3 No more the thirfty entrance of this Soil' And breathe short-winded ac cents-] That is, Let us Joften peace to reft a while without difturbance, that she may recover breath to propofe new wars. 3 No more the thirfly entrance of this Soil Shall damp her lips with her own children's blood:] This nonfense should be read, Shall TREMPE, i. e. moisten, and refers to thirsty, in the preceding line: Trempe, from the French, tremper, properly fignifies the moistnefs made by rain. WARB. That thefe lines are abfurd is foon discovered, but how this nonfenfe will be made fenfe is not so easily told; furely not by reading trempe, for what means he, that fays, the thirfly entrance of this Soil fhall no more trempe her lips with her children's blood, more than he that fays it fall not damp her lips? To fuppofe the entrance of the foil to mean the entrance of a King upon Dominion, and King Henry to predict that Kings hall enter hereafter without bloodshed, is to give words fuch a latitude of meaning, that no nonfenfe can want a congruous interpretation. The antient copies neither have trempe nor damp; the first 4to of 1599; that of 1622, the Folio of 1623, and the 40 of 1639, all read, Which; No more the thirfly entrance of this foil Shall daube her lips with her own children's blood. The Folios of 1632 and 1664 read, by an apparent errour of the prefs, Shall damb her lips, from which the later editors have idly adopted damp. The old reading helps the editor no better than the new, nor can I fatisfactorily reform the paffage. I think that thirfty entrance must be wrong, yet know not what to offer. We may read, but not very elcgantly, No more the thirfly entrails of this foil Shall daubed be with her own children's blood. The relative her, is inaccurately used in both readings; but to regard fenfe more than grammar is familiar to our authour. We may suppose a verfe or two loft between thefe two lines. This is a cheap way of palliating an editor's inability; but I believe fuch omiffions are more frequent in Shakespeare than is commonly imagined. Those oppofed eyes,] The fimilitude is beautiful: But, what are eyes meeting in inteftine bocks, and marching all one way? The true reading is, FILES; which appears not only from the integrity of the metaphor, well befeeming Which, like the meteors of a troubled heav'n, befeeming ranks march all one way; but from the nature of thofe metears to which they are compared; namely long ftreaks of red, which represent the lines of armies; the appearance of which, and their likeness to fuch lines, gave occafion to all the fuperfition of the common people concerning armies in the air, &c. Out of mere contradiction, the Oxford Editor would improve my alteration of files to arms, and fo lofes both the integrity of the metaphor and the likeness of the comparison. WARBURT. This paffage is not very accurate in the expreffion, but I think nothing can be changed. 5 As far as to the fepulchre, &c.] The lawfulness and juftice of the holy wars have been much difputed; but perhaps there is a principle on which the queftion may be easily determined. If it be part of the religion of the Mahometans, to extirpate by the fword all other religions, it is, by the law of self-defence, lawful for men of every other religion, and for Christians among others, to make war upon Mahometans, fimply as Mahometans, as men obliged by their own principles to make war upon Chriftians, and only lying in wait till opportunity fhall promife them fuccefs. PART OF Weft. My Liege, this hafte was hot in question, Upon whofe dead corps there was fuch mifufe, K. Henry. It feems then, that the tidings of this broil Brake off our bufinefs for the holy Land. Weft. This, matcht with other, did, my gracious lord; For more uneven and unwelcome news Came from the North, and thus it did import. And fhape of likelihood, the news was told; K. Henry, Here is a dear and true-induftrious friend, Betwixt that Holmedon, and this Seat of ours: this dear expedience.] For expedition. And many limits --] Limits for eftimates. WARBURT. And he hath brought us fmooth and welcome news. Ten thousand bold Scots, three and twenty Knights, To beaten Dowglas, and the Earls of Athol, And is not this an honourable spoil? A gallant prize? ha, coufin, is it not? Weft. In faith, a conqueft for a Prince to boast of. In Envy, that my lord Northumberland Should be the father of fo bleft a son, A fon, who is the theam of Honour's tongue, Of my young Harry. O could it be prov'd, Then would I have his Harry, and he mine. Of this young Percy's pride? the prisoners, Weft. This is his uncle's teaching, this is Worcester, Which makes him plume himself, and bristle up The Which makes him PRUNE this the Oxford Editor gives his bimfelf,-] Doubtlefs Shake- fiat. Heare wrote PLUME. And to I am not fo confident as those VOL. IV. I twe The Creft of youth against your Dignity. K. Henry. But I have feat for him to answer this Coufin, on Wednesday next our Council we SCENE II. An Apartment of the Prince's. [Exeunt. Enter Henry Prince of Wales, and Sir John Falstaff. TOW, Hal, what time of day is it, lad? I P. Henry. Thou art fo fat-witted with drinking old fack, and unbuttoning thee after fupper, and fleeping upon benches in the afternoon, that thou haft forgotten to demand that truly, which thou would't truly know. What a devil haft thou to do with the time of the day? Unlefs hours were cups of fack, and minutes capons, and clocks the tongues of bawds, and dials the figns of leaping-houfes, and the bleffed Sun himself a fair hot wench in flame-colour'd talfata. Ifee no reafon why thou thould't be fo fuperfluous, to demand the time of the day. two editors. The metaphor is taken from a cock who in his pride prunes himself; that is picks off the loote feathers to fmooth the reft. To prune and to plume, spoken of a bird, is the fame. 9 Than out of anger can be uttered.] That is, More is to be faid than anger will fuffer me to Jay: More than can ifue from a mind difturbed like mine. To demand that truly, which thou wouldst truly know.] The Prince's objection to the question feems to be, that Falstaff had asked in the night what was the time of day. Fal. |