A thing devised by the enemy.— Go, gentlemen, every man unto his charge: 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; Our ancient word of courage, fair Saint George," Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons! Upon them! Victory sits on our helms. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. Another part of the field. Alarums: Excursions. Enter Norfolk, and forces; to him Catesby.. Cate. Rescue, my lord of Norfolk, rescue, rescue! His horse is slain, and all on foot he fights, Alarum. Enter King Richard. K. Rich. A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse! Cate. Withdraw, my lord, I'll help you to a horse. (1) Company. K. Rich. Slave, I have set my life upon a cast, And I will stand the hazard of the die: I think, there be six Richmonds in the field; Five have I slain to-day, instead of him :A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse! [Exe. Alarums. Enter King Richard and Richmond; and exeunt fighting. 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 Lo, here, this long-usurped royalty, acquit thee! From the dead temples of this bloody wretch Richm. Great God of heaven, say, Amen, to all: But, tell me first, 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. Proclaim a pardon to the soldiers fled, Richm. Inter their bodies as becomes their births. That in submission will return to us; We will unite the white rose with the red:And then, as we have ta'en the sacrament, Smile heaven upon this fair conjunction, That long hath frown'd upon their enmity!What traitor hears me, and says not,-Amen? England hath long been mad, and scarr'd herself; The brother blindly shed the brother's blood, The father rashly slaughter'd his own son, The son, compell'd, been butcher to the sire; All this divided York and Lancaster, Divided, in their dire division.O, now, let Richmond and Elizabeth, The true succeeders of each royal house, By God's fair ordinance conjoin together! And let their heirs (God, if thy will be so,) Enrich the time to come with smooth-fac'd peace, With smiling plenty, and fair prosperous days! Abate the edge of traitors, gracious Lord, That would reduce these bloody days again, And make poor England weep in streams of blood! Let them not live to taste this land's increase, That would with treason wound this fair land's peace! Now civil wounds are stopp'd, peace lives again; That she may long live here, God say-Amen. [Exeunt. This is one of the most celebrated of our author's performances; yet I know not whether it has not happened to him as to others, to be praised most, when praise is not most deserved. That this play has scenes noble in themselves, and very well contrived to strike in the exhibition, cannot be denied. But some parts are trifling, others shocking, and JOHNSON. (2) Fright the skies with the shivers of your lances. Isome improbable, VOL. II. 2 E I COME no more to make you laugh; things SCENE I-London. An ante-chamber in the now, That bear a weighty and a serious brow, The play may pass; if they be still, and willing, In a long motley coat, guarded' with yellow, Our own brains, and the opinion that we bring The first and happiest hearers of the town, As they were living; think, you see them great, (1) Laced. Made Britain, India: every man, that stood, The noble spirits to arms, they did perform Being now seen possible enough, got credit, Buck. O, you go far. Nor. As I belong to worship, and affect In honour honesty, the tract of every thing Would by a good discourser lose some life, Which action's self was tongue to. All was royal; To the disposing of it nought rebell'd; Order gave each thing view; the office did Distinctly his full function. Buck. Who did guide, Buck. Surely, sir, Nor. There's in him stuff that puts him to these ends: For, being not propp'd by ancestry (whose grace Chalks successors their way,) nor call'd upon For high feats done to the crown; neither allied To eminent assistants, but, spider-like, Out of his self-drawing web, he gives us note, The force of his own merit makes his way; A gift that heaven gives for him, which buys A place next to the king. Aber. I cannot tell What heaven hath given him, let some graver eye Pierce into that; but I can see his pride Peep through each part of him: Whence has he that? If not from hell, the devil is a niggard; Or has given all before, and he begins A new hell in himself. Buck. Why the devil, Upon this French going-out, took he upon him, (1) In opinion, which was most noble. (3) Certainly. (4) Practice. (6) Lump of fat. (7) List. 3 (5) Proud. Why, all this business Our reverend cardinal carried." 'Like it your grace, That I advise your shunning. Enter Cardinal Wolsey (the purse borne before him,) certain of the guard, and two Secretaries with papers. The Cardinal in his passage fixeth his eye on Buckingham, and Buckingham on him, both full of disdain. Wol. The duke of Buckingham's surveyor, ha? Where's his examination? 1 Secr. Here, so please you. Wol. Is he in person ready? Buckingham Shall lessen this big look. [Exe. Wolsey and train. Buck. This butcher's curio is venom-mouth'd, |