lle should have brav'd the east an hour ago : | Fight, gentlemen of England! Nght, bold yeu. A black day will it be to somebody.

men ! Ratclif, -

Draw, archers, draw your arrows to the bead ! Rat. My lord ?

Spur your proud horses bard, and ride in K. Rich. The sun will not be seen to-day;

blood ; The shv doth frown and lour upon our army ; Amaze the welkin with your brokeu staves I. I would, these dewy tears were from the

Enter a MESSENGER. ground. Not shine to-day! Why, what is that to me, What says lord Stanley? will he bring his More than to Richmond ? for the self-same

puwer? heaven,

Mess. My lord, he doth deny to come. That frowns on me, looks sadly upon him. K. Rich. Off instantly with his son George's

head. Enter NorfoLK.

Nor. My lord, the enemy is pass'd the Nor. Arm, arm, my lord ; the foe vaunts in

marsh; the tield.

After the battle let George Stanley die. K. Rich. Coine, busile, bustle ;-Caparison K. Rich. A thousand hearts are great within my horse :-

iny bosom:
Call up lord Stanley, bid him bring his power :- Advance our standards, set upon our foes ;
I will lead forth my soldiers to the plain,

Our
ancient word of

courage,

fair Saint And thus my battle shall be ordered.

George, My foreward shall be drawil out all in length, Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons ! Consisting equally of horse and foot ;

Upon them! Victory sits on our lielins. Our archers shall be placed in the midst :

(Ea eunt. John duke of Norfolk, Thomas earl of Surrey, Shall have the leading of this foot and horse. SCENE IV.--Another part of the field. They thus directed, we ourself will follow In the main battle; whose puissance on either Alarum : Excursions. Enter Norfolk and side

Forces; to him CATESBY. Shall be well winged with our chiefest horse.

Cate. Rescue, my lord of Norfolk, rescue, This, and Saint George to boot !- What think'st

rescue ! thou, Norfolk ?

The king enacts more wonders than a man, Nor. A good direction, warlike sovereign.

Daring an opposite to every danger; This found I on my tent this morning.

His horse is slain, and all on foot be fights, (Giving a scroll.

Seeking for Richmond in the throat of death : K. Rich. Jocky of Norfolk, be not too bold, Rescue, fair lord, or else the day is lost !

(reads. For Dickon thy master, is bought and Alarum. Enter King RICHARD. sold.

R. Rich. A horse! a horse ! my kingdom for A thin: devised by the enemy.-

a horse ! Go, gentleinen, every man into his charge :

Cate. Withdraw, my lord, I'll help you to a Let not our babbling dreams attright

horse. souls ;

K. Rich. Slave, I have set my life upon a Conscience is but a word that cowards itse,

cast, Devis'd at first to keep the strong in awe ;

And I will stand the hazard of the dic: Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our

I think there he six Richmonds in the neld ;

Fire have I slain to day, instead of him :March on, join bravely, let us to't pell-mell ;

A horse ! a horse ! my kingdom for a horse ; If not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell.

(Eseunt. What shall I say inore than I have inferr'd ! Remember whom you are to cope withal ;-

Alarums. A sort I of vagabonds, rascals, and run-aways,

Enter King RICHARD and Rich. A scum of Bretagnes, and base lackey pea

MOND; and exeunt jighting. Retreat, and

flourish. Then entir RICHMOND, STANLEY, sants,

bearing the crown, with diver's other Lords, Whoin their o'er-cloyed country vomits fortb

and Forces. To desperate ventures and assur'd destruction. You sleeping safe, they bring you to unrest; Richm. God and your arms be prais'd, victoYou baving lands, and bless'd with beauteous

rious friends; wives,

The day is ours, the bloody dog is dead. They would restrain the one, distain the other. Stan. Courageous Richinond, well hast thou And who doth lead them, but a paltry fellow,

acquit thee! Long kept in Bretagne at our mother's cost ? Lo, here, this long-usurped royalty, A milk-sop, one that never in his life

From the dead temples of this bloody wretch Felt so much cold as over shoes in snow ? Have I pluck'd oil, lo grace thy brows witbal; Let's whip these stragglers o'er the seas Wear it, enjoy it, and make much of it. ayain ;

Richm. Great God of heaven, say, Amen, to Lash hence these over-weening rage of France, These famishi'd beggars, weary of their lives; But tell me first, is young George Stanley liv. uo, but for dreaming on this fond exploit,

ing? or want of means, poor rats, had hang'd them- Stan. He is, my lord, and safe in Leicester selves :

town; we be conquer'd, let men conquer us,

Whitber, if it please you, we may now withAnd not these bastard Bretagnes; whom our

draw 1$. fathers

Rich:n. Wbat men of name are slain on Have in their own land beaten, bobb'd, and

either side ? thump'd,

Stan. John duke of Norfolk, Walter lord Aud, on record, left them the heirs of shame.

Ferrers, Shall these enjoy our lands? lie with our Sir Robert Brakenbury, and Sir Willian Bran wives?

don. Ravish our daughters ?--Hark, I bear their drum. Richm. Inter their bodies as becomes their

(Drum ajar off.

births,

Proclaim a pardon to the soldiers fed,
• Made it splendid.

That in submission will return to us;
The ancient familiarization of Ricbard.
1 Company.

