Of this most dreadful preparation, Shake in their fear, and with pale policy Seek to divert the English purposes. O England! model to thy inward greatness, Like little body with a mighty heart, What mightst thou do, that honour would thee do, But see thy fault! France hath in thee found out 15. 20 18. honour would thee do: noble ambition would wish you to do. 22-27. "But see the hap, the night before the daie appointed for their departure, he was crediblie informed, that Richard earle of Cambridge, brother to Edward duke of York, and Henrie lord Scroope of Masham, lord treasuror, with Thomas Graie, a knight of Northumberland, being confederat togither, had conspired his death; wherefore he caused them to be apprehended." - Holinshed. Richard Earl of Cambridge. This was Richard Plantagenet, second son to Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, who, again, was the fourth son of Edward III. He was married to Anne Mortimer, sister to Edmund, Earl of March, and great-granddaughter of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, who was the second son of Edward III. From this marriage sprung Richard, who in the next reign was restored to the rights and titles forfeited by his father, and was made Duke of York. This Richard afterwards claimed the crown in right of his mother, and as the lineal heir from the aforesaid Lionel; and hence arose the long war between the Houses of York and Lancaster. So that this Earl of Cambridge was the grandfather of Edward IV and Richard III. His older brother, Edward, the Duke of York of this play, was killed at the battle of Agincourt, and left no child. — Henry Lord Scroop of Masham. Henry, third Lord Scrope of Masham, eldest son of Sir Stephen Scrope, second Lord Scrope of Masham, was beheaded and attainted in 1415.- Sir Thomas Grey. Of Heton, -- Sir Thomas Grey, knight, of Northumberland, 25 O guilt indeed! Confirm'd conspiracy with fearful France; And by their hands this grace of kings must die, If hell and treason hold their promises, Ere he take ship for France, and in Southampton. 30 Th' abuse of distance, force a play. The sum is paid; the traitors are agreed; 35 40 [Exit] Northumberland; married the third daughter of Ralph, Earl of Westmoreland; executed in 1415. 26. This pun on 'gilt' and 'guilt' occurs in Macbeth, II, ii, 56–57. Cf. 2 Henry IV, IV, v, 129. 'Gilt' meaning 'money' is still thieves' argot. Murray quotes from Marston's Scourge of Villanie: Now nothing, any thing, euen what you list, So that some guilt may grease his greedy fist. 31-32. digest Th' abuse of distance: "satisfactorily arrange the disregard of space.". - Verity. — force a play: "produce a play by compelling many circumstances into a narrow compass.". - Steevens. The broken metre here suggests corruption of the text, but H. A. Evans suggests that this is intended to emphasize the amount of effort required on the part of the actors to produce the desired effect. SCENE I. London. A street Enter Corporal NYм and Lieutenant BARDOLPH BARDOLPH. Well met, Corporal Nym. NYM. Good morrow, Lieutenant Bardolph. BARDOLPH. What, are Ancient Pistol and you friends yet? NYм. For my part, I care not: I say little; but, when time shall serve, there shall be smiles; but that shall be as it may. I dare not fight; but I will wink and hold out mine iron it is a simple one; but what though? it will toast cheese, and it will endure cold as another man's sword will and there's an end. 9 BARDOLPH. I will bestow a breakfast to make you friends; and we'll be all three sworn brothers to France. Let 't be so, good Corporal Nym. SCENE I. Hanmer | Act I. Scene IV Pope.-London. A street Capell Globe Before Quickly's house in East-cheap Theobald. 5. smiles Ff smites Collier. 9. an end Ff the humour of it Qq. 11. to Ff in Dyce. - Let 't FiF2 F8 Let it Rowe | Let's F4. Enter Corporal NYм. The corporal derives his name from Middle English nimen, ' to take' (Anglo-Saxon niman). 