Richm.
Fellows in arms, and my most loving friends,

Bruis'd underneath the yoke of tyranny,
Thus far into the bowels of the land
Have we march'd on without impediment;
And here receive we from our father Stanley
Lines of fair comfort and encouragement.
The wretched, bloody, and usurping boar,
That spoil'd your summer fields, and fruitful vines,
Swills your warm blood like wash, and makes his trough
In your ^{8 note}

Oxf.
Every man's conscience is a thousand swords, 9Q0884
To fight against that bloody homicide.

Herb.
I doubt not, but his friends will turn to us.

Blunt.
He hath no friends, but who are friends for fear;
Which, in his dearest need, will fly from him.

Richm.
All for our vantage. Then, in God's name, march:

True hope is swift, and flies with swallow's wings;
Kings it makes gods, and meaner creatures kings. [Exeunt. SCENE III. Bosworth Field. Enter King Richard in arms, with the Duke of Norfolk, Earl of Surrey, and others.

K. Rich.
Here pitch our tent, even here in Bosworth field.—
My lord of Surrey, why look you so sad?

Surr.
My heart is ten times lighter than my looks.

K. Rich.
My lord of Norfolk,—

Nor.
Here, most gracious liege.

K. Rich.
Norfolk, we must have knocks; Ha! must we not?

Nor.
We must both give and take, my loving lord.

K. Rich.
Up with my tent: Here will I lie to-night;
But where, to-morrow?—Well, all's one for that.—
Who hath descry'd the number of the traitors?

Nor.
Six or seven thousand is their utmost power.

K. Rich.
Why, our battalia trebles that account:
Besides, the king's name is a tower of strength,
Which they upon the adverse faction want.—
Up with the tent.—Come, noble gentlemen,
Let us survey the vantage of the ground;—
Call for some men of ^{9 note}sound direction:—
Let's want no discipline, make no delay;
For, lords, to-morrow is a busy day. [Exeunt.

Enter on the other side of the field, Richmond, Sir William Brandon, Oxford, Dorset, &c.

Richm.
The weary sun hath made a golden set,
And, by the bright track of his fiery car,
Gives token of a goodly day to-morrow.—
Sir William Brandon, you shall bear my standard.—
^{1 note}

Blunt.
Unless I have mista'en his colours much,
(Which, well I am assur'd, I have not done)
His regiment lies half a mile at least
South from the mighty power of the king.

Richm.
If without peril it be possible,
Sweet Blunt, make some good means to speak with him,
And give him from me this most needful note.

Blunt.
Upon my life, my lord, I'll undertake it;

And so, God give you quiet rest to-night!

Richm.
Good night, good captain Blunt. Come, gentlemen,
Let us consult upon to-morrow's business;
In to my tent, the air is raw and cold. [They withdraw into the tent. Enter, to his tent, King Richard, Ratcliff, Norfolk, and Catesby.

K. Rich.
What is't o'clock?

Cates.
It's supper time, my lord;
It's nine o'clock.

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?

Cates.
It is, my liege; and all things are in readiness.

K. Rich.
Good Norfolk, hie thee to thy charge;
Use careful watch, chuse trusty centinels.

Nor.
I go, my lord.

K. Rich.
Stir with the lark to-morrow, gentle Norfolk.

Nor.
I warrant you, my lord. [Exit.

K. Rich.
Ratcliff,—

Rat.
My lord?

K. Rich.
Send out a pursuivant at arms
To Stanley's regiment; bid him bring his power
Before sun-rising, lest his son George fall
Into the blind cave of eternal night.—
Fill me a bowl of wine:—^{2 note}

Saddle white Surrey for the field to-morrow^{3 note}
.—
^{4 note}

Rat.
My lord?

K. Rich.
Saw'st thou the melancholy lord Northumberland?

Rat.
Thomas the earl of Surrey, and himself,
Much about cock-shut time^{5 note}

Went through the army, cheering up the soldiers.

K. Rich.
I am satisfy'd. Give me a bowl of wine:
I have not that alacrity of spirit^{6 note},
Nor cheer of mind, that I was wont to have.—
So, set it down.—Is ink and paper ready?

Rat.
It is, my lord.

K. Rich.
Bid my guard watch, and leave me.
About the mid of night, come to my tent
And help to arm me, Ratcliff.—Leave me, I say. [Exit Ratcliff. Richmond's tent opens, and discovers him, and his officers, &c. Enter Stanley.

