K. Rich. I am satisfied. Give me a bowl of By thee was punched full of deadly holes: Think on the Tower and me; Despair, and wine: die ; I have not that alacrity of spirit, Nor Cheer of mind that I was wont to have.- K. Rich. Bid my guard watch; leave me. [King RICHARD relires into his Tent. Exeunt RATCLIFF and CATESBY. Harry the sixth bids thee despair and die.- The GHOST of CLARENCE rises. morrow! RICHMOND'S Tent opens, and discovers him, I, that was wash'd to and his officers, &c. Enter STANLEY. Stan. Fortune and victory sit on thy helm ! Richm. All comfort that the dark night can afford, Be to thy person, noble father-in-law ! Who prays continually for Richmond's good; The GHOST of Prince EDWARD, son to HENRY the sixth, rises between the two tents. Ghost. Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow! [To King RICHARD. Think, how thou stab'dst me in my prime of youth At Tewksbury; Despair therefore, and die!- Of butcher'd princes fight in thy behalf: wine, Poor Clarence, by thy guile betray'd to death! die ! Thou offspring of the house of Lancaster, flourish ! Live, and The GHOST of HASTINGS rises. Ghost. Bloody and guilty, guiltily awake; [To King RICHARD. And in a bloody battle end thy days! Think on lord Hastings; and despair and die ! Quiet untroubled soul, awake, awake! [To RICHMOND, Aim, fight, and conquer, for fair England's sake! The GHOSTS of the two young PRINCES rise. Ghosts. Dream on thy cousins smother'd in the Tower; Let us be lead within thy bosom, Richard, death! Thy nephews' conls bid thee despair, and die.-Sleep, Richmond, sleep in peace, and wale 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 Blourish. The GHOST of Queen ANNE rises. Ghost. 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! Thou, quiet soul, sleep thon a quiet sleep; [To RICHMOND. Dream of success and happy victory; Thy adversary's wife doth pray for thee. The GHOST of BUCKINGHAM rises. Ghost. The first was 1, that help'd thee to the crown; [To King RICHARD. III The last was I that felt thy tyranny; Dream on, dream on, of bloody deeds and Fainting, despair; desparing, yield thy breath I— side; And Richard falls in height of all his pride. K. Rich. Give me another horse,-bind up Have mercy, Jesu !-Soft; I did but dream.- me!- midflesh. Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling Richard loves Richard; that is, I am I. Is there a murderer here? No 1-Yes; I am : Lest I revenge, What? Myself on myself? For bateful deeds committed by myself. Fool, of thyself speak well :-Fool, do not fatter. My conscience hath a thousand several tougues, me; And, if I die, no soul will pity me: 'Cry mercy, lords, and watchful gen. That you have ta'en a tardy sluggard here. That ever enter'd in a drowsy head, Came to my tent, and cried-On! victory! The prayers of holy saints, and wronged souls, Richard except, those whom we fight against One rais'd in blood, and one in blood esta- One that made mcans to hath, come by what he And slaughter'd those that were the means to A base foul stone, made precious by the foil diers; If you do sweat to put a tyrant down, Nay, wherefore should they? since that I my If you do fight in safeguard of your wives, self Find in myself no pity to myself. Came to my tent: and every one did threat What thinkest thou? will our friends prove all true? Rat. No doubt, my lord. K. Rich. Ratcliff, I fear, I fear, Kat. Nay, good my lord, be not afraid of sha- K. Rich. By the apostle Paul, shadows to- Have struck more terror to the soul of Richard, diers, Armed in proof, and led by shallow Richmond. [Exeunt King RICHARD, and RATCLIFF. For me, the ransom of my bold attempt But, if I thrive, the gain of my attempt God and Saint George! Richmond and victory! Re-enter King RICHARD, RATCLIFF, attendants, and Forces. K. Rich. What said Northumberland, as touch- Rat. That he was never trained up in arms. Rat. He smil'd, and said the K. Rich. He was i'the right; the field. K. Rich. Come, bustle, bustle ;-Caparison my horse ; Call up lord Stanley, bid him bring his power :- Our archers shall be placed in the midst : 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 scroll. 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 mau unto his charge: Conscience is but a word that cowards use, law. March on, join bravely, let us to't pell-mell; Whom their o'er-cloyed country vomits forth Fight, gentlemen of England! fight, bold yeomen ! Draw, archers, draw your arrows to the head! Spur your proud horses bard, and blood; ride in Amaze the welkin with your broken staves ! • What says lord Stanley? will he bring his power? Mess. My lord, he doth deny to come. head. Nor. My lord, the enemy is pass'd the marsh ; After the battle let George Stanley die. Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons! [Exeunt. Alarums. Enter King RICHARD and RICHMOND; and exeunt fighting. 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. Lo, here, this long-usurped royalty, But tell me first, is young George Stanley living ? Stan. He is, my lord, and safe in Leicester town; Whither, if it please you, we may now withdraw us. Rich. What men of name are slain on either side? Stan. John duke of Norfolk, Walter lord Ferrers, Sir Robert Brakenbury, and Sir William Brandon. Richm. Inter their bodies as becomes their births. Proclaim a pardon to the soldiers fled, That in submission will return to us; • Fright the skies with the shivers of your lances Scene IV. KING RICHARD III. And then, as we have ta'en the sacrament, The brother blindly shed the brother's blood, 579 And let their heirs, (God, If thy will be so,) Enrich the time to come with smooth-fac'd peace, With smiling plenty, and fair days! prosperous Abate the edge of traitors, gracious Lord, 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. KING HENRY VIII. LITERARY AND HISTORICAL NOTICE. THIS historical play was probably written in the year 1601. It comprises a period of twelve years, com mencing in the 12th of Henry's reigu, (1521) and terminating with the baptism of Elizabeth, 1533. It has always been au easy medium for the display of pageantry and splendour; consequently a great favourite with the generality of audiences. Its most powerfully drawn characters are the Queen and the Cardinal The dying moments of the former (Act IV. Sc. 2.) are pourtrayed with a mingled majesty and pathos, scarces ly ever equalled by any other poet (Dr. Johnson numbers it, indeed, amongst "the greatest efforts of tragedy:") and the exquisite soliloquy of the latter, at the time of his degradation, would evince the supe Fiority of Shakspeare's genius, had he never written another line. It is a fine philosophical picture of fallen ambition, brought to reflection by a merited reverse of fortune: the assimilation of human grenness to the vegetation of a fruit tree, with the puerility of venturing upon "a sea of troubles,” for burdensome and perishable acquisitions, affords a charming specimen of imaginative colouring and didactic morality. Yet this is one of the parts which, according to the Doctor," may be easily conceived, and easily writte." Perhaps Shakspeare found it otherwise. DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.' KING HENRY THE EIGHTH. CRANMER, Archbishop of Canterbury. BISHOP OF LINCOLN.-LORD ABERGAVENNY. SIR HENRY GUILDFORD.-SIR THOMAS LO- DOCTOR BUTTS, Physician to the King. PAGE to Gardiner.—A CRIER. QUEEN KATHARINE, Wife to King Henry; afterwards divorced. ANNE BULLEN, her Maid of Honour; afterwards Queen. AN OLD LADY, Friend to Anne Bullen. SIR ANTHONY DENNY.-SIR NICHOLAS VAUX. PATIENCE, Woman to Queen Katharine. SECRETARIES to Wolsey. |