.xprefs'd me none but fuch toafts and butter, with C-385 hearts in their bellies no bigger than pins' heads,

and they have bought out their fervices; and now my whole charge confifts of ancients, corporals, lieutenants, gentlemen of companies, flaves as ragged as Lazarus in the painted cloth, where the glutton's dogs licked his fores: and fuch as, indeed, were never foldiers; but discarded unjuft fervingmen, younger fons to younger brothers,' revolted tapfters, and oftlers trade-fallen; the cankers of a calm world, and a long peace; ten times more dishonourable ragged than an old faced ancient:"

2

-fuch toafts and butter,] This term of contempt is used in Beaumont and Fletcher's Wit without Money:

66

They love young toafts and butter, Bow-bell fuckers."

STEEVENS.

"Londiners, and all within the found of Bow-bell, are in reproch called cocknies, and eaters of buttered toftes." Moryfon's Itin. 1617. MALONE.

3 younger fons to younger brothers, &c.] Raleigh, in his Dif courfe on War, ufes this very expreffion for men of defperate fortune and wild adventure. Which borrowed it from the other, I know not, but I think the play was printed before the Discourse.

JOHNSON.

Perhaps Oliver Cromwell was indebted to this fpeech, for the farcafm which he threw out on the foldiers commanded by Hampden: "Your troops are most of them old decayed ferving men and tapfters," &c. STEEVENS.

4

Puritan:

cankers of a calm world, and a long peace;] So, in The hatch'd and nourished in the idle calmness of peace." Again, in Pierce Penniless his Supplication to the Devil, all the canker-wormes that breed on the ruft of peace.' STEEVENS.

1592:

3 ten times more dishonourable ragged than an old faced ancient: Shakfpeare ufes this word fo promifcuously to fignify an enfign or ftandard-bearer, and alfo the colours or standard borne, that I cannot be at a certainty for his allufion here. If the text be genuine, I think the meaning muft be, as difhonourably ragged as one that has been an enfign all his days; that has let age creep

and fuch have I, to fill up the rooms of them that have bought out their fervices that you would think,

upon him, and never had merit enough to gain preferment. Dr. Warburton, who understands it in the fecond conftruction, has fufpected the text, and given the following ingenious emendation: "How is an old-fac'd ancient or enfign, difhonourably ragged? on the contrary, nothing is efteemed more honourable than a ragged pair of colours. A very little alteration will reftore it to its original fenfe, which contains a touch of the strongest and most fine-turn'd fatire in the world: ten times more difhonourably ragged than an old feast ancient; i. e. the colours ufed by the citycompanies in their feafts and proceffions; for each company had one with its peculiar device, which was ufually displayed and borne about on fuch occafions. Now nothing could be more witty or farcaftical than this comparison: for as Falstaff's raggamuffins were reduced to their tatter'd condition through their riotous exceffes; fo this old feaft ancient became torn and fhatter'd, not in any manly exercife of arms, but amidft the revels of drunken bacchanals." THEOBALD.

Dr. Warburton's emendation is very acute and judicious; but I know not whether the licentioufnefs of our author's diction may not allow us to fuppofe that he meant to reprefent his foldiers, as more ragged, though lefs honourably ragged, than an old ancient. JOHNSON.

An old fac'd ancient, is an old standard mended with a different colour. It fhould not be written in one word, as old and fac'd are diftinct epithets. To face a gown is to trim it; an expreffion at prefent in ufe. In our author's time the facings of gowns were always of a colour different from the ftuff itself. So, in this play: "To face the garment of rebellion "With fome fine colour."

Again, in Ram-alley or Merry Tricks, 1611:

"Your tawny coats with greafy facings here." STEEVENS. So, in The Puritan, a comedy, 1607: "full of holes, like a fhot ancient." The modern editors, inftead of dishonourable read difhonourably; but the change is unneceflary, for our author trequently ufes adjectives adverbially. So again in this play:

"And fince this bufinefs fo fair is done."

Again, in K. Henry VIII: "He is equal ravenous as he is fubtle." Again, in Hamlet: "I am myself indifferent honeft." Again, in The Taming of the Shrew:

"Her only fault

"Is that he is intolerable curft."

See alfo Vol. VI. p. 318, n. 9.

MALONE.

KING HENRY IV.