Stanl.
Fortune and victory sit on thy helm!

Richm.
All comfort that the dark night can afford,
Be to thy person, noble father-in-law!
Tell me, how fares our loving mother?

Stanl.
I, ^{7 note}by attorney, bless thee from thy mother,
Who prays continually for Richmond's good:
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^{8 note}.
^{9 note}
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 tender brother George
Be executed in his father's sight.
Farewell: ^{1 note}



The leisure, and the fearful time
Cuts off the ceremonious vows of love,
And ample enterchange of sweet discourse,
Which so long sundred friends should dwell upon;
God give us leisure for these rites of love!
Once more, adieu:—Be valiant, and speed well!

Richm.
Good lords, conduct him to his regiment:
I'll strive, with troubled thoughts, to take a nap;
Lest leaden slumber peize me down to-morrow^{2 note}

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^{3 note}

Ghost.
Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow! [To K. Rich.
Think, how thou stab'dst me in the prime of youth
At Tewksbury; Despair therefore, and die!—
  Be chearful, Richmond; for the wronged souls [To Richm.
Of butcher'd princes fight in thy behalf:
King Henry's issue, Richmond, comforts thee.

Enter the Ghost of Henry the sixth.

Ghost.
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 despair and die!—
  Virtuous and holy, be thou conqueror! [To Richm.
Harry, ^{2 note}that prophesy'd thou shouldst be king,
Doth comfort thee in thy sleep; Live, and flourish. Enter the Ghost of Clarence.

Ghost.
Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow! [To K. Rich.
I, that was wash'd to death with fulsom wine, 9Q0885
Poor Clarence, by thy guile betray'd to death!
To-morrow in the battle think on me,
And fall thy edgeless sword; Despair, and die!—
  Thou offspring of the house of Lancaster, [To Richm.
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.

Riv.
Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow, [To K. Rich.
Rivers, that dy'd at Pomfret! Despair, and die!

Grey.
Think upon Grey, and let thy soul despair! [To K. Rich.

Vaugh.
Think upon Vaughan; and, with guilty fear,
Let fall thy lance! Despair, and die!— [To K. Rich.

All.
Awake! and think our wrongs in Richard's bosom
Will conquer him;—awake, and win the day! [To Richm. Enter the Ghost of Lord Hastings.

Ghost.
Bloody and guilty, guiltily awake; [To K. Rich.
And in a bloody battle end thy days!
Think on lord Hastings; and despair, and die!—
  Quiet untroubled soul, awake, awake! [To Richm.
Arm, fight, and conquer, for fair England's sake! Enter the Ghosts of the two young Princes.

Ghosts.
Dream on thy cousins smother'd in the Tower;
^{5 note}

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

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!—
  Thou, quiet soul, sleep thou a quiet sleep; [To Richm.
Dream of success and happy victory;
Thy adversary's wife doth pray for thee. Enter the Ghost of Buckingham.

Ghost.
The first was I, that help'd thee to the crown: [To K. Rich.
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!—
  ^{6 note}

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. [The Ghosts vanish. [K. Richard starts out of his dream.

K. Rich.
^{7 note}Give me another horse,—bind up my wounds,—
Have mercy, Jesu!—Soft; I did but dream.—
^{8 note}O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me!—
The lights burn blue^{9 note}

Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh.
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 myself? Great reason: Why?
Lest I revenge. What? Myself on myself?
I love myself^{1 note}. 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 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.
Perjury, perjury, in the highest degree,
Murder, stern murder, in the dir'st degree;
All several sins, all us'd 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.
^{2 note}
Methought, the sculs 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.
Who's there?

Rat.
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.
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 eaves-dropper,
To hear, if any mean to shrink from me. [Exeunt K. Richard, and Ratcliff. Richmond wakes. Enter Oxford, and others.

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 cry'd—On! victory!
I promise you, my heart 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.— [He advances to the troops.
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;
One rais'd in blood, and one in blood establish'd;
One that made means^{3 note} to come by what he hath,
And slaughter'd those that were the means to help him;
A base foul stone, made precious ^{4 note}

Your wives shall welcome home the conquerors;
If you do free your children from the sword,
Your childrens' 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, ^{5 note}the ransom of my bold attempt
Shall be this cold corps on the earth's cold face;
But if I thrive, the gain of my attempt
The least of you shall share his part thereof.
Sound, drums and trumpets, boldly and cheerfully;
^{6 note}

Re-enter King Richard, Ratcliff, &c.

