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Hath caus'd his death: the which if wrongfully,
Let heaven revenge; for I may never lift
An angry arm against his minifter.

DUCH. Where then, alas! may I complain my-
felf? +

GAUNT. To heaven, the widow's champion and
defence.

DUCH. Why then, I will. Farewell, old Gaunt.*
Thou go'ft to Coventry, there to behold

Our coufin Hereford and fell Mowbray fight:
O, fit my husband's wrongs on Hereford's fpear,
That it may enter butcher Mowbray's breaft!
Or, if misfortune mifs the first career,

Be Mowbray's fins fo heavy in his bofom,

That they may break his foaming courfer's back,

And throw the rider headlong in the lifts,

A caitiff recreant" to my coufin Hereford!

may I complain myself?] To complain is commonly a verb neuter, but it is here ufed as a verb active. Dryden employs

the word in the fame fenfe in his Fables:

"Gaufride, who couldft fo well in rhyme complain

"The death of Richard with an arrow flain."

Complain myself (as Mr. M. Mafon obferves) is a literal transla

tion of the French phrafe, me plaindre. STEEVENS.

5 Why then, I will. Farewell, old Gaunt.] The measure of this line being clearly defective, why may we not read?—

66

Or thus:

Why then I will. Now fare thee well, old Gaunt."

"Why then I will. Farewell old John of Gaunt."
There can be nothing ludicrous in a title by which the King has
already addreffed him. RITSON.

Sir T. Hanmer completes the measure, by repeating the word-
farewell, at the end of the line. STEEVENS.

6 A caitiff recreant-] Caitiff originally fignified a prisoner; next a flave, from the condition of prifoners; then a coundrel, from the qualities of a flave.

Ήμισυ τῆς ἀρξης αποκίνυται δέλιον ήμαρ.

In this paffage it partakes of all thefe fignifications. JOHNSON.

So in a very rearce book entitled A Courtlie controverse of pids Cantels. Translated from the French & by H. W. Hars, W.

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Maine ssuy complai

Farewell, old Gaunt; thy fometimes brother's wife, With her companion grief muft end her life.

GAUNT. Sifter, farewell: I must to Coventry: As much good stay with thee, as go with me! DUCH. Yet one word more ;-Grief boundeth where it falls,

Not with the empty hollowness, but weight:
I take my leave before I have begun;

For forrow ends not when it feemeth done.
Commend me to my brother, Edmund York.
Lo, this is all :-Nay, yet depart not fo;
Though this be all, do not fo quickly go';
I fhall remember more. Bid him-O, what?—
With all good speed at Plashy visit me.
Alack, and what shall good old York there fee,
But empty lodgings, and unfurnish'd walls,"
Unpeopled offices, untrodden ftones?

And what cheer there for welcome, but my groans?

This juft fentiment is in Homer; but the learned commentator quoting, I fuppofe from memory, has compreffed a couplet into a fingle line;

Ημισυ γαρ τ' αρετης αποαίνυται ευρύοπα Ζευς
Ανερος, ευτ' αν μιν κατα δούλιον ήμαρ έλησιν.

Ody. Lib. XVII. v. 322. HOLT WHITE. I do not believe that caitiff in our language ever fignified a prifoner. I take it to be derived, not from captif, but from chetif, Fr. poor, miferable. TYRWHITT.

6 unfurnish'd walls,] In our ancient caftles the naked ftone walls were only covered with tapestry, or arras, hung upon tenter hooks, from which it was eafily taken down on every removal of the family. See the preface to The Household Book of the Fifth Earl Northumberland, begun in 1512. STEEVENS.

of

7 And what cheer there, &c.] I had followed the reading of the folio, [hear] but now rather incline to that of the first quarto.And what cheer, there, &c. In the quarto of 1608, chear was changed to hear, and the editor of the folio followed the latter copy. MALONE.

Therefore commend me; let him not come there,
To feek out forrow that dwells every where: 8
Defolate, defolate, will I hence, and die;
The last leave of thee takes my weeping eye.

SCENE III.

Gosford-Green near Coventry.

[Exeunt.

Lifts fet out, and a throne. Heralds, &c. attending. Enter the Lord Marfhal," and AUMERLE."

