Enter a Messenger. * But what art thou, whose heavy looks foretel 'Some dreadful story hanging on thy tongue? MESS. Ah, one that was a woful looker on, When as the noble duke of York was flain, * Your princely father, and my loving lord. EDW. O, speak no more!9 for I have heard too much.' RICH. Say how he died, for I will hear it all. • O, Speak no more!] The generous tenderness of Edward, and savage fortitude of Richard, are well diftinguished by their different reception of their father's death. JOHNSON. I -for I have heard too much.] So the folio. The quartos thus: - for I can hear no more. "Rich. Tell on thy tale," &C. STEEVENS. * Environed he was with many foes;] Thus, in the old play : "O, one that was a woeful looker on, "When as the noble duke of York was flain.- " " Dipt in the bloud of sweete young Ratland, by Rough Clifford flaine; who weeping tooke it up : Then through his breft they thrust their bloudie swords, "Who like a lambe fell at the butcher's feate. "Then on the gates of Yorke they set his head, " And there it doth remaine the piteous spectacle "That ere mine eyes beheld." MALONE. And stood against them as the hope of Troy 3 Against the Greeks, that would have enter'd Troy. But Hercules himself must yield to odds; And many strokes, though with a little axe, * Hew down and fell the hardest-timber'd oak. 'By many hands your father was subdu'd; 'But only flaughter'd by the ireful arm 'Of unrelenting Clifford, and the queen : 'Who crown'd the gracious duke in high despite; 'Laugh'd in his face; and, when with grief he wept, 'The ruthless queen gave him, to dry his cheeks, ' A napkin steeped in the harmless blood 'Of sweet young Rutland, by rough Clifford flain: 'And, after many scorns, many foul taunts, They took his head, and on the gates of York 'They set the same; and there it doth remain, 'The faddest spectacle that e'er I view'd. EDW. Sweet duke of York, our prop to learn upon; Now thou art gone, we have no staff, no stay !* O Clifford, boist'rous Clifford, thou hast slain * The flower of Europe for his chivalry; * And treacherously haft thou vanquish'd him, * For, hand to hand, he would have vanquish'd thee! Now my foul's palace is become a prison : Ah, would she break from hence! that this my body 'Might in the ground be closed up in reft: 'For never henceforth shall I joy again, 'Never, O never, shall I see more joy. RICH. I cannot weep; for all my body's moisture 3-the hope of Troy-] Hector. MALONE. Scarce serves to quench my furnace-burning heart: * Nor can my tongue unload my heart's great bur den; * For self-fame wind, that I should speak withal, * Is kindling coals, that fire all my breast, * And burn me up with flames, that tears would quench. * To weep, is to make less the depth of grief:5 * Tears, then, for babes; blows, and revenge, for me! 'Richard, I bear thy name, I'll venge thy death, 'Or die renowned by attempting it. EDW. His name that valiant duke hath left with thee; 'His dukedom and his chair with me is left.6 R.CH. Nay, if thou be that princely eagle's bird, Show thy defcent by gazing 'gainst the fun :7 " * And burn me up with flames, &c.] So, in King John: France, I am burn'd up with confuming wrath," &c. STEEVENS. $ To weep, &c.] Here, in the original play, instead of these two lines, we have " I cannot joy, till this white rose be dy'd MALONE. • His dukedom and his chair with me is left.] So the folio. The quarto thus : "His chair, and dukedom, that remains for me." STEEVENS. Show thy descent by gazing'gainst the fun :) So, in Spenser's Hymn of Heavenly Beauty : "like the native brood of eagle's kind, Again, in Solyman and Perfeda : "As air-bred eagles, if they once perceive " They straitway seize upon him with their talons, 1 For chair and dukedom, throne and kingdom say; Either that is thine, or else thou wert not his. March. Enter WARWICK and MONTAGUE, with Forces.8 WAR. How now, fair lords? What fare? what news abroad? 'RICH. Great lord of Warwick, if we should re count Our baleful news, and, at each word's deliverance, EDW. O Warwick! Warwick! that Plantagenet, "That on the earth it may untimely die, STEEVENS. * Enter Warwick &c.] This meeting was at Chipping-Norton. W. Wyrcester, p. 488. RITSON. 9 Is by the stern lord Clifford done to death.] Done to death for killed, was a common expreffion long before Shakspeare's time. Thus Chaucer : "And seide, that if ye done us both to dien." GRAY. Spenser mentions a plague "which many did to dye." JOHNSON. Faire mourir, a French phrase. So, in The Battle of Alcazar, "We understand that he was done to death." 1594: Again, ibid: Again, in Orlando Furioso, 1599: " - done to death with many a mortal wound." "I am the man that did the flave to death." STEEVENS. WAR. Ten days ago I drown'd these news in tears: And now, to add more measure to your woes, queen, Bearing the king in my behalf along: * And very well &c.] This necessary line I have restored from the old quartos. STEEVENS. 2 - to his captives - So the folio. The old play readscaptaines. MALONE. 3 - like the night-owl's lazy flight,] This image is not very congruous to the subject, nor was it neceffary to the comparifon, which is happily enough completed by the thrasher. JOHNSON. |