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 kalendar.— [Clock strikes.
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 brav'd the east an hour ago:
A black day it will be to somebody.—
Ratcliff,—

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 self-same 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:—
I will lead forth my soldiers to the plain,
And thus my battle shall be ordered.

My foreward shall be drawn out all in length,
Consisting equally of horse and foot;
Our archers shall be placed in the midst:
John duke of Norfolk, Thomas earl of Surrey,
Shall have the leading of this foot and horse.
They thus directed, we will follow
In the main battle; whose puissance on either side
Shall be well winged with our chiefest horse.
^{7 note}

Nor.
A good direction, warlike sovereign.—
This found I on my tent this morning. [Giving a scrowl.

K. Rich.

Jocky of Norfolk, be not too bold, [Reads.
For Dickon thy master^{8 note}
is bought and sold.
A thing devised by the enemy.—
Go, gentlemen, every man unto his charge:
Let not our babbling dreams affright our souls^{9 note};
For conscience is but a word that cowards use,
Devis'd at first to keep the strong in awe;
Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our law.
March on, join bravely, let us to't pell-mell;
If not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell.—

  What shall I say more than I have infer'd?
Remember whom you are to cope withal;—
^{1 note}

Long kept in Brittaine at our brother's cost?
A milk-sop^{4 note}


, one that never in his life
Felt so much cold as over shoes in snow?
Let's whip these stragglers o'er the seas again;
Lash hence these over-weening rags of France,
These famish'd beggars, weary of their lives;
Who, but for dreaming on this fond exploit,
For want of means, poor rats, had hang'd themselves:
If we be conquer'd, let men conquer us,
And not these bastard Brittains; whom our fathers
Have in their own land beaten, bobb'd, and thump'd,
And, on record, left them the heirs of shame.
Shall these enjoy our lands? lie with our wives?
Ravish our daughters?—Hark, I hear their drum. [Drum afar off.
Fight, gentlemen of England! fight, bold yeomen!
Draw, archers, draw your arrows to the head!
Spur your proud horses hard, and ride in blood;
^{5 note}

Enter a Messenger.
What says lord Stanley? will he bring his power?

Mes.
My lord, he doth deny to come.

K. Rich.
Off with his son George's head.

Nor.
My lord, the enemy hath past the marsh;
After the battle let George Stanley die.

K. Rich.
A thousand hearts are great within my bosom:
Advance our standards^{6 note}






, 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. Alarum. Excursions. Enter Catesby.

Cates.
Rescue, my lord of Norfolk! rescue! rescue!
The king enacts more wonders than a man,
Daring an opposite to every danger^{7 note}

His horse is slain, and all on foot he fights,
Seeking for Richmond in the throat of death:
Rescue, fair lord, or else the day is lost! Alarum. Enter King Richard.

K. Rich.
A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse^{8 note}

Cates.
Withdraw, my lord, I'll help you to a horse.

K. Rich.
Slave, I have set my life upon a cast,
And I will stand the hazard of the dye:
I think, there be six Richmonds in the field;
Five have I slain to-day, instead of him^{9 note}:—
A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse^{1 note}

Alarums. Enter King Richard and Richmond; they fight, Richard is slain. Retreat, and flourish. Enter Richmond, Stanley, bearing the crown, with divers other Lords.

Richm.
God, and your arms, be prais'd, victorious friends;
The day is ours, the bloody dog is dead.9Q0886

Stanl.
Courageous Richmond, well hast thou acquit thee!
Lo, here, these long-usurped royalties,
From the dead temples of this bloody wretch
Have I pluck'd off, to grace thy brows withal;
Wear it, enjoy it, ^{2 note}

Richm.
Great God of heaven, say, amen, to all!—
But, tell me, is young George Stanley living?

Stanl.
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?

Stanl.
John duke of Norfolk, Walter lord Ferrers,
Sir Robert Brakenbury, and sir William Brandon.

Rich.
Interr their bodies as becomes their births.
Proclaim a pardon to the soldiers fled,
That in submission will return to us;
And then, as we have ta'en the sacrament^{3 note},
We will unite the white rose and the red:—
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;
^{4 note}

And make poor England weep in streams of blood!
Let them not live to taste this land's encrease,
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! [Exeunt⁵. ^{note note}