And telling me, the fovereign'ft thing on earth And I beseech you, let not this report Betwixt my love and your high Majefty. Blunt. The circumftance confider'd, good my lord, To fuch a perfon, and, in fuch a place, 66 K. Henry. Why, yet he doth deny his prifoners, 3 To do him wrong, or any way impeach What then be faid, so he unfay it now.] Let us confider the whole paffage, which, according to the prefent reading, bears this literal fenfe. "Whatever Percy then faid may reafonably die and never rife to "impeach what he then faid, fo "he unfay it now." This is the exact fenfe, or rather nonfenfe, which the paffage makes in the prefent reading. It should therefore, without question, be thus printed and emended, To do him wrong, or any way What then be faid, SEE, he But with provifo and exception, That we at our own charge shall ransom straight Hot. Revolted Mortimer? He never did fall off, my fovereign Liege, 4 and indent with fears.] The reason why he fays, bargain and article with fears, meaning with Mortimer, is, because he fuppofed Mortimer had wilfully betrayed his own forces to Glendower out of fear, as appears from his next Speech. No need therefore to change fears to foes, as the Oxford Editor has done WARBURTON. The difficulty feems to me to arife from this, that the King is not defired to article or contract with Mortimer, but with another for Mortimer. Perhaps we may read, Shall we buy treason? and in dent with peers, When they have lost and forfeited themselves? Shall we purchafe back a traytor? Shall we defcend to a compofition with Worcester, Northumber But land, and young Perty, who by difobedience have loft and forfeited their honours and themjelves. 5 He never did fall off, my ssvereign Liege, But BY the chance of war -] A poor apology for a foldier, and a man of honour, that he fell off, and revolted by the chance of war. The Poet certainly wrote, But 'BIDES the chance of war. i. e. he never did revolt, but abides the chance of war, as a prifoner. And if he ftill endured the rigour of imprison. ment, that was a plain proof he was not revolted to the enemy. Hot-fpur fays the fame thing afterwards, Juffer'd bis kinfman March -to be encag'd in Wales. Here again the Oxford Editor makes 6 But by the chance of war; to prove That true, In lingle oppofition, hand to hand, He did confound the best part of an hour In changing hardiment with great Glendower ; Three times they breath'd, and three times did they drink, Upon agreement, of swift Severn's flood; Who then affrighted with their bloody looks, makes this correction his own, at the final expence of changing 'b des to bore! WARBURTON. The plain meaning is, he came not into the enemy's power but by the chance of war. To 'bide the hance of war may well enough ignify to and the hazard of a battle, but can fcarcely mean to endure the feverities of a pin. The King charged Mort mer that be wilfully betra ed his army; and, as he was then with the enemy, calls him reusited Mortimer. Hotpur replies, that he never fell off, that is, fell into Glendower's hands, but by the chance of war. I fhould not have explained thus tedioufly a paffage fo hard to be millaken, but that two Editors have already mistaken it. 6 -to prove that true, Need no more but one tongue, For all th fe wounds, &c.] This paffage is of obscure conftruction. The later editors point it, as they understood that VOL. IV. for the wounds a tongue was reedful, and only one tongue. This is harfh. I rather think it is a broken sentence. To prove the loyalty of Mortimer, fays Hotpur, one Speaking witness is fufficient, for his wounds proclaim his loyalty, thofe mouthed wounds, &c. 7 Who then affrighted, &c.] This paffage has been cenfured as founding nonfenfe, which reprefents a ftream of water as capable of fear. It is milundertood. Severn is here not the food but the tutelary power of the flood, who was frighted, and hid his head in the hollow bank. 8 Never did bare and r.tien poly.] All the quarto's which I have feen read bare in this place. The first folio, and all the fubfequent editions, have bafe. I believe bre is right: never did policy lying open to de tection, colour its workings. Colour her working with fuch deadly wounds; Then let him not be flander'd with Revolt. K. Henry. Thou doft belie him, Percy, thou belieft him; He never did encounter with Glendower; He durit as well have met the Devil alone, Art not afham'd? 9 but, firrah, from this hour As will difpleafe you. My Lord Northumberland, I will not fend them. I'll after ftrait, 1 And tell him fo; for I will ease my heart, Although it be with hazard of my head. North. What, drunk with choler? ftay, and paufe a while; Here comes your uncle. Enter Worcester. Hot. Speak of Mortimer? Yes, I will fpeak of him; and let my four 2 And fhed my dear blood drop by drop in duft, * But I will lift the down-trod Mortimer As high i'th' Air as this unthankful King, North. Brother, the King hath made your Nephew mad. [To Worcester. Wor. Who ftrook this heat up, after I was gone? Hot. He will, forfooth, have all my prifoners; And when I urg'd the ranfom once again Of my wife's brother, then his cheek look'd pale, And on my face he turn'd an eye of death, Trembling ev'n at the name of Mortimer. Wor. I cannot blame him; was he not proclaim'd, By Richard that dead is, the next of blood? North. He was; I heard the Proclamation; And then it was, when the unhappy King (Whose wrongs in us, God pardon!) did set forth Upon his Irish expedition, From whence he, intercepted, did return To be depos'd, and fhortly murthered. Wor. And for whofe death, we in the world's wide mouth Live fcandaliz'd, and foully fpoken of. Hot. But foft, I pray you. Did King Richard then Proclaim my brother Mortimer Heir to the Crown? North. He did my felf did hear it. Hot. Nay, then I cannot blame his coufin King, And for his fake wear the detefted blot * Fut I will lift the downfall'n Mortimer] The quarto of 1599 reads down-trød Mortimer : which is better. WARB. All the quartos that I have feen read down-trod, the three folios read downfall. 3 An eye of death.] That is, an eye menacing death. Hot-fpur feems to defcribe the King as trembling with rage rather than fear. |