this first part. The reader will be enabled to judge how far this argument deserves attention, from the several extracts from those ancient pieces which he will find in the Essay on this subject.

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With respect to the second and third parts of King Henry VI. or, as they were originally called, The Contention of the two famous Houses of Yorke and Lancaster, they stand, in my apprehension, on a very different ground from "that of this first part, or, as I believe it was anciently called. The Play of King Henry VI. The Contention, &c. printed in two parts, in quarto, 1600, was, I conceive, the production of some playwright who preceded, or was contemporary with Shakspeare; and out of that piece he formed the two plays which are now denominated the Second and Third Parts of King Henry VI.; as, out of the old plays of King John and The Taming of a Shrew, he formed two other plays with the same titles. For the reasons on which this opinion is formed, I must again refer to my Essay on this subject.

This old play of King Henry VI. now before us, or as our author's editors have called it, the first part of King Henry VI. I suppose, to have been written in 1589, or before. See An Attempt to Ascertain the Order of Shakspeare's Plays, Vol 1. The disposition of facts in these three plays, not always corresponding with the dates, which Mr. Theobald mentions, and the want of uniformity and consistency in the series of events exhibited, may perhaps be in some measure accounted for by the hypothesis now stated. As to our author's having accepted these pieces as a Director of the stage, he had, I fear, no pre

tension

tension to such a situation at so early a period.

MALONE.

The chief argument on which the first paragraph of the foregoing note depends, is not, in my opinion, conclusive. This historical play might have been one of om 'author's earliest dramatie efforts; and almost every young poet begins his career by imitation. Shakspeare, therefore, till he felt his own strength, perhaps servilely conformed to the style and manner of his predecessors.

Page 123, line 9.The Earl of Warwick who makes his appearance in the first scene of this play is Richard Beauchamp, who is a character in King Henry V. The Earl who appears in the subsequent part of it, is Richard Ñevil, son to the Earl of Salisbury, who became possessed of the title in right of his wife, Anne, sister of Henry Beauchamp Duke of Warwick, on the death of Anne his only child in 1449. Richard, the father of this Henry, was appointed governor to the King, on the demise of Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter, and died in 1439. There is no reason to think that the author meant to confound the two characters. RITSON.

P. 123, 1. 11. Hung be the heavens with black,] Alluding to our ancient stage-practice when a tragedy was to be expected. STEEVENS.

P. 123, l. 14. Crystal is an epithet repeatedly bestowed on comets by our ancient writers.

STEEVENS.

P. 123, 1. 16. That have consented-] [£. this expression means no mo ha that the stars gave a bare consent, or agreed to let King Henry VOL. X.

22

die, it does no great honour to its author. I be lieve to consent, in this instance, means to act in concert. Concentus, Lat. Consented, or as it should be spelt, concented, means, have thrown themselves into a malignant configuration, to promote the death of Henry. Spenser, in more than one instance, spells this word as it appears in the text of Shakspeare; as does Ben Jonson, in his Epithalamion on Mr. Weston. STHEVERS. Steevens is right in his explanation of the word consented. Prohá Dist to 40

The word appears to be used in the same sense in the fifth scene of this act, where Talbot says to his troops:

"You all consented unto Salisbury's death, "For none would strike a stroke in his re

venge. M. MASON.

Consent, in all the books of the age of Elizabeth, and long afterwards, is the usual spelling of the word concent. In other places I have adopted the modern and more proper spelling; but, in the present instance, I apprehend, the word was used in its ordinary sense. In the ser cond act, Talbot, reproaching the soldiery, uses the same expression, certainly without any idea of a malignant configuration:

"You all consented unto Salisbury's death." MALONE. P. 124, 1. 16 – 18. Or shall we think the subtle-witted French Conjurers, and sorcerers, that, afraid of him,

By magick verses have contrived his end?] There was a notion prevalent a long time, that life might be taken away by metrical charms.

As superstition grew weaker, these charms were imagined only to have power on irrational animals. In our author's time it was supposed that the Irish could kill rats by a song. JOHNSON. P. 125, l. 12. Our isle be made a nourish of salt tears,] Mr.

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Pope marish. All the old copies read, a nourish and considering it is said in the line immediately preceding, that babes shall suck at their mothers' moist eyes, it seems very probable that our author wrote, a nourice, i. e. that the whole isle should be one common nurse, nourisher, of tears and those be the nourisment of its miserable issue. THEOBALD.

or

Was there ever such nonsense! But he did not know that marish is an old word for marsh or fen; and therefore very judiciously thus corrected by Mr. Pope. WARBURTON.

We should certainly read The Spanish Tragedy:

A

marish. So, in

"Made mountains marsh, with spring-tides of my tears." RITSON. I have been informed, that what we call at present a stew, in which fish are preserved alive, was anciently called a nourish. Nourice, however, Fr. a nurse, was anciently spelt many different ways, among which nourish was one.

STEEVENS. P. 125, 1. 17. 18. A far more glorious star thy soul will make,

Than Julius Caesar, or bright -] I can't guess the occasion of the hemistich and imperfect sense in this place; 'tis not impossible_it might have been filled up with- ancis Drake, though that were a terrible anachronism (as bad as Hector's quoting Aristotle in Troilus and

Cressida); yet perhaps at the time that brave Englishman was in his glory, to an Englishhearted audience, and pronounced by some favourite actor, the thing might be popular, though not judicious; and, therefore, by some critic in favour of the author afterwards struck out. this is a mere slight conjecture. Pore.

But

To confute the slight conjecture of Pope, a whole page of vehement opposition is annexed to this passage by Theobald. Sir Thomas Hanmer has stopped at Caesar perhaps more judiciously. It might, however, have been writor bright Berenice. JOHNSON.

ten,

Pope's conjecture is confirmed by this peculiar circumstance, that two blazing stars (the Julium sidus) are part of the arms of the Drake family. It is well known that families and arms were much more attended to in Shakspeare's time, than they are at this day. M. MASON.

This blank undoubtedly arose from the transcriber's or compositor's not being able to make out the name. So, in a subsequent passage the word Nero was omitted for the same reason.

MALONE P. 125, 1. 24. Guienne, Champaigne, Rheims, Orleans, This verse might be completed by the insertion of Rouen among the places lost, as Gloster in his next speech infers that it had been mentioned with the rest. STEEVENS.

P. 126, 1. 19. her flowing tides.] i. e. Englaud's flowing tides. MALOne.

P. 126, 1. 25, To weep their intermissive

miseries. i. e. their

miseries, which have had a short intermission