P. 71, c. 1, l. 32. 0, for a muse of fire, &c. c.] This goes, says Warburton, upon the notion of the Peripatetic system, which imagines several heavens one above another; the last and highest of which was one of fire. It alludes likewise to the aspiring nature of fire, which, by its levity, at the separation of the chaos, took the highest seat of all the elements. JOHNSON. But these remarks are perhaps too fanciful.

Id. I. 5. princes to act,

And monarchs to behold-] Shakspeare does not seem to set distance enough between the performers and spectators.

Id. 7. 14. Within this wooden O,] An allusion to the theatre where this history was exhibited, being, from its circular form, called The Globe.

Id. l. 14. the very casques,] The helmets. Id. l. 19. imaginary forces--] Imaginary for imaginative, or your powers of fancy. Active and passive words are by this author frequently confounded. JOHNSON.

Id. 1. 26. And make imaginary puissance:] This shows that Shakspeare was fully sensible of the absurdity of showing battles on the theatre, which, indeed, is never done, but tragedy becomes farce. Nothing can be represented to the eye, but by something like it, and within a wooden Ở nothing very like a battle can be exhibited.

Id. l. 64. task-] Keep busied with scruples and laborious disquisitions.

Id. l. 76. Or nicely charge your understanding soul- Take heed, lest by nice and subtle sophistry you burthen your knowing soul, or knowingly burthen your soul, with the guilt of advancing a false title, or of maintaining, by specious fallacies, a claim which, if shown in its native and true colours, would appear to be false.

Id. l. 77.--miscreate,] Ill-begotten, illegitimate, spurious.

Id. c. 2, 1. 2. in approbation-] i. e. in proving and supporting that title which shall

be now set up.

Id. l. 24.

- gloze,] expound, explain, and sometimes comment upon.

Id l. 57. To fine his title, &c.] To fine his title, is to make it showy or specious by some appearanee of justice. STEEVENS.

Id 1 59. Convey'd himself-] Derived his title. Id. l. 79. imbare their crooked titles-] i. e. to lay open, to display to view.

P. 73, c. 1, l. 47. They of those marches,] The marches are the borders, the limits, the confines. Hence the lords marchers, i. e. the lords presidents of the marches, &c.

Id.

l. 51.- - the main intendment-] Intendment is here perhaps used for intention, which in our author's time signified extreme exertion. The main intendment may, however, mean, the general disposition.

Id. 1. 61. " at the bruit thereof."-MALONE.

To which is fired, as an aim or butt, Obedience:] Neither the sense nor the construction of this passage is very obvious. The construction is, endeavour-as an aim or butt to which endeavour, obedience is fixed. The seuse is, that all endeavour is to terminate in obedience, to be subordinate to the public good and general design of government. Id. 19. and officers of sorts:] Officers of sorts means officers of different degrees. -civil-] i. e. sober, grave.

Id. 1. 28.

Id. l. 32. to éxécutors-] Executors is here used for executioners.

Id. l. 58. - empery,] This word, which signifies dominion, is now obsolete, though formerly in general use.

Id. 1. 65. "a paper epitaph." MALONE. P. 74, c. 1, Z. 7. a nimble galliard won;] A galliard was an ancient dauce, now obsolete. Id. l. 23. chaces.] Chace is a term at tennis. Id. l. 26. this poor seat of England;] By the seat of England, the king meaus the throne. Id. l. 27. And therefore, living hence,] Living hence means, withdrawing from the court, the place in which he is now speaking.

Id. 1. 33. For that I have laid by-] To qualify myself for this undertaking, I have descended from my station, and studied the arts of life in a lower character. JOHNSON.

his balls to gun-stones:] When ordnance was first used, they discharged balls, not of iron, but of stone.

Id. l. 51.

SCENE I.

and we'll be all three sworn brothers to France;] The humour of sworn brothers should be opened a little. In the time of adventure, it was usual for two chiefs to bind themselves to share in each other's fortune, and divide their acquisitions between them. So, in the Conqueror's expedition, Robert de Oily. and Roger de Ivery, were fratres jurati; and Robert gave one of the honours he received to his sworn brother Roger. So these three scoundrels set out for France, as if they were going to make a conquest of the kingdom. Id. 1. 78. O well-a-day, Lady. if he be not drawn now!] This is omitted by Mr Malone. P. 75, c. 1, l. 19. I am not Barbason;] Barbason is the name of a demon mentioned in The Merry Wives of Windsor. The unmeaning tumour of Pistol's speech very naturally reminds Nym of the sounding nonsense uttered by conjurors.

1. 7. Therefore exhale.] Exhale perhaps here signifies draw, or in Pistol's language, hale, or lug out: but more probably it meanstherefore breathe your last, or die, a threat common enough among dramatic heroes of a higher rank than Pistol, who only expresses this idea in the fantastic language peculiar to his character.

ld. c. 2, l. 15. Mr. Malone's punctuation is, "for, lambkins we will live."

