Richard III William Shakespeare (good english books to read .txt) š
- Author: William Shakespeare
Book online Ā«Richard III William Shakespeare (good english books to read .txt) šĀ». Author William Shakespeare
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
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,
And every tale condemns me for a villain.
Perjury, perjury, in the highāst degree;
Murder, stern murder, in the direst degree;
All several sins, all used 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 murderād
Came to my tent; and every one did threat
To-morrowās vengeance on the head of Richard. Enter Ratcliff. Ratcliff My lord! King Richard āZounds! who is there? Ratcliff
Ratcliff, my lord; ātis I. The early village-cock
Hath twice done salutation to the morn;
Your friends are up, and buckle on their armour.
O Ratcliff, I have dreamād a fearful dream!
What thinkest thou, will our friends prove all true?
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 Iāll play the eaves-dropper,
To see if any mean to shrink from me. Exeunt.
Cry mercy, lords and watchful gentlemen,
That you have taāen a tardy sluggard here.
The sweetest sleep, and fairest-boding dreams
That ever enterād in a drowsy head,
Have I since your departure had, my lords.
Methought their souls, whose bodies Richard murderād,
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?
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,
Like high-rearād 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 raised in blood, and one in blood establishād;
One that made means to come by what he hath,
And slaughterād those that were the means to help him;
A base foul stone, made precious by the foil
Of Englandās chair, where he is falsely set;
One that hath ever been Godās enemy:
Then, if you fight against Godās 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 countryās foes,
Your countryās fat shall pay 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 childrenās 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 ransom of my bold attempt
Shall be this cold corpse on the earthās cold face;
But if I thrive, the gain of my attempt
The least of you shall share his part thereof.
Sound drums and trumpets boldly and cheerfully;
God and Saint George! Richmond and victory! Exeunt.
He was in the right; and so indeed it is. Clock striketh.
Ten the clock there. Give me a calendar.
Who saw the sun to-day?
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.
Ratcliff!
The sun will not be seen to-day;
The sky doth frown and lour upon our army.
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.
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 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 thinkāst thou, Norfolk?
A good direction, warlike sovereign.
This found I on my tent this morning. He sheweth him a paper.
Reads. āJockey of Norfolk, be not too bold,
For Dickon thy master is bought and sold.ā
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:
Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our law.
March on, join bravely, let us toāt pell-mell;
If not to heaven, then hand in hand to hell.
What shall I say more than I have inferrād?
Remember whom you are to cope withal;
A sort of vagabonds,
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