die!

Quiet untroubled soul, awake, awake!

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

me;

Let us be lead within thy bosom, Richard,

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.

The GHOST of Queen ANNE rises.

Ghost. Richard, thy wife, that wretched
Anne thy wife,

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; [breath!

Fainting, despair; despairing, yield thy 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,一

Have mercy, Jesu!-Soft; I did but dream.O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict [night.

me!

The lights burn blue. It is now dead midCold 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.
[ter.
Fool, of thyself speak well:-Fool, do not flat-
My conscience hath a thousand several tongues,
And every tongue brings in a several tale,
And every tale condeinns 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;

Enter RATCLIFF.

K. Rich. By the apostle Paul, shadows tonight 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, r, if any mean to shrink from me.

[Exeunt King RICHARD and RATCLIFF. RICHMOND wakes. Enter OXFORD and others. Lords. Good morrow, Richmond. Richm. 'Cry mercy, lords, and watchful gentlemen,

That you have ta'en a tardy sluggard here.
Lords. How have you slept, my lord?
Richm. The sweetest sleep, and fairest-bod-

ing dreams,

That ever enter'd in a drowsy head,
Have I since your departure had, my lords.
Methought, their souls, whose bodies Richard
murder'd,

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
direction.- [He advances to the troops.
More than I have said, loving countrymen,
The leisure and enforcement of the time
Forbids to dwell on. Yet remember this,-
God, and our good cause, fight upon our side;
The prayers of holy saints, and wronged souls,
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; [blish'd;
One rais'd in blood, and one in blood esta-
One that made means to come by what he hath,
And slaughter'd those that were the means to
help him;

A base foul stone, made precious by the foil
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, wardt 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
But if I thrive, the gain of my attempt [face;
The least of you shall share his part thereof.
Sound, drums and trumpets, boldly and cheer-
fully;

God, and Saint George! Richmond, and vic-
tory!
[Exeunt.
Re-enter King RICHARD, RATCLIFF, Attendants,

and Forces.

Nor. Arm, arm, my lord; the foe vaunts in the field.

my horse ;

K. Rich. Come, bustle, bustle ;-Caparison
Call uplord Stanley, bid him bring his power:-
I will lead forth my soldiers to the plain,
And thus battle shall be ordered.

My foreward 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 scroll.

X. Rich. Jocky of Norfolk, be not too bold, reads.

For Dickont thy master is bought and sold.
• Requite.
The ancient familiarization of Richard.

+ Made it splendid.

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.-
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 hase lackey peasants,
Whom their o'er-cloyed 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 [thump'd, Have in their own land beaten, bobb'd, and Aud, on record, left them the heirs of shame. Shall these enjoy our lands? lie with our 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!t

Enter a MESSENGER.

What says lord Stanley? will he bring b power? 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.

K. Rich. A thousand hearts are great within my bosom: 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!
Alarum. 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 And I will stand the hazard of the die: [cast, I think, there be six Richmonds in the field; Five have I slain to day, instead of him :A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse! [Exeunt.

Alarums. Enter King RICHARD and RICHMOND; and exeunt fighting. Retreat, and flourish. Then enter RICHMOND, STANLEY, bearing the crown, with divers other Lords, and Forces.

Richm. God, and your arms, be prais'd, victorious friends;

The day is ours, the bloody dog is dead.
Stan. Courageous Richmond, well hast thou
acquit thee!

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.
Richm. Great God of heaven, say, Amen, to
[ing?

all:

But tell me first, is young George Stanley livStan. He is, my lord, and safe in Leicester town;

draw us.

Whither, if it please you, we may now withRichm. What men of name are slain on either side? Stan. John duke of Norfolk, Walter_lord Ferrers, [don. Sır Robert Brakenbury, and Sir William Bran

Richm. Inter their bodies as becomes their births.

self;

Proclaim a pardon to the soldiers filed,
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 her-
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,
Divided, in their dire division.-
O, now, let Richmond and Elizabeth,
The true succeeders of each royal house,
By God's fair ordinance conjoin together!
And let their heirs, (God, if thy will be so,)
Enrich the time to come with smooth-fac'd

peace,

With smiling plenty, and fair prosperous days! Abate the edge of traitors, gracious Lord, That would reduce these bloody days again, And make poor England weep in streams of blood!

Let them not live to taste this land's increase, That would with treason wound this fair land's peace!

Now civil wounds are stopp'd, peace lives again; That she may long live here, God say-Amen. [Exeunt.

now,

PROLOGUE.

I COME no more to make you laugh; things
That bear a weighty and a serious brow,
Sad, high, and working, full of state and woe,
Such noble scenes as draw the eye to flow,
We now present. Those that can pity, here
May, if they think it well, let fall a tear;
The subject will deserve it. Such, as give
Their money out of hope they may believe,
May here find truth too. Those, that come to
Only a show or two, and so agree,
[see
The play may pass; if they be still, and willing,
I'll undertake, may see away their shilling
Richly in two short hours. Only they,
That come to hear a merry, bawdy play,
A noise of targets; or to see a fellow
In a long motley coat, guarded with yellow,
Will be deceiv'd: for, gentle hearers, know,
To rank our chosen truth with such a show
As foot and fight is, beside forfeiting
Our own brains, and the opinion that we bring,
(To make that only true we now intend,t)
Will leave us never an understanding friend.
Therefore, for goodness' sake, and as you are
known

The first and happiest hearers of the town,
Be sad, as we would make ye: Think, ye see
The very persons of our noble story,

As they were living; think, you see them great, And follow'd with the general throng, and sweat,

Of thousand friends; then, in a moment, see
How soon this mightiness meets misery!
And, if you can be merry then, I'll say,
A man may weep upon his wedding day.

ACT I.

SCENE 1.-London.-An Ante-chamber in
Palace.

Enter the Duke of NORFOLK, at one door; at the other, the Duke of BUCKINGHAM, and the Lord ABERGAVENNY.

Buck. Good morrow, and well met. How

have you done,

Since last we saw in France?
Nor. I thank your grace:
Healthful; and ever since a fresh admirer
Of what I saw there.

Buck. An untimely ague
Stay'd me a prisoner in my chamber, when
Those suns of glory, those two lights of men,*
Met in the vale of Arde.

Nor. 'Twixt Guynes and Arde: I was then present, saw them salute on horseback; [clung Beheld them, when they lighted, how they In their embracement, as they grew together; Which had they, what four thron'd ones could

have weigh'd Such a compounded one?

Buck. All the whole time
I was my chamber's prisoner.

Nor. Then you lost

The view of earthly glory: Men might say,

Till this time, pomp was single; but now mar

ried

To one above itself. Each following day Became the next day's master, till the last Made former wonders it's: To-day, the French All clinquant, all in gold, like heathen gods,

Henry VIII. and Francis I. king of France, + Glittering, shining.