MAR. My lord Aumerle, is Harry Hereford arm'd?

AUM. Yea, at all points; and longs to enter in. MAR. The duke of Norfolk, fprightfully and bold,

Stays but the fummons of the appellant's trumpet.

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To feek out forrow that dwells every where:] Perhaps the pointing might be reformed without injury to the fense:

9

let him not come there

To feek out forrow :

-that dwells every where.

WHALLEY. Lord Marfbal,] Shakspeare has here committed a flight mistake. The office of Lord Marshal was executed on this occafion by Thomas Holland, Duke of Surrey. Our author has inadvertently introduced that nobleman as a diftinct perfon from the Marshal, in the prefent drama.

Mowbray Duke of Norfolk was Earl Marshal of England; but being himself one of the combatants, the Duke of Surrey officiated as Earl Marshal for the day. MALONE.

2 Aumerle.] Edward Duke of Aumerle, fo created by his coufin german, King Richard II. in 1397. He was the eldest fon of Edward of Langley Duke of York, fifth fon of King Edward the Third, and was killed in 1415, at the battle of Agincourt. He officiated at the lifts of Coventry, as High Conftable of England.

MALONE,

AUM. Why then, the champions are prepar'd, and ftay

For nothing but his majesty's approach.

Flourish of trumpets. Enter King RICHARD, who takes his feat on his throne; GAUNT, and several noblemen, who take their places. A trumpet is founded, and anfwered by another trumpet within. Then enter NORFOLK in armour, preceded by a

Herald.

K. RICH. Marfhal, demand of yonder champion The cause of his arrival here in arms: Afk him his name; and orderly proceed To fwear him in the justice of his cause.

MAR. In God's name, and the king's, fay who thou art,

And why thou com'ft, thus knightly clad in arms: Against what man thou com'ft, and what thy quarrel :

Speak truly, on thy knighthood, and thy oath;
And fo' defend thee heaven, and thy valour!

NOR. My name is Thomas Mowbray, duke of
Norfolk ;

Who hither come engaged by my oath,

(Which, heaven defend, a knight should violate!) Both to defend my loyalty and truth,

And fo-] The old copies read-As fo.

Corrected by Mr. Rowe. MALONE.

STEEVENS.

4 Norfolk.] Mr. Edwards, in his MS. notes, obferves, from Holinfhed, that the Duke of Hereford, appellant, entered the lifts firft; and this, indeed must have been the regular method of the combat; for the natural order of things requires, that the accufer or challenger fhould be at the place of appointment first.

STEEVENS,

To God, my king, and my fucceeding iffue,"
Against the duke of Hereford that appeals me;
And, by the grace of God, and this mine arm,
To prove him, in defending of myself,
A traitor to my God, my king, and me:
And, as I truly fight, defend me heaven!

[He takes his feat.

Trumpet founds. Enter BOLINGBROKE, in armour; preceded by a Herald.

K. RICH. Marshal, afk yonder knight in arms," Both who he is, and why he cometh hither Thus plated in habiliments of war; And formally according to our law Depose him in the justice of his caufe.

-my fucceeding iffue,] His is the reading of the first folio; other editions read-my iffue. Mowbray's iffue, was by this accufation, in danger of an attainder, and therefore he might come, among other reafons, for their fake: but the reading of the folio is more juft and grammatical, JOHNSON.

The three oldeft quartos read my, which Mr. M. Mafon prefers, because, fays he, Mowbray fubjoins

"To prove him, in defending of myself,

"A traitor to my God, my king, and me,"

STEEVENS.

-and my fucceeding iffue,] Thus the first quarto. The folio reads his fucceeding iffue. The firft quarto copy of this play, in 1597, being in general much more correct than the folio, and the quartos of 1608, and 1615, from the latter of which the folio appears to have been printed, I have preferred the elder reading. MALONE.

6 Marfbal, afk yonder knight in arms,] Why not, as before? "Marshal, demand of yonder knight in arms,”

The player who varied the expreffion, was probably ignorant that he injured the metre. The infertion, however, of two little words would answer the fame purpose,

"Marfbal, go ask of yonder knight in arms," RITSON.

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