is drawn, is punishable by perpetual imprisonment and fine, at the King's pleasure; and also with loss of the offender's right hand, the solemn execution of which sentence is prescribed in the statute at length." Commentaries, Vol. IV. p. 124. "" By the ancient common law, also before the Conquest, striking in the King's court of justice, or drawing a sword therein, was a capital felony. ibid. p. 125. REED.

P. 186, 1. 13. To pretend is to design, to, intend. JOHNSON

P. 186, 1. 26. mean, dastardly leg. P. 187, first 1. The old copy has

thy craven's leg,] ie. thy

WHALLEY. the battle of Patay, -] Poictiers. MALONE.

nor

The battle of Poictiers was fought in the year. 1357, the 31st of King Edward III. and the scene. now lies in the 7th year of the reign of King Henry VI. viz. 1428. This blunder may be justly imputed to the players or transcribers; can we very well justify ourselves for permitting it to continue so long, as it was too glaring to have escaped an attentive reader. The action of which Shakspeare is now speaking, happened (ac cording to Holinshed) "neere unto a village in. Beausse called Pataie," which we should read, instead of, Poictiers." From this battell departed without anie stroke stricken, Sir John Fastolfe, the same yeere by his valiantesse elected into the order of the garter. But for doubt of misdealing at this brunt, the Duke of Bedford tooke from him the image of St. George and his garter," &c. Holinshed, Vol. II. p. 601. Monstrelet, the French historian, also bears witness to this degradation of Sir John Fastolfe.

STEEVENS.

Haughty is here in its original

P. 187, 1. 18. sense for high. JOHNSON. P. 187, 1. 22.

in most extremes.] i. e, in

greatest extremities. STEEVENS.

P. 188, 1. 34, Prevented is here, anticipated; a Latinism. MALONE.

So, in our Liturgy: « Prevent us O Lord, in all our doings. STEEVENS.

P. 189, last but one 1. To repugn is to resist. STEEVENS.

P. 192, 1.30. And, if I wist, he did,

But let

it rest;] York says, he is not pleased that theKing should prefer the red rose, the badge of Somerset, his enemy; Warwick desires him not to be offended at it, as he dares say the King meant no harm. To which York, yet unsatisfied, hastily adds, in a menacing tone, If I thought he did; but he instantly checks his threat with, let it rest. It is an example of a rhetorical figure, which our author has elsewhere used. RITSON.

P. 193, 1. 9.

it doth presage some ill event.] That is, it doth presage to him that sees this discord, &c. that some ill event will happen. MALONE.

P. 195, l. 10. 'Tis much,] In our author's time, this phrase meant "This strange or wonderful. MALONE.

'Tis much, is a colloquial phrase, and the meaning of it, in many instances, can be gathered only from the tenor of the speech in which it occurs. On the present occasion, I believe, it sig→. nifies 'Tis an alarming circumstance, a thing of great consequence,or of much weight.STEEVENS. P. 193, 1. 12. when envy breeds unkind division;] Envy in old

--

1

English writers frequently means enmity. Unkind is unnatural. MALONE.

P. 194, 1. 19. To rive their dangerous artillery] 1 do not understand the phrase to rive artil lery; perhaps it might be to drive; we say to drive a blow, and to drive at a man, when we mean to express furious assault. JOHNSON.

To rive seems to be used, with some deviation from its common meaning, in Anthony and Cleopatra, Act IV. sc. ii;

"The soul and body rive not more at parting.' STEEVENS. Rive their artillery seems to mean charge their artillery so much as to endanger their bursting.

TOLLET.

To rive their artillery means only to fire their artillery. To rive is to burst; and a. cannon, when fired, has so much the appearance of bursting, that, in the language of poetry, it may be well said to burst. We say, a cloud burst, when it thunders. M. MASON.

P. 194, 1. 24. That I, thy enemy, due thee withal;] To due is to

endue, to deck, to grace. JOHNSON.

Johnson says in his Dictionary, that to due is to pay as due; and quotes this passage as an example. Possibly that may be the true meaning of it. M. MASON.

It means, I think, to honour by giving thee thy due, thy merited elogium. Due was substiquted for dew, the reading of the old copy, by Mr. Theobald. Dew was sometimes the old spelling of due, as Hew was of Hugh. MALONE. The old copy reads dew thee withal; and perhaps rightly. The dew of praise is an expression I have met with in other poets. STEEVENS,

P. 195, 1. 7. If we be English deer, be then in blood: Be in high

spirits, be of true mettle. JoHNSON.

This was a phrase of the forest. MALONE. P. 195, 1. 8. Not rascal-like,] A rascal deer is the term of chase for lean poor deer. JOHNSON. P. 195, 1. io. Turn on the bloody hounds with heads of steel,]

Continuing the image of the deer, he supposes the lances to be their horns. JOHNSON.

P. 196, 1. 4. And I am louted by a traitor villain,] To lowt may signify to depress, to lower, to dishonour; but I do not remember it so used. We may read And I am flouted. - I am mocked, and treated with contempt. JOHNSON. i

To lout, in Chaucer, signifies to submit. Ta i submit is to let down. To lout and underlout, in Gawin Douglas's version of the Aeneid, signifies to be subdued, vanquished. STEEVENS.

A lowt is a country fellow, a clown. He means that Somerset treats him like a hind. RITSON.

I believe the meaning is; I am treated with conteinpt, like a lowt, or low country fellow. MALONE.

P. 197, 1. 6. expended, consumed.

their lives are dore,] i. e.. The word is yet used in

this sense in the Western counties. MALONE.

P. 197, l. 16. 17.

Feeds in the

Thus while the vulture of

sedition

bosom of such great commanders,] Alluding to

the tale of Prometheus, JOHNSON.

from bought and sold lord Talbot i. c. froin

one, utterly ruin'd by the treacherous practices of

others.

MALONE..

P. 198, 1. 13.

encircled, JoHNSON. P. 198, 1. 18.

ring'd about ] Environed,

in advantage ling'ring,] Protracting his resistance by the advantage of a streng post. JOHNSON.

Or, perhaps, endeavouring by every means that he can, with advantage to himself, to linger out the action, &c. MALONE.

P. 198, 1. 21. In this line emulation signifies merely rivalry, not struggle for superior excellence. JOHNSON.

P. 199,

last but one 1. Now thou art come unto a feast of death,] To a field where death will be feasted, with slaughter. JOHNSON. P. 199, last 1. able. MALONE.

P. 200,

1. 10. 11.

unavoided

-

for unavoid

He is not Talbots blood, &c. For what reason this scene is written in rhyme, I cannot guess. If, Shakspeare had not in other plays mingled his rhymes and blank verses in the same manner, I should have suspected that this dialogue had been a part of some other poem which was never finished, and that being loath to throw his labour away, he inserted it here. JoHNSON.

P. 200, 1. 17. your regard] Your care of your own safety. JOHNSON.

P. 201, 1. 21. 22. → fair son,

Born to eclipse thy life this afternoon. ] An apparent quibble between son, and sun.

P. 202, l. 10. -determin'd

STEEVENS.

i. e. ended.

STEEVENS.