5 ✦ And by their hands this grace of Kings muft die, And by their hands this grace Ere he take fhip for France; Th' abufe of distance, while we The fum is paid, the traitors are The King is fet from London, Is now tranfported, gentles, to There is the play-house now.] And by their bands this grace of If hell and treafon hold their The Jum is paid, the traitors Is now tranfported, gentles, to Ere he take fhip for France. Th' abuse of distance, while we There is the play-house now. This alteration reftores fenfe, and probably the true fenfe. The lines might be otherwise ranged, but this order pleases me best. 5 - -this grace of Kings-] i.e. he who does greatest honour to the title. By the fame kind of phrafeology the ufurper in Hamlet is call'd the Vice of Kings, i. e. the opprobrium of them. WARBURTON. We'll [Exit. We'll not offend one ftomach with our play. 7 But, 'till the King come forth, and not till then, Unto Southampton do we fhift our scene. Before Quickly's House in Eaftcheap. Enter Corporal Nim, and Lieutenant Bardolph. Bard. WEL Nim. Good morrow, Lieutenant Bardolph. 9 Bard. What, are Ancient Piftol and you friends yet? Nim. For my part, I care not. I fay little; but when time fhall ferve,' there shall be- [Smiles.] But that 6 We'll not offend one ftomach] That is, you thall pass the fea without the qualms of fea-ficknefs. 7 But, 'till the King come forth.] Here seems to be fomething omitted. Sir T. Hanmer reads, But when the King comes forth. which, as the paffage now ftands, is neceffary. Thele lines, obfcure as they are, refute Mr. Pope's conjectures on the true place of the chorus; for they thew that fomething is to intervene before the scene changes to Southampton. 8 Bard. Well met, corporal Nim.] I have chofe to begin the 2d Act here, becaufe each Act may close regularly with a Chorus. Not that I am perfuaded, this was the poet's intention to mark the Intervals of his Acts as the Chorus did on the old Grecian Stage. He had no occafion of this fort: fince, in his Time, the 9 Lieutenant Bardolph. ] At this fcene begins the connection of this play with the latter part of King Henry IV. The characters would be indiftinct, and the incidents unintelligible, without the knowledge of what paffed in the two foregoing plays. there fhall be fmiles] I fufpect files to be a marginal direction crept into the text. It is natural for a man, when he threatens, to break off abruptly, and conclude, But that fall be as it may. But this fantastical fellow is made to fmile difdainfully while he threatens; which circumftance was marked for the player's direction in the margin. WARBURTON. fhall fhall be as it may. I dare not fight, but I will wink and hold out mine iron; it is a fimple one; but what tho? it will toast cheese, and it will endure cold as another man's fword will; and there's an end. Bard. I will beftow a breakfast to make you friends, 2 and we'll be all three fworn brothers to France. Let it be fo, good corporal Nim. Nim. Faith, I will live fo long as I may, that's the certain of it; and when I cannot live any longer, I will do as I may; that is my reft, that is the rendezvous of it. Bard. It is certain, corporal, that he is married to Nel Quickly; and certainly she did you wrong, for you were troth-plight to her. Nim. I cannot tell, things must be as they may; men may fleep, and they may have their throats about them at that time; and fome fay, knives have edges. It must be as it may. Tho' 'patience be a tir'd Mare, yet she will plod. There must be conclufions. Well, I cannot tell, Enter Pistol and Quickly. Bard. Here comes ancient Pistol and his wife. Good corporal, be patient here. How now, mine host Pistol? Pift. Bafe tyke, call'ft thou me host? Now by this hand, I fwear, I fcorn the term : Quick. No, by my troth, not long for we cannot lodge and board a dozen or fourteen gentlewomen, that live honeftly by the prick of their needles, but it will be thought we keep a bawdy-houfe ftraight. O welli 2 And we'll all be worn brothers to France. ] We should read, we'll all go worn brothers to France, or we'll all be worn brothers in France. The folio reads by corruption, tired name, from which Sir T. Hanmer, fagaciously enough, derived tired Dame. Mr. Theobald retrieved from the quarto tired 3 Patience be a tir'd ma e.] Mare, the true reading. day lady, if he be not drawn! Now we fhall fee wilful adultery, and murder committed. Bard. Good lieutenant, good corporal, offer nothing here. Nim. Pifh! Pift. Pish for thee, Island dog; thou prick-ear'd cur of Island. Quick. Good corporal Nim, fhew thy valour and put up thy fword. Nim. Will you fhog off? I would have you folus. Pift. Solus, egregious dog! O viper vile! The folus in thy moft marvellous face, The folus in thy teeth, and in thy throat, And in thy hateful lungs, yea, in thy maw, perdy, And, which is worse, within thy nafty mouth, I do retort the folus in thy bowels; For I can take, and Pistol's cock is up, And flashing fire will follow. Nim. I am not Barbafon, you cannot conjure me: I have an humour to knock you indifferently well; if you grow foul with me, Piftol, I will fcour you with my rapier as I may, in fair terms. If you would walk off, I would prick your guts a little in good terms as I may, and that's the humour of it. Pist. O braggard vile, and damned furious wight! 40 welliday Lady, if he be not hewn now. I cannot underftand the Drift of this Expreffion. If he be not hewn, must fignify, if he be not cut down; and in that Cafe, the very Thing is fuppofed, which Quickly was apprehenfive of. But I rather think, her Fright arifes upon feeing their Swords drawn: and I have ventured to make a flight Alteration accordingly. If he be not drawn, for, if he has not bis Sword drawn, is an Expref VOL. IV. fion familiar with our Poet.THE. s Ifland dog.] I believe we fhould read Iceland dog. He feems to allude to an account credited in Elizabeth's time, that in the North there was a nation with human bodies and dogs heads. 6 For I can take.] I know not well what he can take. The quarto reads talk. In our authour to take, is sometimes to blast, which sense may serve in this place. Cc The 7 and doating death is near; The grave doth gape, Therefore exhale. Bard. Hear me, hear me, what I fay. He that ftrikes the firft ftroke, I'll run him up to the hilts as I am a foldier. - Pift. An Oath of mickle might; and fury fhall abate. Give me thy fift, thy fore-foot to me give; Thy fpirits are most tall. Nim. I will cut thy throat one time or other in fair terms, that is the humour of it. Pift. Coup à gorge, that is the word. again. I defy thee O hound of Crete, think'ft thou my spouse to get? No, to the fpittle go, And from the powd'ring tub of infamy Fetch forth the lazar Kite of Creffid's kind, Enter the Boy. Boy. Mine hoft Pistol, you must come to my mafter, and your hoftefs; he is very fick, and would to bed. Good Bardolph, put thy nose between his sheets, and do the office of a warming pan; faith, he's very ill. Bard. Away, you rogue. Quick. By my troth, he'll yield the crow a pudding one of thefe days; the King has kill'd his heart. Good hufband, come home presently. [Exit Quickly. Bard. Come, fhall I make you two friends? We must to France together, why the devil fhould we keep knives to cut one another's throats? Pift. Let floods o'erfwell, and fiends for food howl on! 7 Doating death is near.] The quarto has groaning death. |