I wonder much, being men of fuch great leading,"
That you foresee not what impediments
Drag back our expedition: Certain horfe
Of my cousin Vernon's are not yet come up:
Your uncle Worcester's horse came but to-day;
And now their pride and mettle is asleep,
Their courage with hard labour tame and dull,
That not a horfe is half the half himself.3

Hor. So are the horses of the enemy
In general, journey-bated, and brought low;
The better part of ours are full of reft.

WOR. The number of the king exceedeth ours:
For God's fake, coufin, ftay till all come in.

[The trumpets found a parley.

Enter Sir WALTER BLUNT.

BLUNT. I come with gracious offers from the king, If you vouchsafe me hearing, and respect.

Hor. Welcome, fir Walter Blunt; And 'would to God,

You were of our determination!

Some of us love you well: and even those fome
Envy your great defervings, and good name;
Because you are not of our quality,*
But stand against us like an enemy.

2-fuch great leading,] Such conduct, fuch experience in martial bufinefs. JOHNSON.

The old copies,

juch great leading as you are,

By the advice of Mr. Ritfon I have omitted the words—as you are, which only serve to destroy the metre. STEEVENS.

3

half himfelf.] Old copies-half of himself. STEEVENS. 4 of our quality,] Quality in our author's time was frequently used in the fenfe of fellowship or occupation. So, in The Tempeft: "Talk Ariel and all his quality." i. e. all those who were employed with Ariel in fimilar fervices or occupations; his

1

BLUNT. And God defend, but ftill I should stand so,
So long as, out of limit, and true rule,
You ftand against anointed majesty!

But, to my charge.-The king hath sent to know
The nature of your griefs; and whereupon
You conjure from the breaft of civil peace
Such bold hoftility, teaching his duteous land
Audacious cruelty: If that the king

Have any way your good deferts forgot,-
Which he confeffeth to be manifold,-

He bids you name your griefs; and, with all speed,
You shall have your defires, with intereft;
And pardon abfolute for yourself, and these,
Herein misled by your suggestion.

Hor. The king is kind; and, well we know, the
king

Knows at what time to promife, when to pay.
My father, and my uncle, and myself,

Did give him that fame royalty he wears:"

fellows. Again, in Hamlet: " -give me a taste of your quality." MALONE.

5 of your griefs;] That is, grievances. So, in A Declaration of the Treafons of the late Earle of Effex, &c. 1601: "The Lord Keeper required the Earle of Effex, that if he would not declare his griefs openly, yet that then he would impart them privately." MALONE.

My father, and my uncle, and myself,

Did give him that fame royalty he wears:] The Percies were in the higheft favour with King Henry the Fourth for fome time after his acceffion. Thomas Earl of Worcester was appointed Governour to the Prince of Wales, and was honoured with the cuftody of Ifabel, widow of King Richard the Second, when fhe was fent back to France after that king's depofition. Hotfpur, who accompanied him on that occafion, in the prefence of the Ambaffadors of both nations, who met between Calais and Boulogne, protefted upon his foul" that the was a virgin, "found and entire even as the was delivered to King Richard, and if any would fay to the contrary, he was ready to prove it against him by combat." Speed, p. 753. MALONE.

And,-when he was not fix and twenty ftrong,
Sick in the world's regard, wretched and low,
A poor unminded outlaw sneaking home,-
My father gave him welcome to the shore:
And,-when he heard him swear, and vow to God,
He came but to be duke of Lancaster,
To fue his livery," and beg his peace;
With tears of innocency, and terms of zeal,-
My father, in kind heart and pity mov'd,
Swore him affistance, and perform'd it too.
Now, when the lords and barons of the realm
Perceiv'd Northumberland did lean to him,
The more and lefs' came in with cap and knee;

6 To fue his livery,] This is a law phrafe belonging to the feudal tenures; meaning, to fue out the delivery or poffeffion of his lands from thofe perfons who on the death of any of the tenants of the crown, feized their lands, till the heir fued out his livery. STEEVENS.

Before the 32d year of King Henry the Eighth, wardships were ufually granted as court favours, to those who made fuit for, and had intereft enough to obtain them. RITSON.

