I do not think, a braver gentleman,
More active-valiant, or more valiant-young,
More daring, or more bold, is now alive,
To grace this latter age with noble deeds.
For my part,

I may speak it to my shame,
I have a truant been to chivalry ;
And so, I hear, he doth account me too:
Yet this before my father's majesty,
I am content, that he shall take the odds
Of his great name and estimation;
And will, to save the blood on either side,
Try fortune with him in a single fight.
K. Hen. And, prince of Wales, so dare we ven-

ture thee,
Albeit, considerations infinite
Do make against it :-No, good Worcester, no,
We love our people well; 8 even those we love,
That are misled upon your cousin's part:
And, will they take the offer of our grace,
Both he, and they, and you, yea, every man
Shall be my friend again, and I'll be his:
So tell your cousin, and bring me word
What he will do : But if he will not yield,

· More ałtive-valiant, or more valiant-young,! Sir Thomas Hanmer reads 5-more valued joling. I think the present gingle has more of Shakspeare. Johnson. The same kind of gingle is in Sidney's Astrophel and Stella:

young-wise, wise-valiant." STEEVENS. 8 - No, good Worcester, no,

We love our people well;} As there appears to be no reason for introducing the negative into this sentence, I fould suppose it an error of the press, and that we ought to read,

Know, good Worcester, know, &c. There is fufficient reason to believe that many parts of these plays were dictated to the transcribers, and the words, know and wo, are precisely the same in found. M. Mason.

Rebuke and dread correction wait on us,
And they shall do their office. So, be gone;
We will not now be troubled with reply:
We offer fair, take it advisedly.

[Exeunt Worcester and Vernon.
P. Hen. It will not be accepted, on my life:
The Douglas and the Hotspur both together
Are confident against the world in arms.
K. Hen. Hence, therefore, every leader to his

charge; For, on their answer, we will set on them: And God befriend us, as our cause is just!

[Exeunt King, Blunt, and Prince John. Fal. Hal, if thou see me down in the battle, and bestride me, so; 'tis a point of friendship.

P. Hen. Nothing but a colossus can do thee that friendship. Say thy prayers, and farewell.

Fal. I would it were bed-time, Hal, and all well. P. Hen. Why, thou owest God a death.

[Exit.” Fal. 'Tis not due yet; I would be loth to pay him before his day. What need I be so forward with him that calls not on me? Well, 'tis no matter; Honour pricks me on. Yea, but how if honour prick me off when I come on? how then? Can honour set to a leg? No. Or an arm? No. Or take away the grief of a wound? No. Honour

and bestride me,] In the battle of Agincourt, Henry, when king, did this act of friendship for his brother the Duke of Gloucester. STEEVENS. So again, in The Comedy of Errors:

“ When I bestrid thee in the wars, and took

Deep scars, to save thy life.” MALONE. 2 Exit.] This exit is remarked by Mr. Upton. Johnson.

hath no skill in furgery then? No. What is honour? A word. What is in that word, honour? What is that honour? Air. A trim reckoning!-Who hath it? He that died o' Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. Is it insensible then? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it :-therefore I'll none of it: Honour is a mere scutcheon, and so ends my catechism,

[Exit.

WoR. O, no, my nephew must not know, fir

Richard,
The liberal kind offer of the king.

VER. 'Twere best, he did.
WOR.

Then are we all undone.
It is not possible, it cannot be,
The king should keep his word in loving us ;
He will suspect us still, and find a time
To punish this offence in other faults:
Suspicion shall be all stuck full of eyes : *
For treason is but trusted like the fox;

3

Honour is a mere fcutcheon,] This is very fine. The reward of brave actions formerly was only fome honourable bearing in the fields of arms bestowed upon defervers. But Falstaff having said that honour often came not till after death, he calls it very wittily a scutcheon, which is the painted heraldry borne in funeral proceifions: and by mere fcutcheon is infinuated, that whether alive or dead, honour was but a name. WARBURTON.

4 Suspicion shall be all stuck full of eyes :) The same image of fufpicion is exhibited in a Latin tragedy, called Roxana, written about the same time by Dr. William Alabafter. JOHNSON.

Who, ne'er so tame, so cherish’d, and lock'd up,
Will have a wild trick of his ancestors.
Look how we can, or sad, or merrily,
Interpretation will misquote our looks;
And we shall feed like oxen at a stall,
The better cherish’d, still the nearer death.
My nephew's trespass may be well forgot,
It hath the excuse of youth, and heat of blood;
And an adopted name of privilege,-
A hare-brain'd Hotspur,' govern’d by a spleen:
All his offences live upon my head,
And on his father's ;-we did train him on;
And, his corruption being ta’en from us,
We, as the spring of all, shall pay for all, .
Therefore, good cousin, let not Harry know,
In any case, the offer of the king.

Ver. Deliver what you will, I'll say, 'tis so.
Here comes your cousin.

Enter Hotspur and Douglas; and Officers and

Soldiers, behind.

Hor. My uncle is return'd:Deliver up My lord of Westmoreland.”—Uncle, what news?

Dr. Farmer, with great propriety, would reform the line as I have printed it. In all former editions, without regard to measure, it ftood thus :

Suspicion, all our lives, shall be stuck full of eyes. All the old copies read—Jupposition. STEVENS.

The emendation was made by Mr. Pope. MALONE. 5- an adopted name of privilege,

A hare-brain'd Hotspur,] The name of Hotspur will privilege him from censure. Johnson.

Deliver up My lord of Westmoreland.] He was “ impawned as a surety for the safe return” of Worcester, See Act IV. sc. iii.

MALONE,

6

WOR. The king will bid you battle presently. Doug. Defy him by the lord of Westmoreland.' Hor. Lord Douglas, go you and tell him so.8 Doug. Marry, and shall, and very willingly.

[Exit. Wor. There is no seeming mercy in the king. Hot. Did you beg any? God forbid!

Wor. I told him gently of our grievances,
Of his oath-breaking; which he mended thus,-
By now forswearing that he is forsworn :
He calls us, rebels, traitors; and will scourge
With haughty arms this hateful name in us.

Re-enter DOUGLAS.

Doug. Arm, gentlemen; to arms! for I have

thrown A brave defiance in King Henry's teeth, And Westmoreland, that was engag’d, did bear it; Which cannot choose but bring him quickly on. Wor. The prince of Wales stepp'd forth before

the king, And, nephew, challeng'd you to single fight.

Hor. O, 'would the quarrel lay upon our heads; And that no man might draw short breath to-day,

7 Doug. Defy him by the lord of Westmoreland.] This line, as well as the next, (as has been observed by one of the modern editors,) properly belongs to Hotspur, whofe impatience would scarcely suffer any one to anticipate him on such an occafion.

MALONE. 8 Lord Douglas, go you &c.] Douglas is here used as a trisyllable.

MALONE. 9 And Wifimoreland, that was engag'd,] Engag'd is delivered as an hostage. A few lines before, upon the return of Worcester, he orders Weltmoreland to be dismissed. JOHNSON.