Vaugh. Think upon Vaughan; and, with guilty fear, Let fall thy lance! Despair, and die!

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[To K. RICH.

All. Awake! and think, our wrongs in Richard's

bosom

Will conquer him;-awake, and win the day!

[TO RICHM.

Enter the Ghost of Lord HASTINGS.

Ghost. Bloody and guilty, guiltily awake;

[To K. RICH.

And in a bloody battle end thy days!

Think on lord Hastings; and despair, and die !-
Quiet untroubled soul, awake, awake!

[To RICHM.

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

Enter the Ghosts of the two young Princes.

Ghosts. Dream on thy cousins smother'd in the

Tower;

Let us be lead within thy bosom, Richard,

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[To K. RICH. 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 [To RICHM.

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.

Enter the Ghost of Lady ANNE.

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 battle think on me,

[To K. RICH.

And fall thy edgeless sword; Despair, and die !—
Thou, quiet soul, sleep thou a quiet sleep;

Dream of success and happy victory;

Thy adversary's wife doth pray for thee.

220

[To RICHM.

Enter the Ghost of BUCKINGHAM.

Ghost. The first was I, that help'd 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!

[To K. RICH.

Dream on, dream on, of bloody deeds and death;
Fainting, despair; despairing, yield thy breath!-
I dy'd for hope, ere I could lend thee aid :

231

[To RICHM.

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

[The Ghosts vanish. K. 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.—Is it not dead midnight ?
Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh.
What do I fear? myself? there's none else by: 240
Richard loves Richard; that is, I am I.

Is there a murd'rer here? No;-Yes; I am:
Then 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 not flatter.
My conscience hath a thousand several tongues, 251
And every tongue brings in a several tale,
And every tale condemns me for a villain.
Perjury, perjury, in the highest 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 shall pity me;-
Nay, wherefore should they? since that I myself
Find in myself no pity to myself.

Methought, the souls of all that I had murder'd
Came to my tent; and every one did threat
To-morrow's vengeance on the head of Richard.

261

Enter

Rat. My lord

Enter RATCLIFF.

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 dream'd a fearful

dream!

270

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 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 hear, if any mean to shrink from me.

280

[Exeunt K. 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 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 cry'd—On! victory!
I promise you, my heart 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.

290

Richm. Why, then 'tis time to arm, and give direc

tion.

[He advances to the Troops.

More than I have said, loving countrymen,

The leisure and enforcement of the time

Forbids to dwell upon: Yet remember this
God, and our good cause, fight upon our side;
The prayers of holy saints, and wronged souls, 300
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 rais'd in blood, and one in blood establish'd;
One that made means to come by what he hath,
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 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,

310

You