“Sir John Oldcastle, the good Lord Cobham,” was tinguished as a Wickliffite martyr, and his name wa high reverence by the Protestants in Shakespeare's ti the purpose of the change in question probably was his memory from the profanations of the stage. T seems hinted in the forecited passage from the Epilog further approved by what Fuller says in his Church "Stage-poets have themselves been very bold with, a very merry at, the memory of Sir John Oldcastle, w have fancied a boon companion, a jovial royster, and to boot. The best is, Sir John Falstaff hath relieved ory of Sir John Oldcastle, and is substituted buffo place." T Another motive for the change may have been the distinguish Shakespeare's play from The Famous V Henry the Fifth; a play which had been on the stage so and wherein Sir John Oldcastle was among the nan Dramatis Persona, as were also Ned and Gadshill. telling with any certainty when or by whom The Fam ries was written. It is known to have been on the early as 1588, because one of the parts was acted by Ta celebrated comedian, who died that year. And Na Pierce Penniless, 1592, thus alludes to it: "What thing it is to have Henry the Fifth represented on leading the French King prisoner, and forcing him and phin to swear fealty." It was also entered at the Sta 1594; and a play called Harry the Fifth, probably was performed in 1595; and not less than three edi were printed. All which tells strongly for its success larity. The action of the play extends over the whol cupied by Shakespeare's King Henry the Fourth and A parts, or of poetry in the tragic; the verse being such only eye; Sir John Oldcastle being a dull, low-minded profliuninformed with the slightest felicity of thought or humour; ince, an irredeemable compound of ruffian, blackguard, and rite. the folio, the text of the First Part does not differ greatly that of the quartos; and the quarto text is regarded by as the better of the two. In the Second Part the folio text _ch the better, some of the finest passages having first aped in that edition. And there are many smaller differences; , too, of such a nature as to infer that the folio must have printed from an independent manuscript, and that the play been revised by the author. these two plays, as in others of the same class, the Poet's ority was Holinshed, whose Chronicles, first published in ', were then the favourite book in English history. And the s, notwithstanding their wealth of ideal matter, are rightly ed historical, because the history everywhere guides, and in a d measure forms, the plot; whereas Macbeth, for instance, ugh having much of historical matter, is rightly called a gedy, as the history merely subserves the plot. King Henry IV., surnamed Bolingbroke from the place of his h, came to the throne in 1399, having first deposed his cousin, hard II., whose death he was thought to have procured shortly er. The chief agents in this usurpation were the Percys, own as Northumberland, Worcester, and Hotspur. The eal heir, next after Richard, was Edmund Mortimer, Earl of urch, a lad then about seven years old, whom the King held in -ort of honourable custody. Early in his reign, one of the King's partisans in Wales went wronging Owen Glendower, a chief of that country, who had en trained up in the English Court. Glendower petitioned - redress and was insultingly denied: whereupon he took the Windsor, to have been Glendower's prisoner. After tivity of Mortimer, the King led three armies in s against Glendower, and was as often baffled by the W At length the elements made war on the King; his fo storm-stricken, blown to pieces by tempests; which br eral belief that Glendower could "command the De "call spirits from the vasty deep." The King finally and withdrew; but still consoled himself that he yield the arms, but to the magic arts of his antagonist. In the beginning of his reign the King led an army land, and summoned the Scottish King to appear beford do homage for his crown; but, finding that the Sc neither submit nor fight, and being pressed by famine over the undertaking and retired. Some while after, E las, at the head of ten thousand men, burst into Eng advanced as far as Newcastle, spreading terror and hav him. On their return, they were met by the Percys don, where, after a fierce and bloody battle, the Scot terly routed; Douglas himself being captured, as many other Scottish noblemen, and among them th Fife, a prince of the blood royal. The most distinguis English leaders in this affair was Henry Percy, surna spur; a man of the most daring and impetuous spirit armed at the age of twelve years, after which time, it spur was never cold. Of the other events, suffice it to say, that they are same in history as in the drama. The battle of Hon fought September 14, 1402; which marks the beginn play. The battle of Shrewsbury, which closes the took place July 21, 1403; Prince Henry being then o years old. The King died March 19, 1413; so tha Officers, Sheriff, Vintner, Chamberlain, Drawers, Carriers, Travel lers, and Attendants. SCENE.- England. ACT I. SCENE I. London. A Room in the Palace. ter King HENRY, WESTMORELAND, Sir WALTER BLUNT, and others. King. So shaken as we are, so wan with care, nd we a time for frighted peace to pant, d breathe short winded accents of new broils Nor bruise her flowerets with the armèd hoofs Shall now, in mutual well-beseeming ranks, 1 It scarce need be said that here the image is of Peace so s out of breath with domestic strife, that she can but make a brief pant forth short and broken speech of new wars to be undertaker lands. This play is distinctly continuous with King Richard close of which we have Bolingbroke avowing it as his purpose to the death of Richard by leading out another Crusade: I'll make a voyage to the Holy Land, To wash this blood off from my guilty hand. And in fact he was hardly more than seated on the throne before to be so harassed with acts of rebellion and threats of invasion, t ceived the plan of drowning the public sense of his usurpation in siasm of foreign war and conquest. 2 Of course entrance here means mouth; for what but a mo have lips? So in Genesis, iv. 11: "And now art thou curse earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's bloo hand." 3 Meteor was used in a much more general sense than we at word. See vol. x. page 64, note 19. It might include the Auror which sometimes has the appearance of hostile armies engaged So in Paradise Lost, ii. 533-8: As when, to warn proud cities, war appears To battle in the clouds, before each van Prick forth the aëry knights, and couch their spears, |