66 "Vasta velut Libyæ venantum vocibus ales Cum premitur, calidas cursu transmittet arenas, 66 the Cambridge editors maintain that this means that the bird spreads its wings like a sail bellying with the wind-a different thing from 'winging the wind.' But the Cambridge editors," Dyce replies, "take no notice of the important word volat, by which Claudian means, of course, that the ostrich, when once her wings are filled with the wind, flies along the ground (though she does not mount into the air)"; he adds the following apt quotation from Rogers: "Such to their grateful ear the gush of springs baited = baiting; to bait or bate COLUMBUS, Canto viii. "to flap the wings, as the hawk did when unhooded and ready to fly." 'having lately bathed'; "writers on falconry," says Steevens, "often mention the bathing of hawks and eagles as highly necessary for their health and spirits. All birds, after bathing, spread out their wings to catch the wind, and flutter violently with them in order to dry themselves. This, in the falconer's language, is called bating." IV. ii. 29. 'younger sons to younger brothers,' i.e. 'men of desperate fortune and wild adventure'; the phrase, as Johnson pointed out, occurs in Raleigh's Discourse on War. V. i. Stage direction. The Quartos and Folios make the Earl of Westmoreland one of the characters; but, as Malone pointed out, he was in the rebel camp as a pledge for Worcester's safe conduct. V. i. 13. old limbs'; Henry was, in reality, only thirty years old at this time. V. ii. 8. suspicion'; Rowe's emendation for 'supposition' of the early editions. Johnson points out that the same image of 'suspicion' is exhibited in a Latin tragedy, called Roxana, written about the same time by Dr. William Alabaster. V. ii. 18. adopted name of privilege,' i.e. the name of Hotspur will suggest that his temperament must be his excuse. V. ii. 33. 'Douglas' must here be read as a trisyllable. V. ii. 60. By still dispraising praise valued with you'; omitted by Pope and others as 'foolish,' but defended by Johnson-" to vilify praise, compared or valued with merit, superior to praise, is no harsh expression." V. ii. 72. ‘so wild a libertine'; Capell's emendation for the reading of the Folios, at libertie,' and Quartos 1-4 'a libertie'; Theobald punctuated the line thus: 'of any prince, so wild, at liberty'; others proposed 'wild o' liberty,' which Collier erroneously declared to be the reading of the three oldest Quartos. V. iii. 46, 47. 'Turk Gregory never did such deeds in arms'; Warburton observes:-" Fox, in his History, hath made Gregory (i.e. Pope Gregory VII., called Hildebrand) so odious that I don't doubt but the good Protestants of that time were well pleased to hear him thus characterized, as uniting the attributes of their two great enemies, the Turk and Pope, in one." V. iv. 81. 'But thought's the slave of life,' etc.; Dyce and others prefer the reading of Quarto 1.:— 'But thoughts the slaves of life, and life time's fool, Must have a stop.' i.e. "Thoughts, which are the slaves of life, aye, and life itself, which is but the fool of Time, aye, and Time itself, which measures the existence of the whole world, must come to an end" (Vaughan). V. iv. 167. 'Grow great, so Quartos; Folios, grow great again!' V. v. 41. 'sway'; Folios and later Quartos 'way.' Explanatory Notes. The Explanatory Notes in this edition have been specially selected and adapted, with emendations after the latest and best authorities, from the most eminent Shakespearian scholars and commentators, including Johnson, Malone, Steevens, Singer, Dyce, Hudson, White, Furness, Dowden, and others. This method, here introduced for the first time, provides the best annotation of Shakespeare ever embraced in a single edition. ACT FIRST. 34-46. My liege, etc. :-The matter of the passage is thus related by Holinshed: "Owen Glendower, according to his accustomed manner robbing and spoiling within the English borders, caused all the forces of the shire of Hereford to assemble togither against him, under the conduct of Edmund Mortimer, Earle of March. But comming to trie the matter by battell, whether by treason or otherwise, so it fortuned, that the English power was discomfitted, the earle taken prisoner, and above a thousand of his people slaine in the place. The shamefull villanie used by the Welshwomen towards the dead carcasses was such as honest eares would be ashamed to heare, and continent toongs to speake thereof. The dead bodies might not be buried, without great summes of monie given for libertie to conveie them awaie.” 