Enter, to his tent, KING RICHARD, NORFOLK, RATCLIFF, CATESBY, and others. K. Rich. What is't o'clock? Cate. It's nine o'clock. 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: It's supper-time, my lord; God give us leisure for these rites of love! Once more, adieu: be valiant, and speed well! Richm. Good lords, conduct him to his regi K. Rich. I will not sup to-night. Give me some ink and paper. What, is my beaver easier than it was? And all my armour laid into my tent? 50 Cate. It is, my liege; and all things are in K. Rich. Bid my guard watch; leave me. Ratcliff, about the mid of night come to my tent And help to arm me. Leave me, I say. [Exeunt Ratcliff and the other Attendants. Enter DERBY to RICHMOND in his tent, Lords and others attending. Der. Fortune and victory sit on thy helm! Richm. All comfort that the dark night can afford Be to thy person, noble father-in-law! me, Der. I, by attorney, bless thee from thy mother, Who prays continually for Richmond's good: ment: 101 I'll strive, with troubled thoughts, to take a nap, [Sleeps. Enter the Ghost of PRINCE EDWARD, son to HENRY the Sixth. Ghost. [To Richard] Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow! Think, how thou stab'dst me in my prime of youth At Tewksbury: despair, therefore, and die! 120 [To Richmond] Be cheerful, Richmond; for the wronged souls Of butcher'd princes fight in thy behalf: Enter the Ghost of HENRY the Sixth. Ghost. [To Richard] When I was mortal, my anointed body 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! [To Richmond] Virtuous and holy, be thou conqueror! Harry, that prophesied thou shouldst be king, Doth comfort thee in thy sleep: live, and flourish! Enter the Ghost of CLARENCE. Ghost. [To Richard] Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow! 131 I, that was wash'd to death with fulsome wine, Poor Clarence, by thy guile betrayed to death! To-morrow in the battle think on me, And fall thy edgeless sword: despair, and die![To Richmond] Thou offspring of the house of Lancaster, The wronged heirs of York do pray for thee: Enter the Ghosts of RIVERS, GREY, and Ghost of R. [To Richard] Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow, Rivers, that died at Pomfret! despair, and die! Ghost of G. [To Richard] Think upon Grey, and let thy soul despair! 141 Ghest of V. [To Richard] Think upon Vaughan, and, with guilty fear, Let fall thy lance: despair, and die! All To Richmond] Awake, and think our wrongs in Richard's bosom Will conquer him! awake, and win the day! Enter the Ghost of HASTINGS. I am a villain: yet I lie, I am not. Ghost. [To Richard] Bloody and guilty, Murder, stern murder, in the direst degree; guiltily awake, And in a bloody battle end thy days! Arm, fight, and conquer, for fair England's sake! 151 Let us be lead within thy bosom, Richard, Good angels guard thee from the boar's annoy! Enter the Ghost of LADY ANNE. Ghost. [To Richard] Richard, thy wife, that wretched Anne thy wife, That never slept a quiet hour with thee, Now fills thy sleep with perturbations: 160 201 All several sins, all used in each degree, Rat. My lord! K. Rich 'Zounds! who is there? Rat. Ratcliff, my lord; 'tis I. The early village-cock 210 Hath twice done salutation to the morn; What thinkest thou, will our friends prove all Rat. No doubt, my lord. Ó 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 220 Ghost. To Richard] The first was I that To see if any mean to shrink from me. [Exeunt. helped thee to the crown; The last was I that felt thy tyranny: 170 Dream on, dream on, of bloody deeds and death: But cheer thy heart, and be thou not dismay'd: [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 murderer here? No. Yes, I am: Enter the Lords to RICHMOND, sitting in his Came to my tent, and cried on victory: His oration to his soldiers. Lest I revenge. What, myself upon myself? For hateful deeds committed by myself! 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 raised 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; 250 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. 270 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 smiled and said 'The better for our purpose.' K. Rich. He was in the right; and so indeed it is. [Clock striketh. Tell the clock there. Give me a calendar. Who saw the sun to-day? Rat. Not I, my lord. K. Rich. Then he disdains to shine; for by the book He should have braved the east an hour ago: 280 Rat. My lord? K. Rich. 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. Not shine to-day! Why, what is that to me More than to Richmond? for the selfsame heaven 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: My foreward shall be drawn out all in length, In the main battle, whose puissance on either side Shall be well winged with our chiefest horse. 300 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, [He showeth him a paper. K. Rich. [Reads] 'Jockey of Norfolk, be not too bold, For Dickon thy master is bought and sold.' A thing devised by the enemy. Go, gentlemen, every man unto his charge: law. March on, join bravely, let us to't pell-mell; If not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell. His oration to his Army. 310 What shall I say more than I have inferr'd? They would restrain the one, distain the other. If we be conquer'd, let men conquer us, And not these bastard Bretons; whom our fathers Have in their own land beaten, bobb'd, and thump'd, And in record, left them the heirs of shame. Shall these enjoy our lands? lie with our wives? Ravish our daughters? [Drum afar off.] Hark! I hear their drum. Fight, gentlemen of England! fight, bold 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! 341 Enter a Messenger. What says Lord Stanley? will he bring his power? Mess. My lord, he doth deny to come. K. Rich. Off with his son George's head! Nor. My lord, the enemy is past the marsh: After the battle let George Stanley die. 20 Proclaim a pardon to the soldiers fled 30 O, now, let Richmond and Elizabeth, With smiling plenty and fair prosperous days! 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. I COME no more to make you laugh: things now, 10 The play may pass, if they be still and willing, The first and happiest hearers of the town, 21 As they were living; think you see them great, 30 ACT I. |