Of every beardless vain comparative : * That, being daily fwallow'd by men's eyes,* 8 Of every beardlefs vain comparative:] Of every boy whofe vanity incited him to try his wit against the King's. When Lewis XIV. was asked, why, with fo much wit, he never attempted raillery, he anfwered, that he who practifed raillery ought to bear it in his turn, and that to ftand the butt of raillery was not fuitable to the dignity of a king. Scudery's Converfation. JOHNSON. Comparative, I believe, is equal, or rival in any thing; and may therefore fignify, in this place, every one who thought himself on a level with the Prince. So, in the fecond of The Four Plays in One, by Beaumont and Fletcher: 66 Gerrard ever was "His full comparative. STEEVENS. I believe comparative means here, one who affects wit, a dealer in comparifons: what Shakspeare calls, fomewhere elfe, if I remember right, a fimile-monger. "The most comparative prince" has already occurred in the play before us; and the following paffage in Love's Labour's Loft, is yet more appofite in fupport of this interpretation: 66 The world's large tongue "Proclaims you for a man replete with mocks, "Full of comparisons, and wounding flouts." MALONE. 9 Enfeoff'd himself to popularity:] To enfeoff is a law term, fignifying to inveft with poffeffion. So, in the old comedy of Wily Beguiled: "I protefted to enfeoffe her in forty pounds a year." STEEVENS. Gave himfelf up abfolutely and entirely to popularity. A feofment was the ancient mode of conveyance, by which all lands in England were granted in fee-fimple for feveral ages, till the conveyance of Leafe and Release was invented by Serjeant Moor, about the year 1630. Every deed of feofment was accompanied with livery of feifin, that is, with the delivery of corporal poffeffion of the land or tenement granted in fee. MALONE. 2 That, being daily fwallow'd by men's eyes,] Nearly the fame expreffion occurs in A Warning for faire Women, a tragedy, 1599: "The people's eyes have fed them with my fight." MALONE. To loath the taste of sweetness, whereof a little Heard, not regarded; feen, but with fuch eyes, Such as is bent on fun-like majefty When it shines feldom in admiring eyes: But rather drowz'd, and hung their eyelids down, But is a-weary of thy common fight, Save mine, which hath defir'd to fee thee more; Which now doth that I would not have it do, Make blind itfelf with foolish tenderness. P. HEN. I fhall hereafter, my thrice gracious lord, Be more myself. K. HEN. For all the world,' As thou art to this hour, was Richard then 3 As cloudy men ufe to their adverfaries;] Strada, in his imitation of Statius, defcribing the look thrown by the German on his Portuguese antagonist, has the fame expreffion: Lufiademque tuens, & amaro nubilus ore. STEEVENS. And in that very line, Harry, ftand'ft thou:] So, in The Merchant of Venice: "In this predicament, I fay, thou ftand'ft." STEEVENS. 5 For all the world,] Sir T. Hanmer, to complete the verse, reads Harry, for all the world, STEEVENS, And even as I was then, is Percy now. For, of no right, nor colour like to right, Through all the kingdoms that acknowledge Chrift? 3 He hath more worthy intereft to the flate, Than thou, the shadow of fucceffim:] This is obfcure. I believe the meaning is-Hotfpur hath a right to the kingdom more worthy than thou, who haft only the shadowy right of lineal jucceffion, while he has real and folid power. JOHNSON. Rather, He better deferves to inherit the kingdom than thyself, who art intitled by birth to that fucceffion of which thy vices render thee unworthy. RITSON. To have an intereft to any thing, is not English. If we read, He hath more worthy intereft in the ftate, the fenfe would be clear, and agreeable to the tenor of the reft of the King's fpeech. M. MASON. I believe the meaning is only, he hath more popularity in the realm, more weight with the people, than thou the heir apparent to the throne. "From thy fucceffion bar me, father; I "Am heir to my affection—' fays Florizel, in The Winter's Tale. We fhould now write-in the ftate, but there is no corruption in the text. So, in The Winter's Tale: 66 he is lefs frequent te his princely exercifes than formerly." MALONE. Discomfited great Douglas: ta'en him once, And shake the peace and safety of our throne. But wherefore do I tell these news to thee? P. HEN. Do not think so, you fhall not find it fo: 4 Capitulate-] i. e. make head. So, to articulate, in a subsequent fcene, is to form articles. STEEVENS. Rather, combine, confederate, indent. To capitulate is to draw up any thing in heads or articles. Johnson's Dictionary. RITSON. To capitulate, Minfheu explains thus: "per capita feu articulos pacifci ;" and nearly in this fenfe, I believe, it is used here. The Percies, we are told by Walfingham, fent about letters containing three articles, or principal grievances, on which their rifing was founded: and to this perhaps our author alludes. MALONE. 5 dearest-] Deareft is moft fatal, moft mifchievous. JOHNSON. 6 And ftain my favours in a bloody mafk,] We fhould read-favour, i. e. countenance. WARBURTON, Which, wafh'd away, fhall fcour my fhame with it. 'Would they were multitudes; and on my head The long-grown wounds of my intemperance: Favours are features. JOHNSON. I am not certain that favours, in this place, means features, or that the plural number of favour in that fense is ever used. I believe favours mean only fome decoration ufually worn by knights in their helmets, as a prefent from a mistress, or a trophy from an enemy. So, afterwards in this play: "Then let my favours hide thy mangled face:" where the Prince must have meant his fcarf. Again, in Heywood's Rape of Lucrece, 1630: "Aruns, these crimfon favours, for thy fake, "I'll wear upon my forehead mask'd with blood." STEEVENS. Steevens's explanation of this paffage appears to be right. The word garments, in the preceding line, feems to confirm it. 6 M. MASON. cancels all bands;] i. e. bonds, for thus the word was anciently fpelt. So, in The Comedy of Errors: "My mafter is arrested on a band.” |