Edward the Second,

THERE are three early editions of Edward II.: 1598, 1612, and 1622, all quartos. In Bohn's Lowndes, p. 1479, vague mention is made of an impression of 1604.

1. The troublesome raigne and lamentable death of Edward the second, King of England: with the tragicall fall of proud Mortimer: And also the life and death of Peirs Gaueston, the great Earle of Cornewall, and mighty favorite of king Edward the second, as it was publiquely acted by the right honorable the Earle of Pembrooke his seruauntes. Written by Chri. Marlow Gent. Imprinted at London by Richard Bradocke, for William Jones, dwelling neere Holbourne conduit, at the signe of the Gunne, 1598. 4to. 38 leaves.-British Museum and Bodleian.

2. The troublesome raigne and lamentable death of Edward the second, King of England: with the tragicall fall of proud Mortimer. And also the life and death of Peirs Gaueston, the great Earle of Cornewall, and mighty fauorite of King Edward the second, as it was publiquely acted by the right honorable the Earle of Pembrooke his seruants. Written by Christopher Marlow Gent. Printed at London for Roger Barnes, and are to be sould at his shop in Chauncerie Lane ouer against the Rolles, 1612. 4to. 38 leaves.-British Museum.

3. The troublesome raigne and lamentable death of Edward the second, King of England: with the Tragicall fall of proud Mortimer. And also the life and death of Peirs Gauestone, the great Earle of Cornewall, and mighty Fauorite of King Edward the second. As it was publikely Acted by the late Queenes Maiesties Seruants at the Red Bull in S. Johns streete. Written by Christopher Marlow Gent. London, Printed for Henry Bell, and are to be sold at his Shop, at the Lame-hospitall Gate, neere Smithfield, 1622. 4to.—Bodleian.

P. 120 a.

I'll bandy with the barons and the earls.

Bandy, says Nares, was "originally a term at tennis; from bander, Fr., of the same signification." Isaac Reed and Mr. Dyce quote Skinner, and say that it means 64 oppose with all my force, totis viribus se opponere;" but the ordinary idea of exchanging blows seems to suit this passage better.

Envy was constantly used by the old writers for its too frequent consequence, hatred.

P. 120 b.

Is Edward pleased with kingly regiment.

Regiment here, as in so many other places, stands for rule.-See ante 3 a.

P. 120 b.

And in the channel christen him anew.

It is almost unnecessary to say that channel here means kennel.

P. 121 b.

All stomach him, but none dare speak a word.

To stomach at the present day means to swallow with reluctance and bear without open opposition; but anciently it meant to refuse to swallow, and to view and remember with anger. "Saul stomached David, and therefore hated him," says

Bishop Hall.

P. 123 a.

This isle shall fleet upon the ocean.

Fleet here means to go floating. See Post 190 a.

P. 123 b.

For shame subscribe, and let the lown depart.

A lown was a scoundrel, a low fellow. Iago sings (Ed. 1623, p. 319)—

P. 124 a.

"King Stephen was and-a worthy Peere,
His Breeches cost him but a Crowne,
He held them Six pence all to deere,
With that he cal'd the Tailor Lowne."

I pass not for their anger. Come, let's go.

To pass not means to care not. Nares remarks that it is "usually with a negative.” So Michael Drayton

P. 126 a.

But cannot brook a night-grown mushroom.

Mushroom must here be pronounced as a word of three syllables. A man crying musharooms under my window, as I write, reminds me that this old pronunciation has not altogether passed away.

P. 127 b.

He wears a lord's revenue on his back,
And Midas-like, he jets it in the Court,
With base outlandish cullions at his heels.

To jet, from the Fr. jetter, is to "strut or walk proudly; to throw the body about in
walking." A cullion, from the Ital. coglione, was a term of great contempt for a
base booby. Kent in K. Lear says "I'll make a sop oth' Moonshine of you, you
whoreson Cullyenly Barber-monger, draw." The first line of this passage is iden-
tical with Queen Margaret's description of the Duchess of Gloucester in Henry VI.,
Part II.-
"She beares a Duke's revenewes on her backe."

P. 129 a.

If all things sort out as I hope they will.

Sort out-i.e., turn out. This may still be traced as one of the many meanings of the French sortir.

Passionate, as Johnson defines it, is "feeling or expressing great commotion of mind." The passion here felt is sorrow.

P. 129 b.

I have the jesses that will pull you down.

Jesses, says Nares, were "the short straps of leather, but sometimes of silk, which went round the legs of a hawk, in which were fixed the varvels, or little rings of silver, and to these the leash, or long strap, which the falconer twisted round his hand."

P. 131 a.

The wild Oneyl, with swarms of Irish kerns.

