- Richmond (Henry VII). Why, then 'tis time to arm and give direction.
[His oration to his soldiers]
More than I have said, loving countrymen,
The leisure and enforcement of the time 3745
Forbids to dwell upon: yet remember this,
God and our good cause fight upon our side;
The prayers of holy saints and wronged souls,
Like high-rear'd bulwarks, stand before our faces;
Richard except, those whom we fight against 3750
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 establish'd;
One that made means to come by what he hath, 3755
And slaughter'd those that were the means to help him;
Abase 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, 3760
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; 3765
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, 3770
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. 3775
Sound drums and trumpets boldly and cheerfully;
God and Saint George! Richmond and victory!
[Exeunt]
[Re-enter KING RICHARD, RATCLIFF, Attendants]
and Forces] 3780
- Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). What said Northumberland as touching Richmond?
- Sir Richard Ratcliff. That he was never trained up in arms.
- Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). He said the truth: and what said Surrey then?
- Sir Richard Ratcliff. He smiled and said 'The better for our purpose.'
- Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). He was in the right; and so indeed it is. 3785
[Clock striketh]
Ten the clock there. Give me a calendar.
Who saw the sun to-day?
- Sir Richard Ratcliff. Not I, my lord.
- Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). Then he disdains to shine; for by the book 3790
He should have braved the east an hour ago
A black day will it be to somebody. Ratcliff!
- Sir Richard Ratcliff. My lord?
- Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). The sun will not be seen to-day;
The sky doth frown and lour upon our army. 3795
I would these dewy tears were from the ground.
Not shine to-day! Why, what is that to me
More than to Richmond? for the selfsame heaven
That frowns on me looks sadly upon him.
- Duke of Norfolk. Arm, arm, my lord; the foe vaunts in the field.
- Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). 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: 3805
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. 3810
They thus directed, we 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?
- Duke of Norfolk. A good direction, warlike sovereign. 3815
This found I on my tent this morning.
- Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). [Reads]
'Jockey of Norfolk, be not too bold,
For Dickon thy master is bought and sold.' 3820
A thing devised by the enemy.
Go, gentleman, every man unto his charge
Let not our babbling dreams affright our souls:
Conscience is but a word that cowards use,
Devised at first to keep the strong in awe: 3825
Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our law.
March on, join bravely, let us to't pell-mell
If not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell.
[His oration to his Army]
What shall I say more than I have inferr'd? 3830
Remember whom you are to cope withal;
A sort of vagabonds, rascals, and runaways,
A scum of Bretons, and base lackey peasants,
Whom their o'er-cloyed country vomits forth
To desperate ventures and assured destruction. 3835
You sleeping safe, they bring to you unrest;
You having lands, and blest with beauteous wives,
They would restrain the one, distain the other.
And who doth lead them but a paltry fellow,
Long kept in Bretagne at our mother's cost? 3840
A milk-sop, one that never in his life
Felt so much cold as over shoes in snow?
Let's whip these stragglers o'er the seas again;
Lash hence these overweening rags of France,
These famish'd beggars, weary of their lives; 3845
Who, but for dreaming on this fond exploit,
For want of means, poor rats, had hang'd themselves:
If we be conquer'd, let men conquer us,
And not these bastard Bretons; whom our fathers
Have in their own land beaten, bobb'd, and thump'd, 3850
And in record, left them the heirs of shame.
Shall these enjoy our lands? lie with our wives?
Ravish our daughters?
[Drum afar off]
Hark! I hear their drum. 3855
Fight, gentlemen of England! fight, bold yoemen!
Draw, archers, draw your arrows to the head!
Spur your proud horses hard, and ride in blood;
Amaze the welkin with your broken staves!
[Enter a Messenger] 3860
What says Lord Stanley? will he bring his power?
- Messenger. My lord, he doth deny to come.
- Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). Off with his son George's head!
- Duke of Norfolk. My lord, the enemy is past the marsh
After the battle let George Stanley die. 3865
- Richard III (Duke of Gloucester). A thousand hearts are great within my bosom:
Advance our standards, set upon our foes
Our ancient word of courage, fair Saint George,
Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons!
Upon them! victory sits on our helms. 3870