SCENE II.

Id. 1. 32. For which we have in head assembled them? In head seems synonymous with the modern military term in force.

Id. l. 56. hearts create-] Hearts compounded or made up of duty and zeal.

Id.

Id.

more advice,] On his return to more

1. 68. coolness of mind.

1. 78. proceeding on distemper.] It has been just said by the king, that it was excess of wine that set him on, and distemper may therefore mean intoxication. Distemper'd in liquor is still a common expression. how shall we stretch our P. 76, c. 1, l. 1. eye.] If we may not wink at small faults, how wide must we open our eyes at great. Id 1.9. Who are the late commissioners?] that is, as appears from the sequel, who are the persons lately appointed commissioners? quick- that is, living.

Id l. 29. Id. 1.55..

though the truth of it stands off

as gross

As black from white.] Though the truth be as apparent and visible as black and white contiguous to each other. To stand off is être relevé, to be prominent to the eye, as the strong parts of a picture.

Id. l. 58. so grossly that admiration, &c.] Palpably; with a plain and visible connection of cause and effect, that they excited no expression of surprise. he, that temper'd thee,] i. e. rendered thee pliable to his will.

Id.

Id. l. 74.

vasty Tartar-] i. e Tartarus, the fabled place of future punishment. Id. l. 78. O, how hast thou with jealousy infected

The sweetness of affiance!] Shakspeare uses this aggravation of the guilt of treachery with great judgment. One of the worst consequences of breach of trust is the diminution of that confidence which makes the happiness of life, and the dissemination of suspicion, which is the poison of society. JOHNSON. Id. c. 2, l. 5 Garnish'd and deck'd in modest complement:] Complements, in the age of Shakspeare, meant the same as accomplishments in the present one.

Id. 1. 6. Not working with the eye, without the ear,] The king means to say of Scroop, that he was a cautious man, who knew that fronti nulla fides, that a specious appearance was deceitful, and therefore did not work with the eye, without the ear, did not trust the air or look of any man till he had tried him by enquiry and conversation.

Id.

Id.

1. 8.--and so finely bolted,] Bolted is the same with sifted, and has consequently the meaning of refined.

1.30. Which I in sufferance heartly will rejoice,] Cambridge means to say, at which prevention, or which intended scheme that it was prevented, I shall rejoice. Shakspeare has many such elliptical expressions. The intended scheme that he alludes to, was the taking off Henry, to make room for his brother-inlaw.

P. 76, c. 2, l. 45. "into desolation.”—MALONE. Id 1. 72. - let me bring thee to Staines.] i. e. let me attend, or accompany thee. P. 77. c. 1. l. 4. ——an it had been any christom child;} i. e. child that has wore the chrysom, or white cloth, put on a new baptised child. Id. 1. 5.- turning o'the tide:] It has been a very old opinion, which Mead, de imperio solis, quotes, as if he believed it, that nobody dies but in the time of ebb: half the deaths in

London confute the notion; but we find that it was common among the women of the poet's time. JOHNSON.

Id. l. 18. -cold as any stone.] Such is the end of Falstaff, from whom Shakspeare had promised us, in his epilogue to King Henry IV. that we should receive more entertainment. It happened to Shakspeare, as to other writers, to have his imagination crowded with a tumultuary confusion of images, which, while they were yet unsorted and unexamined, seemed sufficient to furnish a long train of incidents, and a new variety of merriment: but which, when he was to produce them to view, shrunk suddenly from him, or could not be accommodated to his general design. That he once designed to have brought Falstaff on the scene again, we know from himself; but whether be could contrive no train of adventures suitable to his caracter, or could match him with no companions likely to quicken his humour, or could open no new vein of pleasantry, and was afraid to continue the same strain lest it should not find the same reception, he has here for ever discarded him, and made haste to despatch him, perhaps for the same reason for which Addison killed Sir Roger, that no other hand might attempt to exhibit him.

Let meaner authors learn from this example, that it is dangerous to sell the bear which is yet not hunted; to promise to the public what they have not written.

This disappointment probably inclined queen Elizabeth to command the poet to produce him once again, and to show him in love or courtship. This was, indeed, a new source of humour, and produced a new play from the former characters. JOHNSON. Id. 1. 28. - rheumatic;] This word is else where used by our author for peevish, or splenetic, as scorbutico is in Italian. Mrs. Quickly however probably means lunatic. Id. l. 73. clear thy chrystals.] Dry thine

eyes.

SCENE IV.

Id. l. 75. —so dull a kingdom,] i. e. render it callous, insensible.

Id c. 2, l. 15. How modest in exception,] How diffident and decent in making objections. 14. 1. 33. - strain.] lineage.

