fit; The king is fet from London; and the scene Before Quickly's house in Eaftcheap. Enter corporal Nym, and lieutenant Bardolph. Nym. Good morrow, 2 lieutenant Bardolph. [Exit. Bard. We'll not offend one fromach-] That is, you fhall pass the fea without the qualms of fea-ficknefs. JOHNSON. 7 But, till the king come forth,-] Here feems to be fomething omitted. Sir T. HANMER reads, But when the king comes forth, which, as the paffage now ftands, is neceffary. Thefe lines, obfcure as they are, refute Mr. POPE's conjectures on the true place of the chorus; for they fhew that fomething is to intervene before the fcene changes to Southampton. JOHNSON. The Canons of Criticism read, and but till then. And the Revifal approves the correction. STEEVENS. 'Bard. Well met, corporal Nym.] I have chofe to begin the fecond act here, becaufe each act may clofe regularly with a chorus. Not that I am perfuaded, this was the poet's intention to mark the intervals of his acts as the chorus did on the old Grecian stage. He had no occafion of this fort: fince, in his time, the paufes of action were filled up, as now, with a lefon of mufic: but the reafons for this diftribution are explained before. THEOBALD. I have already fhewn why in this edition the act begins with the chorus. JOHNSON. 2 — - lieutenant Bardolph.] At this fcene begins the connection of this play with the latter part of King Henry IV. The characters would be indiftinct, and he incidents unintelligible, 2 without Bard. What, are ancient Pistol and you friends yet? Nym. For my part, I care not. I fay little; but when time fhall ferve, 3 there fhall be fimiles. But that fhall be as it may. I dare not fight; but I will wink, and hold out mine iron: it is a fimple one; but what tho'? it will toaft cheefe; and it will endure cold as another man's fword will: and there's the humour of it. Bard. I will bestow a breakfast, to make you friends; 5 and we'll be all three fworn brothers to France. Let it be fo, good corporal Nym. Nym. Faith, I will live fo long as I may, that's the certain of it; and, when I cannot live any longer, I will do as I may: that is my reft, that is the rendezvous of it. Bard. It is certain, corporal, that he is married to Nell Quickly and certainly she did you wrong, for you were troth-plight to her. without the knowledge of what paffed in the two foregoing plays. JOHNSON. 3-there fhall be fmiles.-] I fufpect smiles to be a marginal direction crept into the text. It is natural for a man, when he threatens, to break off abruptly, and conclude, But that fall be as it may. But this fantastical fellow is made to fmile difdainfully while he threatens; which circumftance was marked for the player's direction in the margin. WARBURTON. I do not remember to have met with thefe marginal directions for expreffion of countenance in any of the old copies: neither do 1 fee any occafion for Dr. Warburton's emendation, as it is vain to feek the precife meaning of every fantastic expreffion employed by this humorous character. Nym, however, having expreffed his indifference about the continuance of Pistol's friendship, might have added, when time ferves there fhall be fmiles, i. e. he should be merry even though he was to lote it; or, that his face would be ready with a fmile as often as occafion fhould call one out into fervice, though Pistol, who had excited fo many, was no longer near him. STEEVENS. -the humour of it.] The folio reads,—and there's an end, STEEVENS. 5 — and we'll all be worn brothers to France.--] We fhould read, we'll all go fworn brothers to France, or, we'll all be fworn brothers in France. JOHNSON. Nym. Nym. I cannot tell; things must be as they may; men may fleep, and they may have their throats about them at that time; and, fome fay, knives have edges. It must be as it may. Tho' patience be a tir'd mare, yet she will plod. There muft be conclufions. Well, I cannot tell, Enter Pistol and Quickly. Bard. Here comes ancient Pistol and his wife. Good corporal, be patient here. How now, mine hoft Pistol? Pift. Bafe tyke, call'ft thou me host? Now by this hand, I fwear, I fcorn the term; Quick. No, by my troth, not long: for we cannot lodge and board a dozen or fourteen gentlewomen, that live honestly by the prick of their needles, but it will be thought we keep a bawdy-house straight. 