The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Part 451

KING RICHARD. A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!

CATESBY. Withdraw, my lord! I'll help you to a horse.

KING RICHARD. Slave, I have set my life upon a cast And I Will stand the hazard of the die.

I think there be six Richmonds in the field; Five have I slain to-day instead of him.

A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse! Exeunt

SCENE 5.

Another part of the field

Alarum. Enter RICHARD and RICHMOND; they fight; RICHARD is slain.

Retreat and flourish. Enter RICHMOND, DERBY bearing the crown, with other LORDS

RICHMOND. G.o.d and your arms be prais'd, victorious friends; The day is ours, the b.l.o.o.d.y dog is dead.

DERBY. Courageous Richmond, well hast thou acquit thee!

Lo, here, this long-usurped royalty From the dead temples of this b.l.o.o.d.y wretch Have I pluck'd off, to grace thy brows withal.

Wear it, enjoy it, and make much of it.

RICHMOND. Great G.o.d of heaven, say Amen to all!

But, teLL me is young George Stanley living.

DERBY. He is, my lord, and safe in Leicester town, Whither, if it please you, we may now withdraw us.

RICHMOND. What men of name are slain on either side?

DERBY. John Duke of Norfolk, Walter Lord Ferrers, Sir Robert Brakenbury, and Sir William Brandon.

RICHMOND. Inter their bodies as becomes their births.

Proclaim a pardon to the soldiers fled That in submission will return to us.

And then, as we have ta'en the sacrament, We will unite the white rose and the red.

Smile heaven upon this fair conjunction, That long have frown'd upon their emnity!

What traitor hears me, and says not Amen?

England hath long been mad, and scarr'd herself; The brother blindly shed the brother's blood, The father rashly slaughter'd his own son, The son, compell'd, been butcher to the sire; All this divided York and Lancaster, Divided in their dire division, O, now let Richmond and Elizabeth, The true succeeders of each royal house, By G.o.d's fair ordinance conjoin together!

And let their heirs, G.o.d, if thy will be so, Enrich the time to come with smooth-fac'd peace, With smiling plenty, and fair prosperous days!

Abate the edge of traitors, gracious Lord, That would reduce these b.l.o.o.d.y days again And make poor England weep in streams of blood!

Let them not live to taste this land's increase That would with treason wound this fair land's peace!

Now civil wounds are stopp'd, peace lives again- That she may long live here, G.o.d say Amen! Exeunt

THE END

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1595

THE TRAGEDY OF ROMEO AND JULIET

by William Shakespeare

Dramatis Personae

Chorus.

Escalus, Prince of Verona.

Paris, a young Count, kinsman to the Prince.

Montague, heads of two houses at variance with each other.

Capulet, heads of two houses at variance with each other.

An old Man, of the Capulet family.

Romeo, son to Montague.

Tybalt, nephew to Lady Capulet.

Mercutio, kinsman to the Prince and friend to Romeo.

Benvolio, nephew to Montague, and friend to Romeo Tybalt, nephew to Lady Capulet.

Friar Laurence, Franciscan.

Friar John, Franciscan.

Balthasar, servant to Romeo.

Abram, servant to Montague.

Sampson, servant to Capulet.

Gregory, servant to Capulet.

Peter, servant to Juliet's nurse.

An Apothecary.

Three Musicians.

An Officer.

Lady Montague, wife to Montague.

Lady Capulet, wife to Capulet.

Juliet, daughter to Capulet.

Nurse to Juliet.

Citizens of Verona; Gentlemen and Gentlewomen of both houses; Maskers, Torchbearers, Pages, Guards, Watchmen, Servants, and Attendants.

SCENE.--Verona; Mantua.

THE PROLOGUE

Enter Chorus.

Chor. Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; Whose misadventur'd piteous overthrows Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.

The fearful pa.s.sage of their death-mark'd love, And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children's end, naught could remove, Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage; The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

[Exit.]