Glittering in golden coats, like images; 8 I believe eftridges never mount at all, but only run before the wind, opening their wings to receive its affiftance in urging them forward. They are generally hunted on horfeback, and the art of the hunter is to turn them from the gale, by the help of which they are too fleet for the fwifteft horfe to keep up with them. I fhould have fufpected a line to have been omitted, had not all the copies concurred in the fame reading. In the 22d Song of Drayton's Polyolbion is the fame thought: "Prince Edward all in gold, as he great Jove had been: "The Mountfords all in plumes, like eftridges, were feen.” STEEVENS. I have little doubt that instead of with, fome verb ought to be fubftituted here. Perhaps it fhould be whisk. The word is used by a writer of Shakspeare's age. England's Helicon, fign. Q: "This faid, he whisk'd his particoloured wings." TYRWHITT. This is one of thofe paffages, in which, in my apprehenfion, there can be no doubt that there is fome corruption, either by the omiffion of an entire line, or by one word being printed inftead of another. The first quarto, which is followed by all the other ancient copies, reads: All plum'd like eftridges, that with the wind, Bated like eagles having lately bath'd. From the context it appears to me evident that two distinct comparisons were here intended, that two objects were mentioned, to each of which the Prince's troops were compared; and that our author could never mean to compare eftridges to eagles, a conftruction which the word with forces us to. In each of the fubfequent lines a diftinct image is given.-Befides, as Dr. Johnfon has remarked, "What is the meaning of eftridges that bated with the wind like eagles? for the relative that in the ufual conftruction must relate to eftridges." Mr. Tyrwhitt concurs with me in thinking the old text corrupt. I have therefore adopted the flight alteration propofed by Dr. Johnfon-that wing the wind; which gives an eafy fenfe. The Spirit and ardour of the troops are marked by their being compared to eagles in the next line; but the eftridges appear to be introduced here, as in the paffage quoted above from Drayton, by Mr. Steevens, folely on account of the foldiers plumes; and the manner in which thofe birds are faid to move, fufficiently explains the meaning of the words that wing the wind. If this emendation be not just, and with be the true reading, a line must have been loft, in which the particular movement of the eftridge was described. The concurrence of the copies (mentioned by Mr. Steevens in a foregoing And gorgeous as the fun at midfummer; note) militates but little in my mind againft the probability of fuch an omiffion; for in general, I have obferved, that whenever there is a corruption in one copy, it is continued in every subsequent one. Omiffion is one of the most frequent errors of the prefs, and we have undoubted proofs that fome lines were omitted in the early editions of these plays. See Vol. IV. p. 181, n. 4; Vol. VII. p. 243, n. 4; and Romeo and Juliet, Act III. fc. iv. See alfo King Henry VI. Part II. A&t III. fc. iv. where the following line is omitted in the folio, 1623: 66 Jove fometimes went difguis'd, and why not I?" There is ftill another objection to the old reading, that I had nearly forgotten. Suppofing the expreffion-" that with the wind bated like eagles"-was defenfible, and that these estridges were intended to be compared to eagles, why fhould the comparifon be in the past time? Would it not be more natural to fay,―The troops were all plumed like eftridges, that, like eagles, bate with the wind, &c. On the whole, I think it most probable that a line in which the motion of eftridges was defcribed, was inadvertently paffed over by the tranfcriber or compofitor, when the earlieft copy was printed; an error which has indifputably happened in other places in these plays. It is obfervable, that in this paffage, as it ftands in the old copy, there is no verb: nothing is predicated concerning the troops. In the loft line it was very probably faid, that they were then advancing. Rather, however, than print the paffage with afterisks as imperfect, I have, as the leffer evil, adopted Dr. Johnson's emendation. Mr. Steevens's notes perfectly explain the text as now regulated. I have faid that nothing is predicated of these plumed troops, and this is a very strong circumftance to fhow that a line was omitted, in which they probably were at once defcribed as in motion, and compared (for the fake of their plumage) to oftridges. The omitted line might have been of this import: All furnifb'd, all in arms, All plum'd like eftridges, that with the wind Wanton as youthful goats, wild as young bulls. MALONE. All plum'd like eftridges,] All dreffed like the Prince himself, the eftrich-feather being the cognizance of the Prince of Wales. GREY. VOL. VIII. N n Wanton as youthful goats, wild as young bulls. Bated like eagles having lately bath'd;] To bate is, in the ftyle of falconry, to beat the wing, from the French, battre, that is, to flutter in preparation for flight. JOHNSON. The following paffage from David and Bethfabe, 1599, will confirm Dr. Johnson's affertion: "Where all delights fat bating, wing'd with thoughts, 66 Ready to neftle in her naked breaft." Again, in Greene's Card of Fancy, 1608; " at the prey, bate at the lure," &c. made her check Writers on falconry alfo often mention the bathing of hawks and eagles, as highly neceffary for their health and fpirits.