Impairing Henry, strengthening misproud York : And, Henry, hadst thou sway'd as kings should do, Giving no ground unto the house of York, They never then had sprung like summer flies; I and ten thousand in this luckless realm . ... 9. And.. sun ?] 8, 9. The common people swarme like summer flies, And flies sun? Q. 10-16. And who.. enemies? never had scorch'd. no ground. . . York] 10-16. And who enemy?. had neuer scorch't.. liued. . . And as ... ... Or as. sway'd no foot. nor strength. . . hold deadly • fathers' bosoms deathes ... throne... lenity Yorke Q. 17. They .. flies] omitted Q. 18-30. I and . luckless realm... death... chair too much lenity out. pity; For. hath got 17-29. I and wofull land again. Spenser uses the word in Colin Clouts Come Home againe, 1. 802, of the union of male and female. This would perhaps precede any example in New Eng. Dict. (1591), for the 1588 date of Love's Labour 's Lost is impossible. Greene has the word in his Farewell to Follie, about the same date. 7. misproud] Peele uses this word, "this misproud malcontent," Descensus Astraa (542, b), 1593. But the word is very old though uncommon at this time. Wrongly proud, arrogant. 8. The... flies] Theobald, followed by most editors (including Cambridge), introduced here this Quarto line. The following line, "And who," etc., serves to introduce the metaphor however, albeit abruptly, but not unpoetically. There are reasons for its omission. The line, “The common people by numbers swarm to us," below, Iv. ii. 2, is very nearly a repetition of it. And again, in Peele's David and Bethsabe (477, a): "To whom the people do by thousands swarm," preceded both. Shakespeare wearied of it. Shakespeare used" common people" in 2 Henry VI. 1. i. 158, not elsewhere, excepting in the two passages. Very possibly Shake breast] no fathers, speare intended to transpose 9 and 10, and forgot. Moreover, "summer flies " is much too near in 19 below. A strong argument in favour of the omission is that "sun" is equivalent here to York, being the badge, as in Richard III. 1. i. 2. See above, II. i. 40, and below, v. vi. 23. 12. Phaethon] See above, I. iv. 33. 12. fiery steeds] Golding has (of Phoebus): "His fierifoming Steedes full fed with juice of Ambrosie (ii. 160). Shakespeare has "fiery steed" in All's Well that Ends Well, and Richard II. "Check" here means control, drive. Milton used the word similarly in Il Penseroso (New Eng. Dict.). Here it seems an unhappy term. 17. summer flies] See Love's Labour 's Lost, v. ii. 408, and Othello, IV. ii. 66. See below, IV. ii. 2. This line is not in Q, giving a further argument against insertion of line at 8. 18. luckless] See again below, v. vi. 45 (but not elsewhere in Shakespeare), and note the assemblage of words with -less in these lines: merciless, bootless, cureless and luckless. "Luckless" is in Golding's Ovid, xiv. 603; Spenser, 1. vi. 19; and Peele, Arraignment of Paris, Act iv. Had left no mourning widows for our death, 20 25 30 [He faints. Alarum and retreat. Enter EDWARD, GEORGE, RICHARD, Edw. Now breathe we, lords: good fortune bids us pause, 31. Alarum...] Ff; 30. Enter Edward, Richard and Warwike, and souldiers Q. 31, 32. Now... looks] 30, 31. Thus farre our fortunes keepes an vpward Course, and we are grast with wreathes of victorie Q. 33-37. Some troops.. queen, That . . . But think . . . with them ?] 32-34. Some troopes . . . Queene, ... 19. mourning widows for our death] A good example of Shakespeare's trick of transposing words-widows mourn ing for our death (or deaths, as Q read preferably). There is an early instance in Hall's Chronicle, quoted above at 1. iv. 80: "the dukes head of York." See note at "blind bitch's puppies" (Merry Wives of Windsor, III. v. II, in this edition). 22. lenity] See 1 Henry VI. v. iv. 125, and above, 11. ii. 9. This asinine line is better in Q, omitting" too much.” 23. cureless] Again in Merchant of Venice, IV. i. 142. Incurable. Compare Sylvester's Du Bartas (Sixt Day of the First Week, p. 136): "a surgeon minding off-to-cut Som cureless limb." An early case of amputation under anæsthetics (1591). 28. effuse of blood] Nowhere else in Shakespeare. Compare the beginning of Peele's Tale of Troy (1589): "whose ... bosom bleeds with great effuse of blood That long war shed" (550, a, Dyce). Again we have signs of Peele (mis- 31. breathe we] See "Make we above, II. iii. 55. Let us rest and refresh ourselves. See extract from Polydore Vergil at 1. 32. 32. frowns of war] Not in Q. Compare Richard III. 1. i. 9: "Grimvisaged war hath smoothed his wrinkled front." 33. Some troops pursue .] "Edward, that he might use well the victory, after he had a litle refreshed his souldiers from so great travaile and payne, sent out certaine light horsemen to apprehend King Henry or the queene in the flight" (Polydore Vergil, Camden Soc. p. III). 