Where fome, like magiftrates, correct at home; man hath or can; ufing between themselves no leffe justice than wisdome, and yet not fo much wisdome as majeftie; infomuch as thou wouldeft thinke that they were a kind of people, a commonwealth for Plato; where they all labour, all gather hony, flie together in a fwarme, eat in a fwarme, and fleepe in a fwarme.They live under a law, ufing great reverence to their elder as to the wifer. They choose a king, whofe palace they frame, both braver in fhew, and ftronger in fubftance.-If their prince die, they know not how to live; they languifh, weepe, figh, neither intending their worke, nor keeping their old fociety. And that which is moft marvellous and almost incredible, if there be any that hath difobeyed his commandment, either of purpofe or unwitting, he killeth himself with his own fting, as an executioner to his own ftubbornneffe. The king himfelfe hath a fting, which he ufeth rather for honour than punishment. And yet, Euphues, albeit they live under a prince, they have their priviledges, and as great liberties as ftrait lawes. They call a parliament, wherein they confult for lawes, ftatutes, penalties, choofing officers, and creating their king. Every one bath his office; fome trimming the bony, fome working the wax, one framing hives, another the combes; and that fo artificially, that Dedalus could not with greater art or excellency better difpofe the orders, meafures, proportions, diftinctions, joints, and circles. Diverfe bew, others polish, and are careful to do their worke fo ftrongly as they may refift the craft of fuch drones as feek to live by their labours; which maketh them to keepe watch and ward, as living in a camp to others, and as in a court to themselves. When they goe forth to worke, they marke the winde, the clouds, and whatfoever doth threaten either their ruin or rage; and having gathered out of every flower hony, they return, loaden in their mouthes, thighes, winges, and all the body; whom they that tarried at home receive readily, as eafing their backs of fo great burthens. The king himfelfe, not idle, goeth up and down, intreating, threatning, commanding; ufing the counfel of a fequell, but not lofing the dignity of a prince; preferring those that labour in greater authority, and punishing thofe that loiter with due feverity." The commonwealth of your bees [replied Euphues] did fo delight me, that I was not a little forry, that either their estates have not been longer, or your leifure more; for in my fimple judgment, there was fuch an orderly government that men may not be afhamed to imitate them." MALONE. and officers of forts:] Thus the folio. The quarto reads— fert; i. e. high rank. See Vol. IV. p. 349, n. 4; and p. 396, n. 3. MALONE. 6 Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad; Who, busy'd in his majesty, surveys The finging mafons' building roofs of gold; The lazy yawning drone. I this infer, Officers of forts means officers of different degrees. In a London haberdasher's bill to his cuftomer in the country, I lately faw the following charge: "To thread of forts;" i. e. of different kinds. STEEVENS. In confirmation of Mr. Steevens's opinion it may be observed, that in A true Relation of the admirable Voyage and Travel of William Bush, &c. 4to. 1607, we have " drummes and fortes of muficke." REED. 6 venture trade abroad;] To venture trade is a phrase of the fame import and structure as to hazard battle. JOHNSON. The finging mafons-] Our author probably had here two images in his thoughts. The hum of a bee is obvious. I believe he was alfo thinking of a common practice among mafons, who, like many other artificers, frequently fing while at work: a practice that could not have escaped his obfervation. MALONE. 8 ———— civil—] i. e. fober, grave. So, in Twelfth Night: "Where is Malvolio? he is fad and civil." See Vol. IV. p. 116, n. 9. STEEVENS. 9 kneading up the honey;] To eafy fenfe, though not phyfically true. the wax more than the honey, but that know. JOHNSON. 2 knead the honey gives an The bees do in fact knead Shakspeare perhaps did not The old quartos read-lading up the honey. STEEVENS. to éxecutors-] Executors is here used for executioners. MALONE. That many things, having full reference As many feveral ways meet in one town; K. HEN. Call in the messengers sent from the [Exit an Attendant. The King afcends his throne. 