Richm. Good lords, conduct him to his regi- The wronged heirs of York do pray for thee; Good angels guard thy battle! Live, and flourish! ment: 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 gentle men. [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, rises between the two tents. Ghost. Let me sit heavy on thy soul tomorrow! [TO KING RICHARD. Think, how thou stabb'dst me in my prime of youth At Tewkesbury: Despair therefore, and die! 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 : 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. Peise me down-weigh me down. 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 Tower. Let us be laid within thy bosom, Richard, 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. That never slept a quiet hour with thee, Thou, quiet soul, sleep thou a quiet sleep; a Laid, in the folio; the quartos, lead. This is the approved reading, but we have great doubts of its propriety, The Ghost of BUCKINGHAM rises. Ghost. The first was I that help'd thee to the [TO KING RICHARD. crown; The last was I that felt thy tyranny: [TO RICHMOND. But cheer thy heart, and be thou not dismay'd: ¦ God and good angels fight on Richmond's side; And Richard fall" 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. Is there a murtherer here? No;-Yes; I am : Why? Lest I revenge. What? Myself upon myself? O, no: alas, I rather hate myself, Fool, of thyself speak well :--Fool, do not flatter. I shall despair.-There is no creature loves me; 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- Have struck more terror to the soul of Richard, [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. That ever enter'd in a drowsy head, Have I since your departure had, my lords. Methought, their souls whose bodies Richard murther'd, Came to my tent, and cried-On! victory! Lords. Upon the stroke of four. Nay, wherefore should they? since that I myself The prayers of holy saints and wronged souls, A base foul stone, made precious by the foil For me, the ransom of my bold attempt God and Saint George! Richmond and victory! [Exeunt. Re-enter KING RICHARD, RATCLIFF, Attendants, and Forces. What said Northumberland, as touching Richmond? K. Rich. K. Rich. Then he disdains to shine; for, by the book, He should have brav'd the east an hour ago: Rat. My lord? That frowns on me looks sadly upon him. Enter NORFOLK. Nor. Arm, arm, my lord; the foe vaunts in the field. K. Rich. Come, bustle, bustle :-Caparison my horse ; Call up lord Stanley, bid him bring his power: 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 serowl. K. Rich. (Reads.) Jocky of Norfolk, be not so' bold, For Dickon thy master is bought and sold.' A thing devised by the enemy. Go, gentlemen, every man unto his charge: March on, join bravely, let us to 't pell-mell; What shall I say more than I have inferr'd? wives, They would restrain the one, distain the other. If we be conquer'd, let men conquer us, a So, in all the old copies. The line in the Chronicles is"Jocky of Norfolk, be not too bold." And not these bastard Bretagnes, whom our fathers Have in their own land beaten, bobb'd, and thump'd, And, 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 boldly, 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. What says lord Stanley? will he bring his power? K. Rich. A thousand hearts are great within my bosom: Advance our standards, set upon our foes; 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, Alarum. Enter KING RICHARD. Alarums. Enter KING RICHARD and RICHMOND; they fight; RICHARD is slain.^ 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, these long-usurped royalties, 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, K. Rich. A horse! a horse! my kingdom for The son, compell'd, been butcher to the sire; a horse! All this divided York and Lancaster, O, now let Richmond and Elizabeth, a They fight; Richard is slain. This is the stage-direction of all the old copies, and it is important to preserve, as showing the course of the dramatic action. In the modern editions we have, "Enter King Richard and Richmond; and exeunt fighting." b So the folio; the quartos, this long-usurped royalty. So the folio; the quartos, "Whither, if it please you, we may now, &c. |