52 It from the bearer, 'tis a fufferance, panging Anne. So much the more Muft pity drop upon her. Verily, Old L. Our content Is our best having'. Anne. arrow, from her striking fo deep and fuddenly. Quarrel was a large arrow fo called. Thus Fairfax: "-twang'd the firing, out flew the quarrel long. WARB. Such is Dr. Warburton's interpretation. Sir Thomas Hanmer reads: - that quarrelier, fortune,-, I think the poet may be easily fuppofed to use quarrel for quarreller, as murder for murderer, the act for the agent. JOHNSON. Dr. Johnfon may be right. So, in Antory and Cleopatra: ̧ "Holds idleness your subject, I should take you Like Martial's" Non vitiofus bomo es, Zoile, fed Vitium." We might, however, read Yet if that quarrel fortune to divorce It from the bearer," i. e. if any quarrel happen or chance to divorce it from the bearer. To fortune is a verb ufed by Shakspeare: "I'll tell you, as we país along, "That you will wonder what hath fortuned." Again, in Spenfer's Faery Queen, B. 1. c. ii: "It fortuned (high heaven did fo ordaine)." &c. STEEVENS. 9-ftranger now again.] Again an alien; not only no longer queen, but no longer an Englishwoman. JOHNSON. It rather means, he is alienated from the king's affection, is a ftranger to his bed; for the ftill retained the rights of an English woman, and was princefs dowager of Wales. So, in the fecond scene of the third act; 66 Catharine no more "Shall be call'd queen; but princess dowager, Dr. Johnfon's interpretation appears to me to be the true one. MALONE. ➡ our beft having.] That is, our beft poffeffion. So, in Mackerb: of Anne. By my troth, and maidenhead, I would not be a queen. Old L. Befhrew me, I would, And venture maidenhead for't; and fo would you, You, that have fo fair parts of woman on you, Which, to fay footh, are bleffings: and which gifts Of your foft cheveril confcience would receive, Anne. Nay, good troth, Old L. Yes, troth, and troth,-You would not be a queen? Old L. 'Tis ftrange; a three-pence bow'd would hire me, Old as I am, to queen it: But, I pray you, What think you of a dutchefs? have you limbs Anne. No, in truth. Old L. Then you are weakly made: Pluck off a little 3; I would not be a young count in your way, For more than blufhing comes to: if your back Cannot vouchfafe this burden, 'tis too weak Ever to get a boy. Anne. How you do talk! I fwear again, I would not be a queen For all the world. "Of noble having and of royal bope. In Spanish, bazienda. JOHNSON. 2-cheveril is kid skin, soft leather. JOHNSON. So, in Hiftriomaftix, 1610: "The cheveril confcience of corrupted law." STEEVENS, 3- Pluck off a little;] The old lady first questions Anne Bullen about being a queen, which the declares her averfion to; the then propofes the title of a dutchess, and asks her if the thinks herself equal to the task of fuftaining it; but as the still declines the offer of greatness; Pluck off a little, fays he, i. e. let us defcend ftill lower, and more upon a level with your own quality; and then adds: I would not be a young count in your way. which is ftill an inferior degree of honour to any yet fpoken of. STEEV. E 3 Old L, Old L. In faith, for little England You'd venture an emballing: I myself Would for Carnarvonshire, although there long'd Cham. Good morrow, ladies. What were't worth, to know The fecret of your conference? Anne. My good lord, Not your demand; it values not your asking: Cham. It was a gentle bufinefs, and becoming All will be well. Anne. Now I pray God, amen! Cham. You bear a gentle mind, and heavenly bleffings 4 In faith, for little England You'd venture an emballing: I myself Would for Carnarvonshire,-] Little England seems very properly opposed to all the world; but what has Carnarvonshire to do here? Does it refer to the birth of Edward II. at Carnarvon? or may not this be the allufion? By little England is meant, perhaps, that territory in Pembrokeshire, where the Flemings fettled in Henry Ift's time, who fpeaking a language very different from the Welsh, and bearing fome affinity to English, this fertile fpot was called by the Britons, as we are told by Camden, Little England beyond Wales; and, as it is a very fruitful country, may be juftly opposed to the mountainous and barren county of Carnarvon. WHALLEY. You'd venture an emballing:] You would venture to be distinguished by the ball, the enfign of royalty. JOHNSON. This explanation cannot be right, because a