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: Or there we'll fit, Ruling, in large and ample empery,' O'er France, and all her almost kingly dukedoms; It is fo used by other authors. Thus, Burton, in the Preface to his Anatomy of Melancholy, p. 38, edit. 1632: tremble at an executor, and yet not feare hell-fire." STEEVENS. 2 Without defeat.] The quartos 1600 and 1608 read,-Without defect. STEEVENS. 3 empery,] This word, which fignifies dominion, is now obfolete, though formerly in general ufe. So, in Claudius Tiberius Nero, 1607: "Within the circuit of our empery." STEEVENS. Or lay these bones in an unworthy urn, -with a waxen epitaph.] The quarto 1608 reads, with a paper epitaph. Either a waxen or a paper epitaph is an epitaph eafily obliterated or destroyed; one which can confer no lafting honour on the dead. To the ancient practice of writing on waxen tablets Shakspeare again alludes in the firft fcene of Timon of Athens: but moves itself "In a wide fea of wax." See notes on this paffage. Thus alfo, in G. Whetstone's Garden of Unthriftinefs, 1576: "In waxe, fay I, men eafily grave their will; "In marble ftone the worke with paine is wonne: "But perfect once, the print remaineth ftill, "When waxen feales by every browse are donne." STEEVENS. The fecond reading is more unintelligible, to me at least, than the other a grave not dignified with the slightest memorial. JOHNSON. I think this paffage has been mifunderstood. Henry fays, "he will either rule with full dominion in France, or die in the attempt, and lay his bones in a paltry urn, without a tomb, or any remembrance over him." With a view to the alternative that he has juft flated, he adds, by way of appofition and illustration, "either the English Chronicles fhall fpeak, trumpet-tongued, to the world, of my victories in France, or, being defeated there, my death fhall fcarcely be mentioned in hiftory; shall not be honoured by the best epitaph a prince can have, the written account of his achievements." -A paper epitaph, therefore, or, in other words, an historical eulogy, inftead of a flight token of respect, is mentioned by Henry as the most honourable memorial; and Dr. Johnfon's objection founded on the incongruity of faying that his grave shall not be dignified by the flightest memorial, falls to the ground. The mifreprefentation, I conceive, arofe from understanding a figurative expreffion literally, and supposing that a paper epitaph meant an epitaph written on a paper, to be affixed to a tomb. Waxen, the reading of the folio, when it is ufed by Shakspeare metaphorically, fignifics, foft, yielding, taking an impreffion easily Enter Ambaffadors of France. Now we are well prepar'd to know the pleasure Freely to render what we have in charge; K. HEN. We are no tyrant, but a Chriftian king; (fo, in Twelfth Night, "women's waxen hearts;" and in The Rape of Lucrece, "For men have marble, women waxen minds," &c.) and confequently might mean alfo-eafily obliterated: but this meaning is quite inconfiftent with the context; for in the former part of the paffage the event of Henry's being buried without a tomb, and without an epitaph, has been already ftated, and therefore the want of an epitaph (in its literal acceptation) could not with propriety again be infifted on, in the latter member of the fentence, which relates to a different point; the queftion in this place being only, whether his deeds fhould be emblazoned by narration, or his actions and his bones together configned to "duft and damn'd oblivion." If any alteration was made by the author, in this paffage, he might perhaps have changed the epithet paper to lafting; and the tranfcriber who prepared the folio copy for the prefs, might have been deceived by his ear, and have written waxen inftead of the latter word. There is not indeed much fimilarity in the found of the two words; but mistakes equally grofs are found in these plays, which, it is highly probable, happened in this way. Thus, in this very play the folio has name for mare. See p. 308, n. 7. Our poet's 55th Sonnet furnishes a ftrong confirmation of my interpretation of this paffage : "Not marble, nor the gilded monuments "Of princes, fhall out-live this powerful rhyme; "Nor Mars his fword, nor war's quick fire, fhall burn |