04

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 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 tender brother 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, rises 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

K

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 shouldst 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! T 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. Vaug. Think upon Vaughan; and, with guilty fear, Let fall thy lance! Despair, and die![To King Richard, 1 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!

1

The Ghosts of the two young Princes rise. Ghosts. Dream on thy cousins, smother'd in the

Tower;

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;
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 as'd in each degree,
Throng to the bar, crying all,-Guilty! 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.

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. Rateliff,my lord; 'tis I. The early village 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.
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.

Rickm. 'Cry mercy, lords, and watchful gentle

men,

That you have ta'en a tardy sluggard here.

Lords. How have you slept, my lord?

Rickm. The sweetest sleep, and fairest-boding dreams,

That ever enter'd in a drowsy head,

Have I since your departure had, my lords. Methought, their souls, whose bodies Richard mur. der'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.

direction.

Richm. Why, then 'tis time to arm, and give [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;

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 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, 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