Lives fo in hope, as in an early fpring We fee the appearing buds; which, to prove fruit, That frofts will bite them. When we mean to build,5 What do we then, but draw anew the model To build at all? Much more, in this great work, (Which is, almost, to pluck a kingdom down, And fet another up,) fhould we furvey The plot of fituation, and the model; This paffage is allowed on all hands to be corrupt, but a slight alteration will, I apprehend, restore the true reading: Yes, if this prefent quality of war, Mr. M. Mafon has propofed the fame reading. STEEVENS. in this prefent quality of war;] nineteen lines appeared firft in the folio. Yes, if this prefent &c. This and the following I believe the old reading is the true one, and that a line is loft; but have adopted Dr. Johnson's emendation, because it makes fenfe. The punctuation now introduced appears to me preferable to that of the old edition, in which there is a colon after the word action. Bardolph, I think, means to fay, "Indeed the prefent action (our caufe being now on foot, war being actually levied,) lives," &c. otherwife the speaker is made to fay, in general, that all causes once on foot afford no hopes that may fecurely be relied on; which is certainly not true. MALONE. 5 When we mean to build,] Whoever compares the rest of this speech with St. Luke, xiv. 28, &c. will find the former to have been wrought out of the latter. HENLEY. 6 at leaft,] Perhaps we should read-at loft. STEEVENS. 7 Confent upon a fure foundation;] i, e. agree. So, in As Question furveyors; know our own estate, Ufing the names of men, inftead of men : And wafte for churlifh winter's tyranny. HAST. Grant, that our hopes (yet likely of fair Should be ftill-born, and that we now poffefs'd I think, we are a body ftrong enough, BARD. What is the king but five and twenty thoufand? HAST. To us, no more; nay, not fo much, lord Bardolph. For his divifions, as the times do brawl, Are in three heads: one power against the French,8 And one against Glendower; perforce, a third Muft take up us: So is the unfirm king In three divided; and his coffers found With hollow poverty and emptiness. ARCH. That he should draw his feveral ftrengths together, you like it, A& V. fc. i: "For all your writers do consent that ipfe is he." Again, ibid. fc. ii: " -confent with both, that we may enjoy each other." STEEVENS. 8 one power against the French,] During this rebellion of Northumberland and the Archbishop, a French army of twelve thousand men landed at Milford Haven, in Wales, for the aid of Owen Glendower. See Holinfhed, p. 531. STEEVENS. And come againft us in full puiffance, Need not be dreaded. HAST. If he should do fo,9 He leaves his back unarm'd, the French and Welsh Baying him at the heels: never fear that. BARD. Who, is it like, fhould lead his forces hither? HAST. The duke of Lancaster, and Westmoreland: I Against the Welsh, himself, and Harry Monmouth: 9 If he should do fo,] This paffage is read, in the first edition, thus: If he should do fo, French and Welsh he leaves his back unarmed, they baying him at the heels, never fear that. These lines, which were evidently printed from an interlined copy not understood, are properly regulated in the next edition, and are here only mentioned to show what errors may be suspected to remain. JOHNSON. I believe the editor of the folio did not correct the quarto rightly; in which the only error probably was the omiffion of the word to: To French and Welsh he leaves his back unarm'd, MALONE. The duke of Lancaster, &c.] This is an anachronism. Prince John of Lancaster was not created a duke till the fecond year of the reign of his brother, King Henry V. MALONE. This mistake is pointed out by Mr. Steevens in another place. It is not, however, true, that " 'King Henry IV. was himself the last person that ever bore the title of Duke of Lancaster," as Prince Henry actually enjoyed it at this very time, and had done fo from the first year of his father's reign, when it was conferred upon him in full parliament. Rot. Parl. 111, 428, 532. Shakfpeare was misled by Stowe, who, fpeaking of Henry's firft parliament, fays, "then the King rofe, and made his eldest fon Prince of Wales, &c. his fecond fonne was there made Duke of Lancaster." Annales, 1631, p. 323. He fhould therefore feem to have confulted this author between the times of finishing the last play, and beginning the prefent. RITSON. ARCH. Let us on; 2 And publish the occafion of our arms. The commonwealth is fick of their own choice, Hath he, that buildeth on the vulgar heart. And now thou would'ft eat thy dead vomit up, times ? They that, when Richard liv'd, would have him die, 2 Let us on ; &c.] This excellent fpeech of York was one of the paffages added by Shakspeare after his firft edition. POPE. This fpeech firft appeared in the folio. MALONE. 3 O thou fond many!] Many or meyny, from the French mefnie, a multitude. DOUCE. 4 in thine own defires,] The latter word is employed here as a trifyllable. MALONE. I do not perceive that a trifyllable is wanted on this occafion, as any diffyllable will complete the verfe; for inftance: And being now trimm'd in thine own furtout. Defires, like furtout, is a word of two fyllables. STEEVENS.. MowB. Shall we go draw our numbers, and fet on? HAST. We are time's fubjects, and time bids be gone. [Exeunt. ACT II. SCENE I. London. A Street. Enter Hoftefs; FANG, and his Boy, with her; and SNARE following. HOST. Mafter Fang, have you entered the action? FANG. It is entered. HOST. Where is your yeoman? Is it a luky yeoman? will a' ftand to't? FANG. Sirrah, where's Snare? HOST. O lord, ay: good mafter Snare. SNARE. Here, here. FANG. Snare, we must arreft fir John Falstaff. HOST. Yea, good mafter Snare; I have entered him and all. SNARE. It may chance cost some of us our lives, for he will ftab. HOST. Alas the day! take heed of him; he stabbed me in mine own houfe, and that most beaftly: in good faith, a' cares not what mischief he doth, Where is your yeoman?] A bailiff's follower was, in our author's time, called a ferjeant's yeoman. MALONE. |