posed, as I formerly observed, immediately to rise again, only to go off and end the act decently; or the flat scene must shut her in from the sight of the audience, an absurdity I cannot wish to accuse Shakspeare of. Mr. Gildon and some other criticks fancied, that a considerable part of the second act was lost; and that the chasm began here. I had joined in this suspicion of a scene or two being lost; and unwittingly drew Mr. Pope into this error. "It seems to be so, (says he,) and it were to be wish'd the restorer (meaning me) could supply it." To deserve this great man's thanks, I will venture at the task; and hope to convince my readers, that nothing is lost, but that I have supplied the suspected chasm, only by rectifying the division of the acts. Upon looking a little more narrowly into the constitution of the play, I am satisfied that the third act ought to begin with that scene which has hitherto been accounted the last of the second act: and my reasons for it are these. The match being concluded, in the scene before that, betwixt the Dauphin and Blanch, a messenger is sent for Lady Constance to Kings Philip's tent, for her to come to Saint Mary's church to the solemnity. The Princes all go out, as to the marriage; and the Bastard staying a little behind, to descant on interest and commodity, very properly ends the act. The next scene then, in the French King's tent, brings us Salisbury delivering his message to Constance, who, refusing to go to the solemnity, sets herself down on the floor. The whole train returning from the church to the French King's pavilion, Philip expresses such satisfaction on occasion of the happy solemnity of that day, that Constance rises from the floor, and joins in the

scene by entering her protest against their joy, and cursing the business of the day. Thus, I conceive, the scenes are fairly continued; and there is no chasm in the action, but a proper interval made both for Salisbury's coming to Lady Constance, and for the solemnization of the marriage. Besides, as Faulconbridge is evidently the poet's favourite character, it was very well judged to close the act with his soliloquy. THEOBALD.

This whole note seems judicious enough; but Mr. Theobald forgets there were, in Shakspeare's time, no moveable scenes in common play-houses. JOHNSON.

It appears from many passages that the ancient theatres had the advantages of machinery as well as the more modern stages.

How happened it that Shakspeare himself should have mentioned the act of shifting scenes, if in his time there were no scenes capable of being shifted? Thus in the chorus to King Henry V. "Unto Southampton do we shift our scene. This phrase was hardly more ancient than the custom which it describes. STEEVENS.

P. 38, 1. 19. Among the high_tides,—] i. e. solemn seasons, times to be observed above others. STEEVENS. P. 38, 1. 20

turn this day out of the week;] In allusion (as Mr. Upton has observed) to Job iii, 3: "Let the day perish," &c. and v. 6: "Let it not be joined to the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months." MALONE.

In The Fair Penitent, the imprecation of Calista on the night which betrayed her to Lothario, is chiefly borrowed from this and subsequent verses in the same chapter of Job. STEEVENS.

P. 38, 1. 24. Lest that their hopes prodigiously be cross'd:] i. e. bc disappointed by the production of a prodigy, a monster. STEEVENS.

P. 38, 1. 26. No bargains break, that are not this day made:] That is except on this day. JOHNSON.

In the ancient almanacks (several of which I have in my possession) the days supposed to be favourable or unfavourable to bargains, are distinguished among a number of other particulars of the like inportance. STEEVENS.

P. 39, first 1. · counterfeit, i. e. false coin. A counterfeit formerly signified also a protrait. A representation of the King being usually impressed on his coin, the word seems to here used equivocally. MALONE.

P. 39, 1.3. Being touch'd-signifies, having the touchstone applied to it. STEEVENS.

P. 39, 1. 5-7. You came in arms &c.] I am afraid here is a clinch intended. You came in war to destroy my enemies, but now strengthen them in embraces. JOHNSON.

P. 39, 1. 16. Set armed discord &c.] Shakspeare makes this bitter curse effectual. JOHNSON.

P. 39, 1. 21. O Lymoges! O Austria!] The propriety or impropriety of these titles, which every editor has suffered to pass unnoted, deserves a little consideration. Shakspeare has, on this occasion, followed the old play, which at once furnished him with the character of Faulconbridge, and ascribed the death of Richard I. to the Duke of Austria. In the person of Austria, he has conjoined the two well-known enemies of Cocurde-lion. Leopold, Duke of Austria, threw him into prison, in a former expedition; [in 1193]

but the castle of Chaluz, before which he fell, [in 1199] belonged to Vidomar, Viscount of Limoges; and the archer who pierced his shoulder with an arrow (of which wound he died) was Bertrand de Gourdon. The editors seem hitherto to have understood Lymoges as being an appendage to the title of Austria, and therefore enquired no further about it.

Holinshed says on this occasion: "The same yere, Phillip, bastard sonne to King Richard, to whom his father had given the castell and honor of Coinacke, killed the Viscount of Limoges, in revenge of his father's death," &c. Austria, in the old play [printed in 1591] is called Lymoges, the Austrich Duke,

With this note, I was favoured by a gentleman to whom i have yet more considerable obligations in regard to Shakspeare. His extensive knowledge of history and manners, has frequently supplied me with apt and necessary illustrations, at the same time that his judgement has corrected my errors; yet such has been his constant solicitude to remain concealed, that I know not but I may give offence while I indulge my own vanity in affixing to this note the name of my friend HENRY BLAKE, Esq. STEEVENS.

P. 39, last 1. To doff is to do off, to put off.

STEEVENS. P. 40, first 1. And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs.] When fools were kept for diversiou in great families, they were distinguished by a calf's-skin coat, which had the buttons down the back; and this they wore that they might be known for fools, and escape the resentment of those whom they provoked with their waggeries.

In a little penny' book, intitled The Birth, Life, and Death of John Franks, with the Pranks he played though a meer Fool, mention is made in several places of a calf s-skin. In chap. x. of this book, Jack is said to have made his appearance at his lord's table, having then a new calf-skin, red and white spotted. This fact will explain the sarcasm of Constance and Faulconbridge, who mean to call Austria a fool.

SIR J. HAWKINS.

I may add, that the custom is still preserved in Ireland; and the fool in any of the legends which the mummers act at Christmas, always appears in a calf's or cow's skin. STEEVENS.

It does not appear that Constance means o call Austria a fool, as Sir John Hawkins would have it; put she certainly means to call him coward, and to tell him that a calf's skin would suit his recreant limbs better than a lion's. They still say of a dastardly person that he is a calfhearted fellow; and a run-away school-boy is usually called a great calf. RITSON.

Perhaps, as has been suggested, Constance, by cloathing Austria in a calf's-skin, means only to insinuate that he is a coward. The word recreant seems to favour such a supposition.

MALONE. P. 40, 1. 9. Here Mr. Pope inserts the following speeches from the old play of King John, printed in 1591, before Shakspeare appears to have commenced a writer:

"Aust. Methinks, that Richard's pride, and Richard's fall,

"Should be a precedent to fright you all. "Faulc. What words are these? how do my sinews shake!