• Fright the skies with the shivers of your laaste

our

law.

all:

And then, as we have ta’en the sacrament, And let their heirs, (God, if thy will be so,)
We will unite the white rose with the red :- Enrich the time to come with smooth-fac'd
Smile heaven upon this fair conjunction,

peace, That jong bath frown'd upon their enmity ! With smiling

plenty, and fair

prosperous Wbat traitor bears me, and says not,--Amen

days! England bath long been mad, and scarr'd her. Abate the edge of traitors, gracious Lord, sell;

That would reduce these bloody days again, The brother blindly shed the brother's blood, And make poor England weep in streams of The father rashly slaughter'd his own son,

blood ! The son, compeil'd, becn butcher to the sire; Let them not live to taste this land's increasc, All this divided York and Lancaster,

That would with treason wound this fair land's Disided, in their dire division.

peace! Ob! now let Richmond and Elizabeth,

Now civil wounds are stopp'd, peace lives again ; The true succeeders of each royal house, That she may long live here, God say-Amen. By God's fair ordinance conjoin together

(Exeunt,

KING HENRY VIII.

LITERARY AND HISTORICAL NOTICE. THIS historical play was probably written in the year 1601. It comprises period of twelve years, com

mencing in the 12th of Henry's reign, (1521) and terminating with the baptism of Elizabeth, 1533. It has always been an easy medium for the display of pageantry aud splendouri cousequently a great favourite with the generality of audiences. Its most powerfully drawn characters are the Queen and the Cardinal. The dying moments of the former (Aet IV. Sc. 2.) are pourtrayed with a mingled majesty and pathos, scarce. ly ever equalled by any other poet (Dr. Johnson numbers it, indeed, amongst "the greatest efforts of tra. gedy:") and the exquisite soliloquy of the latter, at the time of his degradation, would evince ths superiority of Shakspeare's genius, had he never written another line. It is a fine philosophical picture o! fallen ambition, brought to reflectiou by a merited reverse of fortune : the assimilation of human great. ness to the vegetation of a fruit tree, wioh the puerility of venturing upon " a sea of troubles," for burden. some and perishable acquisitions, affords a charming specimen of imaginative colouring and didactie morality. Yet this is one of the parts which, according to the Doctor, “ may be easily conceived, and easily writeu.." Perhaps Shakspeare found it otherwise.

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.

KING HENRY THE EIGRTH.

Doctor BUTTS, Physician to the King
CARDINAL WOLSEY.-CARDINAL CAMPEIUS. GARTER, King at Arms.
CAPUCIUS, Ambassador from the Emperor, SURVEYOR to the Duke of Buckingham.
Charles V.

BRANDON, and a Sergeant at Arms.
CRANMER, Archbishop of Canterbury.

DOOR-KEEPER of the Council-Chamber.
DUKE OF NORFOLK.-DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM. PORTER, and his Man.
DUKE OF SUFFOLK.-EARL OF SURREY.

PACE to Gardiner.-A CRIER.
LORD CHAMBERLAIN.-LORD CHANCELLOR.
GARDINER, Bishop of Winchester.

QUEEN KATHARINE, Wife to King Henry;
BISHOP OF LINCOLN. LORD ABERGAVENNY. afterwards divorced.
LORD SANDS.

ANNE BULLEN, her Maid of Honour ; after. SIR HENRY GUILDFORD.-SIR THOMAS Lo.

wards Queen. VELL.

AN OLD LADY, Friend to Anne Bullen. SIR ANTHONY DENNY.-Sir NICHOLAS Vaux. PATIENCE, Woman to Queen Katharine. SECRETARIES to Wolsey. CROMWELL, Servant to Wolsey.

Several Lords and Ladies in the Dumb Shows; GRIFFITH, Gentleman-Usher to Queen Ka- W'omen altending upon the Queen; Spirits, tharine.

which appear to her ; Scribes, Ojcers, THREE OTHER GENTLEMEN.

Guards, and other Attendants.

SCENE--chiefly in London and Westminster ; once, at Kimbolton.

we

PROLOGUE.

1

Will be deceiv'd : for, gentle hearers, know,

To rank our chosen truth with such a show I come no more to make you laugh ; things. As foot and fight is, beside forfeiting now,

Our own brains, and the opinion that That bear a weighty and a serious brow,

bring, Sad, high, and working, full of state and woe, (To make that only true we now intend, ) Such noble scenes as draw the eye to now, Will leave us never an understanding friend. We now present. Those that can pily, here Therefore, for goodness' sake, janu as you are May, if they think it well, let fall a tear ;

known The subject will deserve it. Such, as give The first and happiest hearers of the town, Their money out of hope they may believe, Be sad, as we would make ye : Think, ye May here find truib too. Those, that come to see

The very persons of our nuble story, Only a show or two, and so agree,

As they were living ; think, you see them great, The play may pass ; if they be still, and willing, and follow'd with the general throng, and I'll undertake, inay see away their shilling

sweat, Richly in two short hours. Only they,

of thousand friends ; then, in a moment see That come to hear a merry, bawdy play,

How soon this mightiness meets misery! A noise of targets ; or to see a fellow

And, if you can be merry then, I'll say, Iu a long motley coat, guarded with yellow, A man may weep lipon bis wedding day.

see