The Dramatic Works of William Shakspeare

K. Rich. I am satisfied. Give me a bowl of By thee was punched full of deadly holes: wine: Think on the Tower and me; Despair, and die;

I have not that alacrity of spirit,

Nor heer of mind that I was wont to have.-
So, set it down.-Is ink and paper ready?
Rat. It is, my lord.

K. Rich. Bid my guard watch; leave me.
About the mid of night, come to my tent
And help to arm me.-Leave me, I say.
[King RICHARD retires

into his Tent. Exeunt RATCLIFF and CATES BY.

Harry the sixth bids thee despair and die.Virtuous and holy, be thou conqueror ! [To RICHMOND Harry, that prophesy'd thou should'st be king, Doth comfort thee in thy sleep: Live and flourish

The GHOST of CLARENCE rises.

Ghost. Let me sit heavy on thy soul to[To King RICHARD. with fulsome

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 !
Tell me, how fares our loving mother?

Stan. I, by attorney, bless thee from thy mother,

Who prays continually for Richmond's good;
So much for that.--The silent hours steal on,
And flaky darkness breaks within the east.
In brief, for so the season bids us be,
Prepare thy battle ear in the morning;
And put thy fortune to the arbitrement
Of bloody strokes, and mortal-staring war.
I, as I may, (that which I would, I cannot,)
With best advantage will deceive the time,
And aid thee in this doubtful shock of arms
But on thy side I may not be too forward,
Lest, being seen, thy brother, tender George,
Be executed in his father's sight:
Farewell: The leisure and the fearful time
Cuts off the ceremonious vows of love,
And ample interchange of sweet discourse,
Which so long sunder'd friends should dwell
upon;

God give us leisure for these rites of love!
Once more, adieu-Be valiant, and speed
well !

Richm. Good lords, conduct him to his regi

ment;

I'll strive with troubled thoughts, to take a

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!Be cheerful, Richmond; for the wronged soul's [To RICHMOND.

Of butcher'd princes fight in thy behalf: King Henry's issue, Richmond, comforts thee. The GHOST of King HENRY the sixth rises. Ghost. When I was mortal, my anointed body [To King RICHARD.

wine,

death

Poor Clarence, by thy guile betray'd to death! To-morrow in the battle think on me,

And fall thy edgeless sword; Despair and

die!

Thou offspring of the house of Lancaster, [To RICHMOND. The wronged heirs of York do pray for thee; Good angels guard thy battle! Live, and flourish!

The GHOSTS of RIVERS, GREY, and VAUGHAN, rise.

Riv. Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow, [To King RICHARD. Rivers, that died at Pomfret! Despair, and

die ?

Grey. Think upon Grey, and let thy soul despair! [To King RICHARD. Vaugh. Think apon Vaughan; and, with guilty

fear,

Let fall thy lance! Despair, and die!—

(To King RICHARD. All. Awake! and think, our wrongs in Rich

Will

ard's bosom [To RICHMOND. conquer him; - awake, and day!

win

the

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; aud despair and Quiet untroubled soul, awake, awake! [To RICHMOND. Aim, fight, and conquer, for fair England's sake!

die I

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, And weigh thee down to ruin, shame, and death!

Thy nephews' couls bid thee despair, and die. 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. 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 hattle 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 I, that help'd thee to the crown; [To King RICHARD.

The last was I that felt thy tyranny;
Oh in the battle think on Buckingham,
And die in terror of thy guiltiness!
Dream on, dream on, of bloody deeds and
death;

Fainting, despair; desparing, yield thy breath !—
i died for hope, ere I could lend thee aid:
[To RICHMOND.
But cheer thy heart, and be thou not dismay'd:
God and good angels tight 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.--
0 coward conscience, how dost thou afflict

me!

The lights burn blue.-It is now dead night.

mid

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 :
Theu fly, What, from myself? Great reason:
Why ?

