The above is the reading of the earliest quarto; and of Dyce, as also of Lettsom, who cites T. G. V. iii. 1, 141,

"My thoughts do harbour with my Silvia nightly;

And slaves they are to me, that send them flying.”

The second quarto and the folio have,—

"But thought's the slaue of life,"

which is the reading of the other compared eds.

SECOND PART OF KING HENRY IV.

Note (1.) Induction, Line 33,—

66

my office is
To noise abroad that Harry Monmouth fell &c.-
This have I rumour'd through the peopled towns
Between that royal field of Shrewsbury
And this worm-eaten hold of ragged stone."

Compare T. G. V. v. 4, 3,—

"This shadowy desert, unfrequented woods,
I better brook than flourishing peopled towns."

Hy. V. i. 2, 189,

"teach

The act of order to a peopled kingdom.”

A. L. I. v. 4, 149,

""Tis Hymen peoples every town."

The old eds. have "peasant-Townes "—but Rumour in so long a journey must have passed through populous towns, indeed, from her nature, have selected them; she says, line 15,

"Rumour is a pipe Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures,

And of so easy and so plain a stop

That the blunt monster with uncounted heads,
The still-discordant wavering multitude,

Can play upon it."

The misplacing a hyphen is far from unfrequent in the folio. Dyce prints "pleasant." The other compared eds. retain "peasant towns."

Note (2.) Act I. Scene 3, Line 36,

"Hast. But, by your leave, it never yet did hurt
To lay down likelihoods and forms of hope.
L. Bard. Yes, if this present quality of war,
Indeed the instant action, a cause on foot,
Lives so in hope, as in an early spring
We see the appearing buds ;—" &c.

quality" faction, party; see Note (6.) 1 Hy. IV. "action" enterprise, so Act iv. 1, 172,

"All members of our cause, both here and hence,

That are insinew'd to this action."

Delius punctuates the passage as above.

Dyce and

Singer, after Johnson, print "Yes, in this." Staunton and the Camb. eds. retain the old text, considering it corrupt.

Note (3.) Act II. Scene 4, Line 289,

"Fal. Kiss me, Doll.

Prince. Saturn and Venus this year in conjunction !--

Poins. And, look, whether the fiery Trigon, his man, be not listing to his master's old babbles, his note-book, his counselkeeper."

In Edward III. i. 2, 17, there is the same expression,

"I'll closely step aside,

And list their babble."

The old eds. have,—

"be not lisping to his Master's old Tables,"

the misprint is similar to that in Hy. V. ii. 3, 17, folio,

"and a Table of greene fields."

where all the compared eds., except Delius, print "and a' babbled of green fields." In the present passage all retain the old text.

Note (4.) Act III. Scene 1, Line 24,

"Wilt thou upon the high and giddy mast
Seal up the ship-boy's eyes, and rock his brains
In cradle of the rude imperious surge,

And in the visitation of the winds,

Who take the ruffian billows by the top,

Curling their monstrous heads, and hanging them
With deafening clamour in the slippery shrouds,
That, with the hurly, death itself awakes?
Can'st thou, O partial sleep, give thy repose
To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude?"

Compare Hy. VIII. iv. 1, 71,—

"such a noise arose

As the shrouds make at sea in a stiff tempest,
As loud, and to as many tunes."

Per. iv. 1, 60,

"Never was waves nor wind more violent;

And from the ladder-tackle washes off

A canvas-climber."

Hy. V. iii. Chorus, 8,—

"Upon the hempen tackle ship-boys climbing."

The visitation of the winds, with the deafening clamour of the seas striking the shrouds waken death, but not the wet sea-boy who sleeps in them. The old eds.

have "Clouds"-evidently a misprint, -the picture is of the boy asleep in spite of all the storm can do to drive sleep from him,- had the waves been hung in the clouds it would not have concerned him. There is also the play on hanging the ruffian billows by their monstrous heads in the slippery shrouds ;-" slippery" -inapplicable to the clouds, but giving emphasis to the unsafe resting-place in the shrouds. The correction is by Pope, and is adopted by Dyce; the other compared eds. retain "clouds."

Note (5.)

Act III. Scene 2, Line 142,

"Fal. Shadow, whose son art thou?

Shad. My mother's son, sir.

Fal. Thy mother's son! like enough; and thy father's shadow: so the son of the female is the shadow of the male: it is often so, indeed; but not of the father's substance.”

"shadow" reflexion, reflected image, so J. C. i. 2, 58,

"And it is very much lamented, Brutus,
That you have no such mirrors as will turn
Your hidden worthiness into your eye,

That you might see your shadow."

"male" begetter.

"substance" = body, used for the play on shadow and substance. "father"= legal, reputed father. The above is the reading of the folio, and so Delius. The quarto has "but much of the father's substance." which the Camb. eds. adopt. Dyce prints "not much of"-Singer and Staunton have "but not much of."

Note (6.)

Act IV. Scene 1, Line 24,

"Mess. West of this forest, scarcely off a mile, In goodly form comes on the enemy;

And, by the ground they hide, I judge their number
Upon or near the rate of thirty thousand.

Mowb. The just proportion that we gave them out.
Let us softly on, and face them in the field."

Compare J. C. v. 1, 16,—

"Mess.

Prepare you, generals:
The enemy comes on in gallant show;
Their bloody sign of battle is hung out,
And something to be done immediately.
Ant. Octavius, lead your battle softly on,
Upon the left hand of the even field."

Ham. iv. 4, 8,

Enter Fortinbras, a Captain, and Soldiers, marching.
"Fort. Go softly on."

Here the folio misprints "Go safely on.”—the quartos have "softly." In the present passage the old eds. have "Let us sway on "—but to sway is not a voluntary movement in a body of men. Compare 3 Hen. VI. ii. 5, 5,

"This battle fares like to the morning's war,

When dying clouds contend with growing light.—

Now sways it this way, like a mighty sea

Forc'd by the tide to combat with the wind;

Now sways it that way, like the self-same sea
Forc'd to retire by fury of the wind."

Steevens cites Holinshed, Eng. Hist. p. 986,

"The left side of the enemy was compelled to sway a good way back and give ground."

To advance softly appears to have been a military term march in slow time. All the compared eds. retain "sway." Brutus uses the word "gently," J. C. iv. 2, 31,

"Hark! he is arrived.

March gently on to meet him."