Jaques of Chatillon, admiral of France; The master of the cross-bows, lord Rambures; phin; John duke of Alençon; Antony duke of Brabant, Where is the number of our English dead? [Herald presents another Paper. Ascribe we all.-When, without stratagem, On one part and on the other?-Take it, God, K. Hen. Come, go we in procession to the village: And be it death proclaimed through our host, Charles De-la-bret,] De-la-bret, as is already observed, should be Charles D'Albret, would the measure permit of such a change. Holinshed sometimes apologizes for the omission of foreign names, on account of his inability to spell them, but always calls this nobleman "the lord de la Breth, constable of France." Steevens. 2 Edward the Duke of York,] This, and the two following lines, in the quartos, are given to Exeter. Steevens. 3-- Davy Gam, esquire:] This gentleman being sent by Henry, before the battle, to reconnoitre the enemy, and to find out their strength, made this report: "May it please you, my liege, there are enough to be killed, enough to be taken prisoners, and enough to run away." He saved the king's life in the field. Had our poet been apprized of this circumstance, this brave Welshman would probably have been more particularly noticed, and not have been merely registered in a muster-roll of names. Malone. See Drayton's Battaile of Agincourt, edit. 1627, pp. 50 and 54: and a note on Mr. Dunster's excellent edition of Philips's Cider, p. 64. Steevens. To boast of this, or take that praise from God, Flu. Is it not lawful, an please your majesty, to tell how many is killed? K. Hen. Yes, captain; but with this acknowledgment, hat God fought for us. Flu. Yes, my conscience, he did us great goot. K. Hen. Do we all holy rites;4 Let there be sung Non nobis, and Te Deum. The dead with charity enclos'd in clay, We'll then to Calais; and to England then; Where ne'er from France arriv'd more happy men. ACT V. [Exeunt. Enter CHORUS. Chor. Vouchsafe to those that have not read the story, That I may prompt them: and of such as have, I humbly pray them to admit the excuse Of time, of numbers, and due course of things, Which cannot in their huge and proper life Be here presented. Now we bear the king Toward Calais: grant him there; there seen,5 4 Do we all holy rites;] The King (say the Chronicles) caused the psalm, In exitu Israel de Ægypto (in which, according to the vulgate, is included the psalm, Non nobis, Domine, &c.) to be sung after the victory. Pope. "The king (says Holinshed) when he saw no appearance of enemies, caused the retreat to be blowen, and gathering his army together, gave thanks to Almighty God for so happy a victory, causing his prelates and chapeleins to sing this psalme, In exitu Israel de Egypto; and commaunding every man to kneele downe, on the grounde at this verse-Non nobis, domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam: which done, he caused Te Deum and certain anthems to be sung, giving laud and praise to God, and not boasting of his owne force, or any humaine power." Malone. grant him there; there seen,] If Toward be not abbreviated, our author, with his accustomed license, uses one of these words as a dissyllable, while to the other he assigns only its due length. Malone. 5 I suspect the omission of some word or words essential to the metre. Our poet might have written: Heave him away upon your winged thoughts, Quite from himself, to God. But now behold, 6 Toward Calais: grant him there; there seen a while, with wives,] With, which is wanting in the old copy, was supplied by the editor of the second folio. Malone. 71 a mighty whiffler-] An officer who walks first in processions, or before persons in high stations, on occasions of ceremony. The name is still retained in London, and there is an officer so called that walks before their companies at times of publick solemnity. It seems a corruption from the French word huissier. Hanmer. See Mr. T. Warton's note to the tragedy of Othello, Act III, sc. ii. In the play of Clyomon, Knight of the Golden Shield, &c. 1599, a whiffler makes his appearance at a tournament, clearing the way before the King. In Westward Hoe, by Decker and Webster, 1607, the term is often mentioned. Steevens. 8 to have borne &c.] The construction is, to have his bruised helmet, &c. borne before him through the city: i. e. to order it to be borne. This circumstance also our author found in Holinshed. Malone. 