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The gum down-roping from their ple dead eyes; dr
And in their pale dull mouths the (11) jymold bit
Lies foul with chaw'd grafs, ftill and motionless:
And their executors, the knavifh crows,

Fly o'er them, all impatient for their hour.

SCENE X. K. Henry's Speech before the Battle at Agincourt.

He that out-lives this day, and comes fafe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd:
And rouze him at the name of Crifpian:
He that out-lives this day, and fees old age,,
Will yearly on the vigil feaft his neighbour,
And fay, to-morrow is faint Crifpian:

Then will he ftrip his fleeve, and fhew his fcars:
Old men forget; yet fhall not all forget,
But they'll remember, with advantages,

What feats they did that day. Then fhall our names,
Familiar in their mouth as houfhold words,.

Harry the king, Bedford, and Exeter,

Warwick, and Talbot, Salisbury, and Glo'fter,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remembred.

SCENE XII. Defcription of the Earl of York's
Death.

He fmil'd me in the face, gave me his hand,. And, with a feeble gripe, fays, dear my lord,

Commend.

(11) Fymold] Jymold, or rather gimma'd, which fignifies a ring of two rounds, Gemellus, Skinner. Mr. Pope.

*He fmil'd, &c This tender and pathetic defcription of the earl of York's death always reminds me of Virgil s celebrated epifode on the friendship of Nifus and Euryalus, who fell undivided in death, and lovely as they had lived---Euryalus was wounded when his friend rufh'd to his affiftance, and begg'd his life: the poet tells us ;

In vain he spoke, for ah, the sword addres With ruthless rage, had pierc'd his lovely breaft, * Nifus.

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Commend my service to my fovereign;
So did he turn, and over Suffolk's neck

He threw his wounded arm, and kifs'd his lips;
And fo efpous'd to death, with blood he feal'd
A teftament of noble-ending love.

The pretty and sweet manner of it forc'd

'Those waters from me, which I would have ftop'd; But I had not fo much of man in me,

And all my mother came into mine eyes,

And

gave me up to tears.

ACT V.

SCENE III.

The Miferies of War.

(12) Her vine, the merry chearer of the heart, Unpruned lies: her hedges even pleach'd,

With blood his fnowy limbs are purpled o'er,
And pale in death he welters in his gore,
As a gay flower with blooming beauties crown'd,
Cat by the fhare, lies languid on the ground:
Or fome tall poppy, that o'er-charg'd with rain
Bends the faint head, and finks upon the plain :
So fair, fo languishingly sweet he lies,
His head declin'd, and drooping, as he dies.
Now 'midft the foe, distracted Nifus flew :
Volfcens, and him alone, he keeps in view:
The gathering train, the furious youth furround,
Darts follow darts; and wound fucceeds to wound:
All, all unfelt: he feeks their guilty lord,

In fiery circles, flies his thundering fword:
Nor ceas'd, but found at length the deftin'd way,
And buried in his mouth the faulchion lay.
Thus cover'd o'er with wounds an every fide,
Brave Nifus flew the murtherer as he died;
Then on the dear Euryalus his breaft
Sunk down, and flumber'd in eternal reft.

Like:

See Pitt, Æn. 9..

(12) Her, &c.] This is from the pfalms, Wine that maketh glaď 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 fpeaks all through of the bufbandry corrupting in its own fertility, as he fays: the vine unpruned, grows wild and unfruitful, the hedges unpleached,.

put.

Like prifoners, wildly over-grown with hair,
Put forth disorder'd twigs her fallow leas
The darnel, hemlock, and rank fumitory,
Doth root upon; while that the culter rufts,
That should deracinate fuch favagery:
The even mead, that erft brought fweetly forth
The freckled cowflip, burnet, and green clover,
Wanting the scythe, all uncorrected, rank,
Conceives by idleness; and nothing teems,
But hateful docks, rough thistles, keckfies, burs,
Lofing both beauty and utility;

And all our vineyards, fallows, meads, and hedges,
Defective in their natures, grow to wildness.

put forth diforder'd twigs; the fallow leas are over-run with * weeds, darnel, &e. and fo 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, &c. p. 41.) they were not defective in their crefcive nature, for they grew to wildnefs: but were defective in their proper and favourable natures, which was to bring forth food for man.'

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*****

* The First Part of HENRY VI.

(1)

G

ACT I. SCENE VI.

GLORY.

LORY is like a circle in the water;
Which never ceafeth to enlarge itself,
Till by broad fpreading it difperfe to nought,
ACT V. SCENE VIIL

MARRIAGE.

For marriage is a matter of more worth, Than to be dealt in by attorneyship.

* *

For what is wedlock forced but a hell,
An age of Difcord and continual ftrife?
Whereas the contrary bringeth forth blifs,
And is a pattern of celestial peace.

* It is not the business or intention of this work to enter into a confideration of the genuineness of fome of those compofitions, which are generally received as Shakespear's, tho' difputed, and I think, we may add juftly, by the criticks. Among the reft none appear lefs worthy of our inimitable author, than the three following; fome fine ftrokes in them fufficiently aflure us ShakeSpear lent a hand; that he composed the whole, can by no means perfuade myself; however, leave it to the difcuffion of others, and only beg leave to obferve, there are, befide the few paffages I have felected, many fingle lines, which I could not well produce as beauties separately confidered, that merit observation.

(1) Glory, &c.] Beaumont and Fletcher in their Bloody Brother, ufe this fine fimile, though on another fubject, with equal beauty. The jars of brothers, two fuch mighty ones,

1s like a fmall ftone thrown into a river,

The breach fearce heard, but view the beaten current,
And you fhall fee a thousand angry rings,

Rife in his face, ftill fwelling, and ftill growing;

So jars diftrufts encircle, diftrufts dangers,
And dangers death, the greateft extreme follows,

Till nothing bound them but the shoar, their graves.

A&t 2. S. T.
The

(38)

(1)

The Second Part of HENRY VI.

"F

ACT I. SCENE IV.

A refolv'd ambitious Woman.

OLLOW I muft, I cannot go before,.

While Glo'fter bears this bafe and humble

mind.

Were I a man, a duke, and next of blood,
I wou'd remove these tedious stumbling-blocks;
And smooth my way upon their headless necks.
And being a woman, I will not be flack
To play my part in fortune's pageant.

T

ACT II. SCENE II..

The Lord ever to be remember'd.

Let never day or night unhallow'd pafs, But ftill remember what the Lord hath done..

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 fhould not thus be led along,

(1) Follow, &c] There is fomething very like the character of lady Macbeth, in this ambitious wife of the duke of Glofter.

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