(See Illustrations of Act IV.) Thomas Montacute, Earl of Salisbury, is depicted in armour in a MS. copy of Lydgate's poem, 'The Pilgrim' (Harleian Col., No. 4826). The tassets have no tuilles attached to them, and the cloak with escalloped edges, worn with the armour, is a fashion of the time of Henry V. (See King Henry V., Act Iv.) Of William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, there is an effigy in the north wall of the chancel at Wingfield Church, Suffolk. He is in armour, with a conical bascinet and gorget of mail. Sir John Fastolfe is depicted in armour, and wearing the mantle and ensigns of the order of the Garter, in the south window of the church at Pulham, Norfolk. (Vide Gough and Blomefield.) There are numerous portraits of Charles VII. of France, engraved from various sources, in Montfaucon's 'Monarchie Française.' We have selected such as are most interesting to the reader of Shakspere, and have only to premise that the illumination wherein Charles is represented receiving a book from a monk is of a later date than this play, and exhibits the costume of the reign of Edward IV. We give it, however, as a curious Illustration. The portrait of Reignier (René), Duke of Anjou (Historical Illustration of Act v.), is from a painting by himself. It exhibits him, however, as decorated with the order of St. Michael, and must therefore date considerably later than this Part of Henry VI., as the order was instituted by Louis XI., in 1469. The portrait of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy (Historical Illustration of Act III.), represents him in the robes of the order of the Golden Fleece, which he himself instituted at Bruges, in 1429: but in this play both Reignier and Philip should be in armour. remark applies to the portrait of the famous Dunois, Bastard of Orleans (Historical Illustration of Act II.), from Montfaucon. Of the celebrated Joan of Arc the only authentic because the only contemporary representation known to us, is that engraved in Millin's work, from the monument The same erected to her memory at Orleans, by Charles VII. Charles and Joan are thereon sculptured kneeling, in complete armour. (See end of this Notice.) The painting in the Town Hall of Orleans is, as the costume proves, of the time of our Henry VII., and is believed by some not to have been originally intended to represent La Pucelle at all. It is no authority either for dress or features, but we give it as an Illustration (Act 1.). Of Margaret of Anjou there are several portraits as ́queen, but we know of none painted previous to her marriage. From the authorities here given, our readers will be able, as we have before observed, to perceive at once the particular alterations in costume which characterise the unquiet reign of Henry VI. A great variety of caps, hats, and hoods, were now introduced; feathers were rarely used, and seem to have gone out of fashion again with the reign of Henry V. In armour, we find the salet or salade, a steel cap something resembling the bascinet, but taking more the form of the head, and descending lower in the neck, where it was sometimes furnished with jointed plates. The spurs at this time were very long-necked, had exceedingly large rowels, and were screwed into the heels of the steel sollerets, instead of being fastened by straps and buckles. The hair was still worn very short; and beards and moustaches appear but rarely. In the female attire, the principal change is observable in the head-dress,—that which is generally called the heart-shaped or reticulated form prevailing. Turbans of a very Oriental character are also seen occasionally in the Illuminated MSS. of this period. As the Mayor of London appears in this play, we may as well remark that Stow relates that when Henry VI. returned from France, in 1432, the Lord Mayor of London rode to meet him at Eltham, being arrayed in crimson velvet, a great velvet hat, furred, a girdle of gold about his middle, and a baldric of gold about his neck, trailing down behind him ;-his three henchmen in an uniform of red, spangled with silver; the Aldermen in gowns of scarlet with purple hoods; and all the commonalty of the city in white gowns and scarlet hoods, with divers coguisances embroidered on their sleeves. The livery colours of the house of Lancaster were white and blue; those of the house of York, murrey and blue. [Figures from the Monument of Charles VII. and La Pucelle, at Orleans.] King Henry the fifth, too famous to live long! England ne'er lost a king of so much worth. Glo. England ne'er had a king until his time. Virtue he had, deserving to command: His brandish'd sword did blind men with his beams; His arms spread wider than a dragon's wings: used only in the ordinary sense of that word, and that it is used also in the ordinary sense, in the 5th scene of this act :"You all consented unto Salisbury's death." Steevens, on the other hand, believes that the word should be spelt concented.-Steevens appears to us to be right. To concent is to be in harmony-to act together. See the passage in Henry V., Act 1. Sc. II., and the notes on that pas sage: "For government, though high, and low, and lower, Put into parts, doth keep in one concent, Congreeing in a full and natural close, Like music." His sparkling eyes, replete with wrathful fire, What should I say? his deeds exceed all speech: Exe. We mourn in black: Why mourn we Henry is dead, and never shall revive: Win. He was a king bless'd of the King of Unto the French the dreadful judgment day His thread of life had not so soon decay'd; And lookest to command the prince and realm. Thy wife is proud; she holdeth thee in awe, More than God or religious churchmen may. Glo. Name not religion, for thou lov'st the flesh; And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go'st, Except it be to pray against thy foes. Bed. Cease, cease these jars, and rest your minds in peace! Let's to the altar-Heralds, wait on us :- A passage in Scot's 'Discoverie of Witchcraft,' 1584, explains this:-"The Irishmen . . . . will not stick to affirm that they can rime either man or beast to death." This is an old northern superstition. In Gray's spirited 'Descent of Odin,' we find "Thrice he trac'd the Runic rhyme; b Moisten'd. So the folio of 1623. The second folio, in which some verbal alterations of the original text are found, and which, for the most part, are made with judgment, reads moist. We adhere to the original in all those cases where the alterations of the second folio are somewhat doubtful. Mess. My honourable lords, health to you all! Speak softly; or the loss of those great towns Exe. How were they lost? what treachery was us'd? Mess. No treachery; but want of men and money. Amongst the soldiers this is muttered,- You are disputing of your generals. Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, These tidings would call forth her flowing tides. Nourish. Nourice, nourish, nursh, are the same words. We have an example in Lydgate : "Athenes whan it was in his floures Was called nourish of philosophers wise." Pope substituted marish. b Malone says, "this blank undoubtedly arose from the transcriber's or compositor's not being able to make out the name.' e." We greatly doubt this. In the original the line is terminated with four hyphens. thus (----), a point which is several times used in the same play to mark an interruption. For example, in the 4th scene of this act, "Thou shalt not die whiles - - - -" Pope suggested (the notion looks like a joke) to fill up the line thus: "Thar. Julius Caesar, or bright Francis Drake;' and Monck Mason gravely upholds the reading. Johnson would read, "Than Julius Cæsar, or bright Berenice." |
