Ely. But how, my lord, fhall we refift it now? Cant. It must be thought on. If it pass against us, We lose the better half of our poffeffion :

For all the temporal lands, which men devout
By testament have given to the church,
Would they ftrip from us; being valu'd thus,-

from it) dated 1617, though printed by Bernard Alfop (who was printer of the other edition) and fold by the fame perfon and at the fame place. Alfop appears to have been a printer before the year 1600, and was afterwards one of the twenty appointed by decree of the ftar-chamber to print for this kingdom. I believe, however, this piece to have been prior to that of Shakespeare for feveral reafons. First, because it is highly probable that it is the very difpleafing play" alluded to in the epilogue to the fecond part of King Henry IV.—for Oldcafile died a martyr. Oldcastle is the Falltaff of the piece, which is defpicable, and full of ribaldry and impiety from the first fcene to the laft.-Secondly, because Shakespeare feems to have taken not a few hints from it; for it comprehends in fome measure the story of the two parts of Henry IV. as well as of Henry V. and no ignorance I think could debafe the gold of Shakespeare into fuch drofs; though no chemistry but that of Shakespeare could exalt fuch bafe metal into gold.When the prince of Wales in Henry IV. calls Falftaff my old lad of the Cafle, it is probably but a fneering allufion to the deferved fate which this performance met with; for there is no proof that our poet was ever obliged to change the name of Oldcastle into that of Falstaff, though there is an abfolute certainty that this piece muft have been condemned by any audience before whom it was ever reprefented.

Laftly, becaufe it appears (as Mr. FARMER has obferved) from the jefts of the famous comedian Tarlton, 4to. 1611, that he had been particularly celebrated in the part of the Clown* in Henry V. and though this character does not exist in our play, we find it in the other, which, for the reasons already enumerated, I fuppofe to have been prior to this.

This anonymous play of Henry V. is neither divided into acts or fcenes, is uncommonly fhort, and has all the appearance of having been imperfectly taken down during the reprefentation. As much of it appears to have been omitted, we may fuppofe that the author did not think it convenient for his reputation to publish a more ample copy. STEEVENS.

Mr. Oldys, in a manufcript note in his copy of Langbaine, fays, that Tarlton appear'd in the character of the Judge who receives the box on the ear. This Judge is likewife a character in the old play.

As

As much as would maintain to the king's honour
Full fifteen earls, and fifteen hundred knights;
Six thousand and two hundred good efquires;
And, to relief of lazars, and weak age
Of indigent faint fouls, past corporal toil,
A hundred alm-houses, right well supply'd;
And to the coffers of the king, befide,

A thousand pounds by the year. Thus runs the bill.

Ely. This would drink deep.

Cant. 'Twould drink the cup and all.

Ely. But what prevention ?

Cant. The king is full of grace, and fair regard.
Ely. And a true lover of the holy church.
Cant. The courses of his youth promis'd it not.
The breath no fooner left his father's body,
But that his wildness, mortify'd in him,
Seem'd to die too: yea, at that very moment,
3 Confideration, like an angel, came,
And whipt the offending Adam out of him;
Leaving his body as a paradife,

To envelop and contain celeftial fpirits.
Never was fuch a fudden scholar made:

Never came reformation in a flood 4

With fuch a heady current, fcowering faults;
Nor ever Hydra-headed wilfulness

So foon did lofe his feat, and all at once,
As in this king.

Ely. We are bleffed in this change.

3 Confideration, like an angel, &c.] As paradife, when fin and Adam were driven out by the angel, became the habitation of celeftial fpirits, fo the king's heart, fince confideration has driven out his follies, is now the receptacle of wisdom and of virtue. JOHNSON.

4 Never came reformation like a flood] Alluding to the method by which Hercules cleanfed the famous ftables when he turned a river through them. Hercules till is in our author's head when he mentions the Hydra. JOHNSON.

Canty

<

Cant. It must be fo: for miracles are ceas'd; And therefore we muft needs admit the means, How things are perfected.

Ely. But, my good lord,

How now for mitigation of this bill,
Urg'd by the commons? Doth his majesty
Incline to it, or no?

Cant. He feems indifferent;

Or, rather, fwaying more upon our part,
Than cherishing the exhibiters against us:
For I have made an offer to his majefty,-
Upon our fpiritual convocation,

And in regard of causes now in hand
Which I have open'd to his grace at large
As touching France,-to give a greater fum
Than ever at one time the clergy yet
Did to his predeceffors part withal.

