100 With best advantage will deceive the time, Of butcher'd princes fight in thy behalf : The Ghost of King HENRY the Sixth rises. Ghost. To King RICHARD. When I was mortal, my anointed body By thee was punched full of deadly holes : 130 Harry, that prophesied thou should'st be king, Doth comfort thee in sleep: live, and flourish! The Ghost of CLARENCE rises. Ghost. To King RICHARD. Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow! 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! TO RICHMOND. Thou offspring of the house of Lancaster, 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. Ghost of Rivers. To King RICHARD. Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow! 141 Rivers, that died at Pomfret: despair, and die! Ghost of Grey. To King RICHARD. Think upon Grey, and let thy soul despair! Ghost of Vaughan. To King RICHARD. Think upon Vaughan, and with guilty fear 571 Let fall thy lance: despair, and die! Will conquer him: awake, and win the day! Ghost. To King RICHARD. Bloody and guilty, And in a bloody battle end thy days! Arm, fight, and conquer, for fair England's sake! Let us be lead within thy bosom, Richard, 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. 160 The Ghost of Lady ANNE rises. Ghost. To King RICHARD. 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! To RICHMOND. Thou, quiet soul, sleep thou a quiet sleep; Dream of success and happy victory! Thy adversary's wife doth pray for thee. The Ghost of BUCKINGHAM rises. Ghost. To King RICHARD. The first was I that help'd thee to the crown; 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! To RICHMOND. I died for hope ere I could lend thee aid: 170 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. 180 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. 190 Is there a murderer here? No. Yes; Iam : 200 And every tongue brings in a several tale, Rat. My lord! Enter RATCLIFF. 210 [ACT V. 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, If you do sweat to put a tyrant down, God will in justice ward you as his soldiers; You sleep in peace, the tyrant being slain; Your country's fat shall pay your pains the hire; If you do fight against your country's foes, Your wives shall welcome home the conquerors; If you do fight in safeguard of your wives, Your children's children quit it in your age. If you do free your children from the sword, 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 K. Rich. 'Zounds! who is there? cock 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. O Ratcliff! I fear, I fear, Rat. Nay, good my lord, benotafraid 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; 222 Under our tents I'll play the eaves-dropper, To hear if any mean to shrink from me. Exeunt. RICHMOND wakes. Enter OXFORD and Others. Lords. Good morrow, Richmond! Richm. Cry mercy, lords and watchful gentle men, That you have ta'en a tardy sluggard here. Richm. The sweetest sleep, and fairest-boding dreams 230 That ever enter'd in a drowsy head, murder'd, Came to my tent and cried on victory: direction. His oration to his soldiers. More than I have said, loving countrymen, But if I thrive, the gain of my attempt God and Saint George! Richmond and victory! Exeunt. Like high-rear'd bulwarks, stand before our faces; Consisting equally of horse and foot; K. Rich. Come, bustle, bustle; caparison my horse. 240 Call up Lord Stanley, bid him bring his power: A bloody tyrant and a homicide; Richard except, those whom we fight against Had rather have us win than him they follow. For what is he they follow? truly, gentlemen, help him; One rais'd in blood, and one in blood establish'd; One that made means to come by what he hath, And slaughter'd those that were the means to 251 thou, Norfolk ? His oration to his army. What shall I say more than I have inferr'd? Remember whom you are to cope withal; A sort of vagabonds, rascals, and runaways, A scum of Bretons and base lackey peasants, Whom their o'er-cloyed country vomits forth Todesperate adventures and assur'd destruction. You sleeping safe, they bring to you unrest; 322 You having lands, and bless'd with beauteous wives, They would restrain the one, distain the other. Felt so much cold as over shoes in snow? If we be conquer'd, let men conquer us, thump'd, And in record, left them the heirs of shame. Hark! I hear their drum. Fight, at, 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! 573 Alarums. Enter King RICHARD and RICHMOND; and exeunt fighting. Retreat and flourish. Reenter 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 20 Richm. Great God of heaven, say amen to all! But tell me, 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: 30 Proclaim a pardon to the soldiers fled 40 O! now, let Richmond and Elizabeth, Now civil wounds are stopp'd, peace lives again: Exeunt. THE FAMOUS HISTORY OF THE LIFE OF KING HENRY THE EIGHTΗ. Several Lords and Ladies in the Dumb-shows; Women attending upon the Queen; Scribes, Officers, Guards, and other Attendants. Spirits. SCENE.-Chiefly in London and Westminster; once, at Kimbolton. PROLOGUE. I come no more to make you laugh: things now, The play may pass, if they be still and willing, 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 10 As fool and fight is, beside forfeiting Our own brains, and the opinion that we bring, 20 To make that only true we now intend, Will leave us never an understanding friend. Since last we saw in France? Nor. I thank your grace, Then you lost The view of earthly glory: men might say, 21 Who did guide, I mean, who set the body and the limbs Nor. One, certes, that promises no element In such a business. Buck. 51 I pray you, who, my lord? And keep it from the earth. Nor. Surely, sir, 60 If not from hell, the devil is a niggard, Why the devil, file Of all the gentry; for the most part such I do know Buck. 80 O! many Havebroketheir backs with laying manors on'em For this great journey. What did this vanity But minister communication of A most poor issue? Grievingly I think, The peace between the French and us not values Buck. Every man, 90 Which is budded out; Our reverend cardinal carried. Like it your grace, 100 Honour and plenteous safety, that you read What his high hatred would effect wants not that rock For high feats done to the crown; neither allied | That I advise your shunning. |