ས Where some, like magistrates, correct at home; they languish, weepe, sigh, neither intending their worke, nor keeping their old society. And that which is most marvellous and almost incredible, if there be any that hath disobeyed his commandment, either of purpose or unwitting, he killeth himself with his own sting, as an executioner to his own stubbornnesse. The king himselfe hath a sting, which he useth rather for honour than punishment. And yet, Euphues, albeit they live under a prince, they have their privileges, and as great liberties as strait lawes. They call a parliament, wherein they consult for lawes, statutes, penalties, choosing officers, and creating their king.— Every one hath his office; some trimming the honey, some working the wax, and one framing hives, another the combes; and that so artificially, that Dedalus could not with greater art or excellency better dispose the orders, measures, proportions, distinctions, joints, and circles. Diverse hew, others polish, and are careful to do their worke so strongly as they may resist the craft of such drones as seek to live by their labours; which maketh them to keepe watch and ward, as living in a camp to others, and as in a court to themselves.-When they goe forth to worke, they marke the winde, the clouds, and whatsoever doth threaten either their ruin or rage; and having gathered out of every flower hony, they return, loaden in their mouthes, thighes, winges, and all the body; whom they that tarried at home receive readily, as easing their backs of so great burthens. The king himselfe, not idle, goeth up and down, intreating, threatening, commanding; using the counsel of a sequell, but not losing the dignity of a prince; preferring those that labour in greater authority, and punishing those that loiter with due severity."-" The commonwealth of your bees [replied Euphues] did so delight me, that I was not a little sorry, that either their estates have not been longer, or your leisure more; for in my simple judgment, there was such an orderly government that men may not be ashamed to imitate them." Malone. 9 and officers of sorts:] Thus the folio. The quarto reads -sort; i. e. high rank. Malone. Officers of sorts means officers of different degrees. In a London haberdasher's bill to his customer in the country, I lately saw the following charge: "To thread of sorts;" i. e. of different kinds. Steevens. In confirmation of Mr. Steevens's opinion it may be observed, that in A true Relation of the admirable Voyage and Travel of William Bush, &c. 4to. 1607, we have " drummes and sortes of musicke." Reed. 1 venture trade abroad;] To venture trade is a phrase of the same import and structure as to hazard battle. Johnson. Make boott upon the summer's velvet buds; Who, 'busied in his majesty, surveys The singing masons2 building roofs of gold; As many several ways meet in one town; † Make boot &c.] This word, from the context, must be understood to mean, plunder, booty. Though by most writers it is used to express, profit; advantage, as in the following instances: "What boots it us these wars to have begun?" Fairfax. "What boots the regal circle on his head, "That long behind he trails his pompous robe?" Pope. See also Vol. III, p. 371, n. 3. Am. Ed. 2 The singing masons-] Our author probably had here two images in his thoughts. The hum of a bee is obvious. I believe he was also thinking of a common practice among masons, who, like many other artificers, frequently sing while at work: a practice that could not have escaped his observation. Malone. 3 civili. e. sober, grave. So, in Twelfth Night: "Where is Malvolio? he is sad and civil." See Vol. III, p. 261, n. 3. Steevens. kneading up the honey;] To knead the honey gives an easy sense, though not physically true. The bees do, in fact, knead the wax more than the honey, but that Shakspeare perhaps did not know. Johnson. The old quartos read-lading up the honey. Steevens: 5 to éxecutors-] Executors is here used for executioners. Malone, It is so used by other authors. Thus, Burton, in the preface to his Anatomy of Melancholy, p. 38, edit. 1632: tremble at an executor, and yet not feare hell-fire." Steevens. End in one purpose, and be all well borne Whereof take you one quarter into France, K. Hen. Call in the messengers sent from the Dauphin. O'er France, and all her almost kingly dukedoms; Like Turkish mute, shall have a tongueless mouth, 8 6 Without defeat.] The quartos, 1600 and 1608, read: Without defect. Steevens. 