Submission to Heaven, our Duty. (7) In common worldly things 'tis callid ungrateful With dull unwillingness to pay a debt, Which with a bounteous hand was kindly lent; Much more to be thus opposite to heav'n ; For it requires the royal debt it lent you.

ACT III. SCENE V.

The Vanity of Trust in Man.
(8) O momentary grace of mortal men,
Which we inore hunt for than the grace of God!
Who builds his hope in air of your fair looks,
Lives like a drunken sailor on a mast,
Ready with every nod to tumble down
Into the fatal bowels of the deep.

Scene VIII. Contemplation.
When holy and devout religious mer
Are at their beads, 'tis hard to draw them thence,
So sweet is zealous contemplation.

Description of the Murder of the two young Princes

in the Tower. The tyrannous and bloody act. is done : The inost arch deed of piteous massacre,

That

(7) In, &c.] This is spoken by the marquis of Dorset to the queen, when bewailing the loss of her husband Edward IV.

(8) 0, &c.] This possibly might have from the following lines in the 118th psalm.

That ever yet this land was guilty of!
Dighton and Forreft, whom I did suborn
To do this piece of ruthless butchery.
Albeit they were flesht villains, bloody dogs,
Melting with tenderness and mild compassion,
Wept like two children in their death's fad story.
O thus (quoth Digbton) lay the gentle babes;
Thus, thus, (quoth Forreft,) girdling one another
Within their innocent alabaster arms;
Their lips were four red roses on a stalk,
And in their summer beauty kiss'd each other.'
A book of prayers on their pillow lay,
Which once, (quoth Forrest) almost chang'd my

mind :
But, oh! the devil--there the villain stopt:
When Dighton thus told on-we smothered
The most replenished sweet work of nature,
That from the prime creation e'er she framed-
Hence both are gone with conscience and remorse:
They could not speak, and so I left them both,
To bear these tidings to the bloody king.

Expedition. (9) Come, I have learn'd, that fearful commenting, Is leaden furvitor to dull delay : Delay leads impotent and snail-pac'd beggary. Then fiery expedition be my wing, Jove's mercury, and herald for a king.

SCENE

It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put any confidence in

man.

It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put any confidence in princes, &c. See too the 20th psalm.

(9) Come, &c.] The favourite apophthegm of Alex ander was Mnder arobaihop.evos : nothing is to be delay'd ; and Cadry his great rival, in Lucan's Pharsalia says,

Tolle moras, semper nocuit differre paraii.
Hence dull delays, they harm the cause in hand.
VOL. III.

м

Scene IV. Queen Margaret's Exprobation.

I call’d thee then poor shadow, painted queen, One heard on high, to be hurl'd down below: A mother only mock'd with two fair babes ; A dream of what thou wast; a garish flag, To be the aim of ev'ry dangerous shot ; A sign of dignity, a breath, a bubble; A queen in jest, only to fill the scene. Where is thy husband now, where be thy brothers? Where be thy children? wherein dost thou joy? Who sues and kneels, and says, God save the queen? Where be the bending peers that flatter'd thee? Where be the thronging troops that follow'd thee? Decline all this, and see what now thou art. For happy wife, a most distressed widow; For joyful mother, one that wails the name; For one being fu'd to, one that humbly fues ; For queen, a very caitiff crown'd with care; For one that scorn'd at me, now scorn'd of me; For one being fear'd of all, (10) now fearing one; For one commanding all, obey'd of none. Thus hath the course of justice wheeld about, And left thee but a very prey to time; Having no more but thought of what thou wert, To torture thee the more, being what thou art.

SCENE V. His Mother's
His Mother's CharaEter

Character of King

Richard. Tetchy and wayward was thy infancy; Thy school days frightful, desp'rate, wild, and furious :

Thy (10) Now fearing one. ] It is very possible to understand and give sense to this, as it is now read; but I should apprehend the author wrote,

For one being fear'd of all, now fearing all: and this correction not only the next line, but the whole manner of the speech, as well as the superior clegance given to the pase fage, reen to confirm.

Thy prime of manhood, daring, bold and venturous ;
Thy age confirm’d, proud, subtle, fly and bloody.

True hope is swift, and flies with swallows wings; Kings it makes gods; and meaner creatures kings,

SCENE III. A fine Evening. The weary fun hath made a golden fet, And, by the bright tract of his fiery car, Gives signal of a goodly day to·morrow.

SCENE IV. Day-break.
The filent hours steal on,
And Aaky darkness breaks within the cast.

Richmond's Prayer.
O thou! whose captain I account myself,
Look on my forces with a gracious eye:
Put in their hands thy bruising irons of wrathi,
That they may crush down with a heavy fall
Th'usurping helmets of our adversaries!
Make us thy ministers of chastisement,
That we may praise thee in thy victory.
To thee I do commend my watchful soul,
Ere I let fall the windows of mine

eyes : Sleeping and waking, oh, defend me ftill!

Scene V. Richard Aarting out of his Dream,

Give me another horse--bind up my wounds. Have mercy, Jefu-Soft, I did but dream,

O coward

M 2

Ocoward conscience ! how dost thou afflict me?
The light burns blue-is it not dead mid-night?
Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh.
What do I fear myself?

SCENE VỊI. Conscience.

Conscience is but a word that cowards use, Devis’d at first to keep the strong in awe.

Richard before the Battle. A thousand hearts are great within

my

bofom,
Advance our standards, set upon our foes :
Our ancient word of courage, fair St. George,
Inspire us with the spleen

of fiery dragons, Upon them (11) victory fits on our helms!

SCENE VIII. Alarum. Enter King Richard.
K. Richard. A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a

horse!
Cutes. Withdraw, my lord, I'll help you to a horse.
K. Richard, Slave, I have set

my
life

upon a cast,
And I will stand the hazard of the dye ;
I think there be fix Richmonds in the field; ,
Five have I Nain to-day instead of him.
A horse ! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!

[Exeunt.

(11) Victory, &c.] The image here is fine and noble: Miltor defcribing Saian, speaks thus sublimely,

-His stature reach'd the skies, and on his crest,
Sate horror plum'd!
And in another place, he says,

-At his right hand victory
Sat eagle-wing'd

B. 6. 762.

General