Down, down to hell; and say-I sent thee thither, [Stabs him again. I, that have neither pity, love, nor fear.- And so I was; which plainly fignified- of Ovid's Metamorphosis, translated by Arthur Golding, 1587: -7 "If any sparke of nature do within thy hart remaine." STEEVENS, - that Henry told me of;] Namely, that my birth was attended with fingular circumstances. -Theobald, grounding himself on this and the two following lines, reads in a former paffage "Thou cam'st into the world with thy legs forward." for "how," (fays he,) can Richard say, "Indeed 'tis true that Henry told me of," &c. "unless we suppose King Henry reproached him with his preposterous birth?" But furely Henry has done so in the last ten lines of his speech, though he is at length prevented by the fatal ftab from mentioning a further proof of Richard's being born for the destruction of mankind. Theobald's addition therefore to that line, has, I think, been adopted too hastily by the subsequent editors, and the interruption in the midft of Henry's speech appears to me not only preferable, as warranted by the old copies, and by Glofter's subsequent words, [Die, prophet, in thy speech; but more agreeable to nature. MALONE. * Let hell &c.) This line Dryden seems to have thought on in his Oedipus : "It was thy crooked mind hunch'd out thy back, "And wander'd in thy limbs." STEEVENS. I have no brother, I am like no brother : 'And this word-love, which greybeards call di vine, Be refident in men like one another, And not in me; I am myself alone. Clarence, beware; thou keep'st me from the light; But I will fort a pitchy day for thee:9 For I will buz abroad fuch prophecies, 'That Edward shall be fearful of his life;' And then, to purge his fear, I'll be thy death. 'King Henry, and the prince his fon, are gone: 'Clarence, thy turn is next, and then the reft; Counting myself but bad, till I be best.'I'll throw thy body in another room, And triumph, Henry, in thy day of doom. [Exit. After this line, we find in the old play the following: "I had no father, I am like no father." It might have been omitted in the folio merely by accident, (as fome lines in The Second Part of King Henry VI. certainly were,) but its restoration is not necessary, for the fenfe is complete without it. MALONE. 9 But I will fort a pitchy day for thee:] But I will choose out an hour whose gloom shall be as fatal to you. To fort is to select. So, in The Spanish Tragedy, 1605 : for they had forted leisure." Again, in The Lover's Melancholy, 1629: I We shall fort time to take more notice of him." For I will buz abroad fuch prophecies, STEEVENS. That Edward shall be fearful of his life;] The quartos add a line between these : This line is not in the quarto printed by W. W. 1600; but it is in the undated quarto, which in fact was printed in 1619, from that printed in 1600 by V.S. MALONE. L. SCENE VII. The fame. A Room in the Palace. King EDWARD is discovered fitting on his Throne; Queen ELIZABETH with the infant Prince, CLARENCE, GLOSTER, HASTINGS, and Others, near him. K. Edw. Once more we fit in England's royal throne, Re-purchas'd with the blood of enemies. Montague, That in their chains fetter'd the kingly lion, Come hither, Bess, and let me kiss my boy :- Have we mow'd down,] A kindred image occurs in King mowing like grafs 1 "Your fresh-fair virgins, and your flow'ring infants." STEEVENS. Went all a foot in summer's scalding heat, That thou might'ft repoffess the crown in peace; And of our labours thou shalt reap the gain. GLO. I'll blaft his harvest, if your head were laid; For yet I am not look'd on in the world. This shoulder was ordain'd so thick, to heave; And heave it shall fome weight, or break my back :Work thou the way, and thou shalt execute.3 [Afide. K. EDW. Clarence, and Glofter, love my lovely queen; And kiss your princely nephew, brothers both. CLAR. The duty, that I owe unto your majefty, I feal upon the lips of this sweet babe. K. EDW. Thanks, noble Clarence; worthy brother, thanks.4 3 Work thou the way, and thou shalt execute.] I believe we should read: and this shall execute. Richard laying his hand on his forehead says: Work thou the way then bringing down his hand, and beholding it : and this shall execute. Though that may ftand, the arm being included in the shoulder. JOHNSON. The quartos read : "Work thou the way, and thou shalt execute." I suppose he fpeaks this line, first touching his head, and then looking on his hand. STEEVENS. This is the reading of the old play. The folio reads and that shalt execute. But as the word shalt is preferved, the other must have been an error of the transcriber or compofitor. MALONE. * Thanks, noble Clarence; worthy brother, thanks.] The quarto appropriates this line to the Queen. The first and fecond folio, by mistake, have given it to Clarence. In my copy of the fecond folio, which had belonged to ، 'GLO. And, that I love the tree from whence thou sprang'ft, • Witness the loving kiss I give the fruit :To say the truth, so Judas kiss'd his maf-. ter; 'And cried-all hail! when as he meant -all harm. Afide. K. EDW. Now am I seated as my foul delights, Having my country's peace, and brothers' loves. CLAR. What will your grace have done with Reignier, her father, to the king of France K. EDW. Away with her, and waft her hence to France. And now what rests, but that we spend the time noy! For here, I hope, begins our lasting joy. [Exeunt. King Charles the First, his Majesty has erased-Cla, and written King, in its stead. Shakspeare, therefore, in the catalogue of his reftorers, may boaft of a Royal name. STEEVENS. 5 With fiately triumphs,] Triumphs are publick shows. This word has occurred too frequently to need exemplification in the present instance. STEEVENS. |