And none but women left to wail the dead.- 2 We fhould certainly read-marish. So, in The Spanish Tragedy: "Made mountains marsh, with fpring-tides of my tears." RITSON. I have been informed, that what we call at present a stew, in which fish are preferved alive, was anciently called a nourish. Nourice, however, Fr. a nurse, was anciently fpelt many different ways, among which nourish was one. So, in Syr Eglamour of Artois, bl. 1. no date : "Of that chylde she was blyth, "After nory/hes the fent belive." A nourish therefore in this paffage of our author may fignify a nurse, as it apparently does in the Tragedies of John Bochas, by Lydgate, B. I. c. xii: "Athenes whan it was in his floures "Was called nourish of philosophers wife." -Juba tellus generat, leonum Arida nutrix. STEEVENS. Spenfer, in his Ruins of Time, ufes nourice as an English word: "Chaucer, the nourice of antiquity." MALONE. 2 Than Julius Cæfar, or bright-] I can't guess the occafion of the hemistich and imperfect fenfe in this place; 'tis not impoffible it might have been filled up with-Francis Drake, though that were a terrible anachronism (as bad as Hector's quoting Ariftotle in Troilus and Crefida); yet perhaps at the time that brave Englishman was in his glory, to an Englishhearted audience, and pronounced by fome favourite actor, the thing might be popular, though not judicious; and, therefore, by fome critick in favour of the author, afterwards ftruck out. But this is a mere flight conjecture. POPE. To confute the flight conjecture of Pope, a whole page of vehement oppofition is annexed to this paffage by Theobald. Sir Thomas Hanmer has stopped at Cæfar-perhaps more judiciously. It might, however, have been written or bright Berenice. JOHNSON. Enter a Meffenger. MESS. My honourable lords, health to you all! Sad tidings bring I to you out of France, Of lofs, of flaughter, and difcomfiture: Guienne, Champaigne, Rheims, Orleans,3 Paris, Guyfors, Poitiers, are all quite loft. BED. What fay'ft thou, man, before dead Henry's corfe? Speak foftly; or the lofs of thofe great towns If Henry were recall'd to life again, These news would caufe him once more yield the ghoft. EXE. How were they loft? what treachery was us'd? MESS. No treachery; but want of men and mo ney. Among the foldiers this is muttered,— That here you maintain feveral factions; Pope's conjecture is confirmed by this peculiar circumftance, that two blazing ftars (the Julium fidus) are part of the arms of the Drake family. It is well known that families and arms were much more attended to in Shakspeare's time, than they are at this day. M. MASON. This blank undoubtedly arose from the transcriber's or compofitor's not being able to make out the name. So, in a subsequent paffage the word Nero was omitted for the fame reafon. See the Differtation at the end of the third part of King Henry VI. MALONE. 3 Guienne, Champaigne, Rheims, Orleans,] This verse might be completed by the infertion of Rouen among the places loft, as Glofter in his next speech infers that it had been mentioned with the reft. STEEVENS. You are difputing of your generals. One would have ling'ring wars, with little coft; Let not floth dim your honours, new-begot: EXE. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, These tidings would call forth her flowing tides.5 BED. Me they concern; regent I am of France:Give me my steeled coat, I'll fight for France.Away with these disgraceful wailing robes! Wounds I will lend the French, inftead of eyes, To weep their intermiffive miferies." Enter another Meffenger. - 2 MESS. Lords, view these letters, full of bad mifchance, France is revolted from the English quite; * A third man thinks,] Thus the fecond folio. The first omits the word-man, and confequently leaves the verse imperfect. STEEVENS. her flowing tides.] i. e. England's flowing tides. MALONE. their intermiffive miferies.] i. e. their miferies, which have had only a fhort intermiffion from Henry the Fifth's death to my coming amongst them. WARBURTON. EXE. The Dauphin crowned king! all fly to him! O, whither fhall we fly from this reproach? GLO. We will not fly, but to our enemies' throats: Bedford, if thou be flack, I'll fight it out. An BED. Glofter, why doubt'ft thou of nefs? my army have I mufter'd in my thoughts, Wherewith already France is over-run. Enter a third Meffenger. forward 3 MESS. My gracious lords,-to add to your la ments, Wherewith you now bedew king Henry's hearfe,I must inform you of a difmal fight, Betwixt the ftout lord Talbot and the French. WIN. What! wherein Talbot overcame? is't fo? 3 MESS. O, no; wherein lord Talbot was o'erthrown: The circumftance I'll tell you more at large. Having full scarce fix thousand in his troop," Instead whereof, fharp ftakes, pluck'd out of hedges, 7 Having full Scarce &c.] The modern editors read-scarce full, but, I think, unneceffarily. So, in The Tempest: Profpero, master of a full poor cell." STEEVENS. To keep the horsemen off from breaking in. 8 2 above human thought, Enacted wonders-] So, in King Richard III: STEEVENS. 9 he flew:] I fuspect the author wrote flew. MALONE. And rufh'd into the bowels of the battle.] Again, in the fifth Act of this play : "So, rushing in the bowels of the French." The fame phrase had occurred in the first part of Jeronimo, 1605: Meet, Don Andrea! yes, in the battle's bowels." 2 If fir John Faftolfe &c.] Mr. Pope has taken notice, "That Falftaff is here introduced again, who was dead in Henry V. The occafion whereof is, that this play was written before King Henry IV. or King Henry V." But it is the hiftorical Sir John Faftolfe (for fo he is called in both our Chroniclers) that is here mentioned; who was a lieutenant general, deputy regent to the duke of Bedford in Normandy, and a knight of the garter; and not the comick character afterwards introduced by our author, and which was a creature merely of his own brain. Nor when he named him Falfiaff do I believe he had any intention of throwing a flur on the memory of this renowned old warrior. THEOBALD. Mr. Theobald might have seen his notion contradicted in the line he quotes from. Fafiolfe, whether truly or not, is very |