The gum down-roping from their ple dead eyes SCENE X. K. Henry's Speech before the Battle at Agincourt. He that out-lives this day, and comes fafe home, Will itand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd: SCENE XII. Description of the Earl of York's He smil'd me in the face, gave me his hand, And, with a feeble gripe, fays, dear my lord, Commend. (11) Jymold] Jymold, or rather gimma'd, which fignifies a ring of two rounds, Gemellus, Skinner. Mr. Pope. * He fmild, &c This tender and pathetic, description of the earl of York's death always reminds me of Virgils celebrated episode on the friendship of Nifus and Euryalus, who fell undivided in death, and lovely as they had lived---Euryalus was wounded when his friend rusn'd to his assistance, and begg'd his life: the poet tells us; * In vain he spoke, for ah, the sword addrest *Nifus. A With Commend my fervice to my fovereign; 'Those waters from me, which I would have ftop'd; And gave me up to tears. ACT V. SCENE III. (12) Her vine, the merry chearer of the heart, Unpruned lies: her hedges even pleach'd, With blood his snowy limbs are purpled o'er, 1 Now 'midst the foe, distracted Nifus flew : Sunk down, and slumber'd in eternal reft. Like See Pitt, Æn. gi (12) Her, &c.] This is from the pfalms, Wine that maketh glad the heart of man, pf. 104. 15. The word lies in the text is an emendation of Mr. Warburton's: the old reading is dies: in confirmation of it, it may be observed, the author speaks all through of the busbandry corrupting in its own fertility, as he says: the vine unpruned, grows wild and unfruitful; the hedges unpleached,. put Like prisoners, wildly over-grown with hair, And all our vineyards, fallows, meads, and hedges, put forth disorder'd twigs; the fallow leas are over-run with weeds, darnel, &c. and so every thing, vineyards, fallows, meads, and hedges, defective in their natures, grow to wildness: defective in their own particular natures. "Sua deficiuntur natura; (fays Mr. Upton, in the preface to his Obfervations, vations, &c. p. 4г.) they were not defective in their crefcive nature, for they grew to wildness: but were defective in their proper and favourable natures, which was to bring forth food for man." 3 34 The (1) (37) * The First Part of HENRY VI. G ACT I. SCENE VI. GLORYr. LORY is like a circle in the water; ACT V. SCENE VIII. For marriage is a matter of more worth, Than to be dealt in by attorneyship. * 5 * : For what is wedlock forced but a hell, * It is not the business or intention of this work to enter into a confideration of the genuineness of some of those compofitions, which are generally received as Shakespear's, tho' disputed, and I think, we may add justly, by the criticks. Among the rest none appear less worthy of our inimitable author, than the three following; some fine strokes in them fufficiently affure us Shakefpear lent a hand; that he compofed the whole, I can by no means perfuade myself; however, I leave it to the discussion of others, and only beg leave to observe, there are, beside the few paffages I have selected, many fingle lines, which I could not well produce as beauties separately confidered, that merit obfervation. (1) Glory, &c.] Beaumont and Fletcher in their Bloody Brother, use this fine simile, though on another subject, with equal beauty. The jars of brothers, two such mighty ones, Is like a small stone thrown into a river, The breach scarce heard, but view the beaten current, And you shall see a thousand angry rings, Rife in his face, still swelling, and still growing; So jars distrusts encircle, distrusts dangers, And dangers death, the greatest extreme follows,. Till nothing bound them but the shoar, their graves. At 2. S. τ. The 1 (38) (1) The Second Part of HENRY VI. F ACT I. SCENE IV. A refolu'd ambitious Woman. OLLOW I muft, I cannot go before,. mind. Were I a man, a duke, and next of blood, بوش ACT II. SCENE II.. The Lord ever to be remember'd. Let never day or night unhallow'd pass, Bur still remember what the Lord hath done.. i :: SCENE VII. Eleanor to the Duke of Glo'fter, when doing Penance. For whilst I think I am thy married wife;; And thou a prince, protector of this land; Methinks, I should not thus be led along, (1) Follow, &c] There is something very like the character of lady Macbeth, in this ambitious wife of the duke of Glofter. |