92-95. the prisoners, etc. :-Percy had an exclusive right to these prisoners, except the Earl of Fife. By the law of arms, every man who had taken any captive, whose redemption did not exceed ten thousand crowns, had him clearly to himself to acquit or ransom at his pleasure. But Percy could not refuse the Earl of Fife: for, he being a prince of the royal blood, Henry might justly claim him, by his acknowledged military prerogative. Scene II. 2. [Prince.] We see the Prince, as Brandes says, "plunging into the most boyish and thoughtless diversions, in company with topers, tavern-wenches, and pot-boys; but we see, also, that he is magnanimous, and full of profound admiration for Harry Percy, that admiration for a rival of which Percy himself was incapable. And he rises, ere long, above this world of triviality and makebelieve to the true height of his nature. His alert self-esteem, his immovable self-confidence, can early be traced in minor touches. When Falstaff asks him if 'his blood does not thrill' to think of the alliance between three such formidable foes as Percy, Douglas, and Glendower, he dismisses with a smile all idea of fear. A little later, he plays upon his truncheon of command as upon a fife. He has the great carelessness of the great natures; he does not even lose it when he feels himself unjustly suspected. At bottom he is a good brother, a good son, a great patriot; and he has the makings of a great ruler." III, 112. 'tis my vocation, etc.:-We shall err greatly, if we believe all that Shakespeare's characters say of themselves; for, like other men, they do not see themselves as others see them, nor inIdeed as they are. And this especially in case of Sir John, who seldom speaks of himself even as he sees himself; that is, he speaks for art, not for truth: and a part of his humour lies in all sorts of caricatures and exaggerations about himself; what he says being often designed on purpose to make himself a laughingstock, that he may join in the laughter. Such appears to be the case in what he here charges himself with. For his vocation throughout the play is that of a soldier, which is also the vocation of the Prince. But the trade of a soldier was at that time notoriously trimmed and adorned with habits of plundering; so that to set it forth as a purse-taking vocation, was but a stroke of humorous exaggeration, finely spiced with satire, both as regarded the Prince and himself. The exploit at Gadshill is the only one of the kind that we hear of in the play. 120. Sack and Sugar:-A deal of learned ink has been shed in discussing what Sir John's favourite beverage might be. The learned archdeacon Nares has pretty much proved it to have been the Spanish wine now called Sherry. Thus in Blount's Glossographias "Sherry sack, so called from Xeres, a town of Corduba in Spain, where that kind of sack is made.” And in Markham's English Housewife: "Your best sacks are of Seres in Spaine." And indeed Falstaff expressly calls it sherris-sack. The latter part of the name, sack, is thought to have come from its being a dry wine, vin sec; and it was formerly written seck. It appears, however, that there were divers sacks. Thus in Howell's Londin opolis: "I read in the reign of Henry VII. that no sweet wines were brought into this reign but Malmseys." And again: "Moreover no sacks were sold but Rumney, and that for medicine more than drink, but now many kinds of sacks are known and used." And still more conclusively in Venners's Via Recta ad Vitam Longam, 1637: "But what I have spoken of mixing sugar with sack, must be understood of Sherrie sack, for to mix sugar with other wines, that in a common appellation are called sack, and are sweeter in taste, makes it unpleasant to the pallat, and fulsome to the taste." Scene III. 29 et seq. [Hotspur.] Shakespeare has put forth all his poetic strength in giving to Percy's speeches, and especially to his descriptions, the most graphic definiteness of detail, and a naturalness which raises into higher sphere the racy audacity of Faulconbridge. Hotspur sets about explaining how it happened that he refused to hand over his prisoners to the King, and begins his defence by describing the courtier who demanded them of him; but he is not content with a general outline, or with relating what this personage said with regard to the prisoners; he gives examples even of his talk. Why this dwelling upon trivial and ludicrous details? Because it is a touch of reality and begets illusion. Precisely because we cannot at first see the reason why Percy should recall such trifling circumstances, it seems impossible that the thing should be a mere invention. Henry Percy stands before our eyes, covered with dust and blood, as on the field of Holmedon. We see the courtier at his side holding his nose as the bodies are carried past, and we hear him giving the young commander his medical advice and irritating him to the verge of frenzy. 34, 35. his chin new reap'd, etc. :-To understand this the reader should bear in mind that the courtier's beard, according to the fashion in the Poet's time, would not be closely shaved, but shorn or trimmed, and would therefore show like a stubble-land new reap'd. 83. that great magician, damn'd Glendower:-The reputed magic of Glendower is thus set forth by Holinshed: "About mid August [1402] the King went with a great power of men into Wales, but in effect he lost his labour; for Owen conveied himselfe out of the waie into his knowen lurking places, and (as was |