ADDITIONAL NOTES

TO THE

TRAGEDIES INCLUDED IN THIS VOLUME,

KING HENRY V.

Act I. Scene 2.

Or shall we sparingly show you far off
The Dauphin's meaning, and our embassy.

I would add in qualification of my note, that the reading of 'and our embassy' may possibly stand in this sense, or shall we show you in an imperfect and distant

way what the Dauphin really means, and what we are ap'pointed to communicate as ambassadors.'

Cant. Creatures, that, by a rule in nature, teach The act of order to a peopled kingdom,

They have a king, and officers of sorts.

'Officers of sorts' may mean either 'officers of many 'kinds' or 'officers over many groups of bees.' 'They have 'a policie and commonwealth among themselves. They hold ⚫ their several counsels: and there is not a swarme or cast 'that they have, without a king and captain of their own, ' &c. &c. What wit and policie of man is answerable to 'their discreet and orderly course.'-Holland's 'Plinie,' book xi, ch. 5.

They have several offices within.'

Holland's Plinie, book xi., ch. 10.

Cant.

Their Emperor,

Who busied in his majesty surveys

The singing masons building roofs of gold.

'Some are busie in building. As touching the manner 'of their building, they begin first above to make archwork 'embowed in their combs, and draw the frame downwards.' -Holland's 'Plinie,' book xi., ch. 10.

'The houses and habitations which bees build first are 'for their commons, which being finished they set in hand ' with a pallace for their king.'—Ibid. ch. 11.

Cant. The poor mechanic porters crowding in Their heavy burdens at his narrow gate.

• These being full laden with their provisions they return 'home to the hive &c. with their burdens, by which time 'there be three or foure ready to receive them, and these ' ease and discharge them of their lode.'-Ibid. ch. 10.

Ibid.

Cant. The civil citizens kneading up the honey.
'There be civil fashions and customs amongst them.'-

Cant. The sad-ey'd justice with his surly hum, Delivering o'er to executors pale

The lazy yawning drone.

'They mark and note the slowbacks, they chastise them 'anon, yea, and afterward punish them with death.'-Ibid.

Act II. Scene 2.

Cam. But God be thanked for prevention,
Which I in sufferance heartily will rejoice,
Beseeching God, and you, to pardon me.

Although, as I have observed in my note on this passage at page 52-3, no instance is forthcoming of 'rejoice' with an accusative case of the subject of joy after it, yet there is a word extremely like it in spelling which admits such a construction. I am not quite sure then that we may not amend the line of the first folio :

thus:

'Which in sufferance heartily will rejoice,'

Which I in sufferance heartily will rejoy.

In the sixteenth century 'rejoy' had a meaning almost the same, and a construction identical, with enjoy.' So: 'So that I may by your frendship the more feasably 'rejoy my forsaid purchase.'-Fenn's' Paston Letters,' Letter

20.

Act IV. Scene 1.

Flu. If you would take the pains but to examine the wars of Pompey the Great, you shall find, I warrant you, that there is no tiddle-taddle nor pibblepabble, in Pompey's camp.

There is better authority for the terms in which Fluellen designates idle and noisy talk than we should have required from him. Thus :

'But surely practice and experience began in his daies by little and little to slake, until in the end all their physic

' proved nothing but words and bibble-babbles.'-Holland's Plinie,' six and twentieth booke, ch. 2.

K. Hen. Who, with a body fill'd, and vacant mind, Gets him to rest, cramm'd with distressful bread.

My reading of 'digestful' here at page 106-7, suggested partly on the ground that 'digest' has been printed elsewhere in Shakespeare 'disgest' and that 'digestful' therefore was probably written here 'disgestful,' is strongly confirmed by the following passage: 'A live porcupine were easilier chewed, than that rough peece, and I beleeve sooner disgested.' An epistle to the translator of the works of Lucius Annæuş Seneca, Dr. Lodge.-Lodge's Seneca, 1620.

KING HENRY VI. PART I.

Act I. Scene 4.

Talb. Convey me Salisbury into his tent, And then we'll try what these dastard Frenchmen dare.

Many amendments have been proposed of the last line, as I have observed at page 165. But, although assuredly the last lire cannot be, while the first line may be, genuine, nevertheless, in fact neither of them is so; and we can only cure the second by at the same time restoring the first as, I believe, it was written,

Convey we Salisbury into his tent,

And then try what these dastard Frenchmen dare.

It is in the highest degree probable that 'we' was mistaken, or miscopied, me,' an error which necessitated the addition of' we'll' to the next verse, where it mars the measure, while it mends the meaning.

Act II. Scene 5.

Some words there grew 'twixt Somerset and me:
Among which terms, he used his lavish tongue,
And did upbraid me with my father's death;
Which obloquy set bars before my tongue.

I suspect that in one of the verses here, where 'tongue' occurs we should read 'mouth:' as thus:

Among which terms he used his lavish mouth.

The letters in 'mouthe' and 'tongue,' so different in sound, are all the same but 'm 'for 'n' and 'h' for 'g.' The poet 'speaks elsewhere of curs spending their mouth.'

Act III. Scene 2.

Puc. Are you so hot, sir? Yet, Pucelle, hold thy peace;

If Talbot do but thunder rain will follow.

I have proposed an amendment of the first line, but I find Pucelle to be so variously spelt in different authors and places that I think it susceptible of a monosyllabic articulation such as 'Pew'zl' or 'Pews'l' which would leave the traditional line free from grave objection.

Act IV. Scene 6.

John. You fled for vantage, every one will swear; But, if I bow, they'll say it was for fear.

I have at page 204 made and supported the emendation. 'budge' instead of 'bow,' the certainty of which, for it seems to me certain, is further confirmed by the fact not there noticed, that one method of spelling 'budge' was 'bodge,' a word very close in its appearance and lettering to 'bowe.'See Henry VI. pt. iii., act i. sc. 4.