As is the ouzy bottom of the Sear agen mose brA With funken wreck and fumlefs treafuries.

Exet. But there's a faying very old and true. If that you will France win, then with Scotland firft begin. For once the Eagle England being in prey, on To her unguarded neft the Weazel, Scot, gaissipaoƆ Comes fneaking, and fo fucks her princely eggs; Playing the Mouse in abfence of the Cat, 10 To aint, and havock, more than the can eat. 4 I Ely. It follows then, the Cat muft stay at home,? Yet that is but a crufh'd neceffity; 5-xfì zi doldw ol Since we have locks to fafeguard neceffàries,950 Sunna di stara vd 825107And

with PRAISE,] He is fpeak ing of King Edward's prifoners fo that it appears Shakespeare

wrote,

as rich with PRIZE,

i. e captures, booty. this, there is neither

Without

nor

firft fcene of this act. Befides, the poet had here an eye to Hall, who gives this obfervation to the of edi

Ely

ore fuffer. But the and di Exeter change fides, and speak one anthree is give peeches; for given to to Ely,

other's

is Ely's.

for this, which oxeter's; and

to Exeter,

3 If that you will France ance ruin, &c.] Hell's Chronicle. Hen. V, year 2. fol. 7. P. 3) X13659 X. POPE.

likeneis in the iimilitude. WARB the following ON The change of praife to prize, I believe no body will approve the fimilitude between the chronicle and fea confifts only in this, that they are both full, and filled with fomething valuable. Befides, Dr. Warburton prefuppofes a reading which exifts in no ancient copy, for his chronicle as the later editions give it, the quarto has your, the folio their chronicle.

Your and their written by contraction are just alike, and her in the old hands is not much un like y". I believe we should read ber chronicle.

a Ely. But there's a faying, &c.] This fpeech, which is diffuafive of the war with France, is abfurdly given to one of the churchmen in confederacy to push the King upon it, as appears by the

4 To tear and havock more than

.

The can eat.] 'Tis not much the Quality of the Moufe to tear the Food it comes at, but to run over and defiles it. The old Quarto reads, Spoiles and the two first folio's, tames from which laft corrupted Word, I think, I have retriev'd the Poet's genuine Reading, taint THEOB 15 Yet that isobuta burs'd Ne

ceffity;] So the old Quarto. The folio's tead end: Neither of the Words convey any tolerable Idea ; but give us a counreafoning, and not at all perWe should read, 'fcus'd 'Tis Ely's business.to

ter

tinent. neceffity.

thew

And pretty traps to catch the petty thieves.
While that the armed hand doth fight abroad,
Th' advifed head defends itfelf at home; d
For Government, though high, and low, and lower,
Put into parts, doth deep in one confent, 215
Congreeing in a full and natural clofepugne
Like mufick.bangodt of bm.

Cant. Therefore heav'n doth divide
The state of man in diverso functions,
Setting endeavour in continual motion, 6
To which is fixed, as an aim or butt, ad a
Obedience. For fo work the honey Bees;
Creatures, that by a rule in nature teach
The art of order to a peopled kingdom.
They have a King, and officers of fort;
Where fome, like magiftrates, correct at home,
Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad, 7

fhew, there is no real Neceffity
for staying at home: he muft
therefore mean
that tho there
be a feeming Neceffity, yet it is
one that may be well excus'd and
got over.
WARBURTON.

Neither the old readings nor the emendation feem very fa tisfactory. A curfed necefity has no fense, a 'fcus'd neceffity is fo harsh that one would not admit it, if any thing else can be found. A crufhid neceffity may mean, à neceffity which is fubdu'd and overpowered by contrary reafons. We might read a crude neceffity, a neceffity not complete, or not well confidered and digefted, but it is too harsh.

Sir T. Hanmer reads, Yet that is not o'course a necefity. For Government, though high, and low, and lower, The foundation and expreffion of this Thought feems to be bore

Others

B b 4

Others, like foldiers, armed in their stings,pro al baã
Make boot upon the fummer's velvet buds, odi A
Which pillage they with merry march bring home: Ɑ
To the tent-royal of their Emperor,y 7 10 W
Who bufy'd in his majesty, furveys Indow woy bn A
The finging mafon building roofs of gold;w U
The civil citizens kneading up the honeys TomƆ
The poor mechanick, porters crowding inw od 20 191
Their heavy burdens at his narrow garejo smer ser
The fad-ey'd Justice with his furly hum,
Delivering o'er to executors pale

The lazy yawning drone. I thus infer, sw ST3 wo
That many things, having full reference coq beb
To one confent, may work contrarioully.ard
As many arrows, loofed feveral ways,

190

A hd 10 Come to one mark as many ways meet in one town; As many fresh ftreams meet in one falt fea As many lines clofe in the dial's center So may a thousand actions once a-foot, 97 eklemel dhon tai daw Billyofil to End

is the venturing trade? I am perfuaded we should read and point it thus,

Others, like merchant-venturers, trade abroad.

