Speak freely of our acts; or else our grave, Enter Ambassadors of France. Now are we well prepar'd to know the pleasure The Dauphin's meaning, and our embassy? Amb. 27 wi Not worship'd with a maren epitaph. The quartos read a paper epitaph. Either a paper or a waxen epitaph is an epitaph easily destroyed; one that can confer no lasting honour on the dead. Steevens thinks that the allusion is to waxen tablets, as any thing written upon them was easily effaced. Mr. Gifford says that a waren epitaph was an epitaph affixed to the hearse or grave with wax. But it appears to me that the expression may be merely metaphorical, and not allusive to either. Cereus, in Latin; waren, in English; and a kindred word, in most languages, is applied to any thing soft, pliable, mutable, casily taking any impression, and as easily losing it; any thing. fragile, or changing with a light occasion. In short, the epithet conveys completely the idea of instability; and this was the intention of the poet. 28 A galliard was an ancient spritely dance, as its name implies; which Sir John Davies describes as: A gallant dance, that lively doth bewray Which with the lusty tunes accordeth fair.' You c cannot revel into dukedoms there: He therefore sends you, meeter for your spirit, This tun of treasure: and, in lieu of this, Desires you, let the dukedoms, that you claim, Ere, and His present, and your pains, we thank you for: And plodded like a man for working-days; 29 In the old play of King Henry V. this present consists of a gilded tun of tennis-balls, and a carpet. 30 The hazard is a place in the tennis-court, into which the ball is sometimes struck. A chace at tennis is that spot where a ball falls, beyond which the adversary must strike his ball to gain a point or chace. At long fem is the spot where the ball leaves off rolling. We see 32 i. e. why the king has called himself a wrangler. throne. Thus in King Richard III. : supreme seat, the throne majestical. 33 And therefore living hence; that is, from hence, away from this seat or throne. 34 For that I have laid by my majesty. To qualify myself for this undertaking, I have descended from my station, and studied the arts of life in a lower character. Vol. V. 17* But I will rise there with so full a glory, Yea, strike the Dauphin blind to look on us.T And tell the pleasant prince, this mack of his Hath turn'd his balls to gun-stones35; and his soul Shall stand sore charged for the wasteful vengeance That shall fly with them: for many a thousand widows Shall this his mock mock out of their dear husbands; When thousands weep, more than did laugh at it.- Ere. This was a merry message. K. Hen. We hope to make the sender blush at it. Descends from his Throne. Therefore, my lords, omit no happy hour, That may give furtherance to our expedition: For we have now no thought in us but France; Save those to God, that run before our business. Therefore, let our proportions for these wars Be soon collected; and all things thought upon, That may, with reasonable swiftness, additus More feathers to our wings; for, God before,be We'll chide this Dauphin at his father's door. રાજા વસવ 35 Hath turn'd his balls to gun-stones. When ordnance was first used they discharged balls not of iron but stones 901 bulben Therefore, let every man now task his thought36, That this fair action may on foot be brought. [Exeunt. ACT II. Enter CHORUS. Chor. Now all the youth of England are on fire, And hides a sword, from hilts unto the point, O England!-model to thy inward greatness, 182 What mightst thon do, that honour would thee do, Were all thy children kind and natural! But see thy fault! France hath in thee found out 36 Task his thought. We have this phrase before. See note on p. 316. 1 For now sits Expectation in the air; And hides a sword, from hilts unto the point With crowns,' &c. In ancient representations of trophies, &c. it is common to see swords encircled with crowns. Shakspeare's image is supposed to be taken from a wood cut in the first edition of Holinshed. A nest of hollow bosoms, which he fills With treacherous crowns: and three corrupted men, One, Richard earl of Cambridge2; and the second, And by their hands this grace of kings must die 2 'Richard earl of Cambridge' was Richard de Conisbury, younger son of Edmund Langley, duke of York. He was father of Richard duke of York, and grandfather of Edward the Fourth. 3 Henry Lord Scroop' was a third husband of Joan, duchess of York, mother in law of Richard earl of Cambridge. 4 Gilt for golden money. 5 The old copy reads: Linger your patience on, and we'll digest The abuse of distance; force a play." The alteration was made by Pope. 6 'But till the king come forth, and but till then, Unto Southampton do we shift our scene.' The old copy reads: But till the king come forth, and not till then." The emendation was proposed by Mr. Roderick, and deserves admission into the text. Malone has plainly shown that it is a common typographical error. The objection is, that a scene in London intervenes; but this may be obviated by transposing that scene to the end of the first act. The division into acts and scenes, it should be recollected, is the arbitrary work of Mr. Rowe and the subsequent editors; and the first act of this play, as it is now divided, is unusually short. This chorus has slipped out of its place. |