'Nim' is seventeenth century slang for 'pilfer' (see Murray), and in the old cant of English thieves 'to steal' was 'to nim.' Professional thieves take it in ill part if the word 'stealing' is applied to their action. An experienced English magistrate is said to have remarked, that of the persons brought before him for theft many confessed they 'took' the article in question, but none said they 'stole' it. 3. 'Ancient' is a corruption of ensign,' through 'ensyne' having been confounded with 'ancien.' See Murray. The full form of the title was 'ancient-bearer.' Iago was Othello's 'ancient,' i.e. 'ensign.' II. sworn brothers. "In the time of adventure, it was usual for two Chiefs to bind themselves to share in each other's fortune, and divide their acquisitions between them."- Whalley. 'Sworn brothers' were called fratres jurati. Cf. Richard II, V, i, 20. NYM. Faith, I will live so long as I may, that's the certain of it; and when I cannot live any longer, I will do as I may. That is my rest, that is the rendezvous of it. 15 BARDOLPH. It is certain, corporal, that he is married to Nell Quickly and certainly she did you wrong, for you were troth-plight to her. NYM. I cannot tell things must be as they may: men may sleep, and they may have their throats about them at that time; and some say knives have edges. It must be as it may though patience be a tired mare, yet she will plod. There must be conclusions. Well, I cannot tell. Enter PISTOL and HOSTESS 23 BARDOLPH. Here comes Ancient Pistol and his wife: good corporal, be patient here. How now, mine host Pistol ! PISTOL. Base tike, call'st thou me host? Now, by this hand, I swear, I scorn the term; 28 HOSTESS. No, by my troth, not long! [NYм draws his sword] O well-a-day, Lady, if he be not drawn ! 14. do Ff die Dyce. 22. mare Qq | name Ff | dame Hanmer. 24. HOSTESS Quickly Ff| Hostes Quickly his wife Qq. 26-28. As in Qq Johnson | prose in Ff. 29. [NYM draws . Ff omit. 30. drawn Theobald | hewne F1F2 | hewn F8F4 | Qq omit. 15. rest: determination. A word quibble is involved, but 'to set up one's rest' was a common Elizabethan phrase for 'to determine to.' Cf. The Merchant of Venice, II, ii, 110. The expression is said to have come from the old game of primero, where it meant determination to stand upon the cards held in the hand. 1 26. tike dog. The word, still in common use in the north of England and in Scotland, is applied even to dogs in an uncomplimentary sense. Cf. Burns's "Nae tawted tyke, tho e'er sae duddie." [PISTOL also draws his sword] Now we shall see wilful murder committed. 32 BARDOLPH. Good lieutenant! good corporal! offer nothing here. NYм. Pish! 35 PISTOL. Pish for thee, Iceland dog! thou prick-ear'd cur of Iceland! HOSTESS. Good Corporal Nym, show thy valour, and put up your sword. NYM. Will you shog off? I would have you solus. The 'solus' in thy most mervailous face; And in thy hateful lungs, yea, in thy maw, perdy, 31. [PISTOL also draws . Ff omit. 35. Pish Ff | Push Qq. 36, 37. Iceland Steevens (Johnson conj.) Island Ff. 39. your F1F2 | thy F8F4. 40 45 42. mervailous F1F2 | marvellous F8F4. 45. nasty Ff mesfull Qq. 33. The military titles of this roistering band vary amusingly. This is humorously true to life. 36-37. "Besides these also we have sholts or curres daily brought out of Iseland, and made much of among us, because of their sawcinesse and quarrelling. Moreover they bite verie sore." - Harrison's A Description of England. 40. shog. This is a slang doublet-form of 'jog.' Cf. II, iii, 38. 41. 'Solus,' the Latin for 'alone,' is not understood by Pistol. He evidently thinks it is an insulting term hurled at him by Nym. 42. mervailous. This archaic form of 'marvellous,' like 'perdy' (par dieu) in line 44, accords well with Pistol's mock-heroic verse rant made up of playhouse gleanings and tags from old romances and ballads. |