And takes her farewell of the glorious sun; 23, 24. How well . . . love] omitted Q. 25 30 26-32. Three . . . suns, each sun; Not. . . with the ... ... clouds, But. inviolable: Now figures some event] 12-18. Three . suns, not by a... cloud, but inuiolate: Now . . . heauens doth figure some euent Q. Warton's note to Faerie Queene picks the figure to pieces in the most approved and dry-as-dustiest way. 22. takes her farewell]" Aurora takes for a time her farewell of the sun, when she dismisses him to his diurnal course" (Johnson). 23. the prime of youth] Compare "In prime of youthly yeares' (Faerie Queene, 1. ii. 35). 24. younker] Again in Henry IV. m. iii. 92. Spenser (or rather E. K.'s gloss) has the word disdainefull younkers" in The Shepheard's Calender, Februarie (1579). 25. Dazzle mine eyes] are my eyes dazed or dimmed. Compare Golding's Ovid, v. 87: "Atys lay with dim and dazeling eyes." And Spenser, Faerie Queene, II. xi. 40: "His wonder far exceeded reasons reach, That he began to doubt his dazeled sight." Peele has it twice in Arraignment of Paris. See also Locrine, I. i. This line is copied in Soliman and Perseda, II. i. 244: "Dasell mine eyes, or ist Lucinas chaine?" 25. three suns] The chroniclers place this portent before Mortimer's Cross. After the death of his father," the Duke of Yorke called Erle of Marche . . met with his enemies in a fayre plaine, neere to Mortimers crosse, not farre from Herford East, on Candlemasse day in the mornyng, at which tyme the Sunne (as some write) appered to the Erle of Marche like three Sunnes, and sodainely ioyned all together in ... one, and that upon the sight thereof, he tooke such courage, that he fiercely set on his enemyes, and them shortly discomfited: for which cause, men imagined that he gaue the sunne in his full brightnesse for his Cognisance or Badge" (Grafton, i. 672). Boswell Stone says: According to Chron. Rich. II.-Henry VI. (Camden Society), the three suns were seen about IO A.M., on 2nd February, 1461; and the battle of Mortimer's Cross was fought on the following day." History is not adhered to in this scene: there is no room for the battle of Mortimer's Cross, and Edward was at Gloucester when he heard of his father's death. There is much confusion of events. 27. racking clouds] clouds packing and scudding before the wind. Compare Marlowe's Tamburlaine, Part II. IV. iii. (Dyce, 65, a): "draw My chariot swifter than the racking clouds." Steevens quotes from The Raigne of King Edward III. (1569) :— "like inconstant clouds That, rack'd upon the carriage of the winds, Encrease," etc. The noun is commoner and occurs in the Sonnets and elsewhere, but the verb only here. 30. inviolable] Better sense and worse metre than "inviolate (Q). See again King John, v. ii. 7, Richard III. II. i. 27. Peele (543, b) uses "keep it inviolate" (of an oath). Marlowe has "truce inviolable " (Tamburlaine, Part II. i. 1). 32. figures] reveals, discloses. Com Edw. 'Tis wondrous strange, the like yet never heard of. That we, the sons of brave Plantagenet, 35 Should notwithstanding join our lights together, Whate'er it bodes, henceforward will I bear Rich. Nay, bear three daughters: by your leave I speak it, Enter a Messenger. But what art thou, whose heavy looks foretell Mess. Ah, one that was a woeful looker-on Whenas the noble Duke of York was slain, Edw. O, speak no more, for I have heard too much. Mess. Environed he was with many foes, And stood against them, as the hope of Troy blazing 37-40. Should 40 45 50 Plantagenet, Plantagenet, will I bear 33. 'Tis . . . heard of] omitted Q. 34-36. I think it Each meeds] 18-20. Edw. I think it Alreadie, each one shining by his meed Q. .. suns] 21-23. May ioine in one and over peere the world, As this the earth, and therefore hence forward Ile beare . suns Q. 41, 42. Rich. Nay male] omitted Q. 42. Enter. .] omitted Q; Enter one blowing Ff. 43, 44. But... tongue ?] 