Which hath been fmooth as oyl, foft as young down, And that fame Greatnefs too, which our own hands North. My good lord, K. Henry. Worcester, get thee gone; for I do fee Danger and difobedience in thine eye. O Sir, your prefence is too bold and peremptory; 3 The moody frontlet of a fervant brow. Your ufe and counfel, we fhall fend for you. You were about to speak. North. Yes, my good lord. When we need [Exit Worcefter. [To Northumberland. Those prisoners, in your Highness' name demanded, Or Envy therefore, or Mifprifion, Is guilty of this fault, and not my fon. Hot. My Liege, I did deny no prifoners; our Oxford Editor, as it frequently does, he in a lofs for the meaning, fubititutes in for than, Mighty and to be fear'd in my condition. So that by condition, in this reading, must be meant ftation, office. But it cannot be predicated of ftation and office, that it is smooth as oyl, foft as young down which fhews that condition must needs be licentioufly ufed for difpofition, as we faid before. 3. The moody FRONTIER -] This is nonfenfe. We fhould read FRONTLET, i. e. forehead. • Fresh Fresh as a bridegroom, and his chin, new-reap'd, Shew'd like a ftubble land at harveft-home. He was perfumed like a milliner; • And 'twixt his finger and his thumb, he held 4A pouncet-box, which ever and anon He gave his nofe:' [s and took't away again; He call'd them untaught knaves, unmannerly, "He question'd me: amongft the reft, demanded 6 My prifoners, in your Majesty's behalf. "I, then all fmarting with my wounds; being gal'd To be fo pefter'd with a popinjay, • Out of my Grief, and my impatience, ‹ Answer'd, neglectingly, I know not what ; He fhould, or should not; for he made me mad, To fee him fhine fo brisk, and smell fo fweet, And talk fo like a waiting-gentlewoman, [mark!) 'Of guns, and drums, and wounds; (God fave the And telling me, the fovereign'ft thing on earth 4 A pouncet-box,] A fmall box for musk or other perfumes then in fafhion: The lid of which being cut with open work gave it its name; from poinfoner, to prick, pierce, or engrave. and took't away again, &c.] This stupidity between the hooks is the Players'. 5 6 I, then all fmarting with my wounds being COLD, (To be fo pefter'd with a popinjay)] But in the beginning of the Speech he reprefents himself at this time not as cold but hot, and inflamed with rage and labour, "When I was dry with rage and extreme toil, &c. I am perfuaded therefore that Shakespear wrote and pointed it thus, "I then all fmarting with my wounds; being GAL'D • Was ; · Was Parmacity, for an inward bruise Betwixt my love and your high Majefty. Blunt. The circumftance confider'd, good my lord, Whatever Harry Percy then had faid, To fuch a perfon, and, in fuch a place, To do him wrong, or any way impeach. K. Henry. Why, yet he doth deny his prisoners, But with provifo and exception, 7 I anfwer'd indirectly,-] indirectly for negligently. 8-let not THIS report] We fhould read HIS. 9 To do him wrong, or any way impeach What then he faid, so he unfay it now.] Let us confider the whole paffage, which, according to the prefent reading, bears this literal fenfe. "Whatever Percy then faid may reasonably "die and never rife to impeach what he then faid, fo he unfay "it now." This is the exact sense, or rather nonsense, which the paffage makes in the prefent reading. It fhould therefore, without question, be thus printed and emended, To do him wrong, or any way impeach. What then he faid, SEE, he UNSAYS it now. i.e." Whatever Percy then faid may reasonably die, and never "rife to do him wrong or any ways impeach him. For fee, my Liege, what he then faid, he now unfays." And the King's answer is pertinent to the words, as fo emended.-why, yet he doth deny his prifoners, but with provifo, &c. implying, you are mistaken in saying, fee he now unfays it." But the answer is utterly impertinent to what preceeds in the common reading. 46 66 That That we at our own charge fhall ransom straight Hot. Revolted Mortimer? He never did fall off, my fovereign Liege, coft 2 But by the chance of war; to prove That true, Needs no more but one tongue, for all thofe wounds, Those mouthed wounds, which valiantly he took, When on the gentle Severn's fedgie bank, In fingle oppofition, hand to hand, I and indent with fears.] The reafon why he fays, bargain and article with fears, meaning with Mortimer, is, becaufe he fuppofed Mortimer had wilfully betrayed his own forces to Glendower out of fear, as appears from his next Speech. No need therefore to change fears to foes, as the Oxford Editor has done. 2 But BY the chance of war ;—] A poor apology for a foldier, and a man of honour, that he fell off, and revolted by the chance of war. The Poet certainly wrote, But 'BIDES the chance of war. i. e. he never did revolt, but abides the chance of war, as a prifoner. And if he ftill endured the rigours of imprisonment, that was a plain proof he was not revolted to the Enemy. Hot-fpur fays the fame thing afterwards, -fuffer'd his kinsman March Here again the Oxford Editor makes this correction his own, at the fmall expence of changing 'bides to bore. He He did confound the best part of an hour Upon agreement, of fwift Severn's flood; Colour her working with fuch deadly wounds; Then let him not be flander'd with Revolt. [him; K. Henry. Thou dost belie him, Percy, thou belieft He never did encounter with Glendower; He durft as well have met the Devil alone, As Owen Glendower for an enemy. Art not asham'd? but, firrah, from this hour Let me not hear you speak of Mortimer. Send me your prisoners with the speedieft means, As will displease you My Lord Northumberland, Send us your prifoners, or you'll hear of it. [Exit K. Henry. Hot. And if the Devil come and roar for them, I will not fend them. I will after strait, [a while; and pause 3-but, firrah, from this hour] The Oxford Editor is a deal more courtly than his old plain Elizabeth author. He changes firrab therefore to fir: And punctilios of this kind he very carefully discharges throughout his edition: which it may be enough once for all juft to have taken notice of. VOL. IV. I Enter |