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Ghost of V. [To Richard] Think upon Vaughan, and, with guilty fear,

Let fall thy lance-despair, and die!

All. [To Richmond] Awake, and think
wrongs in Richard's bosom

Will conquer him! awake, and win the day!

The Ghost of HASTINGS rises.

our

Ghost of H. [To Richard] Bloody and guilty, guiltily awake,

And in a bloody battle end thy days!

Think on Lord Hastings: so-despair, and die ![To Richmond] Quiet untroubled soul, awake, awake!

Arm, fight, and conquer, for fair England's sake!

The Ghosts of the two young Princes rise. Ghosts of the two P. [To Richard] Dream on thy cousins smothered in the Tower:

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 :-
[To Richmond] Sleep, Richmond, sleep in peace,
and wake 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 flourish.

The Ghost of Queen ANNE rises.

Ghost of Q. A. [To Richard] 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! [To Richmond] Thou quiet soul, sleep thou a quiet sleep;

Dream of success and happy victory!

Thy adversary's wife doth pray for thee.

The Ghost of BUCKINGHAM rises.

Ghost of B. [To Richard] 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,
And die in terror of thy guiltiness!

Dream on, dream on, of bloody deeds and death : Fainting, despair; despairing, yield thy breath![To Richmond] I died for hope ere I could lend

thee aid:

But cheer thy heart, and be thou not dismayed: God and good angels fight on Richmond's side; And Richard falls in height of all his pride.

The Ghosts vanish.

King RICHARD starts out of his dream.

K. Rich. Give me another horse,-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 myself upon myself.

Alack, 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 used 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?

Re-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 dreamed a fearful

dream!

What thinkest thou,-will our friends prove all

true?

Rat. No doubt, my lord.

K. Rich. O Ratcliff, I fear, I fear,Methought the souls of all that I had murdered Came to my tent, and every one did threat To-morrow's vengeance on the head of Richard.

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 see if any mean to shrink from me.

[Exeunt

Enter the Lords to RICHMOND, sitting in his tent. 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,

Came to my tent, and cried on victory:
I promise you, my soul 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 on : yet remember this,-
God and our good cause fight upon our side;
The prayers of holy saints and wrongéd souls,
Like high-reared 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 raised in blood, and one in blood established;
One that made means to come by what he hath,
And slaughtered those that were the means to help
him;

A base foul stone, made precious by the foil
Of England's chair, 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,
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, 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?

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