10 well-a-day, lady, if he be not drawn now! We shall fee wilful adultery, and murder committed. Bard. Good lieutenant, good corporal, offer nothing here. 6 patience be a tir'd mare,-] The folio reads by corruption, tired name! from which Sir T. Hanmer, fagaciously enough, derived tired dame. Mr. Theobald retrieved from the quarto tired mare, the true reading. JOHNSON, 7 Owell-a-day, lady, if he be not hewn now!] I cannot understand the drift of this expreffion. If he be not hewn, muft fignify, if he be not cut down; and in that cafe, the very thing is fuppofed which Quickly was apprehenfive of. But I rather think her fright arifes upon feeing the fwords drawn: and I have ventured to make a flight alteration accordingly. If he be not drawn, for, if he has not his word drawn, is an expreffion familiar to our poet. THEOBALD. I have not difturbed Mr. Theobald's emendation ; but I think we might read, if he be not hewing. To hack and hew is a common vulgar expreffion. So in If you know not me you know nobody, by Heywood, 1633.-" Bones o'me, he would here it." After all (as the Critical Reviewers obferve) to be hewn might mean to be drunk. There is yet a low phrafe in ufe on the fame occafion, which is not much unlike it; viz. "he is cur." "Such-a-one was cut a little laft night." STEEVENS. • Good lieutenant,-] We should read, Good ancient, for it is Piftol to whom he addreffes himself. STEEVENS Nym! Nym. Pifh! Pift. Pifh for thee, 9 Iceland dog! thou prick-ear'd cur of Iceland! Quick. Good corporal Nym, fhew the valour of a man, and put up thy fword. I Nym. Will you fhog off? I would have you folus. Pift. Solus, egregious dog? O viper vile! The folus in thy moft marvellous face; The folus in thy teeth, and in thy throat, And in thy hateful lungs, yea, in thy maw, perdy; 2 For I can talk, and Piftol's cock is up, Nym. 31 am not Barbafon; you cannot conjure me. I have an humour to knock you indifferently well: if you grow foul with me, Piftol, I will fcour you with my rapier, as I may, in fair terms. If you would walk off, I would prick your guts a little, in good terms, as I may; and that's the humour of it. Pift. O braggard vile, and damned furious wight! The grave doth gape, and 4 doating death is near; Therefore exhale. - Ifland dog;-] I believe we should read Iceland dog. He feems to allude to an account credited in Elizabeth's time, that in the north there was a nation with human bodies and dogs heads. JOHNSON. The quarto confirms Mr. Johnson's conjecture. STEEVENS. • Will you fhog off?] This cant word is ufed in Beaumont and Fletcher's Coxcomb. "Come, pr'ythee, let us shog of" STEEVENS. 2 For I can take;-] I know not well what he can take. The quarto reads talk. In our author to take, is sometimes to blast, which fenfe may ferve in this place. Mr. JOHNSON. 3 I am not Barbajon; you cannot conjure me.] Barbafen is the name of a devil mentioned in The Merry Wives of Windfor. 4 STEEVENS. - doating death is near ;-] The quarto has groaning death. VOL. VI. C JOHNSON. Bard. Pard. Hear me, hear me, what I fay. He that ftrikes the first stroke, I'll run him up to the hilts, as I am a foldier. Pift. An oath of mickle might; and fury shall abate. Give me thy fift, thy fore-foot to me give; Nym. I will cut thy throat, one time or other, in fair terms, that is the humour of it. Pift. Coupe le gorge, that is the word? I defy thee again. O hound of Crete, think'ft thou my spouse to get? No; to the fpittal go, And from the powdering tub of infamy Fetch forth the lazar kite of Creffid's kind, Go to. Enter the Boy. Boy. Mine hoft Pistol, you must come to my master, and you hoftefs; he is very fick, and would to bed. Good Bardolph, put thy nofe between his sheets, and do the office of a warming pan: faith, he's very ill. Bard. Away, you rogue. Quick. By my troth, he'll yield the crow a pudding one of thefe days: the king has kill'd his heart. -Good hufband, come home prefently. [Exit Quickly. Bard. Come, fhall I make you two friends? We muft to France together; why the devil fhould we keep knives to cut one another's throats? Pift. Let floods o'erfwell, and fiends for food how on!. Nym. You'll pay me the eight fhillings I won of you at betting? |