6

553

that I had a hundred and fifty tatter'd prodigals,
lately come from fwine-keeping, from eating draff
and husks. A mad fellow met me on the way, and
told me, I had unloaded all the gibbets, and prefs'd
the dead bodies. No eye hath feen fuch fcare-
crows. I'll not march through Coventry with them,
that's flat:-Nay, and the villains march wide be-
twixt the legs, as if they had gyves on; for, in-
deed, I had the most of them out of prifon. There's
but a fhirt and a half' in all my company: and the
half-shirt is two napkins, tack'd together, and
thrown over the fhoulders like a herald's coat with-
out fleeves; and the fhirt, to say the truth, stolen
from my host at faint Alban's, or the red-nofe inn-
keeper of Daintry. But that's all one; they'll find
linen enough on every hedge.

Enter Prince HENRY and WESTMORELAND.

P. HEN. How now, blown Jack? how now, quilt? FAL. What, Hal? How now, mad wag? what a devil dost thou in Warwickshire?--My good lord of Westmoreland, I cry you mercy; I thought, your honour had already been at Shrewsbury.

WEST. 'Faith, fir John, 'tis more than time

that

I were there, and you too; but my powers are

Again:

They be yeomen of the wrethe, that be shackled in gyves.”

STEEVENS.

7 -There's but a fhirt and a half-] The old copies read—
There's not a shirt &c. Corrected by Mr. Rowe. In The Merchant of
Venice, printed by J. Roberts, 4to. 1600, but has taken the place of not:
Repent but you that you fhall lofe your friend." MALONE.

"

or curtins from the bed or a carpet from the table, some bed clothes or table hapkins or some other thing must needs packe away with them, Èpleasaunt dialogue betwese mercury, an English souldier comes nothing amisse if it will serve to by drinke. Sig. H 5

Reed.

—of Daintry.] i. e. Daventry. STEEVENS. propensity of soldiers in host c) This desposition

stolen from

my

march to purloin is noticed by

Barnaby

Travayle through the

"Fyrst by the way is they chaunce to tye all night.

where they

the good wyfe hath spedde well if shee funde hyr sheetes in

the morning, or of Hays this hoppe to fayle yet

a coverlet

there already: The king, I can tell you, looks for us all; we must away all night."

FAL. Tut, never fear me; I am as vigilant, as a cat to fteal cream.

P. HEN. I think, to steal cream indeed; for thy theft hath already made thee butter. But tell me, Jack; Whofe fellows are thefe that come after?

FAL. Mine, Hal, mine.

P. HEN. I did never see such pitiful rascals.

FAL. Tut, tut; good enough to tofs; food for powder, food for powder; they'll fill a pit, as well as better: tufh, man, mortal men, mortal men.

WEST. Ay, but, fir John, methinks, they are exceeding poor and bare; too beggarly.

FAL. 'Faith, for their poverty,-I know not where they had that and for their bareness,-I am fure, they never learn'd that of me.

P. HEN. No, I'll be fworn; unless you call three fingers on the ribs, bare. But, firrah, make hafte; Percy is already in the field.

FAL. What, is the king encamp'd?

WEST. He is, fir John; I fear, we fhail flay too long.

FAL. Well,

To the latter end of a fray, and the beginning of a

feaft,

Fits a dull fighter, and a keen gueft.

[Exeunt.

9 we must away all night.] Read,-we muft away all tonight. M. MASON.

Perhaps Weftmoreland means" we must travel all night."

STEEVENS.

8 -good enough to tofs;] That is, to tofs upon a pike.

So in King Henry VI.Q.III.

The soldiers should have to fold

JOHNSON.

me on

their piks

Before I would have granted the " Steevens.

SCENE III.

The Rebel Camp near Shrewsbury.

Enter HOTSPUR, WORCESTER, DOUGLAS, and VERNON.

Hor. Why fay you fo? looks he not for supply? VER. So do we.

Hor.

His is certain, ours is doubtful.

WOR. Good coufin, be advis'd; ftir not to-night.

VER. Do not, my lord.

DOUG.

You do not counsel well; You speak it out of fear, and cold heart.

VER. Do me no flander, Douglas: by my life, (And I dare well maintain it with my life,) If well-respected honour bid me on,

I hold as little counfel with weak fear,
As you, my lord, or any Scot that lives: 9-
Let it be feen to-morrow in the battle,
Which of us fears.

9 As you, my lord, or any Scot that lives:] The old copies,

that this day lives: STEEVENS.

We fhould omit the words, this day, which weaken the sense and destroy the measure. M. MASON.