These nails fhould rend that beauty from my cheeks. Glo. These eyes could not endure that beauty's. wreck, You fhould not blemifh it, if I ftood by : Anne. Black night o'er-fhade thy day, and death thy life! Glo. Curfe not thyfelf, fair creature; thou art both. To be reveng❜d on him that loveth thee. Anne. His better doth not breathe upon the earth. Glo. Plantagenet. Anne. Why, that was he. Glo. The felf-fame name, but one of better nature. Anne. Where is he? Glo. Here: [She fpits at him.] Why doft thou spit at me? Anne. Would it were mortal poifon, for thy fake! Glo. Never came poifon from fo fweet a place.. Anne. Never hung poifon on a fouler toad. Out of my fight! thou doft infect mine eyes. Glo. Thine eyes, fweet lady, have infected mine. Anne. 'Would they were bafilifks, to ftrike thee dead! Glo. I would they were, that I might die at once; For now they kill me with a living death 4. -they kill me with a living death.] In imitation of this paffage, and, I fuppofe, of a thousand more, Pope writes: -a living death I bear, 66 *Says Dapperwit, and funk befide his chair." JOHNSON. Those Thofe eyes of thine from mine have drawn falt tears, And twenty times made paufe, to fob, and weep, My tongue could never learn fweet foothing word; My proud heart fues, and prompts my tongue to fpeak. I lay it naked to the deadly stroke, And humbly beg the death upon my knee. [He lays his breaft open, he offers at it with his fword. Nay, do not paufe; for I did kill king Henry ;"But 'twas thy beauty that provoked me. Nay, now dispatch; 'twas I that stabb'd ward; young Ed Thefe eyes, which never &c.] The twelve following beautiful lines added after the first editions. POPE. They were added with many more. JOHNSON. But 'twas thy beauty] Shakespeare countenances the obfervation, that no woman can ever be offended with the mention of her beauty. JOHNSON. But 'twas thy heavenly face that fet me on. [She lets fall the fword Take up the fword again, or take up me. Anne. Arife, diffembler; though I wish thy death, I will not be thy executioner. Glo. Then bid me kill myfelf, and I will do it. Glo. That was in thy rage: Speak it again, and, even with the word, Anne. I fear me, both are falfe. Glo. Then never man was true. Anne. Well, well, put up your fword. Glo. Say then, my peace is made. Anne. That fhall you know hereafter. Ane. To take is not to give. [She puts on the ring Glo. Look, how this ring encompaffeth thy finger,, But beg one favour at thy gracious hand, Glo. That it may pleafe you leave thefe fad defigns 7 Where Crofty-place: A house near Bishopfgate-street, belong ing to the duke of Glofter. JoHNSON. Crofty-Place is now Crofty-fquare in Bishopfgate-street; part of the Where-after I have folemnly interr'd, For divers unknown reafons, I beseech you, Anne. With all my heart; and much it joys me too, To fee you are become fo penitent. .8 Treffel, and Berkley, go along with me. Anne. 'Tis more than you deferve: But, fince you teach me how to flatter you [Exeunt two, with lady Anne. Glo. Take up the corse, firs. Gen. Towards Chertsey, noble lord? Glo. No, to White-Fryars; there attend my coming. [Exeunt the reft, with the corfe. Was ever woman in this humour woo'd Was ever woman in this humour won? I'll have her, but I will not keep her long. With curfes in her mouth, tears in her eyes, The bleeding witnefs of her hatred by; With God, her confcience, and thefe bars against me, But the plain devil, and diffembling looks, Hath fhe forgot already that brave prince, the houfe is yet remaining, and is a meeting place for a prefbyterian congregation, Sir J. HAWKINS. 8 Imagine, I have faid farewel already.] Cibber, who altered Rich. III. for the flage, was fo thoroughly convinced of the ridiculoufnefs and improbability of this fcene, that he thought himfelf obliged to make Treffel fay : When future chronicles shall speak of this, STEEVENS. Ed Edward, her lord, whom I, fome three months fince, Young, valiant, wife, and, no doubt, right royal', The fpacious world cannot again afford : That cropp'd the golden prime of this fweet prince, On me, whofe all not equals Edward's moiety? I do mistake my perfon all this while : 9 Fram'd in the prodigality of nature,] i. e. when nature was in a prodigal or lavish mood. WARBURTON. -and, no doubt, right royal,-] Of the degree of royalty belonging to Henry the fixth there could be no doubt, nor could Richard have mentioned it with any fuch hefitation; he could not indeed very properly allow him royalty. I believe we should read: and, no doubt, right loyal. That is, true to her bed. He enumerates the reasons for which she should love him. He was young, wife, and valiant; these were apparent and indifputable excellencies. He then mentions another not lefs likely to endear him to his wife, but which he had lefs opportunity of knowing with certainty, and, no doubt right loyal. JOHNSON. Richard is not fpeaking of king Henry, but of Edward his fon, whom he means to reprefent as full of all the noble properties of a king. No doubt, right royal, may, however, be ironically spoken, alluding to the incontinence of Margaret, his mother. STEEVENS. |