K. Rich, Sweetly in force unto her fair life's end. 8 Q. Eliz. An honest tale speeds best, being plainly told. K. Rich. Then, in plain terms tell her my loving tale.9 Q. Eliz. Plain, and not honest, is too harsh a style. K. Rich. Your reasons are too shallow and too quick. Q. Eliz. O, no, my reasons are too deep and dead;— Two* deep and dead, poor infants, in their graves. 8 K. Rich. Harp not1 on that string, madam; that is past. am her subject low.] Thus the folio. The quarto reads: her subject love. Steevens. 9 Then, in plain terms tell her my loving tale.] So the quarto. The folio reads: "Then plainly to her tell my loving tale." Malone. 1 Harp not &c.] In the regulation of these short speeches I have followed the quarto, 1597. Steevens. K. Rich. Harp not on that string, madam; that is past. Q Eliz. Harp on it still shall 1, &c.] In the quarto, 1598, the first of these two lines is wanting. The passage stands thus: "Qu. O, no, my reasons, &c. "Too deep and dead, poor infants, in their graves. 66 King. Harp on it still shall I, till heart-strings break. "Now by my george," &c. The printer of the next quarto saw that the line-"Harp on it still shall I," &c. could not belong to Richard, and therefore annexed it to the Queen's former speech, but did not insert the omitted line. The editor of the folio supplied the line that was wanting, but absurdly misplaced it, and exhibited the passage thus: "Qu. O, no, my reasons are too deep and dead; "Too deep and dead, poor infants, in their graves. "Harp on it still shall I, till heart-strings break. "King. Harp not on that string, madam, that is past. "Now by my george," &c. The text is formed from the quarto, and the folio. Malone. * I have restored the true reading, "Two deep and dead," &c. instead of "Too deep and dead," &c. The eye of the compositor must have been led astray, by the frequent repetition of the word too, and the ear of the proof-reader could not detect the error. Mr. Ayscough's edition, which deservedly ranks with the most correct, countenances the reading which I have taken the liberty to adopt. Am. Ed. Q. Eliz. Harp on it still shall I, till heart-strings break. K. Rich. Now, by my george, my garter, and my crown, Q. Eliz. Profan'd, dishonour'd, and the third usurp❜d. K. Rich. I swear. Q. Eliz. By nothing; for this is no oath. Thy george, profan'd, hath lost his holy honour; Thy garter, blemish'd, pawn'd his knightly virtue; Thy crown, usurp'd, disgrac'd his kingly glory: If something thou would'st swear to be believ'd, Swear then by something that thou hast not wrong'd. K. Rich. Now by the world, Q. Eliz. 'Tis full of thy foul wrongs. K. Rich. My father's death,- Thy life hath that dishonour'd. K. Rich. Then, by myself, - K. Rich. Why then, by God, Thyself is self-mis-us'd. God's wrong is most of all. If thou had'st fear'd to break an oath by him,3 Had not been broken, nor my brother slain.4 2 Thy george, profan'd, hath lost his holy honour; Thy garter, &c.] The quarto reads-The george, &c. The folio-Thy george; &c. and, afterwards,―lordly instead of—holy. 3 God's wrong is most of all. Steevens. If thou had'st fear'd to break an oath by him, &c.] I have followed the quarto, except that it reads in the preceding speech, Why then, by God. The editors of the folio, from the apprehension of the penalty of the Statute, 3 Jac. 1, c. 21, printed "Why then by heaven,"-and the whole they absurdly exhibited thus: "Rich. Why then, by heaven. "Qu. Heaven's wrong is most of all. "If thou didst fear to break an oath with him, "If thou had'st fear'd to break an oath by him, "The imperial metal," &c. By their alteration in the first line of the Queen's speech, they made all that follows ungrammatical. The change in the preceding speech, not having that consequence, I have adopted it. Malone. the king thy brother made, Had not been broken, nor my brother slain.] The quarto, by It thou had'st fear'd to break an oath by him, K. Rich. By the time to come." Q. Eliz. That thou hast wronged in the time o'er-past; For I myself have many tears to wash Hereafter time, for time past, wrong'd by thee. The children live, whose parents thou hast slaughter'd, The parents live, whose children thou hast butcher'd, K. Rich. As I intend to prosper, and repent! To my proceeding, if, with pure heart's love, I tender not thy beauteous princely daughter! an error of the press, has my brother, which the editor of the folio corrected thus: The units the king, my husband, male, Thou hadst not broken, nor my brothers died. Malone. 