I'll fo offend, to make offence a skill;

Redeeming time, when men think least I will. [Exit.

Changes to an Apartment in the Palace.

Enter King Henry, Northumberland, Worcester, Hot-fpur, Sir Walter Blunt, and others.

K. Henry. M

Y blood hath been too cold and tem

perate,

Unapt to ftir at thefe indignities;

And you have found me; for accordingly
You tread upon my patience: but be fure,
I will from henceforth rather be myself,
Mighty and to be fear'd, than my Condition;
Which hath been fmooth as oyl, foft as young down,
And therefore loft that title of Refpect,

Which the proud foul ne'er pays, but to the proud.
Wor. Our Houfe, my fovereign Liege, little de-

ferves

7 I will from henceforth rather be myself, Mighty and to be fear'd, than my Condition; i. e, I will from henceforth rather put on the character that becomes me, and exert the refentment of an injured King, than still continue in the inactivity and mildness of my natural difpofition. And this fentiment he has well expreffed, fave that by his ufual licence, he puts the word condition for difpofition: which ufe of terms depaifing our Oxford Editor, as it frequently does, he in a lofs for the meaning, fubftitutes in for ihan,

So that by condition, in this reading, must be meant ftation, of fice. But it cannot be predicated of ftation and office, that it is fmooth as oyl, foft as young down: which fhews that condition mult needs be licentiously used for dif pofition, as we faid before. WAR B.

The commentator has well explained the fenfe which was not very difficult, but is mistaken in fuppofing the ufe of condition licentious. Shakespeare uses it very frequently for temper of mind, and in this fenfe the vulgar ftill fay a good or ill-conditioned man.

The

The fcourge of Greatness to be used on it;

And that fame Greatness too, which our own hands
Have help'd to make fo portly.

North. My good lord,

K. Henry. Worcester, get thee gone; for I do fee Danger and difobedience in thine eye.

peremptory;

O Sir, your prefence is too bold and
And Majefty might never yet endure
The moody frontier of a fervant brow.
You have good leave to leave us.

8

When we need

Your ufe and counsel, we shall send for you.

You were about to speak.

North. Yes, my good lord.

[Exit Worcester.

[To Northumberland.

Those Prisoners, in your Highnefs' name demanded,
Which Harry Percy here at Holmedon took,
Were, as he fays, not with fuch strength deny'd
As was deliver'd to your Majefty.

Or Envy therefore, or Mifprifion,
Is guilty of this fault, and not my fon.

Hot. My Liege, I did deny no prisoners;
But I remember, when the fight was done,
When I was dry with rage, and extream toil,
Breathlefs, and faint, leaning upon my fword;
Came there a certain lord, neat, trimly drefs'd;
Fresh as a bridegroom, and his chin, new-reap'd,
Shew'd like a ftubble land at harvest-home.
He was perfumed like a milliner;

9

And 'twixt his finger and his thumb, he held

A pouncet-box, which ever and anon
He gave his nofe: and took't away again;
Who, therewith angry, when it next came there,
Took it in fnuff. And still he smil'd, and talk't;
And as the foldiers bare dead bodies by,
He call'd them untaught knaves, unmannerly,
To bring a flovenly, unhandsome coarse
Betwixt the wind, and his Nobility.
With many holiday and lady terms

He queftion'd me: amongst the reft, demanded
My prifoners, in your Majefty's behalf.

2 I, then all smarting with my wounds being cold,
To be fo pefter'd with a popinjay,

Out of my Grief, and my impatience,
Anfwer'd, neglectingly, I know not what;

He fhould, or fhould not; for he made me mad,
To fee him fhine fo brifk, and smell fo fweet,

And talk fo like a waiting-gentlewoman,

Of guns, and drums, and wounds; (God fave the mark!)

A pouncet-box,] A fmall box for mufk or other perfumes then in fashion: The lid of which being cut with open work gave it its name; from poinfoner; to prick, pierce, or engrave.

WARBURTON. 2 I, then all fmarting with my wounds being COLD, (To be fo pefter'd with a popinjay)] But in the beginning of the Speech he reprefents himself at this time not as cold but hot, and inflamed with rage and labour.

"When I was dry with rage

and extreme toil, &c. I am perfuaded therefore that Shakespeare wrote and pointed it thus,

"I then all fmarting with my

wounds; being GAL'D "To be fo pefter'd with a popinjay, &c.

WARBURTON. Whatever Percy might fay of his rage and toil, which is merely declamatory and apologetical," his wounds would at this time be certainly cold, and when they were cold would smart, and not before. If any alteration were neceffary I fhould transpose the lines.

I then all fmarting with my
wounds being cold,
Out of my grief, and my im
patience,

To be fo pefter'd with a popin-
jay,
Anfawer'd neglectingly.
A popinjay is a parrot.

And

And telling me, the fovereign'ft thing on earth.
Was Parmacity, for an inward bruife;
And that it was great pity, fo it was,
This villainous falt petre fhould be digg'd
Out of the bowels of the harmless earth,
Which many a good tall fellow had destroy'd
So cowardly And but for thefe vile guns,
He would himself have been a foldier.-
This bald, unjointed chat of his, my lord,
I anfwer'd indirectly, as I faid;

And I beseech you, let not this report
Come current for an accufation,

Betwixt my love and your high Majefty.

Blunt. The circumftance confider'd, good my lord, Whatever Harry Percy then had faid, To fuch a perfon, and, in fuch a place, At fuch a time, with all the reft retold, May reasonably die; and never rise 3 To do him wrong, or any way impeach What then he faid, fo he unfay it now.

K. Henry. Why, yet he doth deny his prifoners,

But with provifo and exception,

That we at our own charge shall ransom straight
His brother-in-law, the foolish Mortimer;
Who, on my foul, hath wilfully betray'd
The lives of those, that he did lead to fight
Against the great magician, damn'd Glendower;
Whose daughter, as we hear, the Earl of March
Hath lately marry'd. Shall our coffers then
Be empty'd, to redeem a traitor home?
Shall we buy treafon? and indent with fears,
When they have loft and forfeited themselves?
No; on the barren mountains let him starve;
For I fhall never hold that man my friend,
Whofe tongue fhall ask me for one penny coft
To ranfom home revolted Mortimer.

Hot. Revolted Mortimer?

" He never did fall off, my fovereign Liege,

and indent with fears.] The reason why he says, bargain and article with fears, meaning with Mortimer, is, because he fuppofed Mortimer had wilfully betrayed his own forces to Glendower out of fear, as appears from his next Speech. No need therefore to change fears to foes, as the Oxford Editor has done.

WARBURTON. The difficulty feems to me to arife from this, that the King is not defired to article or contract with Mortimer, but with another for Mortimer. Perhaps we may read,

Shall we buy treason? and in

dent with peers, When they have loft and for feited themselves? Shall we purchase back a traytor? Shall we defcend to a compofition with Worcester, Northumber

2

But

land, and young Percy, who by difobedience have loft and forfeited their honours and themfelves?

5 He never did fall off, my fovereign Liege,

But BY the chance of war ;-) A poor apology for a foldier, and a man of honour, that he fell off, and revolted by the chance of war. The Poet certainly wrote,

But 'BIDES the chance of war. i. e. he never did revolt, but abides the chance of war, as a prifoner. And if he ftill endured the rigour of imprisonment, that was a plain proof he was not revolted to the enemy. Hot-fpur fays the fame thing af terwards,

- fuffer'd his kinfman March to be encag'd in Wales. Here again the Oxford Editor

makes