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Put forth diforder'd twigs: her fallow leas
The darnel, hemloc, and rank fumitory,
Doth root upon; while that the culture rufts,
That should deracinate fuch savagery:

The even mead, that erft brought fweetly forth
The freckled cowflip, burnet, and green clover,
Wanting the fcythe, all uncorrected, rank,
Conceives by idlenefs; and nothing teems,
But hateful docks, rough thistles, keckfies, burs,
Lofing both beauty and utility:.

And all our vineyards, fallows, meads and hedges,
Defective in their natures, grow to wildness.

in confirmation of it, it may be observed, the author fpeaks all through of the husbandry corrupting its own fertility, as he says, the vine unpruned, grows wild and unfruitful: the hedges unpleached, putting forth diforder'd twigs; the fallow leas are over-run with weeds, darnel, Sr. and fo every thing, vineyards, fallows, meads, and hedges, defective in their natures, grow to wildness: defective in their own particular natures, "Sua deficiuntur natura; (fays Mr. Upton, in the preface to his Obfervations, &c. p. 41.) they were not defective in their ereffive nature, for they grew to wildness: but were defective in their proper and favourable natures, which was to bring forth food for man."

General Obfervations.

SHAKESPEAR throughout this play (fays Mrs. Lenox) has copied many of the fentiments and even words of Holing shed, fometimes almoft literally, at others he has juft taken hints which the force of his own imagination improves into the moft ftriking beauties, the following paffage of Holing fed furnished him with fome of the nobleft thoughts that ever animated the mind of a hero.

The hiftorian fays, page 553, that a little time before the battle of Agincourt was fought, King Henry overheard a foldier fay to his fellow: "I would to God there were with us now fo many good foldiers as are at this hour within England." To which the King replied: "I would not wish a man more here

than

than I have; we are, indeed, in comparison to the enemies, but a few; but if God, of his clemency, do favour us and our juft caufe (as I truft he will) we shall speed well enough: but let no man afcribe victory to our own ftrength and might, but only to God's affiftance, to whom, I have no doubt we shall worthily have caufe to give thanks therefore; and if fo be that, for our offences fakes, we shall be delivered into the hands of our enemies, the lefs number we be, the leís damage shall the realm of England fuftain." Holing shed.

This patfage is thus improved by Shakespear: The Earl of Wfourland having been to take a view of the enemies forces, as they were drawn up in order of battle, alarmed at the fupe riority of their numbers, cries out as the King meets him,

Oh! that we now had here,

But one ten thousand of those men in England,

That do no work to day!

K. Hen. What's he that wishes foke. See the Play

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(1) The First Part of HENRY VI.

ACT I.
r I. SCENE VI.

(2) G

Glory.

LORY is like a circle in the water;

Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself, Till by broad fpreading it difperfe to nought.

ACT

(1) It is not the business or intention of this work to enter into a confideration of the genuineness of fome of thofe compofitions, which are generally received as Shakespear's tho' difputed, and I think, we may add juftly by the critics. Among the reft none appear lefs worthy of our inimitable author, than the three following; fome fine ftrokes in them fufficiently affure us Shakespear lent a hand; that he composed the whole, I can by no means perfuade myself; however, I leave it to the difcuffion of others, and only beg leave to observe, there are befide the few paffages I have selected, many single lines, which I could not well produce as beauties feparately confidered, that merit obfervation.

(2) Glory, &c.] Beaumont and Fletcher in their Bloody Brosher, ufe this fine fimile, tho' on another fubject with equal beauty.

The

ACT V. SCENE VIII.

Marriage.

For marriage is a matter of more worth, Than to be dealt in by attorneyship.

* *

*

* * * * * * *

For what is wedlock forced but a hell,
An age of difcord and continual ftrife?
Whereas the contrary bringeth forth bliss,
of celestial

And is a pattern

peace.

The jars of brothers, two fuch mighty ones,
Is like a small stone thrown into a river,

The breach scarce heard; but view the beaten current,
And you shall see a thousand angry rings,

Rife in his face, ftill fwelling, and ftill growing;
So jars diftrufts encircle, diftrufts dangers,

And dangers' death the greatest extreme follows,
Till nothing bound them but the fhore, their graves.
Act 2. Sc. I.

General Obfervations.

THE historical transactions (says Mrs. Lenox) contained in this play, take in the compass of about thirty years; they are all extracted from Holingshed's Chronicle: but Shakespear, in this, as well as in the two following parts of this King's reign, has not been very exact to the date and difpofition of the facts, fhuffling them backwards and forwards, out of the order of time in which they happened, as it beft fuited his purpose. The characters are almost all faithfully copied from the hiftorian; but the Poet has exaggerated the affection of Queen Margaret for the Duke of Suffolk, reprefenting that Princefs as engaged in a criminal amour with the Duke, for which there is no foundation in history.

The loves of the Queen and Duke of Suffolk, which make the fubject of feveral fcenes in the play, not being mentioned either by Hali or Holingfhed, 'tis probable that Shakespear_saw

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fome

fome little novel of the lives of thefe two great perfons, from whence he copied fuch incidents as he thought proper for the embellishment of his play; but, by introducing the Queen in the fecond part, weeping and lamenting over the head of her murdered lover, which lies on her bofom, in the prefence of the King her husband, and several noblemen, he has either very injudiciously copied, or very coarfely invented. For the abfurdity of fuch a behaviour must give difguft to the meaneft and leaft intelligent reader or fpectator.

But if Shakespear has been mifled by romance, or oral tradition, to give fuch improper manners to a queen, and in a hiftorical play, contradict the known facts on which it is founded, he has, on the other hand, worked up the fimple relation of the deaths of a father and fon, in the hiftory, into one of she most beautiful and affecting episodes imaginable.

The

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