24 (Edw.) But what art thou? that lookest so heauilie? Q. 45, 46. Mess. Ah, one . . . slain] 25, 26. Mes. Oh one . . . slaine Q. 47. Your. lord] omitted Q. 48. O, speak .. have. much] 27. O speake can heare no more Q. 49. Say ... for... all] 28. Tell on thy tale, for all Q. 50-59. Environed . . . Who crown'd... despite] 29-34. When pare 2 Henry IV. III. i. 81, and Richard III. 1. ii. 194. 34. cites] urges, incites. See Part II. III. ii. 281. 36. meeds] merits. Johnson incautiously suggested "deeds." 40. target] targe, shield. 40. shining] This word occurs three times in ten lines in Q. One is eliminated here by "blazing" (36). But "over-shine," instead of "over-peer (of Q), somewhat defeats the amelioration, but Shakespeare had a great liking for forming verbs with the prefix "over." In this sense not again in Shakespeare. 40, 41. suns... daughters] See Love's Labour's Lost, v. ii. 168-171 (in this edition, note). . 50. Environed. .] See above, 1. i. 242: "The trembling lamb environed with wolves." "Environed about' was more usual. 51. the hope of Troy] Hector, as at IV. viii. 25 below. See note at 1 Henry VI. II. iii. 19. Hector and Hercules were Shakespeare's favourite heroes. These lines are not in the Quarto. 53. Hercules. . . odds] An old Latin proverb in Aulus Gellius: "Ne Hercules quidem contra duos." Lodge quotes it in Euphues Golden Legacie And many strokes, though with a little axe, 55 Who crown'd the gracious duke in high despite ; 60 Of sweet young Rutland, by rough Clifford slain : 65 ... as the noble Duke was put to flight, And then pursude by Clifford and the Queene, And manie souldiers moe, who all at once Let drive at him and forst the Duke to yield: And then they set him on a molehill there, And crownd... despite Q. 60-63. Laugh'd. blood Of... slain:] 35-394. Who then with teares began to waile his fall. The ruthlesse Queene perceiuing he did weepe, Gaue him a handkercher to wipe his eies, Dipt in the bloude of slaine: Q. 64-67. And after I'view'd] 39-44. who weeping tooke it up, Then through his brest they thrust their bloudy swordes, Who like a lambe fell at the butcher's feete. Then on the gates of Yorke they set his head, And there it doth remaine the piteous spectacle That ere mine eies beheld Q. ... Sylvester has "unrelenting eys" in 59. Who crown'd] For the line in Q: "And then they set him on a molehill here," see below, II. v. 14: "Here, on this molehill will I set me down." The molehill is removed farther from 1. iv. 67. 65. head 179, 180. .. York] See at 1. iv. 66. They set the same] A note in the Irving Shakespeare (by Mr. F. A. Marshall) points out the use of this circumlocution several times in Marlowe; in Greene's Alphonsus (twentyone times); and (earliest) in Peele's Sir Clyomon (four times). It is extremely common in Shakespeare's earliest work (see Schmidt), and was a sign of the time, not an evidence of authorship. It occurs nine times in this trilogy and Richard III. See next note for Spenser's use. 167. The saddest . . . that e're] A Spenserian line. See Introduction to Part I. "Piteous spectacle" of Q is a favourite expression with Spenser. He has it in Faerie Queene, 1. ix. 37; II. Edw. Sweet Duke of York! our prop to lean upon, 70 Ah, would she break from hence, that this my body 75 ... 68, 69. Sweet . gone... stay] 45, 46. Sweet . . . gone there is no hope for us Q. 70-73. O Clifford . vanquish'd thee] omitted Q. 74-78. Now ... prison. ... more joy] 47-49. Now... prison. Oh would she breake from compasse of my breast, For never shall I haue more ioie Q. xii. 45; IV. iii. 21, etc. And in Astrophel, st. 34 (1586-7):"And when that piteous spectacle they vewed The same with bitter teares they all bedewed." See below, II. v. 73. 68, 69. Sweet . . . stay] Compare Tamburlaine, Part I. 1. i. (Dyce, 8, a) :"The hope of Persia and the very legs Whereon our state doth lean as on a staff." Furnival (Introduction to Facsimile) points out that these two lines are found in Marlowe's Massacre at Paris, III. iii. (Dyce, 243, b); (reading Guise for York, and the last half line slightly altered). Of the two I believe Marlowe is the later. 