And made us doff our easy robes of peace, A prodigy of fear, and a portent Of broached mischief to the unborn times? For mine own part, I could be well content I have not sought the day of this dislike. it then? Fal. Rebellion lay in his way and he found it. P. Hen. Peace, chewet," peace. Chewel-perhaps the name of a chattering bird-certainly the name of a dish, or pie, of minced meat Wor. It pleas'd your majesty, to turn your Of favour from myself, and all our house; That even our love durst not come near your sight, For fear of swallowing; but with nimble wing K. Hen. These things, indeed, you have arti- Proclaim'd at market-crosses, read in churches, To face the garment of rebellion With some fine colour, that may please the eye Gull. Mr. Grant White points out that in Wilbraham's Cheshire Glossary, "all nestling birds in quite an unfledged state are called gulls in that county." The callow cuckoo, who finally turns out the sparrows, is an "ungentle gull." The word may have a special meaning referring to the voracity of the "cuckoo's bird"-as the sea-gull is supposed to be so called from gulo-gulosus. b Articulated-exhibited in articles. Of fickle changelings and poor discontents, And never yet did insurrection want P. Hen. In both our armies there is many a soul Shall pay full dearly for this encounter, In praise of Henry Percy: By my hopes,- K. Hen. And, prince of Wales, so dare we venture thee, Albeit, considerations infinite Do make against it :-No, good Worcester, no, [Exeunt WORCESTER and VERNON, P. Hen. It will not be accepted, on my life: The Douglas and the Hotspur both together Are confident against the world in arms. K. Hen. Hence, therefore, every leader to his charge; For, on their answer, will we set on them: [Exeunt KING, BLUNT, and PRINCE JOHN. Fal. Hal, if thou see me down in the battle, and bestride me, so; 't is a point of friendship. P. Hen. Nothing but a colossus can do thee that friendship. Say thy prayers, and farewell. Ful. I would it were bed-time, Hal, and all well. P. Hea. Why, thou owest Heaven a death. [Exit. Fal. 'Tis not due yet; I would be loath to pay him before his day. What need I be so forward with him that calls not on me? Well, 'tis no matter; Honour pricks me on. Yea, but how if honour prick me off when I come on? how then? Can honour set to a leg? No. Or an arm? No. Or take away the grief of a wound? No. Honour hath no skill in surgery then? No. What is honour? A word. What is that word, honour? Air. A trim reckoning!Who hath it? He that died o' Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. Is it insensible then? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it :-therefore, I'll none of it: Honour is a mere scutcheon, and so ends my catechism. [Exit. For treason is but trusted like the fox; Who, ne'er so tame, so cherish'd, and lock'd up, It hath the excuse of youth, and heat of blood; And an adopted name of privilege,— a The earliest quarto reads-"What is in that word, honour? What is that honour?" We follow the folio and the latter quartos. The addition of the first quarto seems surplusage. b Suspicion-all the old copies read cupposition. All our lives. So the old copies. a How shew'd his tasking? seem'd it in contempt? Ver. No, by my soul; I never in my life Did hear a challenge urg'd more modestly, Unless a brother should a brother dare To gentle exercise and proof of arms. He gave you all the duties of a man; Trimm'd up your praises with a princely tongue; Spoke your deservings like a chronicle; Making you ever better than his praise, By still dispraising praise, valued with you: And, which became him like a prince indeed, a Tasking. So the first quarto. The folio talking. b Engag'd-held as surety. He made a blushing cital of himself; Better consider what you have to do, Enter a Messenger. Mess. My lord, here are letters for you. O gentlemen, the time of life is short; Enter another Messenger. Mess. My lord, prepare; the king comes on apace. Hot. I thank him, that he cuts me from my tale, For I profess not talking; only this, Let each man do his best: and here I draw a sword, Whose worthy temper I intend to stain b With the best blood that I can meet withal In the adventure of this perilous day. a At liberty. The reading of the old editions, except the first four quartos, which give a libertie. We cannot think that Johnson's interpretation is correct:-" of any prince that played such pranks, and was not confined as a madman. Hotspur means to say that he never knew of any prince so wild of his own unrestrained will. Capel suggested a libertine, which some have adopted. b We find the word worthy only in the folio. We have many other examples in this play of lines such as the preceding-having twelve syllables; and it appears to us that all the editorial attempts to get rid of what are called the redundant syllables are sad perversions of ingenuity. which emasculate the text, and destroy the intentions of the author. To those who think that the earlier commentators have, in what they call settling the text, freed it from "In the exercise of your inquisitive function." The lines are Byron's, and have been corrupted neither by players nor printers. When will some new Steevens come with his "squire" and his numeration-table, and oblige us with, My sister he hath wrong'd, he is my brother- "I was not born a yielder, thou proud Scot." Other Alarums. Enter FALSTAFF. Fal. Though I could 'scape shot-free at London, I fear the shot here: here's no scoring, but upon the pate.-Soft! who are you? Sir Walter Blunt ;-there's honour for you: Here's no vanity! I am as hot as molten lead, and as heavy too: Heaven keep lead out of me! I need no more weight than mine own bowels.-I have led my raggamuffins where they are peppered: there's not three of my hundred and fifty left alive; and they are for the town's end, to beg during life. But who comes here? Enter PRINCE HENRY. P. Hen. What, stand'st thou idle here? lend me thy sword: Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff thy sword. Fal. O Hal, I prithee, give me leave to breathe awhile.-Turk Gregory never did such deeds in armis as I have done this day. I have paid Percy, I have made him sure. P. Hen. He is, indeed: and living to kill thee. I prithee, lend me thy sword. Fal. Nay, Hal, if Percy be alive thou gett'st not my sword; but take my pistol, if thou wilt. P. Hea. Give it me: What, is it in the case? Fal. Ay, Hal; 't is hot, 't is hot; there's that will sack a city. [The PRINCE draws out a bottle of sack. P. Hen. What, is 't a time to jest and dally now? [Throws it at him, and exit. Fal. If Percy be alive I'll pierce him, if he a fool. The early copies read, Ah, fool! Turk Gregory. Pope Gregory the Seventh. P. Hen I beseech your majesty, make up, My lord of Westmoreland lead him to his tent. West. Come, my lord, I will lead you to your tent. P. Hen. Lead me, my lord? I do not need your help: And heaven forbid a shallow scratch should drive The prince of Wales from such a field as this ; Where stain'd nobility lies trodden on, And rebels' arms triumph in massacres ! P. John. We breathe too long:-Come, cousin Westmoreland, Our duty this way lies; for God's sake come. [Exeunt PRINCE JOHN and WESTMORELAND. P. Hen. By heaven thou hast deceiv'd me, Lancaster, I did not think thee lord of such a spirit: K. Hen. I saw him hold lord Percy at the point, With lustier maintenance than I did look for P. Hen. Lends metal to us all. O, this boy Alarums. Enter DOUGLAS. [Exit. Doug. Another King! they grow like Hydras' heads: a If Percy be alive, &c. We have altered the punctuation of this passage, believing that the "so" applies to some action of Falstsff with his bottle of sack-perhaps thrusting his sword into the cork. A critic upon Shakspere says the poet was not aware that his pun of Percy and pierce him was a serious etymology-" Piercy & penetrando oculum regis Scotorum" Why not? b Carbonado-a rasher on the coals, according to Cotgrave. |