Fainting, despair; despairing, yield thy breath!-
I died for hope2, ere I could lend thee aid:

[TO RICHMOND.

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.
out of his dream.

King RICHARD starts

K. Rich. Give me another horse 3, - 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 I 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 on myself?

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.
Perjury, perjury, in the high'st degree,
Murder, stern murder, in the dir❜st degree;
All several sins, all us'd in each degree,

⚫ I died for hope,] i. e. I died for wishing well to you.

• Give me another horse,] There is in this, as in many of our author's speeches of passion, something very trifling, and something very striking. Richard's debate, whether he should quarrel with himself, is too long continued, but the subsequent exaggeration of his crimes is truly tragical. JOHNSON.

+ "Alack! I love myself."— MALONE.

Throng to the bar, crying all, Guilty! guilty!
I shall despair. There is no creature loves me;
And, if I die, no soul will 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. Who's 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.

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 King 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 cried-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 di

rection.

[He advances to the Troops.

More than I have said, loving countrymen,

The leisure and enforcement of the time
Forbids to dwell on: 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 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
Of England's chair 4, 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,

• Of England's chair,] England's chair, means England's throne.

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

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?

in arms.

Rat. That he was never trained up
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. [Clock strikes.

Give me a calendar.

Tell the clock there.
Who saw the sun to-day?

Rat.

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

Not I, my lord.

an hour ago:

He should have brav'd the east

A black day will it be to somebody. —

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.

6 the ransom of my bold attempt —] The fine paid by me in atonement for my rashness shall be my dead corse.

7 God, and Saint George!] Saint George was the common cry of the English soldiers when they charged the enemy.

8 brav'd the east-] i. e. made it splendid.

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,
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 ourself will follow +
In the main battle; whose puissance on either side
Shall be well winged with our chiefest horse.

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.

[Giving a Scrowl. K. Rich. Jocky of Norfolk, be not too bold, [Reads.

For Dickon' thy master 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;
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 inferr'd?

+ Mr. Malone omits ourself.

• This, and Saint George to boot! His protection over and above. Dickon thy master, &c.] Dickon is the ancient familiarization of Richard. In the words. bought and sold, there is somewhat proverbial.