He thinks that you should bear me on your shoulders. arply-point Buck. With what a sharp-provided"wit he reasons! To mitigate the scorn he gives his uncle, He prettily and aptly taunts himself: So cunning, and so young, is wonderful. Glo. My gracious lord, will 't please you pass along? Myself, and my good cousin Buckingham, Will to your mother; to entreat of her, To meet you at the Tower, and welcome you. vill e'en Prince. My lord protector needs will have it so. York. Marry, my uncle Clarence' angry ghost; Glo. Nor none that live, I hope. Prince. An if they live, I hope, I need not fear. York also alludes to the protuberance on Gloster's back, which was commodious for carrying burdens, as it supplied the place of a porter's knot. Steevens. I do not believe that the reproach is what Johnson supposes, or that York meant to call his uncle a bear. He merely alludes to Richard's deformity, his high shoulder, or hump-back, as it is called. That was the scorn he meant to give his uncle. In the third Act of the Third Part of King Henry VI, the same thought occurs to Richard himself, where describing his own figure, he says: "To make an envious mountain on my back, "Where sits deformity, to mock my body." M. Mason. 8 My gracious lord,] For the insertion of the word gracious, I am answerable. Gloster has already used the same address. The defect of the metre shows that a word was omitted at the press. Malone. 9 Why, sir, &c.] The word-sir, was added by Sir Thomas Hanmer. Without it this half line is harsh, and quite unmetrical. Steevens. * The addition of Sir by Mr. Hanmer may render this line more pleasing to the delicate ear of Mr. Steevens, but his sense of propriety should have rejected it as an unwarrantable and unneces sary interpolation. He certainly had no authority for sinking the title of his grace, and had he paid any attention to the language of Gloster, when he addresses the duke of York, he could not have committed an error so gross. Am. Ed. Thinking on them, go I unto the Tower. [Exeunt Prince, YORK, HAST. Card. and Attend. Buck. Think you, my lord, this little prating York Was not incensed by his subtle mother,1 To taunt and scorn you thus opprobriously? Glo. No doubt, no doubt: O, 'tis a parlous boy; Come hither, gentle Catesby; thou art sworn As closely to conceal what we impart : Thou know'st our reasons urg'd upon the way ;- In the seat royal of this famous isle? Cates. He for his father's sake so loves the prince, That he will not be won to aught against him. Buck. What think'st thou then of Stanley? will not he? Cates. He will do all in all as Hastings doth. Buck. Well then, no more but this: Go, gentle Ca tesby, And, as it were far off, sound thou lord Hastings, And summon him to-morrow to the Tower, To sit about the coronation. Was not incensed by his subtle mother,] Incensed means here, incited or suggested. So, in King Henry VIII, Gardiner says of Cranmer : "Incens'd the lords of the council, that he is "A most arch heretick " And, in Much Ado about Nothing, Borachio says to Pedro: - how Don John your brother incensed me to slander the lady Hero." M. Mason. 2-capable;} here, as in many other places in these plays, means intelligent, quick of apprehension. See p. 65, n. 7. Malone. So again, in Troilus and Cressida: "Let me carry another to his horse, for that's the more capable creature." Ritson. 3 gentle Catesby;] I have supplied the epithet-gentle, for the same reasons urged by Mr. Malone in the foregoing pagen. 9, in defence of a similar insertion. Steevens. If thou dost find him tractable to us, Glo. Commend me to lord William: tell him, Catesby, Buck. Good Catesby, go, effect this business soundly. Cates. My good lords both, with all the heed I can. Glo. Shall we hear from you, Catesby, ere we sleep? Cates. You shall, my lord. Glo. At Crosby-place, there shall you find us both. [Exit CATES. Buck. Now, my lord, what shall we do, if we perceive Lord Hastings will not yield to our complots? 