The Ghosts of the two young Princes rise. Tower; Ghosts. Dream on thy cousins smothered in the [TO RICHARD. 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.Sleep, Richmond, sleep in peace, and wake in joy; [To RICHMOND. 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. 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 : And fall thy edgeless sword; despair, and die!— Dream of success and happy victory; [To RICHMOND. Thy adversary's wife doth pray for thee. The Ghost of Buckingham rises. Ghost. 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, [To RICHARD. Dream on, dream on, of bloody deeds and death; [TO RICHMOND. [The Ghosts vanish. KING RICHARD starts out of his dream. 1 Buckingham's hope of aiding Richmond induced him to take up arms. K. Rich. Give me another horse,-bind up my wounds,― Have mercy, Jesu!-Soft; I did but dream.- Is there a murderer here? No;—Yes; I am. I love myself. Wherefore? For any good I am a villain; yet I lie, I am not. Fool, of thyself speak well:-Fool, do not flatter. Nay, wherefore should they? since that I myself Methought the souls of all that I had murdered Rat. My lord, Enter RATCLIFF. 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 armor. K. Rich. O, Ratcliff, I have dreamed a fearful dream!1 1 This and the two following lines are omitted in the folio. What thinkest thou? will our friends prove all true? Ratcliff, I fear, I fear,- [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 entered in a drowsy head, Have I since your departure had, my lords. Methought their souls, whose bodies Richard murdered, I promise you, my heart is very jocund Richm. Why, then 'tis time to arm, and give direction.- [He advances to the troops. More than I have said, loving countrymen, Forbids to dwell on. Yet, remember this,— A bloody tyrant, and a homicide; One raised in blood, and one in blood established; him; A base, foul stone, made precious by the foil If Your wives shall welcome home the conquerors; 3 Shall be this cold corpse on the earth's cold face; [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. 1 England's chair is the throne. The allusion is to the practice of setting gems of little worth, with a bright-colored foil under them. 2 Requite. 3 i. e. the fine paid by me in atonement for my rashness. K. Rich. He was i'the right; and so, indeed, it is. [Clock strikes. Tell the clock there.-Give me a calendar.- Rat. Not I, my lord. K. Rich. Then he disdains to shine; for, by the book, He should have braved the east an hour ago: A black day will it be to somebody. Ratcliff, Rat. My lord? K. Rich. The sun will not be seen to-day; The sky doth frown and lower 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 :- My foreward shall be drawn out all in length, Our archers shall be placed in the midst : In the main battle; whose puissance on either side Norfolk ? Nor. A good direction, warlike sovereign.This found I on my tent this morning. [Giving a scroll. 1 Baret's definition of brave, is "to look aloft and go gayly, desiring to have the preeminence.” |