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Tell me, how fares our loving mother?

Stanl. I, by attorney, blefs thee from thy mother;
Who prays continually for Richmond's good:
So much for that-The filent hours fteal on,
And flaky darkness breaks within the Eaft.
In brief, for fo the feafon bids us be,
Prepare thy battle early in the morning;
And put thy fortune to th' arbitrement
Of bloody ftrokes, and mortal ftaring war.
I, as I may, (that which I would, I cannot)
With beft advantage will deceive the time,
And aid thee in this doubtful fhock of arms.
But on thy fide I may not be too forward,
Left (being feen) thy brother, tender George,
Be executed in his father's Sight.

Farewel; the leifure, and the fearful time
Cuts off the ceremonious vows of love,
And ample interchange of fweet difcourfe,
Which fo-long-fundred friends fhould dwell upon.
God-give us leifure for thefe Rites of love!
Once more, adieu; be valiant, and fpeed well.
Rich. Good Lords, conduct him to his regiment:
I'll ftrive, with troubled thoughts, to take a nap;
Left leaden flumber poize me down to-morrow,
When I should mount with wings of victory:
Once more, good night, kind Lords, and gentlemen.
[Exeunt. Manet Richmond.
O thou! whofe Captain I account myself,
Look on my forces with a gracious eye:
Put in their hands thy bruifing irons of wrath,
That they may crush down with a heavy fall
Th' ufurping helmets of our adverfaries!
Make us thy Ministers of chastisement,
That we may praise thee in thy victory.
To thee I do commend my watchful foul,
Ere I let fall the windows of mine eyes:
Sleeping and waking, oh, defend me ftill!

N 2

[Sleeps.

SCENE

SCENE, between the Tents of Richard and Richmond: They fleeping.

Enter the Ghoft of Prince Edward, Son to Henry the Sixth.

Ghost.LET me fit heavy on thy foul to-morrow!

[To K. Rich. Think, how thou tab'dft me in the prime of youth At Tewksbury: therefore defpair and die.

Be cheerful, Richmond; for the wronged fouls

[To Richm. Of butcher'd Princes fight in thy behalf: King Henry's iffue, Richmond, comforts thee.

Enter the Ghaft of Henry the Sixth.

Ghoft. When I was mortal, my anointed body [To K. Rich. By thee was punched full of deadly holes ; Think on the Tower, and me; despair, and die. Henry the Sixth bids thee defpair, and die.

Virtuous and holy, be thou Conqueror: [To Rich. Harry, that prophefy'd thou fhouldft be King, Doth comfort thee in fleep; live thou and flourish. Enter the Ghost of Clarence.

Ghoft. Let me fit heavy on thy foul to-morrow!
[To K. Rich.

I, that was wash'd to death in fulfom wine,
Poor Clarence, by thy guile betray'd to death:
To-morrow in the battle think on me,
And fall thy edgelefs fword; defpair and die.
Thou offspring of the Houfe of Lancaster, [To Richm.
The wronged heirs of York do pray for thee;
Good angels guard thy battle! live, and flourish.

Enter the Ghols of Rivers, Gray, and Vaughan. Riv. Let me fit heavy on thy foul to-morrow! [To K. Rich.

Rivers, that dy'd at Pomfret: defpair, and die.

Grey.

Gray. Think upon Gray, and let thy foul despair. [To K. Rich. Vaugh. Think upon Vaughan, and with guilty fear Let fall thy lance! Richard, defpair and die.

[To K. Rich. All. Awake! and think, our wrongs in Richard's bofom Will conquer him.-Awake, and win the day.

Enter the Ghoft of Lord Haftings.

[To Richm.

Ghoft. Bloody and guilty, guiltily awake; [To K. Rich. And in a bloody battle end thy days:

Think on Lord Haftings; and defpair and die.

Quiet, untroubled foul, awake, awake! [To Richm. Arm, fight, and conquer, for fair England's fake.

Enter the Ghosts of the two young Princes.

