*Q. Mar. And so say I. * York. And I: and now we three2 have spoke it, * It skills not3 greatly who impugns our doom. Enter a Messenger. 'Mess. Great lords,4 from Ireland am I come amain, To signify that rebels there are up, And put the Englishmen unto the sword: * Send succours, lords, and stop the rage betine, * Before the wound do grow uncurable; * For, being green, there is great hope of help. * Car. A breach, that craves a quick expedient stop!5 'What counsel give you in this weighty cause? York. That Somerset be sent as regent thither: 'Tis meet, that lucky ruler be employ'd; • Witness the fortune he hath had in France. Som. If York, with all his far-fet policy, 'Had been the regent there instead of me, He never would have staid in France so long. York. No, not to lose it all, as thou hast done : "I rather would have lost my life betimes, * Than bring a burden of dishonour home, 2 we three-] Surely, the word three should be omitted. The verse is complete without it: And so say I. And I and now we have spoke it, But the metre of these plays scarce deserves the reformation which it too frequently requires. Steevens. 3 It skills not-] It is of no importance. Johnson. 4 Great lords, &c.] I shall subjoin this speech as it stands in the quarto: "Madam I bring you news from Ireland; Surely here is not an imperfect exhibition of the lines in the folio, hastily taken down in the theatre by the ear or in short-hand as I once concurred with others in thinking to be the case. We have here an original and distinct draught; so that we must be obliged to maintain that Shakspeare wrote two plays on the present subject, a hasty sketch, and a more finished performance; or else must acknowledge, that he formed the piece before us on a foundation laid by another writer. Malone. 5 ·expedient stop!] i. e. expeditious. So, in King John:. "His marches are expedient to this town." Steevens. * By staying there so long, till all were lost. * Show me one scar character'd on thy skin: * If wind and fuel be brought to feed it with:--- York. What, worse than naught? nay, then a shame take all! • Som. And, in the number, thee, that wishest shame! Car. My lord of York, try what your fortune is. The uncivil Kernes of Ireland are in arms, And temper clay with blood of Englishmen : 'To Ireland will you lead a band of men, • Collected choicely, from each county some, And try your hap against the Irishmen? * York. I will, my lord, so please his majesty. * Suf. Why, our authority is his consent; * And, what we do establish, he confirms: *Then, noble York, take thou this task in hand. York. I am content: Provide me soldiers, lords, "Whiles I take order for mine own affairs. Suf. A charge, lord York, that I will see perform'd. But now return we to the false duke Humphrey. 'Car. No more of him; for I will deal with him, That, henceforth, he shall trouble us no more. And so break off; the day is almost spent: 'Lord Suffolk, you and I must talk of that event. York. My lord of Suffolk, within fourteen days, 6 that I will see perform'd.] In the old play this office is given to Buckingham: Queen. my lord of Buckingham, "Let it be your charge to muster up such soldiers, "Buck. Madam, I will; and levy such a band "As soon shall overcome those Irish rebels: "But York, where shall those soldiers stay for thee? "York. At Bristol I 'll expect them ten days hence. "Buck. Then thither shall they come, and so farewel." [Exit Buck. Here again we have a very remarkable variation. Malone. At Bristol I expect my soldiers; For there I'll ship them all for Ireland. Suf. I'll see it truly done, my lord of York. [Exeunt all but YORK. York. Now, York, or never, steel thy fearful thoughts, And change misdoubt to resolution: * Be that thou hop'st to be; or what thou art * Resign to death, it is not worth the enjoying: * Let pale-fac'd fear keep with the mean-born man, * And find no harbour in a royal heart. * Faster than spring-time showers, comes thought on thought; * And not a thought, but thinks on dignity. * My brain, more busy than the labouring spider, * I fear me, you but warm the starved snake, 'You put sharp weapons in a madman's hands. * Like to the glorious sun's transparent beams, 'I have seduc'd a head-strong Kentishman, 'To make commotion, as full well he can, 7 Until the golden circuit on my head,] So, in Macbeth: Again, in King Henry IV, P. II: 8 “That from this golden rigol hath divorc'd "So many English kings." Malone. mad-bred flaw,] Flaw is a sudden violent gust of wind. Johnson, Under the title of John Mortimer. * In Ireland have I seen this stubborn Cade * And, in the end being rescu'd, I have seen him 2 *Shaking the bloody darts, as he his bells. * Full often, like a shag-hair'd crafty Kerne,3 *Hath he conversed with the enemy; * And undiscover'd come to me again, * And given me notice of their villainies. 9 a troop of Kernes;] Kernes were light-armed Irish footsoldiers. Steevens. 1 And fought so long,] Read-And fight so long. Ritson. 2 a wild Mórisco,] A Moor in a military dance, now called Morris, that is, a Moorish dance. Johnson. In Albion's Triumph, a Masque, 1631, the seventh entry consists of mimicks or Moriscos. Again, in Marston's What you will, 1607: "Your wit skips a Morisco." The Morris-dance was the Tripudium Mauritanicum, a kind of hornpipe. Junius describes it thus: ". - faciem plerumque inficiunt fulgine, et peregrinum vestium cultum assumunt, qui ludicris talibus indulgent, ut Mauri esse videantur, aut e longius remotâ patriâ credantur advolasse, atque insolens recreationis genus advexisse." In the churchwardens' accompts of the parish of St. Helen's in Abington, Berkshire, from the first year of the reign of Philip and Mary, to the thirty-fourth of Queen Elizabeth, the Morrice bells are mentioned. Anno 1560, the third of Elizabeth,-" For two dossin of Morres bells." As these appear to have been purchased by the community, we may suppose this diversion was constantly practised at their public festivals. Steevens. The editor of The Sad Shepherd, 8vo. 1783, p. 255, mentions seeing a company of morrice-dancers from Abington, at Richmond in Surrey, so late as the summer of 1783. They appeared to be making a kind of annual circuit. Reed. Morrice-dancing, with bells on the legs, is common at this day in Oxfordshire and the adjacent counties, on May-day, HolyThursday, and Whitsun-ales, attended by the fool, or, as he is generally called, the 'Squird, and also a lord and lady; nor is the hobby-horse forgot." Harris. 3 ·like a shag-hair'd crafty Kerne,] See Vol. VII, p. 188. n. 3; and p. 16. n. 5. Malone. *This devil here shall be my substitute; * For that John Mortimer, which now is dead, I know no pain they can inflict upon him, SCENE II.5 Bury. A Room in the Palace. Enter certain Murderers, hastily. [Exit. * 1. Mur. Run to my lord of Suffolk; let him know, * We have despatch'd the duke, as he commanded. * 2. Mur. O, that it were to do!-What have we done? * Didst ever hear a man so penitent? Enter SUFFOLK. 1. Mur. Here comes my lord. 4 For, Humphrey being dead, &c.] Instead of this couplet we find in the old play these lines: "And then Duke Humphrey, he well made away, Malone. 5 Scene II.] This scene, and the directions concerning it, stand thus in the quarto edition: Then the curtaines being drawne, Duke Humphrey is discovered in his bed, and two men lying on his brest, and smothering him in his bed. And then enter the Duke of Suffolke to them. 66 Suff. How now, sirs! what, have you dispatcht him? "One. I, my lord; hee 's dead, I warrant you. Suff. Then see the cloathes, laid smoothe about him still, "That when the king comes, he may perceive "No other, but that he dide of his owne accord. "Suff. Then draw the curtaines againe, and get you gon, "And you shall have your firme reward anon." [Exit Murtherers. Steevens. |