EXPEDITION. Come, I have learnd, that fearful commenting, Is leaden servitor to dull delay; : Delay leads impotent and fnail pac'd beggary. Then fiery expedition be my wing, Jove's mercury, and herald for a king.

Scene IV. Queen Margaret's Exprobation.

I call'd thee then poor Shadow, painted queen, One heav'd on high, to be hurl'd down below: A mother only mock'd with two fair babes ; A dream of what thou wast; a garish flag, To be the aim of ev'ry dang'rous shot ; A sign of dignity, a breath, a bubble ; A queen in jeft, only to fill the scene. Where is thy husband now, where be thy brothers ? Where be thy children ? wherein doft thou joy? Who sues and kneels, and says, God save the queen? Where be the bending peers, that flatter'd thee? Where be the thronging troops, that follow'd thee ? Decline all this, and see what now thou art. For happy wife, a moft distress’d widow ; For joyful mother, one that wails the name ; For one being su'd to, one that humbly sues ; For queen, a very caitiff crown'd with care ; For one that scorn'd at me, now scorn'd of me; Por one being fear'd of all, (8) now fearing one ;

For

Come, &c.] The favourite apopthegm of Alexandir was Mndev araba a operos: nothing is to be delay'd; and Cæjar, his great rival, in Lucan's Pbarfa ia fays,

Tolle moras, semper nocuit differe parati.

Hence dull delays, they harm the cause in hand. (8) Now fearing one.] It is very possible to understand and

For one commanding all, obey'd of none.
Thus hath the course of justice wheel'd about,
And left thee but a very prey to time;
Having no more but thought of what thou wert,
To torture thee the more, being what thou art.
SCENE V. His Mother's Character of King

Richard.
Tetchy and wäyward was thy infancy';
Thy school days frightful, defp'rate, wild and furious;
Thy prime of manhood, daring, bold and venturous;
Thy age confirm'd, proud, subtle, fly and bloody.

ACT V. SCENE II.

HOPE.

True hope is swift, and lies with swallows wings; Kings it makes gods; and meaner creatures kings.

SCENE III. A fine Evening.

The weary sun hath made a golden fet, And, by the bright tract of his fiery car, Gives signal of a goodly day tomorrow.

SCENE IV. Day-break.

The filent hours steal on,
And flaky darkness breaks within the east,

give sense to this; as it is now read; but I should apprehend the author wrote,

For one being fear’d of all, now fearing all : and this correction not only the next line, but the whole manner of the speech, as well as the superior elegance given to the para sage, lem to confirm.

Richir ond's

K 2

Richmond's Prayer.
O thou! whose captain I account myself,
Look on my forces with a gracious eye:
Put in their hands thy bruising irons of wrath,
That they may crush down with a heavy fall
Th' usurping helmets of our adversaries !
Make us thy ministers of chastisement,
That we may praise thee in thy victory.
To thee I do commend my watchful soul,
Erę I let fall the windows of mine eyes :
Sleeping and waking, oh, defend me still !
Scene V. Richard starting out of his Dream.
Give me another horse -bind

up my wounds.
Have mercy, Jesu Soft, I did but dream.
O coward conscience !-how doft thou afflict me ?
The light burns blue-is it not dead mid-night?
Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling fleth.
What? do I fear my'elf ?

Scene VII. CONSCIENCE,
Conscience is but a word that cowards use,
Levis'd at firit to keep the strong in awe.

Richard before the Battle.
A thousand hearts are great within

my bofom,
Advance our standards set upon our foes ;
Our ancient word of courage, fair St. George,
Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons,
Upon them ! (9) victory fits on our helms !

(9) Viftory, &c.] The image here is fine and noble : Milton describing Satan, speaks thus sublimely,

His ftature reach'd the skies, and on his cres,
Sat horror plum'd !
And in another place, he says,

At his right hand victory
Sat eagle-winged. B. 6. v. 762,

SCENE

Scene VIJI. Alarum. Enter King Richard.
K. Richard. A horse ! a horse! my kingdom for a

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

horse. K. Richard. Slave, I have set my life upon a caft, And I will stand the hazard of the dye ; I think there be fix Richmond's in the field; Five have I sain to day instead of him. A horse! a horse ! my kingdom for a horfe !

[Exeunt

LOVE
OVE is a smoke rais'd with the fume of figha,
Being purg'd, a fire sparkling in lovers ayes,

Being vex'd, a sea nourish'd with lovers tears i
What is it elle a madness most discreet,
A choaking gall, and a preserving sweet 1

L

B

Scene V. On Dreams,

then I see queen mab hath been with you.
She is the (1) fancy's midwife, and the comes
In shape no bigger than an agat-Stone
On the fore-finger of an alderman,
Drawn with a team of little atomies,
Athwart mens noses as they lie asleep :
Her waggon-spokes made of long spinners legs :
The cover, of the wings of grashoppers ;
The traces, of the fmallest spider's web;

(1) Fancy's, &c.] This has been read Fairies, but Mr. Ware burron alter'd it, to Fancy : the lines following.

si Which are the children of an idle brain

Begot of nothing but vain phantasy, evidently prove the truth of the Reading. Befide, as she is the queen of the Fairies, it would rather be beneath her dignity !o be their midwife too. The word pape is used in the nexe lipe, very liçentioudy far farm, jize, or magnitude

Tho