To fright the fouls of fearful adversaries,— But I,—that am not fhap'd for sportive tricks, To ftrut before a wanton ambling nymph; So, in Jarvis Markham's English Arcadia, 1607: 66 -armed in a black armour, curiously damask'd with interwinding wreaths of cyprefs and ewe, his barbe upon his horse, all of black abrofetta, cut in broken hoopes upon curled cypress." Again, in the 2d Part of K. Edward IV. by Heywood, 1626: “With barbed horse, and valiant armed foot." Barbed, however, may be no more than a corruption of barded. Equus bardatus, in the Latin of the middle ages, was a horse adorned with military trappings. I have met with the word barded many times in our ancient chronicles and romances. An inftance or two may fuffice. "They mounted him furely upon a good and mighty courfer, well barded, &c." Hift. of Helyas Knight of the Swanne, bl. I. no date. Again, in Hall's Chronicle, King Henry VIII. p. 45: 66 --appereilled in ryche armure, on a barded courfer &c." Again, in the Miracles of Mofes, by Drayton : "There floats the bard iteed with his rider drown'd, Again, in Warner's Albion's England, B. VIII. chap. 38: Again, in Barrett's Alvearie, or Quadruple Dictionary, 1580: "Bardes or trappers of horses. Phalera, Lat." 66 Again, Holinfhed fpeaking of the preparations for the battle of Agincourt: " to the intent that if the barded horses ran fiercely upon them, &c" Again, p. 8oz, he fays, that bards and trappers had the fame meaning. It is obferved in the Turkish Spy, that the German cuiraffiers, though armed and barbed, man and horfe, were not able to ftand against the French cavalry. STEEVENS. s He capers] War capers. This is poetical, though a little harsh; if it be York that capers, the antecedent is at fuch a distance, that it is almost forgotten. JOHNSON. B 3 Cheat • Cheated of feature by diffembling nature, I And hate the idle pleafures of these days. Cheated of feature by diffembling nature,] By diffembling is not meant bypocritical nature, that pretends one thing and does another but nature that puts together things of a diffimilar kind, as a brave foul and a deformed body. WARBURTON. : Diffembling is here put very licentiously for fraudful, deceitful. JOHNSON. And defcant on mine own deformity:] Defcant is a term in mufic, fignifying in general that kind of harmony wherein one part is broken and formed into a kind of paraphrase on the other. The propriety and elegance of the above figure, without fuch an idea of the nature of defcant, could not be difcerned. Sir J. HAWKINS. And therefore, fince I cannot prove a lover,] Shakespeare very diligently inculcates, that the wickednefs of Richard proceeded from his deformity, from the envy that rofe at the comparison of his own perfon with others, and which incited him to disturb the pleasures that he could not partake. JOHNSON. I And hate the idle pleasures-] Perhaps we might read: And bate the idle pleasures JOHNSON. inductions dangerous,] Preparations for mifchief. The induction is preparatory to the action of the play. JOHNSON. Mariton has put this line, with little variation, into the mouth of Fame: 66 Plots ha' yout laid? inductions dangerous ?" STEEVENS, And 2. And, if king Edward be as true and juft, As I am fubtle, falfe, and treacherous, Of Edward's heirs the murderer fhall be. Dive, thoughts, down to my foul! here Clarence comes. Enter Clarence guarded, and Brakenbury. Brother, good day: What means this armed guard, That waits upon your grace Clar. His majesty, Tendering my perfon's fafety, hath appointed Cla. Because my name is-George. Glo. Alack, my lord, that fault is none of yours; He fhould, for that, commit your godfathers: O, belike, his majesty hath fome intent, That you should be new chriften'd in the Tower. He hearkens after prophefies, and dreams; And, for my name of George begins with G3, 2 -Edward be as true and juft,] i, e, as open-hearted and free from deceit. WARBURTON. The meaning is only this; if Edward keeps his word. JOHNSON. 3 And, for my name of George begins with G, &c.] So, in Nicols's Tragical Life and Death of Richard III: 66 By that blind riddle of the letter G, 66 George loft his life; it took effect in me." STEEVENS. These, as I learn, and fuch like toys as these 4, Glo. Why, this it is, when men are rul'd by women: 'Tis not the king, that fends you to the Tower; Clar. By heaven, I think, there is no man fecure, Brak. I befeech your graces both to pardon me ; His majefty hath ftraitly given in charge, That no man fhall have private conference, Of what degree foever, with his brother. Glo. Even fo? an please your worship, Brakenbury, You may partake of any thing we say : We speak no treafon, man;-We say, the king 4-toys-] Fancies, freaks of imagination. JOHNSON. 5 Humbly complaining &c.] I think these two lines might be better given to Clarence. JOHNSON. The jealous o'er-worn widow, and herfelf,] That is, the queen and Shore. JOHNSON. Well Well ftruck in years 7; fair, and not jealous :- Brak. With this, my lord, myself have nought to do. Glo. Naught to do with mistress Shore? I tell thee, fellow, He that doth naught with her, excepting one, Brak. What one, my lord? Glo. Her husband, knave :-Would'ft thou betray me? Brak. I beseech your grace to pardon me; and, withal, Forbear your conference with the noble duke. Clar. We know thy charge, Brakenbury, and will obey. Gle. We are the queen's abjects, and must obey. Brother, farewel: I will unto the king; And whatfoe'er you will employ me in,Were it, to call king Edward's widow-fifter ',I will 7 Well struck in years;] This odd expreffion in our language was preceded by one as uncouth though of a fimilar kind. "Well fhot in years he feem'd &c.] Spenfer's F. Queen, B. V. c. vi: The meaning of neither is very obvious; but as Mr. Warton has obferved in his Effay on the Faery Queen, by an imperceptible progreffion from one kindred fenfe to another, words at length obtain a meaning entirely foreign to their original etymology. STEEVENS. the queen's abjects- -] That is, not the queen's Subjects, whom she might protect, but her abjects, whom she drives away. JOHNSON. 9 Were it to call king Edward's widow-fifter,] This is a very covert and fubtle manner of infinuating treafon. The natural expreffion would have been, avere it to call king Edward's wife, fifter. I will folicit for you, though it fhould be at the expence of fo much degradation and conftraint, as to own the low-born wife of King Edward for a fifter. But by flipping, as it were cafually, |