Id. 1. 34. That haunted us-] To haunt is a word of the utmost horror, which shows that they dreaded the English as goblins and spirits.

Id. l. 47. — fate of him. His fate is what is allotted him by destiny, or what he is fated to perform.

Id l. 57.- - spend their mouths,] that is, bark; the sportsman's term.

Id. l. 77. memorable line,] This genealogy; this deduction of his lineage.

P. 78 c. 1, 38. Shall chide your trespass,] To chide is to resound, to echo.

Id. 1. 45. Scene IV.] This scene is mean enough, when it is read; but the grimaces of two French women, and the odd 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 ker

G

Id. c. 2, l. 43. our father's luxury,] In this place, as in others, luxury means lust. Id. 7. 44. - savage is here used in the French original sense, for, silvan, uncultivated, the same with wild.

Id. 1. 51. In that nook-shotten isle of Albion.] Shotten signifies any thing projected: so nookshotten isle, is an isle that shoots out into capes, promontories, and necks of land, the very figure of Great-Britain.

Id. l. 56 A drench for sur-rein'd jades,] Surrein'd means over-worked or ridden; and is perhaps derived from the reins of the back. Id. l. 71. - lavoltas high,] A dance in which there was much turning and much capering. P. 81, c. 1, l. 10. With pennons - Pennons armorial were small flags, on which the arms, device, and motto of a knight were painted. Id. l. 11. melted snow-] 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 grossness of the thought in the next line.

SCENE VI.

Id. l. 61. Of buxom valour.] i. e. valour under│| good command, obedient to its superiors Id. 1. 76. For he hath stol'n a pix,] A pix, or little chest, (from the Latin word piris, a box), in which the consecrated host was used to be kept.

Id. c. 2, 17. The fig of Spain!] Mr. Steevens thinks this is an allusion to the custom of giving poisoned figs to those who were the objects either of Spanish or Italian revenge. Id. 1. 30. --a sconce,] appears to have been some hasty, rude, inconsiderable kind of fortification.

Id. 1. 35. -- a beard of the general's cut.] It appears from an old ballad inserted in a Miscellany, entitled Le Prince d'Amour, Svo. 1660, that our ancestors were very curious in the fashion of their beards, and that a certain cut or form was appropriated to the soldier, the bishop, the judge, the clown, &c. The spade beard, and perhaps the stilettobeard also, was appropriated to the first of these characters. It is observable that our author's patron, Henry Earl of Southampton, who spent much of his time in camps, is drawn with the latter of these beards; and his unfortunate friend, Lord Essex, is constantly represented with the former. Id. l. 68. his fire's out.] This is the last time that any sport can be made with the red face of Bardolph, which, to confess the truth, seems to have taken more hold on Shakspeare's imagination than on any other. The conception is very cold to the solitary reader, though it may be somewhat invigorated by the exhibition on the stage. This poet is always more careful about the present than the future, about his audience than his readers. JOHNSON. Id. 1. 77. Enter Montjoy.] Mont-joie is the title of the first king at arms in France, as Garter is in our own country.

Id. l. 78. --by my habit] That is, by his herald's coat. The person of a herald being in

P. 83 c. 1. 7. 18 -'tis a hooded valour; and, when it appears, it will bate.] This is a poor pun, taken from the terms used in falconry. The whole sense and sarcasm depends upon the equivoque of one word, viz. bate, in sound, but not in orthograpby, answering to the term bait in falconry. When the hawk is unhooded, her first action is baiting, that is flapping her wings, as a preparation to her flying at the game The hawk wants no courage, but invariably baits upon taking off the hood. Id. 1.38. peevish-] In ancient language, sig

nified-foolish.

Id. 1. 57. "That we should 'dress. &c.-MALONE. Id. l. 71. With casted slough, &c.] Slough is the skin which the serpent annually throws off, and by the change of which he is supposed to regain new vigour and fresh youth." Legerity is lightness, nimbleness. JOHNSON.

P. 84, c. 1, l. 37. It sorts-] i, e. it agrees.
Id. c. 2, 1. 4.- - conditions:] Are qualities. The

meaning is, that objects are represented by his senses to him, as to other men by theirs. What is danger to another is danger likewise to him: and, when he feels fear, it is like the fear of meaner mortals. Id. l. 41.

- their children rawly left,] i. e. left young and helpless. Id. l.69. - native punishment,] That is, punishment in their native country; or, perhaps, native punishment is such as they were born to, if they offend.

Id. l. 78. Every subject's duty-] This is a very just distinction, and the whole argument is well followed, and properly concluded.

P.

85. c. 1, l. 20 Mass, you'll pay him then!] To pay, in old language, meant to thrash or beat; and here signifies to bring to account, to punish.

Id. 1. 26.

too round;] i. e. too rough, too un

ceremonious.