WARBURTON. If the whole difficulty of this paffage confift in the obfcurity of the phrafe to venture trade, it may be cafly cleared. To venture trade is a phrafe of the fame import and ftructure as to hazard battle. Nothing could have raised an objection but the defire of being bufy.

8 The civil Citizens KNEADING up the honey;] This may poffibly be right; but I ras ther think that Shakespear wrote HEADING up the honey; alluding to the putting up merchandise in cafks. And this is in fact the

cafe. The honey being beaded up in feparate and diftinct cells by a thin membrane of wax drawn over the mouth of each of them, to hinder the liquid matter from running out.

AWARBURTON.

To head the honey can hardly be right; for though we bead the cask, no man talks of heading the an eafy fenfe, though not phyfithe commodities. To knead gives cally true. The bees do in fact knead the wax more than the honey, but that Shake/pear per haps did not know.

9 So may a thousand actions, ONCE a foot.] The speaker is endeavouring to fhew, that the flate is able to execute many projected actions at once, and conduct them all to their com

pletion,

End in one purpofe, and be all well borne
Without defeat. Therefore to France, my Liege;
Divide your happy England into four,

Whereof take you one quarter into France,
And you withal fhall make all Gallia fhake,
If we, with thrice fuch powers left at home,
Cannot defend our own doors from the dog,
Let us be worried; and our Nation lofe
The name of hardiness and policy.

K. Henry. Call in the meffengers, fent from the
Dauphin.

Now are we well refolv'd; and by God's help
And yours, the noble finews of our power,
France being ours, we'll bend it to our awe,'
Or break it all to pieces. There we'll fit,
Ruling in large and ample empery,

O'er France, and all her almost kingly Dukedoms,
Or lay these bones in an unworthy urn, y
Tomblefs, with no remembrance over them."
Either our History fhall with full mouth
Speak freely of our acts; or else our grave,
Like Turkish mute, fhall have a tonguelefs mouth;
Not worshipt with a waxen epitaph.

Now are we well prepar'd to know the pleasure
Of our fair coufin Dauphin; for we hear,
Your greeting is from him, not from the King.
Amb, May't pleafe your Majefty to give us leave
Freely to render what we have in charge,

تیم

WARBURTON.

Sir T. Hanmer is more kind to this emendation by reading acts at once. The change is not neceffary, the old text may fland.

The

The Dauphin's meaning, and our embaffych dod of K. Henry. We are, no tyrant, but a Chriftian King, Unto whole grace our paffion is as fubject, d

As are our wretches fetter'd in our prifons; sil_9&
Therefore, with frank and with uncurbed plainnefs,//
Tell us the Dauphin's/mind.yd bist svad Item 101
Amb. Thus then, in few, nam & salii bɔbboly bñA
Your Highness, lately fending into France,
Did claim fome certain Dukedoms in the right
Of your greas predeceffor, Edward the third

T

In answer of which claim, the Prince our masters in A
Says, that you favour too much of your youth, H
And bids you be advis'd: There's nought in France,
That can be with a nimble gilliard won;) bd HaT
You cannot revel into Dukedoms there.
1942
He therefore fends you, meeter for your fpirit,abul
This tun of treafure; and in lieu of this, or b 1.
Defires you, let the. Dukedoms, that you claim, sti`
Hear no more of you. This the Dauphin fpeaks.
K. Henry. What treasure, uncle?
Exe. Tennis balls, my Liege..

K. Henry. We're glad, the Dauphin is so pleasant with us. In low & Nut Mitzigi v His prefent, and your pains, we thank you for. When we have match'd our rackets to these balls, I! We will in France, by God's grace, play a fet, Shall firike his father's Crown into the hazard. Tell him, h'ath made a match with fuch a wrangler, That all the Courts of France will be disturb'da With chaces. And we understand him well How he comes o'er us with our wilder days I Not meafuring, what ufe we made of them...4F We never valu'd this poor feat of England, SH 101 And therefore, living hence, did give ourfelf su?

1

valued England, and therefore lived hence, i, en as if absent from it. But the Oxford Editar alters bence to bere GEWARBURTON,

Το