5 Which now, two tender bed-fellows &c.] Mr. Roderick observes, that the word two is without any force, and would read: 6 Which now too tender &c. Steevens. Thus the folio. The quarto-two tender play-fellows. Malone. a prey for worms.] So the quarto. Folio-the prey Malone. 7 By the time to come.] So the quarto. By is not in the folio. 8 Malone. to wail it in their age:] So the quarto, 1598. The quarto, 1602, &c. and the folio, read-with their age. Malone. 9 in my dangerous attempt-] So the quarto. Folio-dangerous affairs. Malone. 1 Heaven, and fortune, bar me happy hours!] This line is found only in the folio. Malone. In her consists my happiness, and thine;' It cannot be avoided, but by this; Plead what I will be, not what I have been; Q. Eliz. Shall I be tempted of the devil thus? K. Rich. Ay, if your self's remembrance wrong your- Q. Eliz. But thou didst kill my children. K. Rich. But in your daughter's womb I bury them: Q. Eliz. Shall I go win my daughter to thy will? K. Rich. Bear her my true love's kiss, and so farewel. 2 And be not peevish found-] Thus the folio-Peevish in our author's time signified foolish. So, in the second scene of this Act: "When Richmond was a little peevish boy, -." See also Minsheu's Dicт. in v. The quarto reads-peevish fond, and I am not sure that it is not right. A compound epithet might have been intended, peevish-fond. So childish-foolish, sense-' less-obstinate, foolish-witty, &c Malone. I believe the present reading is the true one. So, in King Henry V111: 3 have great care "I be not found a talker." Steevens. in that nest of spicery, they shall breed —] Alluding to the phoenix. Steevens. So the quarto. The folio reads-they will breed. Malone. shortly,] This adverb, in the present instance, is employed as a trisyllable. See Mr. Tyrwhitt's note, Vol. II, p. 160. Steevens. Relenting fool, and shallow, changing-woman!5 Enter RATCLIFF; CATESBY following. Throng many doubtful hollow-hearted friends, K. Rich. Some light-foot friend post to the duke of Norfolk: Ratcliff, thyself, or Catesby; where is he? Cates. Here, my good lord. K. Rich. Catesby, fly to the duke. Cates. I will, my lord, with all convenient haste. K. Rich. Ratcliff, come hither:7 Post to Salisbury; When thou com'st thither,-Dull unmindful villain, [To CATES. Why stay'st thou here, and go'st not to the duke? Cates. First, mighty liege, tell me your highness' pleasure, What from your grace I shall deliver to him. K. Rich. O, true, good Catesby ;-Bid him levy straight The greatest strength and power he can make, And meet me suddenly at Salisbury. Cates. I go. [Exit. Rat. What, may it please you, shall I do at Salisbury? K. Rich. Why, what would'st thou do there, before I go? Rat. Your highness told me, I should post before. 5 Relenting fool, and shallow, changing-woman!] Such was the real character of this Queen dowager, who would have married her daughter to King Richard, and did all in her power to alienate the Marquis of Dorset, her son, from the Earl of Richmond. Steevens. 6 Some light-foot friend post to the duke-] Richard's precipitation and confusion is in this scene very happily represented by inconsistent orders, and sudden variations of opinion. Johnson. 7 Ratcliff, come hither:] The folio has-Catesby, come hither. The words are not in the quarto. It is obvious that they are addressed to Ratcliff. The correction was made by Mr. Rowe. VOL. XI. P Malone. |