Kern was an Irish foot-soldier-what, I suppose, in the Highlands was called a clansman. Spenser, in his View of the State of Ireland, speaks of "a terrible yell, as if heaven and earth would have gone together, which is the very image of the Irish hubbub which their kerne use at their first encounter."—(Collier's ed., v. 361.)

P. 131 b.

"

And thereof came it that the fleering Scots,

To England's high disgrace have made this jig.

A jig, says Nares, meant anciently not only a merry dance, but merriment and humour in writing, and particularly a ballad." The song quoted by Lancaster is taken almost word for word from Fabyan's Chronicles.

P. 131 b.

Wigmore shall fly to set my uncle free.

Ralph de Mortimer, who came into England with the Conqueror, obtained the Castle of Wigmore, co. Hereford, and the Roger Mortimer of this Play was summoned to Parliament as "de Wigmore." Robert Harley, Queen Anne's minister, to whom Wigmore belonged, remembered this when he chose the ambitious titles of Earl of Oxford and Mortimer. His colleague, Henry St. John, had far better grounds for selecting the high-sounding name of Bolingbroke.

P. 132 6.

This tottered ensign of my ancestors,

Which swept the desert shore of that dead sea,
Whereof we got the name of Mortimer.

Tottered is tattered, see Note ante 110 b. In all Latin deeds the Mortimers are called "de Mortuo mari."

P. 134 6.

Why, my lord of Warwick,

Will not these delays beget my hopes.

So the old editions; but Mr. Dyce changes the line to—

Will now these short delays beget my hopes.

I fail to see that the obscurity of the original is in any degree removed.

sees.

Mr. Dyce, and all previous editors, read seize, which I have ventured to change to If the king had seized Gaveston, what was the need of violating any promise to possess him? Marlowe evidently meant that the king's infatuation was such that the mere sight of Gaveston would make him violate all his promises.

P. 135 a.

Leave him on "had I wist" and let him go.

Had I wist-i.e., had I known, is, says Mr. Dyce, "the exclamation of those who repent of what they have rashly done."

P. 136 a.

This haught resolve becomes your majesty.

Haught is proud, from the Fr. haut. The same as haughty. Spenser, in one place, spells it hault, which, as Nares observes, is precisely the old French word. Milton chooses the modern French spelling, and, in his translation of the Eightieth Psalm, has the line

P. 137 b.

"And drov'st out nations proud and haut."

A ranker rout of rebels never was.

Rout might probably still be used for a rabble, or tumultuous crowd.

P. 138 b.

They'd best betimes forsake them and their trains.

The word trains also might still be used for artifices and stratagems. Milton speaks of

P. 139 b.

"venereal trains

Softened with pleasure and voluptuous life."

And step into his father's regiment.

Regiment here again means government.—See ante 3 a, 120 b.

P. 140 a.

Ah, sweet Sir John, even to the utmost verge
Of Europe, or the shore of Tanais.

Mr. Dyce alters or to on, and says "the meaning seems to be-We will with thee to Hainault, even if it were situated on the utmost verge of Europe, &c." Exactly sowe will with thee to Hainault, even were it situated on the Tagus or the Tanais.

P. 140 b.

How mean you an the king, my father lives!

This has hitherto been printed, "and the king," &c., but I think an is clearly the right reading.

P. 142 a.

Who made the channel overflow with blood.

Here again the channel means the kennel.—See ante 120 b.

P. 144 a.

With awkward winds and sore tempests driven.

Sore must here be pronounced as a word of two syllables. Mr. Dyce follows the quarto of 1622, and reads "with sore," which seems to me to disturb the sense of the line.

P. 145 a.

But what are kings when regiment is gone.

Regiment for government-rule.-See ante 3 a, 120b, 139 b.

But, hapless Edward, thou art fondly led,
They pass not for thy frowns as late they did.

foolishly guided-see ante 93 b—and pass not means care not;

I'll not resign! not whilst I live!

Traitors, be gone! join you with Mortimer!

The old editions read

I'll not resign but whilst I live!

Traitors begone and join you with Mortimer.

Mr. Dyce adds two words to the first line.

I'll not resign, but whilst I live [be king].

Considering the stage direction of "King Edward rageth," I feel very confident that my reading of the passage is nearer to the original. When kings rage they don't use buts and ands.

P. 147 b.
That Edward casts to work his liberty.
Casts-i.e., plots, contrives.-See ante 115 a.

P. 149 a.

Here's channel water, as our charge is given.

Channel water is water from the kennel.-See Notes 120 b, 142 a. The word occurs again at 151 a.

P. 150 a.

Cast-i.e., contrived.-See Notes 115 a, 147 b.

P. 1526.

And hast thou cast how to accomplish it.

O let me not die; yet stay, oh stay a while.

So the quartos of 1598 and 1612. Mr. Dyce prefers the reading of the quarto of 1622.