EDWARD.

Clifford, repent in bootlefs Penitence.

WARWICK.

Clifford, devife Excufes for thy Faults.

CLARENCE.

While we devise fell tortures for thy Faults.

RICHARD.

Thou did❜ft love York, and I am Son to York.

EDWARD.

Thou pitied'ft Rutland, I will pity thee.

CLARENCE

Where's Captain Margaret to fence you now.

WARWICK.

They mock thee Clifford, fwear as thou waft

wont.

RICHARD..

What not an Oath, nay then the World goes hard,

When Clifford cannot spare his Friends an Oath..
I know by that he's dead; and by my Soul
If this right Hand would buy but two Hour's
Life,

That I in all difpight might rail at him,
This Hand fhould chop it off, and with the if-
Blood

fuing

Stifle the Villain, whofe unftanched thirst,

York and young Rutland could not fatisfy.

For

For many of the Murders which the Followers of each Party commit on thofe of the other in this Play, Shakespear had no Foundation in the Hiftory; but that of the young Earl of Rutland by Clifford, is copied with all its Circumftances from Holing bed. The Character of King Henry the Sixth, whofe unfortunate Reign makes the Subject of these three Plays, is drawn by Shakespear exactly conformable to that given him by the Hiftorians. As to the Manner of his Death, feveral different Opinions prevailed; but the Poet, by making the Duke of Gloucester murder him in the Tower, has followed that which was most probable and most generally believed

THE

THE

LIFE and DEATH

OF

King Richard the Third.

T

HIS Tragedy, tho' it is called the Life and Death of Richard the third, takes in, at most, but the last eight Years of his Time. The Scene opens with the Imprisonment of George Duke of Clarence in the Tower, which happened in the beginning of the Year 1477, and clofes with the Death of Richard at Bofworth Field; which Battle was fought on the 22d of August, in the Year 1485.

The hiftorical Facts are all taken from Holingfhed, and the Characters all closely copied from that Author; that of Richard the third

has

has been cenfured as monftrous, the Picture of a Fiend and not a Man; and too exquifitely wicked to be reprefented on the Stage. 'Tis certain however, that Shakespear has uot aggravated the Vices and Cruelty of this Prince; he paints him fuch as Hiftory has tranfmitted him to us; and if his Character fhocks us more in the Scene than the Story, 'tis because the Colours of the Poet are more lively, his Expreffion ftronger, and the Lights he fhews him in more diverfified; but the Subject in both is the fame. The qualities of his Mind and Perfon are thus fummed up by Holingfhed.

"As he was small and little of Stature, so was he of Body greatly deformed, the one Shoulder higher than the other, his Face was small, but his Countenance cruel, and fuch that the first Aspect a Man would judge it to smell and favour of Malice, Fraud and Deceit; when he ftood mufing, he would bite and chaw his nether Lip; as who faid, that his fierce Nature always chafed, stirred and was ever unquiet: befide, that the Dagger which he wore, he would (when he ftudied) with his Hand pluck up and down in the Sheath to the mid'st, never drawing it fullie out. He was of a ready, pregnant and quick Wit, wielie to feire, and apt to diffemble: He had a proud Mind, and an arrogant Stomach, the which accompanied him even to his Death, rather choofing to fuffer the fame by dint of Sword, than, being forfaken and left helpless of his unfaithful Ccmpanions, to preferve by eowardlie Flight, fuch a frail and uncertain Life, which by Malice, Sickne's