33. bloody-minded] Only in 2 Henry VI. IV. i. 36. In the Quartos both here, and there. After this line occurs the "post amain to Berwick" (Q) transferred to II. v. 128. That led calm Henry, though he were a king, 35 Command an argosy to stem the waves. But think you, lords, that Clifford fled with them? War. No, 'tis impossible he should escape; For, though before his face I speak the words, 40 [Clifford groans and dies. Edw. Whose soul is that which takes her heavy leave? Rich. A deadly groan, like life and death's departing. Edw. See who it is: and, now the battle's ended, If friend or foe let him be gently us'd. 45 But set his murdering knife unto the root From whence that tender spray did sweetly spring, 50 War. From off the gates of York fetch down the head, ... ... That now towards Barwike doth poste amaine, But thinke you that Clifford is fled awaie with them? Q. 38-41. No ... he is, he's . . . dead] 35-38. No he be I warrant him dead. Clifford grones and then dies Q. 42-45. Whose soul is that... her... departing If friend gently us'd] 39-42. Harke, what soule is this... his. departure Friend. friendlie vsed Q. 46-51. Revoke Clifford; Who .. our princely York] 43-45. Reverse Clifford, Who kild our tender brother Rutland, And stabd our princely 52-55. From... Instead whereof let this answered] 46-49. From... Instead of that, let his . answered Q. York Q. 36. argosy] A merchant ship of the largest kind, especially Venetian. In Marlowe's Tamburlaine, Part II. 1. i. 40. mark'd him for the grave] See Richard II. iv. 236 and Part II. IV. ii. 131: "mark'd for the gallows." 41. Clifford groans and dies] Hall describes Clifford's death: "After this proclamacion [Scene 11. iii. 50-52, note] ended, the lord Fawconbridge ... with the forward... entended to haue environed and enclosed the lord Clyfford and his company, but they beyng thereof aduertised, departed in great haste toward Kyng Henrie's army, but they met with some that they loked not for, and were attrapped or they were ware. For the lord Clifforde, either for heat or payne, putting off his gorget, sodainly ... Instead whereof let this supply the room : Speak, Clifford; dost thou know who speaks to thee? Because he would avoid such bitter taunts 55 60 65 70 75 sung 60-63. I 56-59. Bring. sung... ill-boding. speak] 50-52. Bring to vs but bloud and death, Now his euill boding speake Q. think ... Speak, Clifford . we say] 53-56. I think . Say Clifford. we saie Q. 64-67. O, would . . 'Tis but... father] 57-60. Oh would And tis his policie that in the time of death, He might auoid such bitter storms as he In his houre of death did giue vnto our father Q. 68-73. If vex him .. son to York] 61-66. Richard if thou thinkest so, vex him fault fault pittiedst Yorke and I am sonne to Yorke Q. 74-77Thou pitied'st not an oath ?] 67-70. Thou pittiedst . . . and ... I will ... I will... not an oth? Q. 56. screech-owl] Variously written at this time as skritch owl, shrieke owl, or, as here, in Golding's Ovid, xv. 887. "A signe of mischiefe unto men, the sluggish skreching Owle" (Golding, v. 682); "The messenger of death, the ghastly owle" (Spenser, Faerie Queene, I. v. 30). Properly the screech-owl is the white owl: not the hooter or tawny. 59. ill-boding] Occurs again 1 Henry VI. IV. v. 6 and see note. See" nightowl above, II. i. 130; a real bird. The owl here is rather a poet's or folklore imagination. Q has "evill-boding." 60. bereft] destroyed, annihilated. Compare Spenser, Faerie Queene, 1. ii. 42: ... Whose bright out-shining beams thy cloudy wrath Hath in eternal darkness folded up." 68. eager] "full of asperity, bitter" (Schmidt). Compare "the bitter clamour of two eager tongues " (Richard II. I. i. 49). See above, 1. iv. 4. An applied use of the literal sense, sour, as in Sonnet 118, and Hamlet, 1. v. 69. 75. to fence] to protect. So Golding's Ovid: "As if they had bene plates of War. They mock thee, Clifford: swear as thou wast wont. Rich. What! not an oath? nay, then the world goes hard When Clifford cannot spare his friends an oath. I know by that he's dead; and, by my soul, If this right hand would buy two hours' life, 80 That I in all despite might rail at him, This hand should chop it off, and with the issuing blood York and young Rutland could not satisfy. War. Ay, but he's dead: off with the traitor's head, 85 And now to London with triumphant march, There to be crowned England's royal king. From whence shall Warwick cut the sea to France, 90 77-84. nay, then . . hours'. despite... him, This . . chop unstaunched satisfy] 70-77. Nay, then I know hees dead. Tis hard, when Clifford cannot foord his friend an oath. By this I know hees dead, and by my sowle, Would this right hand buy but an howres contempt... him, Ide cut instanched... satisfy Q. 85-90. Ay, but he's' queen] 78-83. I, but he is dead lawfull king Queene Q. . cut the sea.. "not to guard her safe 77. the world goes hard] Compare "the world goes well" (Coriolanus, IV. vi. 5). Compare Peele's Old Wives Tale (449, b): "Yet, father, here is a piece of cake for you, as hard as the world goes." Dyce quotes from the Return from Parnassus (1606), at the passage in Peele. 78. Clifford. oath] Probably an allusion to the swearing habits of the Northerns, taken as a whole. It is often referred to. See note to Othello, v. ii. 218 (in this edition). 79. I know by that he's dead] The removal of the repetition in Q is to be noted. 82. This hand. . . blood] Capell altered to "I'd chop it off," following the Quarto's "Ide cut it off," nearly. But Richard meant that with his left hand he'd chop off his right. He must not be denied this delicate attention, especially as it occurs below, v. i. 50, 51. 83. unstaunched thirst] unquenchable royal king |