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 I 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 brother, tender George,
Be executed in his father's sight.

90

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!

100

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.

110

[Exeunt all but Richmond. 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 the 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.

Enter the Ghost of PRINCE EDWARD, 8on to HENRY the

Sixth.

Ghost. [To Richard] Let me sit heavy on thy soul tomorrow!

Think, how thou stab'st 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:

King Henry's issue, Richmond, comforts thec.

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.

130

Ghost. [To Richard] Let me sit heavy on thy soul tomorrow!

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: Good angels guard thy battle! live, and flourish!

Enter the Ghosts of RIVERS, GREY, and VAUGHAN,

Ghost of R. [To Richard] Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow,

140

Rivers, that died at Pomfret! despair, and die! Ghost of G. [To Richard] Think upon Grey, and let thy soul despair!

Ghost 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.

Ghost. [To Richard] Bloody and guilty, guiltily awake, And in a bloody battle end thy days!

Think on Lord Hastings: despair, and die!

[To Richmond] Quiet untroubled soul, awake, awake!

Arm, fight, and conquer, for fair England's sake!

Enter the Ghosts of the two young Princes.

150

Ghosts. [To Richard] 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!

[To Richmond] 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.

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:

To-morrow in the battle think on me,

And fall thy edgeless sword: despair, and die!

160

[To Richmond] Thou quiet soul, sleep thou a quiet sleep; Dream of success and happy victory!

Thy adversary's wife doth pray for thee.

Enter the Ghost of BUCKINGHAM.

Ghost. [To Richard] The first was I that helped thee to

the crown;

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!

170

[To Richmond] I died for hope ere I could lend thee aid: 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.

180

[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 1 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 upon myself? Alack, 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.

190

Perjury, perjury, in the high'st degree;
Murder, stern murder, in the direst degree;
All several sins, all used 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 shall 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. 'Zounds! who is there?

Rat. Ratcliff, 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.
O 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 caves-dropper,
To see if any mean to shrink from me.

200

210

220

[Exeunt.

Enter the Lords to RICHMOND, sitting in his tent.

Lords. Good morrow, Richmond!

Richm. Cry mercy, lords and watchful gentlemen,

That you have ta'en a tardy sluggard here.

Lords. How have you slept, my lord?

Richm. 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 murder'd,
Came to my tent, and cried on victory:
I promise you, my soul 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.

Richm. Why, then 'tis time to arm and give direction.
His oration to his soldiers.

231

More than I have said, loving countrymen,
The leisure and enforcement of the time
Forbids to dwell upon: 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;

240

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;

A base foul stone, made precious by the foil

250

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

Shall be this cold corpse on the earth's cold face;
But if I thrive, the gain of my attempt

260

The least of you shall share his part thereof.
Sound drums and trumpets boldly and cheerfully;
God and Saint George! Richmond and victory! [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 smiled and said "The better for our purpose.' K. Rich. He was in the right; and so indeed it is.

Tell the clock there. Give me a calendar.
Who saw the sun to-day?

[Clock striketh.

K. Rich. Then he disdains to shine; for by the book