Ely. How did this offer feem receiv'd, my lord?
Cant. With good acceptance of his majesty:
Save that there was not time enough to hear
(As, I perceiv'd, his grace would fain have done)
The feverals, and unhidden paffages 9

Of his true titles to fome certain dukedoms;
And, generally, to the crown and feat of France,
Deriv❜d from Edward his great grandfather.

Ely. What was the impediment that broke this off?
Cant. The French ambaffador upon that inftant
Crav'd audience; and the hour, I think, is come
To give him hearing. Is it four o'clock?
Ely. It is.

Cant. Then go we in, to know his embaffy; Which I could with a ready guess declare, Before the Frenchman fpeaks a word of it. Ely. I'll wait upon you, and I long to hear it. [Exeunt.

9 The feverals, and unhidden paffages] This line I fufpect of corruption, though it may be fairly enough explained: the paffages of his titles are the lines of fucceffion by which his claims defcend. Unhidden is open, clear. JOHNSON. SCENE

Enter king Henry, Gloucefter, Bedford, Clarence, Warwick, Westmorland, and Exeter.

K. Henry. Where is my gracious lord of Cante bury?

Exe. Not here in presence.

K. Henry. Send for him, good uncle.

I

Weft. Shall we call in the ambassador, my liege? K. Henry. Not yet, my cousin2; we would be re

folv'd,

Before we hear him, of fome things of weight,
That 3 tafk our thoughts, concerning us and France.

Enter the archbishop of Canterbury, and bishop of Ely,

Cant. God and his angels guard your facred thro:.:, And make you long become it!

K. Henry. Sure, we thank you.

My learned lord, we pray you to proceed;
And justly and religiously unfold,

Why the law Salique, that they have in France,
Or fhould, or fhould not, bar us in our claim.
And, God forbid, my dear and faithful lord,
That you should fashion, wreft, or bow your reading,
+ Or nicely charge your understanding foul

1 Shall we call in, &c,] Here began the old play, POPE. 2 Not yet, my coufin, &c.] The 4to. 1608, reads,

Not yet, my coufin, till we be refolv'd

Of fome ferious matters touching us and France.

STEEVENS.

3-tak-] Keep bufied with fcruples and laborious difquifitions. JOHNSON.

+ Or nicely charge your understanding foul] Take heed left by nice and fubtle fophitry you burthen your knowing foul, or knowingly burthen your foul, with the guilt of advancing a faife title, or of maintaining, by fpecious fallacies, a claim which, if thewn in its natiye and true colours, would appear to be falfe.

JOHNSON,
With

With opening titles 5 mifcreate, whofe right
Suits not in native colours with the truth:
For, God doth know, how many now in health
Shall drop their blood, in approbation
Of what your reverence fhall incite us to.
Therefore take heed how you impawn our perfon,
How you awake the fleeping fword of war,
We charge you in the name of God take heed:
For never two fuch kingdoms did contend
Without much fall of blood; whofe guiltless drops
Are every one a woe, a fore complaint,

'Gainft him, whofe wrong gives edge unto the fword,
That makes fuch wafte in brief mortality.
Under this conjuration, fpeak, my lord;

For we will hear, note, and believe in heart,
That what you speak is in your conscience wash'd,
As pure as fin with baptism.

Cant. Then hear me, gracious fovereign, and you

peers,

That owe your lives, your faith, and fervices,
To this imperial throne.-There is no bar s
To make against your highnefs' claim to France,

-mifcreate-] Ill-begotten, illegitimate, fpurious.

-

JOHNSON. -take bead how you impawn our perfon,] The whole drift of the king is to imprefs upon the archbishop a due fenfe of the caution with which he is to fpeak. He tells him that the crime of unjust war, if the war be unjuft, shall rest upon him.

Therefore take heed how you imparn your perfon. So I think it should be read. Take heed how you pledge your felf, your honour, your happiness, in fupport of bad advice. Dr. WARBURTON explains impan by engage, and fo efcapes the difficulty. JOHNSON.

7 Under this conjuration,]. The 4to. 1608, reads,

After this conjuration. STEEVENS.

8 There is no bar, &c.] This whole fpeech is copied (in a manner verbatim from Hall's Chronicle, Henry V. year the fecond, folio 4. xx, xxx, xl, &c. In the first edition it is very imperfect, and the whole hiftory and names of the princes. are confounded; but this was afterwards fet right, and corrected from his original, Hall's Chronicle. POPE.