Leaving his body as a paradife ;
T'invelope and contain celestial fpirits.

King Henry V. His Perfections.

Hear him but reason in divinity,
And, all-admiring, with an inward wish,
You would defire, the king were made a prelate.
(3) Hear him debate in common wealth affairs,
You'd fay, it hath been all in all his study.
Lift his discourse of war, and you fhall hear
A fearful battle render'd you in mufick.
Turn him to any cause of policy,
The gordian knot of it he will unloofe,
Familiar as his garter. When he speaks,
The air, a charter'd libertine, is ftill;
And the mute wonder lurketh in men's ears,
To fteal his sweet and honied fentences.

66

lefs fource of true knowledge and fublimity: this Mr. Upton has judiciously obferved, who remarks on this paffage, that according to the fcripture-expreffion, the old Adam, or the old Man, radaros avłgwπos, fignifies man in his unregenerated, or gentile ftate and the new man, is man in his regenerated and christian state. See Rom. vi. 6. Ephef. iv. 22. Coloff. iii. 9,”

(3) Hear him, &c.] I have purpofely avoided any historical remarks, or characters of perfons in this work, as it would fwell it much beyond the intended compass: however, the English reader will find no fmall fatisfaction in comparing the historical plays of Shakespear with the genuin hiftory, and more particularly if he is happy enough to read that fine hiftory of England, which doth honour to the nation, and is fuperior to all the encomiums I can give it, compil'd by Mr. Guthrie, to whom our author likewife is particularly obliged for his judicious and incomparable Essay on Tragedy.

SCENE

SCENE II. The Common-wealth of Bees.

(4) So work the honey bees:
Creatures, that by a * ruling nature teach
The art of order to a peopled kingdom.
They have a king and officers of fort:
Where fome, like magistrates, correct at home :

(4) So, &c.] That Shakespear, in this place, really and defignedly imitated Virgil, and took the chief hints from him, I cannot but believe; however, it would be endless to quote from Virgil, and other authors, the many paffages fimilar to it: the fubject of Virgil's 4th Georgic, and the agreeable manner in which he treats it, is known to almost every one, that reads; I fhall only quote a few lines from Dr. Trap's tranflation, and refer those who defire to see more, to the original. See verse 180.

Of all the mute creation, these alone
A public-weal and common int'reft know,
Imbody'd; and fubfift by certain laws.
Mindful of winter, they in fummer toil;
And, for their country's good, preferve their ftore.
Some, by joint compact, range the fields for food,
Induftrious; others in their tents at home
Narciffus clammy tears, and gum from trees,
Lay, as the first foundation of their combs ;
Then into arches build the vifcid wax :
Others draw forth their colonies adult,
The nation's hope: fome work the purer sweets
And with the liquid nectar ftretch their cells:
Some (fuch their post allotted) at the gates
Stand centry and alternate watch, the rain
And clouds obferving: or unlade their friends
Returning or in troops beat off the drones
A lazy cattle: hot the work proceeds, &c.
The aged fires

―――――

With curious architecture build their cells;
And guard their towns, and fortify their combs:
But late at night the youth fatigu'd return,
Their legs, with thyme full-laden, &c.-

It is worth remarking how much Shakespear makes any thing his own, and how truly an original, his judicious manner renders that which is really an imitation. Vanier; in his Prædium Ruficum, hath many pretty and new things on this fubjet, in that book, where he treats of Bees.

Ruling, Warb. vulg. Rule in.

с

VOL. II.

Others

Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad:
Others, like foldiers, armed in their ftings,
Make boot upon the fummer's velvet buds :
Which pillage they with merry march bring home
To the tent-royal of their emperor :
Who, bufied in his majesty, furveys
The finging mafon, building roofs of gold;
The civil citizens kneading up the honey;
The poor mechanick porters crowding in
Their heavy burthens at his narrow gate:
The fad-ey'd juftice, with his furly hum,
Delivering o'er to executors pale
The lazy, yawning drone.