-All birds, after bathing, (which almost all birds are fond of,) spread out their wings to catch the wind, and flutter violently with them in order to dry themselves. This, in the falconer's language, is called bating, and by Shakspeare, bating with the wind.-It may be obferved that birds never appear fo lively and full of fpirits, as immediately after bathing. STEEVENS. This appears to be juftly explained by Steevens. When birds have bathed, they cannot fly until their feathers be disentangled, by bating with the wind. M. MASON. Bated, is, I believe, here ufed for bating, the paffive for the active participle; a licence which our author often takes. So, in Othello: "If virtue no delighted beauty lack.” Again, in The Comedy of Errors: "And careful hours with time's deformed hand.” To bate, as appears from Minfheu's Dia. 1617, was originally applied to birds of prey, when they fwoop upon their quarry. S'abbatre, fe devaller, Fr. Hence it fignifies, as Dr. Johnfon has explained it, to flutter, "à Gal. batre, (fays Minfheu,) i. e. to beat, because she [the hawk] beats herself with unquiet fluttering." MALONE. 8 Glittering in golden coats like images;] This alludes to the manner of dreffing up images in the Romish churches on holy-days; when they are bedecked in robes very richly laced and embroidered. So, in Spenfer's Faerie Queen, Book I. ch. iii: "He was to weet a ftout and sturdie thiefe "Wont to robbe churches of their ornaments, &c. "He did difrobe," &c. STEEVENS. 9 I faw young Harry, with his beaver on,] We fhould read— beaver up. It is an impropriety to fay on: for the beaver is only His cuiffes on his thighs, gallantly arm'd,- the vifiere of the helmet, which let down, covers the face. When the foldier was not upon action he wore it up, fo that his face might be seen, (hence Vernon fays he faw young Harry &c.) But when upon action, it was let down to cover and fecure the face. Hence in the Second Part of K. Henry IV. it is faid: "Their armed staves in charge, their beavers down.” WARBURTON. There is no need of all this note; for beaver may be a helmet; or the Prince, trying his armour, might wear his beaver down. JOHNSON. Dr. Warburton feems not to have obferved, that Vernon only fays, he faw" young Harry," not that he faw his face. MALONE. Bever and vifiere were two different parts of the helmet. The former part let down to enable the wearer to drink, the latter was raised up to enable him to fee. LORT. Shakspeare however confounded them; for, in Hamlet, Horatio fays, that he faw the old king's face, because he wore his beaver up." Nor is our poet fingular in the ufe of this word. This was the common fignification of the word, for Bullokar in his English Expofitor, 1616, defines beaver thus: "In armour it fignifies that part of the helmet which may be lifted up, to take breath the more freely." MALONE. The poet is certainly not guilty of the confufion laid to his charge with respect to the paffage in Hamlet; for the beaver was as often made to lift up as to let down. DOUCE. 2 His cuiffes on his thighs,] Cuiffes, French. Armour for the thighs. РОРЕ. The reafon why his cuiffes are fo particularly mentioned, I conceive to be, that his horfemanfhip is here praised, and the cuiffes are that part of armour which moft hinders a horseman's activity. JOHNSON. 3 And vaulted-] The context requires vault, but a word of one fyllable will not fuit the metre. Perhaps our author wrote vault it, a mode of phrafeology of which there are some examples in these plays. MALONE. 4 To turn and wind a fiery Pegafus,] This idea occurs in Have with you to Saffron Walden, or Gabriel Harvey's Hunt is up, &c. 1596: her hottest fury may be resembled to the passing of a brave cariere by a Pegafus." STEEVENS. 66 And witch the world' with noble horfemanship. This praise doth nourish agues. Let them come; And yet not ours :-Come, let me take my horse, Meet, and ne'er part, till one drop down a corfe.- VER. There is more news: I learn'd in Worcester, as I rode along, unto? VER. To thirty thousand. HOT. Forty let it be; My father and Glendower being both away, The powers of us may serve fo great a day. Come, let us take a mufter speedily: Doomsday is near; die all, die merrily. DOUG. Talk not of dying; I am out of fear Of death, or death's hand, for this one half year. [Exeunt. 5 And witch the world-] For bewitch, charm. POPE. So, in King Henry VI. Part II: "To fit and witch me, as Ascanius did." STERVENS. |