Sidebilder
PDF
ePub

And these grey locks, the pursuivants of death,

5

"His cursed son ensued his cruel path,
" And kept my guiltless cousin ftrait in durance,
"For whom my father hard entreated hath,
"But living hopeless of his life's assurance,
"He thought it beft by politick procuranc
"To flay the king, and fo reftore his friend;
"Which brought himself to an infamous end.
" For when king Henry, of that name the fift,
"Had tane my father in his conspiracie,
"He, from Sir Edmund all the blame to shift,
" Was faine to say, the French king Charles, his ally,
"Had hired him this traiterous ad to try;
"For which condemned shortly he was flain:
" In helping right this was my father's gain."

[ocr errors]

MALONE.

It is objected that Shakspeare has varied from the truth of history to introduce this scene between Mortimer and Richard Plantagenet ; as the former served under Henry V. in 1422, and died unconfined in Ireland, in 1424. In the third year of Henry the Sixth, 1425, and during the time that Peter Duke of Coimbra was entertained in London, Edmonde Mortimer (says Hall) the last erle of Marche of that name (which longe tyme had bene restrayned from hys liberty, and fynally waxed lame) disceased without yssue, whose inheritance discended to lord Richard Plantagenet," &c. Holin shed has the fame words; and these authorities, though the fat be otherwise, are sufficient to prove that Shakspeare, or whoever was the author of the play, did not intentionally vary from the truth of history to introduce the present scene. The hiftorian does not, indeed, expressly say that the Earl of March died in the Tower; but one cannot, reasonably suppose that he meant to relate an event which he knew had happened to a free man in Ireland, as happening to a prisoner during the time that a particular person was in London. But, wherever he meant to lay the scene of Mortimer's death, it is clear that the author of this play understood him as representing it to have happened in a London prison; an idea, if indeed his words will bear any other conftruction, a preceding passage may serve to corroborate. The erle of March (he has observed) was ever kepte in the courte under fuch a keper that he could nether doo or attempte any thyng agaynste the kying wythout his knowledge, and dyed without issue." I am aware and could easily show, that some of the most interesting events, not only in the Chronicles of Hall and Holinshed, but in the Histories of Rapin, Hume, and Smollet,

[ocr errors]

6

Nestor-like aged, in an age of care,
Argue the end of Edmund Mortimer.
These eyes, like lamps whose wasting oil is spent, -
Wax dim, as drawing to their exigent:"
Weak shoulders, overborne with burd'ning grief;
And pithless arms, like to a wither'd vine

are perfeâly fabulous and unfounded, which are nevertheless constantly cited and regarded as incontrovertible faas. But, if modern writers, standing, as it were, upon the shoulders of their predeceffors, and possessing innumerable other advantages, are not always to be depended on, what allowances ought we not to make for those who had neither Rymer, nor Dugdale, nor Sandford to confult, who could have no access to the treasuries of Cotton or Harley, nor were permitted the infpeâion of a publick record? If this were the cafe with the historian, what can be expected from the dramatist? He naturally took for fact what he found in history, and is by no means answerable for the mifinformation of his authority. RITSON.

Let dying Mortimer here rest himself.] I know not whether Milton did not take from this hint the lines with which he opens his tragedy. JOHNSON.

Rather from the beginning of the last scene of the third act of the Phaniffe of Euripides:

Τίτειας. Ηγε πάροιθε, δύγατερ, ὡς τυφλῷ ποδὶ

1

a

5

Ὀφθαλμὸς εἶ σὺ, ναυβάταισιν ἀςρον ὣς.

Δευρ ̓ εἰς τὸ λευρὸν πέδον ἴχνος τιθεῖσ ̓ ἐμὸν, &c. STEEVENS. pursuivauts of death, Pursuivants. The heralds that,

forerunning death, proclaim its approach. JOHNSON.

like lamps whose wasting oil is spent, So, in King

6

Richard II:

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

.7

as drawing to their exigent:) Exigent, end. JOHNSON.

So, in Doctor Dodypoll, a comedy, 1600:

[ocr errors]

Hath driven her to some desperate exigent."

STEEVENS.

And pithless arms,) Pith was used for marrow, and figuratively,

for ftrength. JOHNSON.

{

In the first of these senses it is used in Othello:

"For fince these arms of mine had seven years' pith -."

And, figuratively, in Hamlet:

A.

" And enterprizes of great pith and moment-"

STEEVENS.

That droops his sapless branches to the ground:-
Yet are these feet_whose strengthless stay is numb,
Unable to support this lump of clay, -
Swift-winged with desire to get a grave,
As witting I no other comfort have.-
But tell me, keeper, will my nephew come?

