Enter WORCESTER and VERNON. How now, my Lord of Worcester ! 'tis not well A prodigy of fear, and a portent Of broached mischief to the unborn times? For mine own part, I could be well content 4 With quiet hours; for, I do protest, I have not sought the day of this dislike. King. You have not sought it! why, how comes it, then? Fal. Rebellion lay in his way, and he found it. Prince. Peace, chewet,5 peace! 2 The King was at this time but thirty-six years old. But in his development of historical characters Shakespeare had little regard to dates, so he could bring the substance of historic truth within the conditions of dramatic effect; and he here anticipates several years in the King's life, that he may make Prince Henry old enough for the course of action ascribed to him. 3 Obedient orb is orbit of obedience. The Poet often has orb for orbit. 4 Hours is here a dissyllable. 5 The meaning of chewet is thus explained from Bacon's Natural History: As for chuets, which are likewise minced meat, instead of butter and fat, it were good to moisten them partly with cream, or almond and pistachio Sir M. Doubt not, my lord, they shall be well opposed. Arch. I hope no less, yet needful 'tis to fear; And, to prevent the worst, Sir Michael, speed: For if Lord Percy thrive not, ere the King Dismiss his power, he means to visit us, For he hath heard of our confederacy; And 'tis but wisdom to make strong against him : Therefore make haste. I must go write again To other friends; and so, farewell, Sir Michael. [Exeunt. ACT V. SCENE I. The King's Camp near Shrewsbury. Enter King HENRY, Prince HENRY, LANCASTER, Sir WALTER BLUNT, and Sir JOHN FALSTAFF. King. How bloodily the Sun begins to peer Above yon bosky1 hill! the day looks pale At his distemperature. Prince. The southern wind Doth play the trumpet to his purposes; King. Then with the losers let it sympathize, [The Trumpet sounds. 1 Bosky is woody, bushy. So in Milton's Comus : I know each lane, and every alley green, Enter WORCESTER and VERNON. How now, my Lord of Worcester ! 'tis not well A prodigy of fear, and a portent Of broached mischief to the unborn times? For mine own part, I could be well content I have not sought the day of this dislike. King. You have not sought it! why, how comes it, then? Fal. Rebellion lay in his way, and he found it. Prince. Peace, chewet,5 peace! 2 The King was at this time but thirty-six years old. But in his development of historical characters Shakespeare had little regard to dates, so he could bring the substance of historic truth within the conditions of dramatic effect; and he here anticipates several years in the King's life, that he may make Prince Henry old enough for the course of action ascribed to him. 3 Obedient orb is orbit of obedience. The Poet often has orb for orbit. 4 Hours is here a dissyllable. 5 The meaning of chewet is thus explained from Bacon's Natural History: "As for chuets, which are likewise minced meat, instead of butter and fat, it were good to moisten them partly with cream, or almond and pistachio friends. Wor. It pleased your Majesty to turn your looks It was myself, my brother, and his son, That brought you home, and boldly did outdare That all in England did repute him dead, — 6 The cuckoo has a habit of laying her eggs in the hedge-sparrow's nest, Useth the sparrow; did oppress our nest; Grew by our feeding to so great a bulk, That even our love durst not come near your sight Sworn to us in your younger enterprise. King. These things, indeed, you have articulate,8 With some fine colour that may please the eye and leaving them there to be hatched by the owner. The cuckoo chickens are then cherished, fed, and cared for by the sparrow as her own children, until they grow so large as to "oppress her nest," and become so greedy and voracious as to frighten and finally drive away their feeder from her own home. Something of the same kind is affirmed of the cuckoo and titlark in Holland's Pliny, which first came out in 1601, some years after this play was written: The Titling, therefore, that sitteth, being thus deceived, hatcheth the egge, and bringeth up the chicke of another birde; and this she doth so long, untill the young cuckow, being once fledge and readie to flie abroad, is so bold as to seize upon the old titling, and eat her up that hatched her." Shakespeare seems to have been the first to notice how the hedge-sparrow was wont to be treated by that naughty bird.- Gull here unfledged nestling." So several editors say; still I doubt it, and suspect it has the sense of the Latin gulo, a voracious eater. means 7 "We stand opposèd " here means " we stand in opposition to you." 8 Articulate is here used in the past tense for articulated, as in the passage from Holland's Pliny in the preceding note: “Being once fledge and readie to flie abroad." To articulate is to set down in articles. 9 Discontents for malcontents. So, again, in Antony and Cleopatra, i. 4: "To the ports the discontents repair." |