KING RICHARD THE THIRD

Act 5 Scene 2

(Enter Henry Earl of Richmond with a letter, the Earl of Oxford, Sir James Blunt, Sir Walter Herbert, and others, with drum and colours)
l1l	Henry Earl Of Richmond	 Fellows in arms, and my most loving friends,
l2l		Bruised underneath the yoke of tyranny,
l3l		Thus far into the bowels of the land
l4l		Have we marched on without impediment,
l5l		And here receive we from our father Stanley
l6l		Lines of fair comfort and encouragement.
l7l		The wretched, bloody, and usurping boar,
l8l		That spoils your summer fields and fruitful vines,
l9l		Swills your warm blood like wash, and makes his trough
l10l		In your inbowelled bosoms, this foul swine
l11l		Lies now even in the centry of this isle,
l12l		Near to the town of Leicester, as we learn.
l13l		From Tamworth thither is but one day’s march.
l14l		In God’s name, cheerly on, courageous friends,
l15l		To reap the harvest of perpetual peace
l16l		By this one bloody trial of sharp war.
l17l	Oxford	Every man’s conscience is a thousand swords
l18l		To fight against this guilty homicide.
l19l	Herbert	I doubt not but his friends will turn to us.
l20l	Blunt	He hath no friends but what are friends for fear,
l21l		Which in his dearest need will fly from him.
l22l	Henry Earl Of Richmond	All for our vantage. Then, in God’s name, march.
l23l		True hope is swift, and flies with swallows’ wings#
l24l		Kings it makes gods, and meaner creatures kings.
		(Exeunt marching)