7 -empery,] This word, which signifies dominion, is now obsolete, though formerly in general use. So, in Claudius Tiberius Nero, 1607: "Within the circuit of our empery." Steevens. 8 with a waxen epitaph.] The quarto 1608 reads: with a paper epitaph. Either a waxen or a paper epitaph is an epitaph easily obliterated or destroyed; one which can confer no lasting honour on the dead To the ancient practice of writing on waxen tablets Shakspeare again alludes in the first scene of Timon of Athens : 66 but moves itself "In a wide sea of wax." Thus also, in G. Whetstone's Garden of Unthriftiness, 1576: "In waxe, say I, men easily grave their will; "In marble stone the worke with paine is wonne : Steevens. Enter Ambassadors of France. Now we are well prepar'd to know the pleasure The second reading is more unintelligible, to me at least, than the other: a grave not dignified with the slightest memorial.* Johnson. I think this passage has been misunderstood. Henry says, "he will either rule with full dominion in France, or die in the attempt, and lay his bones in a paltry urn, without a tomb, or any remembrance over him." With a view to the alternative that he has just stated, he adds, by way of apposition and illustration, "either the English Chronicles shall speak, trumpet-tongued, to the world, of my victories in France, or, being defeated there, my death shall scarcely be mentioned in history; shall not be honoured by the best epitaph a prince can have, the written account of his achievements."-A paper epitaph therefore, or, in other words, an historical eulogy, instead of a slight token of respect, is mentioned by Henry as the most honourable memorial; and Dr. Johnson's objection founded on the incongruity of saying that his grave should not be dignified by the slightest memorial, falls to the ground. The misrepresentation, I conceive, arose from understanding a figurative expression literally, and supposing that a paper epitaph meant an epitaph written on a paper, to be affixed to a tomb. Waxen, the reading of the folio, when it is used by Shakspeare metaphorically, signifies soft, yielding, taking an impression easily; (so, in Twelfth Night, "women's waxen hearts;" and, in The Rape of Lucrece, "For men have marble, women waxen minds," &c.) and consequently might mean also easily obliterated: but this meaning is quite inconsistent with the context; for in the former part of the passage the event of Henry's being buried without a tomb, and without an epitaph, has been already stated, and therefore the want of an epitaph (in its literal acceptation) could not with propriety again be insisted on, in the latter member of the sentence, which relates to a different point; the question in this place being only, whether his deeds should be emblazoned by narration, or his actions and his bones together consigned to "dust and damn'd oblivion." If any alteration was made by the author, in this passage, he might perhaps have changed the epithet paper to lasting; and the transcriber who prepared the folio copy for the press, might have been deceived by his ear, and have written waxen instead of the latter word. There is not indeed much similarity in the sound of the two words; but mistakės equally gross are found in these plays, which, it is highly probable, happened in this way. Thus, in this very play, the folio has name for mare. See p. 236, n. 2. Our poet's 55th Sonnet furnishes a strong confirmation of my interpretation of this passage: "Not marble, nor the gilded monuments "Of princes, shall out-live this powerful rhyme ; Of our fair cousin Dauphin; for, we hear, The Dauphin's meaning, and our embassy? K. Hen. We are no tyrant, but a Christian king; Amb. You cannot revel into dukedoms there: "When wasteful war shall statues overturn, "Nor Mars his sword, nor war's quick fire, shall burn 9 a nimble galliard won;] A galliard was an ancient dance, now obsolete. So, in All for Money, 1574: "Where shall we get a pipe, to play the devil a galliard ?” Steevens. Galliards are thus described by Sir John Davis, in his poem called Orchestra: "But for more diverse and more pleasing show, "With passages uncertain to and fro, "Yet with a certain answer and consent "To the quick musick of the instrument, "Five was the number of the musick's feet, "Which still the dance did with five paces meet; "A gallant dance, that lively doth bewray "Impatient that her house on earth should stay, "Oft doth she make her body upward fine; "With lofty turns and capriols in the air, "Which with the lusty tunes accordeth fair." Reed |