The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works
Page 322
And part in just proportion our small power.
Come, gentlemen:
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Let us consult upon tomorrow’s business;
Into my tent: the dew is raw and cold.
Richmond, Brandon, Oxford and Herbert withdraw into the tent. The others exeunt.
Enter KING RICHARD, RATCLIFFE, NORFOLK and CATESBY and attendant soldiers.
KING RICHARD What is’t o’clock?
CATESBY It’s supper time, my lord: it’s nine o’clock.
KING RICHARD
I will not sup tonight. Give me some ink and paper.
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What, is my beaver easier than it was,
And all my armour laid into my tent?
CATESBY It is, my liege, and all things are in readiness.
KING RICHARD Good Norfolk, hie thee to thy charge;
Use careful watch; choose trusty sentinels.
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NORFOLK I go, my lord.
KING RICHARD
Stir with the lark tomorrow, gentle Norfolk.
NORFOLK I warrant you, my lord. Exit.
KING RICHARD Catesby!
CATESBY My lord?
KING RICHARD Send out a pursuivant-at-arms
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To Stanley’s regiment. Bid him bring his power
Before sun-rising, lest his son George fall
Into the blind cave of eternal night. Exit Catesby.
Fill me a bowl of wine. Give me a watch.
Saddle white Surrey for the field tomorrow;
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Look that my staves be sound, and not too heavy.
Ratcliffe!
RATCLIFFE My lord?
KING RICHARD
Saw’st thou the melancholy Lord Northumberland?
RATCLIFFE Thomas the Earl of Surrey and himself,
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Much about cockshut time, from troop to troop
Went through the army cheering up the soldiers.
KING RICHARD
So, I am satisfied. Give me a bowl of wine.
I have not that alacrity of spirit
Nor cheer of mind that I was wont to have.
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Set it down. Is ink and paper ready?
RATCLIFFE It is, my lord.
KING RICHARD Bid my guard watch; leave me.
Ratcliffe, about the mid of night come to my tent
And help to arm me. Leave me, I say.
Exit Ratcliffe. Richard withdraws into his tent;
attendant soldiers guard it.
Enter STANLEY, EARL OF DERBY to Richmond in his tent.
STANLEY Fortune and Victory sit on thy helm!
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RICHMOND All comfort that the dark night can afford
Be to thy person, noble father-in-law.
Tell me, how fares our loving mother?
STANLEY I, by attorney, bless thee from thy mother,
Who prays continually for Richmond’s good.
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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 early in the morning,
And put thy fortune to the arbitrement
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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,
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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
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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.
RICHMOND Good lords, conduct him to his regiment.
I’ll strive, with troubled thoughts, to take a nap
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Lest leaden slumber peise me down tomorrow
When I should mount with wings of victory.
Once more, good night, kind lords and gentlemen.
Exeunt Stanley with Brandon, Oxford, Herbert.
[Kneels.] O Thou, whose captain I account myself,
Look on my forces with a gracious eye;
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Put in their hands Thy bruising irons of wrath
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 the victory.
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To Thee I do commend my watchful soul
Ere I let fall the windows of mine eyes:
Sleeping and waking, O defend me still!
[Rises, withdraws into his tent, lies down and sleeps.]
Enter the ghost of young PRINCE EDWARD, son of Harry the Sixth.
GHOST OF PRINCE EDWARD [to King Richard]
Let me sit heavy on thy soul tomorrow.
Think how thou stab’st me in my prime of youth
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At Tewkesbury; despair therefore, and die.
[to Richmond] Be cheerful, Richmond, for the wronged souls
Of butcher’d princes fight in thy behalf;
King Henry’s issue, Richmond, comforts thee. Exit.
Enter the ghost of HENRY THE SIXTH.
GHOST OF HENRY [to King Richard]
When I was mortal, my anointed body
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By thee was punched full of deadly holes.
Think on the Tower and me: despair and die;
Harry the Sixth bids thee despair and die!
[to Richmond] Virtuous and holy, be thou conqueror:
Harry, that prophesied thou shouldst be King,
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Doth comfort thee in thy sleep. Live and flourish!
