interpose with my arguments, as I shall find opportunity. JOHNSON. P. 47, 1, 2. It were to be wished, that the poor merriment of this dialogue had not been purchased with so much profaneness. JOHNSON. P. 47, last but one 1. all fell feats Enlink'd to waste and desolation?] the savage practices naturally concomitant to the sack of cities. JOHNSON, All Whiles yet the cool and addrest. P. 49, 1, 8. I have left this ridiculous scene as I have found it; and am sorry to have no colour left, from any of the editions, to imagine it interpolated. WARBURTON. The scene is but the and the old Sir T. Hanmer has rejected it. indeed mean enough, when it is read; grimaces of two French women, accent with which they uttered the English, made it divert upon the stage. It may be observed, that there is in it not only the French language, but the French spirit. Alice compliments the Princess upon her knowledge of four words, and tells her that she pronounces like the English themselves. The Princess suspects no deficiency in her instructress, nor the instructress, in herself. Throughout the whole scene there mays be found French servility, and French vanity, MJA I cannot forbear to transcribe the first sentence of this dialogue, from the edition of 1608, that the reader, who has not looked into the old copies, may judge of the strange negligence with which they are printed, as Kate. Alice venecia, vous aves cates en, you parte fort bón Angloys englatara," coman sue palla vou la main en francoy. JOHNSON. We may observe in general, that the early editions have not half the quantity; and every sentence, or rather every word, most ridicu Yously blundered. These, for several reasons, could not possibly be published by the author; and it is extremely probable that the French ribaldry was at first inserted by a different hand, as the many additions most certainly were after he had left she stage. Indeed, every friend to his memory will not easily believe, that he was acquainted with the scene between Katharine and the old Gentlewomanor surely he would not have, admitted such obscenity and *μonsense. «FARMER. It is very certain, that authors in the time of Shakspeare did not correct the press for themselves I hardly ever saw in one of the old plays a sentence of either Latin, Italian, or French, without the most ridiculous blunders. 2 STEEVENS. › P. 51, 1.-21. The emptying of our fathers^ luxury,] In this place, as in others, luxury means lust. JOHNSON. P, 51, 1. 2240 savage 3 - is here used in the French original sense, for silvan, uncultivated, the same with wild. JOHNSON. P.51, 13o. In that nook-shotten isle of Albion Shotten signi fes any thing projected: so nook-shotten isle, "moistoaib is an isle that shoots out into capes, promontories, and necks of land, the very figure of GreatBritain. WARBURTON. P. 52, 1.4. A drench for sur-rein'd jades,] The exact meaning of sur-reyn'd I do not know. It is common to give horses over-ridden or, feverish, ground malt and hot water mixed, which is called a mash. To this be alludes, JOHNSON. I suppose, sur-rein'd means over-ridden; horses on whom the rein has remained too long. MALONE. P. 52, k. 9. Upon our houses' thatch,] I cannot help supposing, for the sake of metre, that Shakspeare wrote - house thatch. House¬ top is an expression which the reader will find in St. Matthew, xxiv. 17. STEEVENS. P. 52, 1. 20. And teach lavoltas high,] Sir T. Hanmer observes, that in this dance there was much turning and much capering. Shakspeare mentions it more than once. STEEVENS. P. 52, 1. 28--33. Charles De-la-bret, &c.] Milton somewhere bids the English take notice how their names are mispelt by foreigners, and seems to think that we may lawfully treat foreign names in return with the same neglect. This privilege seems to be exercised in this catalogue of French names, which, since the sense of the author is not affected, I have left as I found it. JOHNSON I have changed the spelling; for I know not why we should leave blunders or antiquated orthography in the when we have been remove both from all other so careful to parts of the text. Instead of Charles De-la bret, we should read Charles d'Albret; but the metre will not allow of it. STEEVENS.. Shakspeare followed IIolinshed's Chronicle, in which the Constable is called Delabreth, here is in the folio. MALONE. as he P. 53, 1. 2. Pennons armorial were small flags, on which the arms, device and motto of a knight were painted. Pennon is the same as pendant. STEEVENS. the melted snow as doth Upon the vallies; &c.] The poet has here defeated himself by passing too soon from one image to another. To bid the French rush upon the English as the torrents formed from melted snow stream from the Alps, was at once vehement and proper, but its force is destroyed by the grossuess of the thought in the next line. JOHNSON. P. 53, 1. 14. And, for achievement, offer us his ransom.] I can make no sense of these words as they stand, though it is to be supposed that the editors understood them, since they have passed them by unnoticed. I have little doubt but the words his and for, in the last line, have been misplaced, and that the line should run thus: And his achievement offer us for ransom. And accordingly the King of France sends to Henry to know what ransom he will give, By his achievement is meant the town of Harfleur, which Henry had taken. In the former part of this act he says: I "I will not leave the half-achieved Harfleur, Tilt in her ashes she be buried. M. MASON. Instead of achieving a victory over us, make a proposal to pay us a certain sum as a ransom. MALONE. P. 54, 1. 25. Of buxom valour,] i. e. valour ander good command, obedient to its superiors. STEEVENS. P. 54, 1. 27. 28. That goddess blind, described by Cebes, and by Pacuvius in the fragments of Latin authors, p. 60, and the first book of the Pieces to Herennius, precisely in these words of our poet. It is unnecessary to quote them. S. W. P. 54, 1. 30. 31. Fortune is painted plind, with a muffler before her eyes, to signify to you that fortune is plind:] Here the fool of a player was for making a joke, as Hamlet says, not set down for him, and showing a most pitiful ambition to be witty. For Fluellen, though he speaks with his country accent, yet is all the way represented as a man of good plain sense. Therefore, as it appears he knew the 'meaning of the term plind, by his use of it, he could never have said that Fortune was painted plind, to signify she was plind. He might as well have said afterwards, that she was painted inconstant, to signify she was inconstant. But there he speaks sense; and so, unquestion ably, he did here. We should therefore strike out the first plind, and read: Fortune is painted with a muffler, &c. J WARBURTON. The old reading is the true one. Goddess is represented blind, to show that fortune, or the chance of life, is without discernment. STEVENS. |