9 Giving full trophy,] Transferring all the honours of conquest, all trophies, tokens, and shows, from himself to God. Johnson. Were now the general of our gracious empress 2 1-likelihood,] Likelihood for similitude. Warburton. The later editors, in hope of mending the measure of this line, have injured the sense. The folio reads as I have printed; but all the books, since revisal became fashionable, and editors have been more diligent to display themselves than to illustrate their author, have given the line thus: As by a low, but loving likelihood. Thus they have destroyed the praise which the poet designed for Essex; for who would think himself honoured by the epithet low? The poet, desirous to celebrate that great man, whose popularity was then his boast, and afterwards his destruction, compares him to King Harry; but being afraid to offend the rival courtiers, or perhaps the Queen herself, he confesses that he is lower than a King, but would never have represented him absolutely as low. Johnson. Mr. Pope made this improper alteration; as well as a thousand others equally reprehensible. Our author had the best grounds for supposing that Lord Essex, on his return from Ireland, would be attended with a numerous concourse of well-wishers; for, on his setting out for that country in the spring of the year in which this play was written, "he took horse (says the Continuator of Stowe's Chronicle) in Seeding lane, and from thence being accompanied with diverse noblemen and many others, himselfe very plainly attired, roade through Grace-church street, Cornhill, Cheapside, and other high streets, in all which places and in the fields, the people pressed exceedingly to behold him, especially in the high way for more than foure miles space, crying, and saying, God blesse your Lordship, God preserve your honour, &c. and some followed him till the evening, only to behold him." "Such and so great (adds the same writer) was the hearty love and deep affection of the people towards him, by reason of his bounty, liberalitie, affabilitie, and mild behaviour, that as well schollars, souldiers, citizens, saylers, &c. protestants, papists, sectaries and atheists, yea women and children which never saw him, that it was held in them a happiness to follow the worst of his fortunes." That such a man should have fallen a sacrifice to the caprice of a fantastic woman, and the machinations of the detestable Cecil, must ever be lamented. His return from Ireland, however, was very different from what our poet predicted. See a curious account of it in the Sydney Papers, Vol. II, p. 127. Malone. 2 the general of our gracious empress -] The Earl of Essex, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Pope. Few noblemen of his age were more courted by poets. From Spenser, to the lowest rhymer, he was the subject of numerous sonnets or popular ballads. I will not except Sydney. I could produce evidence to prove that he scarce ever went out of England, or left London, on the most frivolous enterprize, without (As, in good time, he may,) from Ireland coming, Bringing rebellion broached3 on his sword, How many would the peaceful city quit, To welcome him? much more, and much more cause, Invites the king of England's stay at home: [Exit. a pastoral in his praise, or a panegyrick in metre, which were sold or sung in the streets. T. Warton. To such compliments as are here bestowed by our author on the earl of Essex, Barnabie Riche, in his Souldier's Wishe to Britons Welfare, or Captain Skill and Captain Pill, 1604, p. 21, seems to allude: "- not so much as a memorandum for the most honourable enterprizes, how worthily so ever performed, unless perhaps a little commendation in a ballad, or if a man be favoured by a playmaker, he may sometimes be canonized on a stage.” Steevens. 3 Bringing rebellion broached —] Spitted, transfixed. Johnson. 4 The emperor's coming-] The emperor Sigismond, who was married to Henry's second cousin. If the text be right, I suppose the meaning is-The emperor is coming, &c. but I suspect some corruption, for the Chorus speaks of the emperor's visit as now past. I believe a line has been lost before "The emperor's" &c.-If we transpose the words and omit, we have a very unmetrical line, but better sense. "Omit the emperor's coming,-and all the occurrences which happened till Harry's return to France." Perhaps this was the author's meaning, even as the words stand. If so, the mark of parenthesis should be placed after the word home, and a comma after them. Malone. The embarrassment of this passage will be entirely removed by a very slight alteration, the omission of a single letter, and reading The emperor coming in behalf of France, instead of-emperor's. M. Mason. |