4 Glo. Chop off his head, man;—somewhat we will do:5— divided councils,] That is, a private consultation, separate from the known and publick council. So, in the next scene, Hastings says: "Bid him not fear the separated councils." Johnson. This circumstance is conformable to history. Hall, p. 13, says, "When the protectour had both the chyldren in his possession, yea, and that they were in a sure place, he then began to threst to se the ende of his enterprize. And, to avoyde all suspicion, he caused all the lords which he knewe to bee faithfull to the kynge, to assemble at Baynardes Castle, to comen of the ordre of the coronacion, whyle he and other of his complices, and of his affinitee, at Crosbies-place, contrived the contrary, and to make the protectour kyng: to which counsail there were adhibite very fewe, and they very secrete." Reed. Mr. Reed has shown from Hall's Chronicle that this circumstance is founded on the historical fact. But Holinshed, Hall's copyist, was our author's authority: "But the protectoure and the duke after they had sent to the lord Cardinal,-the lord Stanley and the lord Hastings then lord Chamberlaine, with many other noblemen, to commune and devise about the coronation in one place, as fast were they in another place, contriving the contrarie, and to make the protectour king.”. the lord Stanley, that was after earle of Darby, wisely mistrusted it, and sayde unto the lorde Hastings, that he much mislyked these two several councels." Malone. And, look, when I am king, claim thou of me Buck. I'll claim that promise at your grace's hand. Glo. And look to have it yielded with all kindness. Come, let us sup betimes; that afterwards We may digest our complots in some form. [Exeunt. Hast. Cannot thy master sleep the tedious nights? Mess. So it should seem by that I have to say. First, he commends him to your noble lordship. Hast. And then, Mess. And then he sends you word, he dreamt To-night the boar had rased off his helm:7 5 will do:] The folio reads-will determine. Steevens. 6 Scene II] Every material circumstance in the following scene is taken from Holinshed's Chronicle, except that it is a knight with whom Hastings converses, instead of Buckingham. Steevens. the boar had rased off his helm:] This term rased or rashed, is always given to describe the violence inflicted by a boar. So, in King Lear, 4to edit: 7 "In his anointed flesh rash boarish fangs.” Again, in Warner's Albion's England, 1602, B. VII, ch. xxxvi: ha, cur, avaunt, the bore so rase thy hide!" 66 By the boar, throughout this scene, is meant Gloster, who was called the boar, or the hog, from his having a boar for his cognizance, and one of the supporters of his coat of arms. Steevens. So Holinshed, after Hall and Sir Thomas More: "The selfe night next before his death the lorde Stanley sent a trustie secret messenger unto him at midnight in all haste, requiring him to rise and ride away with him, for he was disposed utterlie no longer to byde, he had so fearful a dreame, in which him thought that a boare with his tuskes so rased them both by the heades that the bloud ran about both their shoulders. And forasmuch as the Besides, he says, there are two councils held; And that may be determin'd at the one, Which may make you and him to rue at the other. And with all speed post with him toward the north, Hast. Go, fellow, go, return unto thy lord; Tell him, his fears are shallow, wanting instance:1 Protector gave the boare for his cognizance, this dreame made so fearful an impression in his heart, that he was thoroughly de termined no longer to tarie, but had his horse readie, if the lord Hastings would go with him," &c. Malone. 8 His honour,] This was the usual address to noblemen in Shakspeare's time. Malone. See note on Timon of Athens, Act I, sc, i, where the same address occurs: "All happiness to your honour!" Steevens. 9 And, at the other, is my good friend Catesby; &c.] So, in the Legend of Lord Hastings, Mirrour for Magistrates, 1575: 1 "I fear'd the end; my Catesby being there 65 Malone. wanting instance:] That is, wanting some example or act of malevolence, by which they may be justified: or which, perhaps, is nearer to the true meaning, wanting any immediate ground or reason. Johnson. This is the reading of the quarto, except that it has—instancie. Steevens. Malone. The folio reads-without instance. Instance seems to mean, symptom or prognostick. We find the word used in a similar sense, in The Comedy of Errors, where Egeon, describing his shipwreck, says: 2 "A league from Epidamnum had we sail'd, "Before the always wind-obeying deep "Gave any tragick instance of our harin " M. Mason. so fond - i. e. so weak, silly. Thus, in King Lears. "I am a very foolish, fond old man." Steevens. |