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.

’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

Enter the lords to Henry Earl of Richmond, sitting in his tent

⌈LORDS⌉ Good morrow, Richmond.

HENRY EARL OF RICHMOND

Cry mercy, lords and watchful gentlemen,

That you have ta’en a tardy sluggard here.

⌈A LORD⌉How have you slept, my lord?

HENRY EARL OF RICHMOND

The sweetest sleep and fairest boding dreams

That ever entered in a drowsy head

Have I since your departure had, my lords.

Methought their souls whose bodies Richard murdered

Came to my tent and cried on victory.

I promise you, my soul is very jocund

In the remembrance of so fair a dream.

How far into the morning is it, lords?

A LORD Upon the stroke of four.

HENRY EARL OF RICHMOND

Why then, ’tis time to arm, and give direction.

His oration to his soldiers

Much that I could say, loving countrymen,

The leisure and enforcement of the time

Forbids to dwell on. Yet remember this:

God and our good cause fight upon our side.

The prayers of holy saints and wrongèd souls,

Like high-reared bulwarks, stand before our forces.

Richard except, those whom we fight against

Had rather have us win than him they follow.

For what is he they follow? Truly, friends,

A bloody tyrant and a homicide;

One raised in blood, and one in blood established;

One that made means to come by what he hath,

And slaughtered 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,

You sleep in peace, the tyrant being slain.

If you do fight against your country’s foes,

Your country’s foison pays your pains the hire.

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 quites it in your age.

Then, in the name of God and all these rights,

Advance your standards! Draw your willing swords!

For me, the ransom of this bold attempt

Shall be my cold corpse on the earth’s cold face;

But if I thrive, to gain of my attempt,

The least of you shall share his part thereof.

Sound, drums and trumpets, bold and cheerfully!

God and Saint George! Richmond and victory!

Exeunt to the sound of drums and trumpets⌉

5.6 Enter King Richard, Sir Richard Ratcliffe, Sir William Catesby, and others

KING RICHARD

What said Northumberland, as touching Richmond?

RATCLIFFE

That he was never trained up in arms.

KING RICHARD

He said the truth. And what said Surrey then?

RATCLIFFE

He smiled and said, ‘The better for our purpose.’

KING RICHARD

He was in the right, and so indeed it is.

Clock strikes

Tell the clock there. Give me a calendar.

Who saw the sun today?

A book is brought⌉

RATCLIFFE

Not I, my lord.

KING RICHARD

Then he disdains to shine, for by the book

He should have braved the east an hour ago.

A black day will it be to somebody.

Ratcliffe.

RATCLIFFE

My lord?

KING RICHARD The sun will not be seen today.

The sky doth frown and lour upon our army.

I would these dewy tears were from the ground.

Not shine today—why, what is that to me

More than to Richmond? For the selfsame heaven

That frowns on me looks sadly upon him.

Enter the Duke of Norfolk

NORFOLK

Arm, arm, my lord! The foe vaunts in the field.

KING RICHARD

Come, bustle, bustle! Caparison my horse.

⌈Richard arms⌉

Exit one

Call up Lord Stanley, bid him bring his power.

I will lead forth my soldiers to the plain,

And thus my battle shall be orderèd.

My forward shall be drawn out all in length,

Consisting equally of horse add foot,

Our archers placèd strongly in the midst.

John Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Earl of Surrey,

Shall have the leading of this multitude.

They thus directed, we ourself will follow

In the main battle, whose puissance on both sides

Shall be well wingèd with our chiefest horse.

This, and Saint George to boot! What think’st thou, Norfolk?

NORFOLK

A good direction, warlike sovereign.

He showeth him a paper

This paper found I on my tent this morning.

(He reads)

‘Jackie of Norfolk be not too bold,

For Dickon thy master is bought and sold.’

KING RICHARD

A thing devisèd by the enemy.—

Go, gentlemen, each 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.

Our strong arms be our conscience; swords, our law.