A base foul stone, made precious by the foil1 Shall be this cold corpse on the earth's cold face; The least of you shall share his part thereof. Sound, drums and trumpets, boldly and cheerfully ; [Exeunt. Re-enter KING RICHARD, RATCLIFF, Attendants and Forces. K. Rich. What said Northumberland, as touching Richmond? Rat. That he was never trained up in arms. K. Rich. He said the truth: And what said Surrey then? Rat. He smil'd and said, the better for our purpose. K. Rich. He was i' the right; and so, indeed, it is. Tell the clock there.-Give me a calendar.— Rat. Not I, my lord. [Clock strikes. K. Rich. Then he disdains to shine; for, by the book, He should have brav'd the east an hour ago: A black day will it be to somebody.— Ratcliff, Rat. My lord? K. Kich. The sun will not be seen to-day; The sky doth frown and lour upon our army. I would these dewy tears were from the ground. More than to Richmond? for the self-same heaven That frowns on me looks sadly upon him. (1) Made precious by the foil. The foil is the leaf (feuille) or thin plate of metal in which the stone is set. (2) Quit it in your age, i. e. requite it when you are old. 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. I will lead forth my soldiers to the plain, And thus my battle shall be ordered. My forward shall be drawn out all in length, In the main battle; whose puissance on either side Shall be well winged with our chiefest horse. This, and Saint George to boot1-What think'st thou, Norfolk? Nor. A good direction, warlike sovereign. This found I on my tent this morning. [Giving a scroll. 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: Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our law. What shall I say more than I have inferr'd? Felt so much cold as over shoes in snow? (1) This, and St. George to boot, i. e. This is the order of battle, and may St. George boot it (help it). (2) A sort of vagabonds, i. e. a lot, an assortment of vagabond? FF Who, but for dreaming on this fond exploit, For want of means, poor rats, had hang'd themselves. And not these bastard Bretagnes, whom our fathers Fight, gentlemen of England! fight boldly, yeomen! Enter a Messenger. 1 What says lord Stanley? will he bring his power? K. Rich. Off with his son George's head! K. Rich. A thousand hearts are great within my SCENE IV.-Another part of the Field. bosom: [Exeunt. 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, Daring an opposite to every danger; His horse is slain, and all on foot he fights, Seeking for Richmond in the throat of death: Alarum. Enter KING RICHARD. K. Rich. A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse! (1) Amaze the welkin with your broken staves! i. e. fright the sky with the shivers of your lances. (2) Is past the marsh. There was a large morass in the midst of Bosworth field. Richmond passed it, and took such a position with respect to the sun, &c., that he was enabled by this means, in great measure, to get the victory. K. Rich. Slave, I have set my life upon a cast, A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse! [Exeunt. 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 Richm. Great God of heaven, say, amen, to all! Stan. He is, my lord, and safe in Leicester town; Richm. What men of name are slain on either side? O, now let Richmond and Elizabeth, That would reduce1 these bloody days again, And make poor England weep in streams of blood! That would with treason wound this fair land's peace! [Exeunt. (1) Reduce, i. e. bring back. END OF RICHARD III. |