During the exiftence of the feudal tenures, on the death of any of the King's tenants, an inqueft of office, called inquifitio post mortem, was held, to inquire of what lands he died feized, who was his heir, of what age he was, &c. and in thofe cafes where the heir was a minor, he became the ward of the crown; the land was feized by its officers, and continued in its poffeffion, or that of the perfon to whom the crown granted it, till the heir came of age, and fued out his livery, or oufterlemaine, that is, the delivery of the land out of his guardian's hands. To regulate thefe inquiries, which were greatly abufed, many perfons being compelled to fue out livery from the crown, who were by no means tenants thereunto, the Court of Wards and Liveries was erected by Stat. 32 Hen. VIII. c. 46. See Blackstone's Comm. II. 61. III. 258.

* The more and lefs-] i. e. the greater and the less.

MALONE.

STEEVENS.

Steevens has given the words, the more and lefs, the only explanation they can bear; but I have little doubt that we ought to read

They, more and lefs, came in &c. M. MASON.

Met him in boroughs, cities, villages;
Attended him on bridges, ftood in lanes,

Laid gifts before him, proffer'd him their oaths,
Gave him their heirs; as pages follow'd him,
Even at the heels, in golden multitudes.
He presently, as greatness knows itself,-
Steps me a little higher than his vow

Made to my father, while his blood was poor,
Upon the naked fhore at Ravenfpurg;'
And now, forfooth, takes on him to reform
Some certain edicts, and fome ftrait decrees,
That lie too heavy on the commonwealth:
Cries out upon abufes, feems to weep
Over his country's wrongs; and, by this face,
This feeming brow of juftice, did he win
The hearts of all that he did angle for.
Proceeded further; cut me off the heads
Of all the favourites, that the absent king
In deputation left behind him here,
When he was perfonal in the Irish war
BLUNT. Tut, I came not to hear this.

Hor.
Then, to the point.-
In fhort time after, he depos'd the king;
Soon after that, depriv'd him of his life;
And, in the neck of that, tafk'd the whole ftate: '

Gave him their heirs; as pages follow'd him,] Perhaps we ought to point differently:

Gave him their heirs as pages; fillow'd him, &c. MALONE. 9 Upon the naked fhore &c.] In this whole fpeech he alludes again to fome paffages in Richard the Second. JOHNSON.

And, in the neck of that,] So, in Painter's Palace of Pleasure, 1566: "Great mifchiefes fuccedyng one in another's necke."

HENDERSON.

3tafk'd the whole ftate:] I fuppofe it fhould be tax'd the whole ftate. JOHNSON.

Task'd is here used for taxed; it was once common to employ thefe words indifcriminately. Memoirs of P. de Commines, by

el

ΔΙ

To make that worse, suffer'd his kinsman March
(Who is, if every owner were well plac'd,
Indeed his king,) to be incag'd in Wales,'
There without ranfom to lie forfeited:
Difgrac'd me in my happy victories;
Sought to entrap me by intelligence;
Rated my uncle from the council-board;
In rage difmifs'd my father from the court;
Broke oath on oath, committed wrong on wrong:
And, in conclufion, drove us to feek out
This head of fafety; and, withal, to pry
Into his title, the which we find

4

Too indirect for long continuance.

BLUNT. Shall I return this anfwer to the king?
Hor. Not fo, fir Walter; we'll withdraw a while.
Go to the king; and let there be impawn'd
Some furety for a fafe return again,

And in the morning early fhall mine uncle
Bring him our purposes: and fo farewell.

BLUNT. I would, you would accept of grace and

love.

Hor. And, may be, so we shall.

BLUNT.

'Pray heaven, you do! [Exeunt.

Again,

Danert, folio, 4th edit. 1674, p. 136: " Duke Philip, by the
fpace of many years levied neither fubfidies nor tasks."
in Stephen Goffon's School of Abufe, 1579: "like a greedy
furveiour being fent into Fraunce to govern the countrie, robbed
them and fpoyled them of all their treasure with unreasonable takes."
Again, in Holinfhed, p. 422: "There was a new and ftrange
fubfidic or take granted to be levied for the king's ufe." STEEVENS.
3 incag'd in Wales,] The old copies have engag'd. Cor-
rected by Mr. Theobald. MALONE.

No change was necessary. Engag'd fignifies delivered as a hostage; and is again used in that fenfe. See p. 572, n. 9. DOUCE.

4 This head of fafety;] This army, from which I hope for pretection. JOHNSON.