Ghofts. Dream on thy cousins fmother'd in the Tower: Let us be lead within thy bofom, Richard, (13) [To K. Rich. And weigh thee down to ruin, fhame, and death! Thy Nephews' fouls bid thee despair and die. Sleep, Richmond, fleep in peace; and wake in joy. [To Richm. Good angels guard thee from the boar's annoy! Live, and beget a happy race of Kings Edward's unhappy fons do bid thee flourish.

(13) Let us be laid within thy Bofom, Richard,] This is a poor feeble Reading, which has obtain'd by Corruption, ever fince the firft Edition put out by the Players: and, indeed, up as high as the Quarto in 1602. But I have reftor'd from the elder Quarto," publish'd in 1597, which Mr. Pope does not pretend to have seen ; Let us be Lead within thy Bofom, Richard,

This corresponds with what is said in the Line immediately following,

And weigh thee down to Ruin, Shame and Death! And likewife with what the Generality of the Ghosts say threateningly to Richard ;

Let me fit heavy on thy Soul to-morrow!

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Enter the Ghoft of Anne his wife.

Ghost. Richard, thy wife, that wretched Anne thy wife,
[To K. Rich.

That never flept a quiet hour with thee,
Now fills thy fleep with perturbations:
'To-morrow in the battle think on me,
And fall thy edgeiefs fword: defpair and die. ́

Thou, quiet foul, fleep thou a quiet fleep: [To Richm. Dream of fuccefs and happy victory,

Thy adverfary's wife doth pray for thee.

Enter the Ghost of Buckingham.

[To K. Rich.

Ghoft. The first was I, that help'd thee to the Crown: The laft was I, that felt thy tyranny. O, in the battle think on Buckingham, And die in terror of thy guiltinefs. Dream on, dream on, of bloody deeds and death: Fainting, defpair; defpairing, yield thy breath.

I dy'd for Holpe, ere I could lend thee aid; (14) [To Richm. But cheer thy heart, and be thou not difmay'd: God and good angels fight on Richmond's fide, And Richard fall in height of all his pride..

K. Rieb. Give me

Have mercy, Jefu

[The Ghofts vanish. [K. Richard farts out of his dream. another horfe-bind up my wounds. —foft, I did but dream.

The lights burn blue

O coward confcience! how doft thou afflict me? is it not dead midnight? Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh.

(14) I dy'd for Hope, ere I could lend thee Aid,] All the Editions concur in this Reading, to the abfolute Detriment of the Senfe. I restore, with the Addition of a fingle Letter;

I dy'd for Holpe, ere I could lend thee Aid:

3. e. I perifh'd for that Help, which I had intended and was preparing to lend thee; tho' I could not effentially give thee any Affiftance.

What?

f

What do I fear myself? there's none else by;
Richard loves Richard; that is, I am I.

Is there a murd'rer here? no yes, I am.

Then fly-what, from myfelf? great reafon; why?
Left 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 lye, I am not.

Fool of thyfelf (peak well-Fool, do not flatter.
My confcience hath a thousand fev'ral tongues,
And ev'ry tongue brings in a fev'ral Tale,
And ev'ry Tale condemns me for a villain.
Perjury, perjury in high'ft degree,
Murder, ftern murder in th' dir'ft degree,
All feveral fins, all us'd in each degree,
Throng to the bar, all crying, guilty, guilty!
I fhall defpair: there is no creature loves me :
And if I die, no foul fhall pity me.

Nay, wherefore fhould they? fince that I myself
Find in myself no pity to myfelf.

Methought, the fouls 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.

Rat. My Lord,

Enter Ratcliff.

K. Rich. Who's there?

Rat. Ratcliff, my Lord. The early village-cock
Hath twice done falutation to the morn;

Your friends are up, and buckle on their armour.
K. Rich. Ratcliff, I fear, I fear

Rat. Nay, good my Lord, be not afraid of fhadows.
K. Rich. By the Apoftle Paul, fhadows to-night
Have ftruck more terror to the foul of Richard,
Than can the fubftance of ten thousand foldiers
Armed in proof, and led by fhallow Richmond.
It is not yet near day. Come, go with me;
Under our tents, I'll play the eaves-dropper;

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