1

P. 81, last lines. And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,

From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered:] It may be observed that we are apt to promise to ourselves a more lasting memory than the changing state of human things admits. This prediction is not verified; the feast of. Crispin passes by without any mention of Agincourt. Late events obliterate the former: the civil wars have left in this nation scarcely any tradition of more ancient history. JOHNSON.

T

** P. 82, 1.4. This day shall gentle his condition:] This day shall advance him to the rank of a gentleman.

de

JOHNSON. King Henry V. inhibited any person but such as had a right by inheritance, or grant, to assume coats of arms, except those who fought with him at the battle of Agincourt; and, I think those last were allowed the chief seats of honour at all feasts and publick meetings. TOLLET.

That Mr. Tollet is right in his account, is proved by the original writ to the Sheriff of Southampton and others, printed in Rymer's Foedera, anno 5 Henry V. Vol. IX. p. 457.

VAILLANT. P. 82, 1. 8. This speech, like many others of the declamatory kind, is too long. contracted to about half the number might have gained force, and lost sentiments. JOHNSON.

Had it been of lines, it none of the

is splendidly,

expedience -- i. e. expe

dition. STEEVENS.

P. 82, 1. 23. Why, now thou hast unwish'd five thousand men ;] By

wishing only thyself and me, thou hast wished five thousand men away. Shakspeare never thinks of such trifles as numbers. In the last scene the French are said to be full threescore thousand, which Exeter declares to be five to one, but by the King's account, they are twelve to one. JOHNSON.

and

and

Holinshed makes the English army consist of 15,000, and the French of 60,coo horse, besides foot, &c. in all 100,000; while Walsingham Harding represent the English as but 9000 other authors say that the number of French amounted to 150,000, STEEVENS 9.0 W Fabian says the French were 40,000, and the English only 7000. 、 &『 གས

that

Dr. Johnson, however, I apprehend, misun derstood the King's words. He supposes, Henry means to say, that Westmoreland, wishing himself and Henry alone to fight the battle out with the French, had wished away the whole English army, consisting of five thousand men. But Henry's meaning was, I conceive, very different. Westmoreland had before expressed a wish that ten thousand of those who were idle at that moment in England were added to the King's army; a wish, for which when it was uttered, Henry, whether from policy or spirit, reprimanded him. Westmoreland now says, he should be glad that he and the King alone, without any other aid whatsoever, were to fight. the battle out against the French.. "Bravely, said, (replies Henry;) you have now half atoned for your former timid wish for ten thousand Additional troops. You have wished half of

what you wish'd before." The King is speaking figuratively, and Dr. Johnson understood him literally. Shakspeare therefore, though often inattentive to "such trifles, as numbers," is here not inaccurate. He undoubtedly meant to represent the English army, (according to Exeter's state of it,) as consisting of about twelve thousand men; and according to the best accounts this was nearly the number that Henry had in the field, Hardyng, who was himself at the battle of Agincourt, says that the French army consisted of one hundred thousand; but the ac count is probably exaggerated. MALONE,

P. 82, last 1.

P. 85, 1. 50.

mind, i. e. remind.

STEEVENS.

We are but warriors for the working-day: We are soldiers but coarsely dressed; we have not on our holiday apparel. JOHNSON.

P. 83, 1, 51. our gilt, i. e. Golden show, superficial gilding. Obsolete. STEEVENS. P. 84, 1. 19, Duke of YORK.] This personage is the same, who appears in our author's King Richard II. by the title of Duke of Aumerle. His christian name was Edward. He was the eldest son of Edmond of Langley, Duke of York, who is introduced in the same play, and who was the fifth son of King Edward III. Richard Earl of Cambridge, who appears in the second act of this play, was youn er brother to this Edward Duke of York. MALONE.

P. 205, 1.46. Q, signieur Dew should be a gentleman:]

cannot

help thinking, that Shaksp Shakspeare intended here a sizeke at a passage in a famous old book, caffed The Gentleman's Akademie in Hawking, Huntsid to duo exc

ing, and Armorie, written originally by Juliana Barnes, and republished by Gervase Markham, 1595. The first chapter of the Booke of Дrmorie, is, "the difference 'twixt Churles and Gentlemen;" and it ends thus: "From the of spring of gentlemanly Japhat came Abraham, Moyses, Aaron, and the Prophets; and also the King of the right line of Mary, of whom that only absolute gentleman, Jesus, was borne: gentleman, by his mother Mary, princesse of coat armor. FARMER,

P. 85, 1.8.

thou diest on point of fox,] Fox is an old cant word for a sword. STEEVENS. P. 85, 1. 15, For I will fetch&thy rim out at thy throat,] We should

read:

Or, I will fetch thy ransome out of thy throat. WARBURTON. I know not what to do with rim. The measure gives reason to suppose that it stands for some monosyllable; and, besides, ransome is a word not likely to have been corrupted. JOHNSON.

Ryno is at this day a vulgar expression for money; ready ryno, means, ready money. This was probably the expression that Pistol meant to use; and I should suppose ryno', instead of rim, to be the true reading. M. MASON.

P. 85, 1. 17-19. Fr. Sol. Est-il impossible d'eschapper la force de ton bras? Pist. Brass, cur! Either Shakspeare had very litle knowledge in the French language, or his over-fondness for punning led him in this contrary to his own judgement, into an error. place, Almost every one knows that the French word bras is pronounced brau; and what resemblance of sound does this bear to brass, that Pistol

should reply Brass, cur? The joke would appear to a reader, but could scarce be discovered in the performance of the play. Sir W. RAWLINSON.

If the pronunciation of the French language be not changed since Shakspeare's time, which is not unlikely, it may be suspected some other man wrote the French scenes. JOHNSON.

Dr. Johnson makes a doubt, whether the pronunciation of the French language may not be changed since Shakspeare's time; "if not (says he) it may be suspected that some other man wrote the French scenes;" but this does not appear to be the case, at least in this termination, from the rules of the grammarians, or the practice of the poets. I am certain of the former from the French Alphabeth of De la Mothe, and the Orthoepia Gallica of John Eliot; and of the latter from the rhymes of Marot, Ronsard, and Du Bartas → Connections of this kind were very common. Shakspeare himself assisted Ben Jonson in his Sejanus, as it was originally written; and Fletcher in bis Two Noble Kinsmen. FARMER.

Mr. Bowle has at least rendered doubtful the question concerning the different pronunciation of the French language. See Archaeologia, Vol. VI. p. 76. DOUCE.

P. 85, 1. 20. Luxurious means lascivious.

STEEVENS.

P. 85, 1. 24. is that a ton of moys?] Moy is a piece of money; whence moi d'or, or moi of gold. JOHNSON.

P. 85, 1. 30. I'll fer him, and firk him,] The word firk, is so variously used by the old writers, that it is almost impossible to ascertain its precise meaning. On this occasion it may

mean to chastise. STEEVENS.