Exit.
Enter the ghost of CLARENCE.
GHOST OF CLARENCE [to King Richard]
Let me sit heavy in thy soul tomorrow –
I, that was wash’d to death with fulsome wine,
Poor Clarence, by thy guile betray’d to death –
Tomorrow in the battle think on me,
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And fall thy edgeless sword; despair and die.
[to Richmond] Thou offspring of the House of Lancaster,
The wronged heirs of York do pray for thee.
Good angels guard thy battle; live and flourish.
Exit.
Enter the ghosts of RIVERS, GREY and VAUGHAN.
GHOST OF RIVERS [to King Richard]
Let me sit heavy in thy soul tomorrow,
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Rivers that died at Pomfret: despair and die.
GHOST OF GREY [to King Richard]
Think upon Grey, and let thy soul despair.
GHOST OF VAUGHAN [to King Richard]
Think upon Vaughan, and with guilty fear
Let fall thy lance; despair and die.
ALL [to Richmond]
Awake, and think our wrongs in Richard’s bosom
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Will conquer him: awake, and win the day. Exeunt.
Enter the ghost of HASTINGS.
GHOST OF HASTINGS [to King Richard]
Bloody and guilty, guiltily awake,
And in a bloody battle end thy days.
Think on Lord Hastings; despair and die.
[to Richmond] Quiet, untroubled soul, awake, awake:
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Arm, fight, and conquer for fair England’s sake.
Exit.
Enter the ghosts of the two young PRINCES.
GHOSTS OF PRINCES EDWARD AND YORK
[to King Richard]
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’ souls bid thee despair and die.
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[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.
Exeunt.
Enter the ghost of LADY ANNE, his wife.
GHOST OF ANNE [to King Richard]
Richard, thy wife, that wretched Anne, thy wife,
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That never slept a quiet hour with thee,
Now fills thy sleep with perturbations.
Tomorrow in the battle think on me,
And fall thy edgeless sword: despair and die.
[to Richmond] Thou quiet soul, sleep thou a quiet
sleep;
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Dream of success and happy victory.
Thy adversary’s wife doth pray for thee. Exit.
Enter the ghost of BUCKINGHAM.
GHOST OF BUCKINGHAM [to King Richard]
The first was I that help’d thee to the crown;
The last was I that felt thy tyranny.
O, in the battle think of Buckingham,
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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 dismay’d.
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God and good angels fight on Richmond’s side;
And Richard fall in height of all his pride. Exit.
[Richard starteth up out of a dream.]
KING RICHARD
Give me another horse! Bind up my wounds!
Have mercy, Jesu! – Soft, I did but dream.
O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me!
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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 and I.
Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, I am!
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Then fly. What, from myself? Great reason why,
Lest I revenge? What, 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
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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,
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And every tale condemns me for a villain:
Perjury, perjury, in the highest degree;
Murder, stern murder, in the direst degree;
All several sins, all us’d in each degree,
Throng to the bar, crying all, ‘Guilty, guilty!’
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I shall despair. There is no creature loves me,
And if I die, no soul will pity me –
And wherefore should they, since that I myself
Find in myself no pity to myself?
Methought the souls of all that I had murder’d
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Came to my tent, and every one did threat
Tomorrow’s vengeance on the head of Richard.
Enter RATCLIFFE.
RATCLIFFE My lord!
KING RICHARD Zounds! Who is there?
RATCLIFFE
Ratcliffe, my lord; ’tis I. The early village cock
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Hath twice done salutation to the morn;
Your friends are up and buckle on their armour.
KING RICHARD
O Ratcliffe, I have dream’d a fearful dream!
What thinkest thou – will our friends prove all true?
RATCLIFFE No doubt, my lord.
KING RICHARD O Ratcliffe, I fear, I fear!
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RATCLIFFE
Nay, good my lord, be not afraid of shadows.
KING RICHARD By the Apostle Paul, shadows tonight
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.
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’Tis not yet near day; come, go with me:
Under our tents I’ll play the eavesdropper
To see if any mean to shrink from me.
Exeunt Richard and Ratcliffe.