I. KEEP. Richard Plantagenet, my lord, will

come:

We fent unto the Temple, to his chamber;
And answer was return'd, that he will come.

MOR. Enough; my foul shall then be fatisfy'd.-
Poor gentleman! his wrong doth equal mine.
Since Henry Monmouth first began to reign,
(Before whose glory I was great in arms,)
This loathsome sequestration have I had; 9
And even fince then hath Richard been obfcur'd,
Depriv'd of honour and inheritance:
But now, the arbitrator of despairs,
Just death, kind umpire of men's miseries,
With sweet enlargement doth dismiss me hence;
I would, his troubles likewise were expir'd,
That so he might recover what was loft.

• Since Henry Monmouth first began to reign, This loathsome Sequestration have I had ;) Here again, the author certainly is mistaken. See p. 68, n. 3. MALONE.

2

the arbitrator of despairs,

Just death, kind umpire of men's miseries,] That is, he that terminates or concludes mifery. The expression is harsh and forced. JOHNSON. The same idea is expressed with greater propriety in Romeo and Juliet:

"'Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife
"Shall play the umpire, arbitrating that" &c. STEEVENS.

Enter RICHARD PLANTAGENET.

1. KEEP. My lord, your loving nephew now is

come.

MOR. Richard Plantagenet, my friend? Is he come?

4

PLAN. Ay, noble uncle, thus ignobly us'd, Your nephew, late-despised3 Richard, comes. MOR. Direct mine arms, I may embrace his neck, And in his bosom spent my latter gasp: O, tell me, when my lips do touch his cheeks, That I may kindly give one fainting kiss. And now declare, sweet stem from York's great

stock,

Why didst thou say-of late thou wert despis'd? PLAN. First, lean thine aged back against mine

arm?

And, in that ease, I'll tell thee my disease. 4

This day, in argument upon a cafe,

Some words there grew 'twixt Somerset and me:

3

4

T

late-despised-] i. e. lately despised. M. MASON.

I'll tell thee my disease. Disease seems to be here uncafi

ness, or discontent. JOHNSON.

It is so used by other ancient writers, and by Shakspeare in Coriolanus. Thus likewise, in Spenfer's Faery Queen, Book III. c. v: "But labour'd long in that deep ford with vain disease." That to disease is to disturb, may be known from the following passages in Chapman's Verfion of the Iliad and Odyssey:

"But brother, hye thee to the ships, and Idomen disease." i. e. wake him. Book VI. edit. 1598. Again, Odyss. Book VI,

66

with which he declin'd

" The eyes of any waker when he pleas'd,

" And any fleeper, when he wish'd, diseas'd."

Again, in the ancient metrical history of The Battle of Floddon:

"He thought the Scots might him disease

"With conftituted captains meet." STEEVENS.

Among which terms, he us'd his lavish tongue,
And did upbraid me with my father's death;
Which obloquy set bars before my tongue,
Elfe with the like I had requited him:
Therefore, good uncle, -for my father's fake,
In honour of a true Plantagenet,
And for alliance' fake, - declare the cause
My father, earl of Cambridge, loft his head.

Mor. That cause, fair nephew, that imprifon'd

me,

And hath detain'd me, all my flow'ring youth,
Within a loathfome dungeon, there to pine,
Was cursed instrument of his decease.

PLAN. Discover more at large what cause that

was;

For I am ignorant, and cannot guess.

MOR. I will; if that my fading breath permit, And death approach not ere ny tale be done, Henry the fourth, grandfather to this king, Depos'd his nephew Richard; Edward's fon, The first-begotten, and the lawful heir

Of Edward king, the third of that descent:

5

his nephew Richard;] Thus the old copy. Modern editors read - his cousin -- but without neceffity. Nephew has sometimes the power of the Latin nepos, and is used with great laxity among our ancient English writers. Thus in Othello, lago tells Brabantio-he shall " have his nephews (i. e. the children of hi.. own daughter) neigh to him." STEEVENS.

It would be surely better to read cousin, the meaning which nephew ought to have in this place. Mr. Steevens only proves that the word nephews is sometimes used for grand-children, which is very certain. Both uncle and nephew might, however, formerly fignify cousin. See the Menagiana, Vol. II. p. 193. In The Second Part of the troublesome raigne of K. John, Prince Henry calls his cousin the Bastard, " uncle." RITSON.

I believe the mistake here arose from the author's ignorance; and that he conceived Richard to be Henry's nephew.

MALONE.

« ForrigeFortsett »