ACT II. SCENE I.
Warlike Spirit.

(5) Now all the youth of England are in arms,
And filken dalliance in the wardrobe lies:
Now ftrive the armourers, and honour's thought
Reigns folely in the breast of every man :
They fell the pafture now to buy the horse,
Following the mirror of all chriftian kings,
With winged heels, as English Mercuries.

(5) Now, &c.] See the beginning of Richard the third; I know not a finer image in all Shakespear, than that of expectation in the fubfequent lines: Milton too has made a perfon of expectation in the 6th book, and ver. 306. of Paradife Loft; but though truly fublime, he muft fubmit very much to our daring and admirable poet.

Two broad funs, their fhields,
Blaz'd oppofite, while Expectation stood
In horror.

Mr. Warburton obferves of the paffage in the text, that "Expectation fitting in the air, defigns the height of their ambition and the fword, hid from the hilt to the point with crowns and coronets, that all lentiments of danger were loft in the thoughts of glory."

For

For now fits expectation in the air,
And hides a fword from hilts unto the point,
With crowns imperial: crowns and coronets,
Promis'd to Harry and his followers.

ENGLAND.

*O England! model to thy inward greatness, Like little body with a mighty heart,

What might'st thou do, that honour would thee do,
Were all thy children kind and natural ?

But fee, thy fault France hath in thee found out
A neft of hollow bofoms, which he fills
With treach'rous crowns.

SCENE II. Falfe. Appearances.

Oh! how thou haft with jealoufy infected The sweetness of affiance! fhew men dutiful? Why fo didft thou: or feem they grave and learned? Why so didst thou: come they of noble family ?. Why fo didst thou: feem they religious? Why fo didft thou: or are they fpare in diet, Free from grofs paffion, or of mirth, or anger. Conftant in fpirit, not fwerving with the blood, Garnish'd and deck'd in modest compliment, (6) Not working with the eye without the ear, And but in purged judgment trusting neither? Such, and fo finely boulted didft thou feem. And thus thy fall hath left a kind of blot :

* 0, &c.] See the laft paffage in king John.

(6) Not, &c. i. e. not trufting to either, eye or ear only, but ufing both on every occafion, and trufting neither but in purged judgment, with well-weigh'd deliberation. Mr. Warburton's emendation, which is adopted by Mr. Theobald, needs only be mentioned to fhew it is not Shakespear's,

Not working with the car, but with the eye.

C 2

To

To mark the full-fraught man, the beft endu'd,
With fome fufpicion.

xury

Defcription of a Fleet fetting fail. (7) Suppose, that you have seen The well-appointed king at Hampton-pier Embark his royalty; and his brave fleet With filken ftreamers the young Phœbus fanning. Play with your fancies; and in them behold, Upon the hempen tackle, fhip-boys climbing; Hear the fhrill whiftle, which doth order give To founds confus'd; behold the threaded fail, Borne with th' invifible and creeping wind, Draw the huge bottoms through the furrow'd fea, Breafting the lofty furge opust 24 and ONT

në

Steed threatens Steed, in high and boaftful neighs, pantal

ACT IV. SCENE I

Defcription of Night in a Camp.

From camp to camp, through the foul womb of night,

The hum of either army ftilly founds;
That the fixt centinels almost receive
The fecret whispers of each cthers watch.

Fire answers fire; and through their paly flames
Each battle fees the other's umber'd face.

(7) Suppose, &c. On this fubject we might reasonably expect Shakespear fhould stand unrivalled by the writers of every other country, as here his country juftly boafts herself unrivalled. Milton in Sampfon Agonifies, fays beautifully enough of Dalila,

the

Like a ftately fhip,

Proud of her gawdy trim, comes this way failing,

With all her brav ry on, and tackle trim.

Sails fill d'and ftreamers waving, d

Courted by all the winds that hold them play.
neurs le fog the live str

Ne

Piercing