scene again, we know from himself; but whether he could contrive no train of adventures suitable to his character, or could match him with no companions likely to quicken his humour, or could open no new vein of pleasantry, and was afraid to continue the same strain lest it should not find the same reception, he has here, for ever discarded him, and made haste to dispatch him, perhaps for the same reason for which Addison killed Sir Roger, that no other hand might attempt to exhibit him.

Let meaner authors learn from this example, that it is dangerous to sell the bear which is yet not hunted; to promise to the publick what they have not written.

This disappointment probably inclined Queen Elizabeth to command the poet to produce him once again, and to show him in love or courtship. This was, indeed, a new source of humour, and produced a new play from the former characters. JOHNSON.

24-clear thy crystals.] Dry up thy tears, dry thine eyes.

25 -spend their mouths.] To spend the mouth, to give mouth, or tongue, is the sporting term for to bark. 26-rivage-] is shore, French.

27

linstock-] The linstock is the staff to which the match is fixed when ordnance is fired.

28 the portage of the head,] Portage, open space, from port, a gate. Let the eye appear in the head as cannon through the battlements, or embraof a fortification.

sures,

JOHNSON.

29 -confounded base-] Confounded means here destroyed or worn.

30-men of mould!] Mould is earth. Men of mould, are, mortals.

31

-four yards under the countermines:] Fluellen means, that the enemy had digged himself countermines four yards under the mines.

JOHNSON.

31-there's an end] It were to be wished, that the poor merriment of this dialogue had not been purchased with so much profaneness.

JOHNSON.

33 SCENE IV.] I have left this ridiculous scene as I found it; and am sorry to have no colour left, from any of the editions, to imagine it interpolated.

WARBURTON.

The scene is in

Sir T. Hanmer has rejected it. deed mean enough, when it is read; but the grimaces of two French women, and the odd accent with which they uttered the English, made it divert upon the stage. It may be observed, that there is in it not only the French language, but the French spirit. Alice compliments the princess upon her knowledge of four words, and tells her that she pronounces like the English themselves. The princess suspects no deficiency in her instructress, nor the instructress in herself. Throughout the whole scene there may be found French servility, and French vanity.

I cannot forbear to transcribe the first sentence of this dialogue from the edition of 1608, that the reader, who has not looked into the old copies, may judge of the strange negligence with which they are printed.

"Kate. Alice venecia, vous aves cates en, vou parte fort bon Angloys englatara, coman sae palla vou la main en francoy."

JOHNSON.

We may observe in general, that the early editions have not half the quantity; and every sentence, or rather every word, most ridiculously blundered. These, for several reasons, could not possibly be published by the author; and it is extremely probable that the French ribaldry was at first inserted by a different hand, as the many editions most certainly were after he had left the stage.-Indeed, every to his memory will not easily believe, that he was acquainted with the scene between Katharine and the old Gentlewoman: or surely he would not have admitted such obscenity and nonsense. FARMER.

friend

34-nook-shotten isle of Albion.] Shotten signifies any thing projected: so nook-shotten isle, is an isle that shoots out into capes, promontories, and necks of land, the very figure of Great Britain.

WARBURTON.

35 And teach lavoltas high,] Sir T. Hanmer observes, that in this dance there was much turning and much capering. Shakspeare mentions it more than once; but never so particularly as the author of Muleasses the Turk, a tragedy, 1610:

"Be pleas'd, ye powers of night, and 'bout me skip "Your antick measures; like to coal-black Moors "Dancing their high lavoltoes to the sun, "Circle me round: and in the midst I'll stand, "And crack my sides with laughter at your sports." 36 Pennons-] In the battles of former days, when the sword and spear gave greater opportunity of exhibiting particular prowess, the several knights had each his arms painted on a little flag which was born

by one of his descendants into the field. This was called a pennon or pendant.

37 For he hath stoľ'n a pix,] The old editions read— рах. "And this is conformable to history," says Mr. Pope, "a soldier (as Hall tells us) being hang'd at this time for such a fact."-Both Hall and Holinshed agree as to the point of the theft; but as to the thing stolen, there is not that conformity betwixt them and Mr. Pope. It was an ancient custom, at the celebration of mass, that when the priest pronounced these words, Pax Domini sit semper vobis cum! both clergy and people kiss'd one another. And this was called Osculum Pacis, the Kiss of Peace. But that custom being abrogated, a certain image is now presented to be kissed, which is called a Pax. But it was not this image which Bardolph stole; it was a pix, or little chest (from the Latin word, pixis, a box,) in which the consecrated host was used to be kept. "A foolish soldier," says Hall expressly, and Holinshed after him, "stole a pix out of a church, and unreverently did eat the holy hostes within the same contained."

$8

THEOBALD.

ss the fig of Spain.] Mr. Steevens says, this has allusion to the Spanish custom of giving a poisoned fig to such as were objects of revenge.

39 Enter MONTJOY.] Mont-joie, under the French monarchy, was the title of the principal king at arms.

40 He bounds from the earth as if his entrails were hairs;] i. e. like a tennis-ball, which is stuffed with hairs.

45 -strait trossers-] This word very frequently

occurs in the old dramatick writers. A man in The Coxcomb of Beaumont and Fletcher, speaking to an Irish servant, says, "I'll have thee flead, and trossers made of thy skin, to tumble in." Trossers appear to have been tight breeches-The kerns of Ireland anciently rode without breeches, and therefore strait trossers, I believe, means only in their naked skin, which sits close to them. The word is still preserved, but now written-trowsers.

STEEVENS.

42 'tis a hooded valour, and when it appears it will bate.] This is said with allusion to falcons which are kept hooded when they are not to fly at game, and, as soon as the hood is off, bait or flap the wing. The meaning is, the Dauphin's valour has never been let loose upon an enemy, yet, when he makes his first essay, we shall see how he will flutter. JOHNSON.

43 Fills the wide vessel of the universe.] Universe for horizon: for we are not to think Shakspeare so ignorant as to imagine it was night over the whole globe at once. He intimates he knew otherwise, by that fine line in The Midsummer Night's Dream:

"following darkness like a dream."

Besides, the image he employs shows he meant but half the globe; the horizon round, which has the shape of a vessel or goblet.

WARBURTON.

There is a better proof, that Shakspeare knew the order of night and day, in Macbeth:

"Now o'er the one half world

"Nature seems dead."

But there was no great need of any justification. The