queen-confort, such as Anne Bullen was, is not diftinguished by the ball, the enfign of royalty, nor has the poet expreffed that she was fo diftinguished. TOLLET. Shakspeare did not probably confider fo curiously this diftinction between a queen-confort and a queen-regent. MASON. Might we read-You'd venture an empalling; i. e. being invested with the pall or robes of ftate? The word occurs in the old tragedy of King Edward III 1596: "As with this armour I impall thy breast—," and, in Macbeth, the verb to pall is used in the fense of to enrobe: "And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell." MALONE. Might we not read-" an embalming"? A queen confort is anointed at her coronation, and in K. Richard II. the word is ufed in that sense: "With my own tears I wash away my balm." Dr. Johnson properly explains it the oil of confecration. WHALLEY. Follow Follow fuch creatures. That you may, fair lady, Anne. I do not know, What kind of my obedience I should tender; Cham. Lady, I fhall not fail to approve the fair conceit, *Commends bis good or inion of you,-]The words to you in the next line, muft in construction be understood here.-The old copy, indeed, reads: Commends his good opinion of you to you, and but the metre fhews that cannot be right. The words to you were probably accidentally omitted by the compofitor in the fecond line, and being marked by the corrector as out (to speak technically,) were inferted in the wrong place. The old error being again marked, the words that were wanting were properly inferted in the fecond line where they now ftand, and the new error in the firft was overlooked. In the printinghoufe this frequently happens. MALONE. 5 More than my all is nothing:] Not only my all is nothing, but if my all were more than it is, it were ftill nothing. JOHNSON. 6- nor my prayers, Are not words duly ballow'd,] The double negative, it has been already obferved, was commonly used in our author's time. For my prayers, a reading introduced by Mr. Pope, even if fuch arbitrary changes were allowable, ought not to be admitted here; this being a diftinct propofition, not an illation from what has gone before. I know not, (fays Anne,) what external acts of duty and obeifance, I ought to return for fuch unmerited favour. All I can do of that kind, and even more, if more were poffible, would be infufficient: nor are any prayers that I can offer up for my benefactor fufficiently fanctified, nor any wishes that I can breathe for his happiness, of more value than the most worthlefs and empty vanities. MALONE. ? I fhall not fail, &c.] I fhall not omit to ftrengthen by my commendation, the opinion which the king has formed. JoHNSON. E 4 The The king hath of you.-I have perus'd her well; [Afide. That they have caught the king: and who knows yet, To lighten all this ifle?—I'll to the king, Anne. My honour'd lord. [Exit Lord Chamberlain. in court, This compell'd fortune!) have your mouth fill'd up, Anne. This is ftrange to me. Old L. How tastes it? is it bitter? forty pence, no'. There was a lady once, ('tis an old story,) That would not be a queen, that would the not, For 8-I have perus'd her well; &c.] From the many artful strokes of addrefs the poet has thrown in upon queen Elizabeth and her mother, it should feem, that this play was written and performed in his royal mistress's time: if fo, fome lines were added by him in the last scene, after the acceffion of her fucceffor, king James. THEOBALD. 9agem To lighten all this ifle ] Perhaps alluding to the carbuncle, a gem fuppofed to have intrinfick light, and to fhine in the dark: any other gem may reflect light, but cannot give it. JOHNSON. So, in Titus Andronicus: "A precious ring that lightens all the hole." STEEVENS. 1- is it bitter? forty pence, no.] Mr. Roderick, in his appendix to Mr. Edwards's book, proposes to read: -for two-pence. The old reading may, however, ftand. Forty pence was in thofe days the proverbial expreffion of a small wager, or a small fum. Money was then reckoned by pounds, marks, and nobles. Forty pence is half a noble, or the fixth part of a pound. Forty pence, pence, ftill remains in many offices the legal and established fee. So, in K. Richard II. A& V. fc. v: or three and four "The cheapest of us is ten groats too dear." Again, in All's well that Ends Well, Act II. the clown fays, As fit as ten groats for the band of an attorney. Again, in Green's Groundwork of |