains to shine; for, by the book, What says lord Stanley? will he bring his power?
He should have brav'd the east an hour ago:
A black day will it be to somebody.—
Ratcliff.-

Rat. My lord?
K. Rich. The sun will not be seen to-day;
The sky doth frown and lour upon our army.
I would, these dewy tears were from the ground.
Not shine to-day! Why, what is that to me,
More than to Richmond? for the self-same heaven,
That frowns on me, looks sadly upon him.

Enter NORFOLK.

Nor. Arm, arm, my lord; the foe vaunts in the
field.
[horse;
K. Rich. Come, bustle, bustle;-Caparison my
Call up lord Stanley, bid him bring his power:
I will lead forth my soldiers to the plain,
And thus my battle shall be ordered.
My forward shall be drawn out all in length,
Consisting equally of horse and foot;
Our archers shall be placed in the midst :
John duke of Norfolk, Thomas earl of Surrey,
Shall have the leading of this foot and horse.
They thus directed, we ourself will follow
In the main battle; whose puissance on either side
Shall be well winged with our chiefest horse.
This, and Saint George to boot!-What think'st thou,
Norfolk ?

Nor. A good direction, warlike sovereign.
This found I on my tent this morning.

[Giving a scrowl.
K. Rich. [Reads.] Jocky of Norfolk, be not too bold,
For Dickon thy master is bought and sold.
A thing devised by the enemy.-

Go, gentlemen, every man unto his charge:
Let not our babbling dreams affright our souls;
Conscience is but a word that cowards use,
Devis'd at first to keep the strong in awe;
Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our law.
March on, join bravely, let us to't pell-mell;
If not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell.-

Mess. My lord, he doth deny to come.

K. Rich. Off instantly with his son George's head. Nor. My lord, the enemy is pass'd the marsh; After the battle let George Stanley die.

[som:

K. Rich. A thousand hearts are great within my bo-
Advance our standards, set upon our foes;
Our ancient word of courage, fair Saint George,
Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons!
Upon them! Victory sits on our helms.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV.-Another Part of the Field. Alarum: Excursions. Enter NORFOLK, and Forces ; to him CATESBY.

Cate. Rescue, my lord of Norfolk, rescue, rescue!
The king enacts more wonders than a man,
Daring an opposite to every danger;
His horse is slain, and all on foot he fights,
Seeking for Richmond in the throat of death:
Rescue, fair lord, or else the day is lost!

Alarums. Enter KING RICHARD.
K. Rich. A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!
Cate. Withdraw, my lord, I'll help you to a horse.
K. Rich. Slave, I have set my life upon a cast,
And I will stand the hazard of the die:

[thee!

Richm. God, and your arms, be prais'd, victorious
The day is ours, the bloody dog is dead. [friends;
Stan. Courageous Richmond, well hast thou acquit
Lo, here, this long-usurped royalty,
From the dead temples of this bloody wretch
Have I pluck'd off, to grace thy brows withal;
Wear it, enjoy it, and make much of it.

What shall I say more than I have inferr'd?
Remember whom you are to cope withal ;-
A sort of vagabonds, rascals, and run-aways,
A scum of Bretagnes, and base lackey peasants,
Whom their o'er-cloy'd country vomits forth
To desperate ventures and assur'd destruction.
You sleeping safe, they bring you to unrest;
You having lands, and bless'd with beauteous wives,
They would restrain the one, distain the other.
And who doth lead them, but a paltry fellow,
Long kept in Bretagne at our mother's cost?
A milk-sop, one that never in his life
Felt so much cold as over shoes in snow?
Let's whip these stragglers o'er the seas again;
Lash hence these over-weening rags of France,
These famish'd beggars, weary of their lives;
Who, but for dreaming on this fond exploit,
For want of means, poor rats, had hang'd themselves:
If we be conquer'd, let men conquer us,
And not these bastard Bretagnes, whom our fathers
Have in their own land beaten, bobb'd, and thump'd, | Divided, in their dire division.—

Richm. Great God of heaven, say, amen, to all !---
But, tell me first, is young George Stanley living?
Stan. He is, my lord, and safe in Leicester town,
Whither, if it please you, we may now withdraw us.
Richm. What men of name are slain on either side?
Stan. John duke of Norfolk, Walter lord Ferrers,
Sir Robert Brakenbury, and sir William Brandon.
Richm. Inter their bodies as becomes their births.
Proclaim a pardon to the soldiers fled,
That in submission will return to us;
And then, as we have ta'en the sacrament,
We will unite the white rose with the red :--
Smile heaven upon this fair conjunction,
That long hath frown'd upon their enmity!—
What traitor hears me, and says not,-amen?
England hath long been mad, and scarr'd herself;
The brother blindly shed the brother's blood,
The father rashly slaughter'd his own son,
The son, compell'd, been butcher to the sire;
All this divided York and Lancaster,

This is one of the most celebrated of our author's performances; yet I know not whether it has not happened to him as to others, to be praised most, when praise is not most deserved. That this play has scenes noble in themselves, and very well contrived to strike in the exhibition, cannot be denied; but some parts are trifling, others shocking, and some improbable.-JOHNSON.

KING HENRY VIII.

I come no more to make you laugh; things now,
That bear a weighty and a serious brow,
Sad, high, and working, full of state and woe,

CAPUCIUS, Ambassador from the Emperor, Charles V. Such noble scenes as draw the eye to flow,