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INTRODUCTORY NOTICE.

SCENES IN PARTS I. AND II. OF KING HENRY IV.

PART I.-Gadshill, is from a somewhat distant sketch of this spot. Ancient Inn Yard. The open galleries and the external stair, of the Inn Yard of this period, require no description. Room in the Boar's Head. This, of course, is an imaginary representation, but illustrative of the architecture of the period. Bangor, Coventry, York, and Shrewsbury, are from the earliest authorities that could be found. PART II. The general view of Warkworth Castle is from several old prints. The Entrance Tower of this Castle is from an original sketch, and represents no more than actually exists, except the restoration of the battlements. The Street View (Act I.) is illustrative of the architecture of the period; and the scene being supposed to be in the immediate neighbourhood of East-Cheap, the Church of St. Michael, Cornhill, is introduced, as it existed at the period represented, on the authority of an old drawing engraved in the "Londina Illustrata." This tower was taken down in 1421. The other street-views in London are also strictly illustrative of the time. The view "near Westminster Abbey" represents the North Transept of the Church, which was the principal entrance at this period, the western portion of the church being unfinished. From the reign of Edward I., when the nave was advanced to the third arch beyond the transept, little was done until the reign of Henry V., and the west front was only completed by Abbot Esteney, who died in 1480. Like most of our ancient churches situated in towns, Westminster Abbey was closely pressed upon by the surrounding houses, until cleared by the hand of modern improvement.

The view of Windsor (Act IV.) is from Fox's Acts and Monuments, 1562. Gualtree Forest is imaginary. The Hall in Shallow's house is a composition following the domestic architecture of the period.

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Warkworth.

[Warkworth Castle.}

INDUCTION.

Before Northumberland's Castle.

Enter Rumour, painted full of tongues."
you will
Rum. Open your ears: For which of
stop
The vent of hearing when loud Rumour speaks?
I, from the orient to the drooping west,
Making the wind my post-horse, still unfold
The acts commenced on this ball of earth:
Upon my tongues continual slanders ride;1
The which in every language I pronounce,
Stuffing the ears of men with false reports.
I speak of peace, while covert enmity,
Under the smile of safety, wounds the world:
And who but Rumour, who but only I,
Make fearful musters, and prepar'd defence,
Whilst the big year, swoll'n with some other
griefs,

Is thought with child by the stern tyrant war,
And no such matter? Rumour is a pipe
Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures;

a Painted full of tongues. This direction for the appearance of Rumour is found only in the quarto of 1600. The direction explains the sixth line :

"Upon my tongues continual slanders ride." Rumour appears to have been exhibited in a similar manner in the Masques preceding Shakspere's time, and subsequently. Of the speech of Rumour Dr. Johnson says "it is wholly useless." The object of the poet was evidently to connect this Part of Henry IV. with the first Part.

And of so easy and so plain a stop

That the blunt monster with uncounted heads,
The still-discordant wavering multitude,
Can play upon it. But what need I thus
My well-known body to anatomize
Among my household? Why is Rumour here?
I run before king Harry's victory;
Who, in a bloody field by Shrewsbury,
Hath beaten down young Hotspur, and his
troops,

Quenching the flame of bold rebellion
Even with the rebels' blood. But what mean I
To speak so true at first? my office is
To noise abroad,-that Harry Monmouth fell
Under the wrath of noble Hotspur's sword;
And that the king before the Douglas' rage
Stoop'd his anointed head as low as death.
This have I rumour'd through the peasant towns
Between the royal field of Shrewsbury
And this worm-eaten hold of ragged stone,2
Where Hotspur's father, old Northumberland,
Lies crafty-sick: the posts come tiring on,
And not a man of them brings other news
Than they have learn'd of me: From Rumour's

tongues

They bring smooth comforts false, worse than
[Exit.
true wrongs.

The. So the folio. Quarto, that.
231

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