70. boisterous] The strong sense of "savage," appropriate here, is obsolete. Compare Hawes' Pastime of Pleasure (rept. p. 48) :— "Vylayne courage That is boystrous and rude of governance." And Spenser, Faerie Queene, I. viii. 10: "His boystrous club" ("his dreadful club" a few lines earlier). 71. The flower... chivalry] Compare Grafton, Edward the Thirde (i. 332): "Edward . . . accompted the Flower of all Chyualrye, throughout all the worlde, and also some writers name him the black prince." And in Hawes' Pastime of Pleasure, p. 116 (1509), rept. But it is more interesting to find it in Contention, iv. x., and omitted from Part II. 73. hand to hand] Occurs again 1 Henry IV. 1. iii. 99; and below, II. v. 56. In single combat. Earlier in New Eng. Dict. It occurs in The Contention, IV. x. 50. See Spanish Tragedy, 1. iii. 63: "I saw him, hand to hand, In single fight with their Lord Generall." Frequent in Berners' Froissart. 73, 74, 77, 78. vanquish'd him. vanquish'd thee. joy again more joy] Here we have some very limp iteration introduced that is not in the Quarto-showing the futility of hard and fast theories. The latter lines of this speech are much in Peele's manner. He probably considered himself, and indeed was something of an adept at pathos (see David and Bethsabe), and may have been allotted a finishing touch or two. 74. soul's palace prison] Peele has this metaphor twice: Edward I. Sc. xxv. (411, a, Dyce, 1874):— "First, in this painful prison of my soul, A world of dreadful sins holp there to fight"; and in Battle of Alcazar, Act v. (439, a) — "Whose weapons have made passage for my soul That breaks from out the prison of my brest." This is directly from Tamburlaine, Part II. iv. ii. (63, b) :— "draw your sword, Making a passage for this troubled soul Which beats against this prison to get out." But earlier in Lyly's Campaspe (1584), 1. ii.: "the bodie is the prison of the soule... to make my bodie immortal, I put it to prison." Might in the ground be closed up in rest! Rich. I cannot weep, for all my body's moisture Scarce serves to quench my furnace-burning heart; 80 And burns me up with flames that tears would quench. Edw. His name that valiant duke hath left with thee; Rich. Nay, if thou be that princely eagle's bird, Show thy descent by gazing 'gainst the sun : 79, 80. I cannot . . . body's . . . heart] 50, 51. I cannot .. breasts renowned hart Q. 81-88. Nor can ... Richard. I'll venge 85 90 it] 52-55. I cannot ioie till this white rose be dide, Euen in the hart bloud of the house of Lancaster. Richard . . and Ile reuenge my selfe in seeking of reuenge Q. 89, 90. His . . . thee; His chaire and Dukedome that remains for me Q. Either .. not his] 58-61. Nay, if thou 76. closed up in rest] Shakespeare never uses "close up " (verb), except of the eyes, elsewhere. ... 79-87. I cannot weep venge thy death] Neatly put in Locrine, III. i. 60, 61: "He loves not most that doth lament But he that seeks to venge the The two omitted lines here are found 91. bird] young of any fowl. See above, I. iv. 36, and 1 Henry IV. v. i. 60, and Titus Andronicus, II. iii. 154. Golding speaks of a nest of "eight byrdes" in Ovid's Metamorphoses, xii. 15. And in iv. 524 "bird" means child ("this harlots burd"). ... left] 56, 57. His . . . thee, His 91-94. Nay, if thou... say; saie: For either... not his? Q. Pliny 91, 92. eagle's bird . . gazing 'gainst the sun] A very old fancy, arising no doubt from the eagle's powerful sight. Marshall says Aristotle (lib. 20) is cited as an authority. says (xxix. 6, p. 367, Holland's trans.): "that Egle (which I said heretofore, to prove and trie her yong birds, useth to force them for to look directly upon the sunne). . . Haliartos, i. the seaEgle or Orfray" (margin). He refers in this passage to bk. x. ch. 3. Halliwell says "Chaucer alludes to this in the Assemblie of Foules" (his quotation is insufficient). He also quotes from Spenser's Hymn of Heavenly Beauty, st. 20. An early instance (1591) is in Sylvester's Du Bartas, p. 112, The Fifth Day of the First Week: "this Damsell . . . Two tender Eaglets in a nest espies, Which 'gainst the sun sate trying of their eyes." |
