The battle had been raging for some time. King Richard rode hither and
thither, cheering his men and fighting his foes. His enemy, Henry, who
wished to be king, was pressing him hard.
Far away, at the other side of the field, King Richard saw his men
falling back. Without his help they would soon be beaten. So he spurred
his horse to ride to their aid.
He was hardly halfway across the stony field when one of the horse's
shoes flew off. The horse was lamed on a rock. Then another shoe came
off. The horse stumbled, and his rider was thrown heavily to the
ground.
Before the king could rise, his frightened horse, although lame, had
galloped away. The king looked, and saw that his soldiers were beaten,
and that the battle was everywhere going against him.
[Illustration]
He waved his sword in the air. He shouted, "A horse! A horse! My
kingdom for a horse." But there was no horse for him. His soldiers
were intent on saving themselves. They could not give him any help.
The battle was lost. King Richard was lost. Henry became king of
England.
"For the want of a nail the shoe was lost;
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost;
For the want of a horse the battle was lost;
For the failure of battle the kingdom was lost;--
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail."
Richard the Third was one of England's worst kings. Henry, the Duke
of Richmond, made war upon him and defeated him in a great battle.