Enfeoff'd 12 himself to popularity: That being daily swallow'd by men's eyes, To loathe the taste of sweetness, whereof a little Such as is bent on sunlike majesty, When it shines seldom in admiring eyes: But rather drowz'd, and hung their eyelids down, But is a-weary of thy common sight, Save mine, which hath desir'd to see thee more; P. Hen. I shall hereafter, my thrice-gracious lord, Be more myself. K. Hen. For all the world, As thou art to this hour, was Richard then 13 12 i. e. gave himself up, absolutely and entirely, to popularity. To enfeoff is a law term, signifying to give or grant any thing to another in fee simple. 13 Interest to the state;' we should now write in the state, but this was the phraseology of the poet's time. So in The Winter's Tale, - he is less frequent to his princely exercises than Than thou, the shadow of succession: For, of no right, nor colour like to right, And, being no more in debt to years than thou, Against renowned Douglas; whose high deeds, Through all the kingdoms that acknowledge Christ? Discomfited great Douglas; ta'en him once, And shake the peace and safety of our throne. But wherefore do I tell these news to thee? formerly.' Thou hast but the shadow of succession, compared with the more worthy interest in the state (i. e. great popularity) which he possesses." 14 To capitulate, according to the old dictionaries, formerly signified to make articles of agreement. The nobles enumerated had entered into such articles, or confederated against the king. 15 See vol. i. p. 382, note 5. P. Hen. Do not think so, you shall not find it so ; 'Would they were multitudes; and on my head 16 Favours is probably here used for colours; the scarf by which a knight of rank was distinguished. In the last scene the Prince says: 'But let my favours hide thy mangled face.' 17 Bonds. K. Hen. A hundred thousand rebels die in this:Thou shalt have charge, and sovereign trust, herein. Enter BLUNT. How now, good Blunt? thy looks are full of speed. K. Hen. The earl of Westmoreland set forth today; With him my son, Lord John of Lancaster; [Exeunt. 19 There was no such person as Lord Mortimer of Scotland; but there was a Lord March of Scotland (George Dunbar), who having quitted his own country in disgust, attached himself so warmly to the English, and did them such signal services in their wars with Scotland, that the parliament petitioned the king to bestow some reward on him. He fought on the side of King Henry in this rebellion, and was the means of saving his life at the battle of Shrewsbury. The poet recollected that there was a Scottish lord on the king's side, who bore the same title with the English family on the rebels' side (one being earl of March in England, the other earl of March in Scotland), but his memory deceived him as to the particular name which was common to both. He took it to be Mortimer instead of March. 20 Intelligence. 21 Feeds himself fat. SCENE III. Eastcheap. A Room in the Boar's Head Tavern. Enter FALSTAFF and BARDOLPH. Fal. Bardolph, am I not fallen away vilely since this last action? do I not bate? do I not dwindle? Why, my skin hangs about me like an old lady's loose gown; I am wither'd like an old apple-John, Well, I'll repent, and that suddenly, while I am in some liking1; I shall be out of heart shortly, and then I shall have no strength to repent. An I have not forgotten what the inside of a church is made of, I am a pepper-corn, a brewer's horse2: the inside of a church! Company, villanous company, hath been the spoil of me. Bard. Sir John, you are so fretful, you cannot live long. Fal. Why, there is it:-come, sing me a bawdy song; make me merry. I was as virtuously given, as a gentleman need to be; virtuous enough: swore little; diced, not above seven times a week; went to a bawdy-house, not above once in a quarter—of an hour; paid money that I borrowed, three or four times; lived well, and in good compass: and now I live out of all order, out of all compass. Bard. Why, you are so fat, Sir John, that you 1 Liking is condition, plight of body. If one be in better plight of body, or better liking.' Si qua habitior paulo pugilem esse aiunt. Baret. L. 435. 2 That Falstaff was unlike a brewer's horse may be collected from a conundrum in The Devil's Cabinet Opened: What is the difference between a drunkard and a brewer's horse?-Because one carries all his liquor on his back, and the other in his belly.' Malt horse, which is the same thing, was a common term of reproach, and is used elsewhere by Shakspeare, and by Ben Jonson. |