Lest I revenge, What? Myself on myself?
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

flatter.

not

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 us'd 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 will pity me:

Richm. 'Cry mercy, lords, and watchful gen-
tlemen,

That you have ta'en a tardy sluggard here.
Lords. How have you slept, my lord?
Richm. The sweetest sleep, and fairest-bodiu ;
dreams,

That ever enter'd in a drowsy head,
Have I since your departure had, my lords.
Methought, their souls, whose bodies Richard
murder'd,

Came to my tent, and cried-On! victory!
In the remembrance of so fair a dream.
I promise you, my heart is very jocuud
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 bave said, loving countrymen,
The leisure and enforcement of the time
Forbids to dwell on.
God, aud
Yet remember this,-
our good cause, fight upon our
side;

The prayers of holy saints, aud wronged souls,
Like high-rear'd 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 reis'd in blood, and one in blood esta-
blish'd;

One that made mcans to

hath,

come by what be

And slaughter'd those that were the means to
help him:

A base foul stone, made precious by the foil
Of England's chair, where he is falsciy se!;
One that hath ever been God's enemy:
Then, if you fight against God's enemy,
God will, in justice, ward you as his sol-
diers ;

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;

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.
Methought, the souls of all that I had mur-
der'd

Came to my tent and every one did threat
To-morrow's vengeance on the head of Richard.

Enter RATCLIFF.

Rat. My lord,——

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 ar-

mour.

K. Rich. O Ratcliff, I have dream'd a fearful

dream!

What thinkest thou? will our friends prove all true?

Rat. No doubt, my lord.

K. Rich. Ratcliff, I fear, I fear,

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 sol-

diers,

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 hear, if any mean to shrink from me.
[Exeunt King RICHARD, and RATCLIFF.
RICHMOND wakes. Enter OXFORD and
others.

Lords. Good morrow, Richmond.

querors; 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 rausom of my bold attempt
Shall be this cold corpse on the earth's cold
face;

But, if I thrive, the gain of my attempt
Sound, drums and trumpets, boldly and cheer-
The least of you shall share his part thereof.
God and Saint George! Richmond and victory!
fully:
[Exeunt.

Re-enter King RICHARD, RATCLIFF, atten-
dants, and Forces.

K. Rich. What said Northumberland, as touch-
ing Richmond?

Rat. That he was never trained up in armis.
K. Rich. He said the truth: And what said
Surrey then?

Rat. He smil'd, and said the
purpose.

K. Rich. He was i'the right;

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 :-
I will lead forth my soldiers to the plain,
And thus my battle shall be ordered.

My foreward shall be drawn out all in length,
Consisting equally of horse and foot;
Our archers shall be placed in the midst:
John duke of Norfolk, Thomas earl of Surrey,
Shall have the leading of this foot and horse.
They thus directed, we ourself will follow
In the main battle; whose puissance on either
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 1 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 man unto his charge:
Let not our babbling dreams affright our
souls;

Conscience is but a word that cowards use,
Devis'd at first to keep the strong in awe;
Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our

law.

March on, join bravely, let us to't pell-inell ;
If not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell.-

What shall I say more thau I have inferr'd ?
Remember whom you are to cope withal ;-
A sort of vagabonds, rascals, and run-aways,
A scum of Bretagnes, and base lackey pea-
sants,

Whom their o'er-cloyed country von its forth
To desperate ventures and assur'd destruction.
You sleeping safe, they bring you to unrest;
You having lands, and bless'd with beauteous

cast,

And I will stand the hazard of the die :

think there be six Richmonds in the field; Five have 1 slain to day, instead of bim :A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse; [Exeunt.

Alarums. Enter King RICHARD and RICHMOND; and exeunt jighting. 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.
Stan. Courageous Richmond, well hast thou
acquit thee !

Lo, here, this long-usurped royalty,
From the dead temples of this bloody wretch
Have I pluck'd off, to grace thy brows withal;
Wear it, enjoy it, and make much of it.
Richm. Great God of heaven, say, Amen, to
ali :-

But tell me first, is young George Stanley liv ing ?

Stan. He is, my lord, and safe in Leicester

town;

Whither, if it please you, we may now withdraw us.

Rich:n. What men of name are slain on either side?

Stan. Johu duke of Norfolk, Walter lord Ferrers,

Sir Robert Brakenbury, and Sir William Bran don.

Richm. Inter their bodies as becomes their

births.

Proclaia a pardon to the soldiers fied, That in submission will return to us;

• Fright the skies with 'he shivers of your lances.

And then, as we have ta'en the sacrament,
We will unite the white rose with the red :-
Smile heaven upon this fair conjunction,
That long hath frown'd upon their enmity!—
What traitor hears me, and says not,-Amen?
England hath long been mad, and scarr'd her-
self;

The brother blindly shed the brother's blood,
The father rashly slaughter'd his own son,
The sou, compell'd, been butcher to the sire;
All this divided York and Lancaster,
Divided, in their dire division.-
Oh! now let Richmond and Elizabeth,
The true euccecders of each royal house,
By God's fair ordinance conjoin together

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 reign, (1521) and terminating with the baptism of Elizabeth, 1533. It bas always been an easy medium for the display of pageantry and splendour; cousequently 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, scarce. 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 riority 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 revers of fortune: the assimilation of human greatness 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 Dector," may be easily conceived, and easily written." Perhaps Shakspeare found it otherwise.

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

KING HENRY THE EIGHTH.
DOCTOR BUTTS, Physician to the King
CARDINAL WOLSEY.-CARDINAL CAMPEIUS.GARTER, King at Arms.
CAPUCIUS, Ambassador from the Emperor,
Charles V.

CRANMER, Archbishop of Canterbury.
DUKE OF NORFOLK.-DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM.
DUKE OF SUFFOLK.-EARL OF SURREY.
LORD CHAMBERLAIN.-LORD CHANCELLOR.
GARDINER, Bishop of Winchester.

BISHOP OF LINCOLN.-LORD ABERGAVENNY.
LORD SANDS.

SIR HENRY GUILDFORD.-SIR THOMAS
VELL.

SURVEYOR to the Duke of Buckingham.
BRANDON, and a Sergeant at Arris.
DOOR-KEEPER of the Council-Chamber.
PORTER, and his Man.

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.

CROMWELL, Servant to Wolsey.

GRIFFITH, Gentleman-Usher to Queen Ka

tharine.

THREE OTHER GENTLEMEN.

Several Lords and Ladies in the Dumb Shows,
Women attending upon the Queen; Spirits
which appear to her; Scribes, Officers,
Guards, and other Attendants.

SCENE-chiefly in London and Westminster; once, at Kimbolton.

PROLOGUE.

Will be deceiv'd: for, gentle hearers, know,
To rank our chosen truth with such a show

I COME PO more to make you laugh; things As foot and fight is, beside forfeiting

now,

That bear a weighty and a serious brow,
Sad, high, and working, full of state and woe,
Such noble scenes as draw the eye to flow,
We now present. Those that can pity, here
May, if they think it well, let fall a tear;
The subject will deserve it. Such, as give
Their money out of hope they may believe,
May here find truth too. Those, that come to

see

Only a show or two, and so agree,

The play may pass; if they be still, and willing,
I'll undertake, may see away their shilling
Richly in two short hours. Only they,
That come to hear a merry, bawdy play,
A noise of targets; or to see a fellow
In a long motley coat, guarded with yellow,

• Laced.

Our own brains, and the opinion that we

bring,

(To make that only true we now intend, *}
Will leave us never an understanding friend
Therefore, for goodness' sake, jano as you are

known

The first and happiest hearers of the town,
Be sad, as we would make ye: Think, ye

see

The very persons of our noble story,
As they were living; think, you see them great,
And follow'd with the general throng, aud
sweat,

Of thousand friends; then, in a moment see
How soon this mightiness meets misery!
And, if you can be merry then, I'll say,
A man may weep upon his wedding day.

• Pretend,

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