cedent is at fuch a distance that it is almost forgotten. JOHN. L. 19. 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 diffimular kind, as a brave foul and a deformed body. WARB. Ibid.] Diffembling is here put very licentiously for fraudful, deceitful. JOHNS. P. 426. 1. 8. And therefore, fince I cannot prove a lover,] Shakespeare very diligently inculcates, that the wickedness 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. L. II. And hate the idle pleafures] Perhaps we might read, And bate the idle pleasures. JOHNS. JOHNS. L. 12. Inductions dangerous,] Preparations for mischief. The Induction is preparatory to the action of the play. JонN. L. 16. Edward be as true and juft,] i. e. as open hearted and free from deceit. WARB. Ibid.] The meaning is only this; if Edward keeps his word. L. 19. About a prophecy, which fays, that G JOHNS. Of Edward's heirs the murderer fhall be,] These two lines are in all the old books whatsoever, as well as in all the modern ones that I have feen, except the two impreffions by Mr. Pope. By what authority he has thought fit to leave them out, I don't know. THEOB.* P. 427. 1. 12. Toys,] Fancies, freaks of imagination. JOHNS. L. 28. Humbly complaining, &c.] I think these two lines might be better given to Clarence. JOHNS. P. 428. 1. 1. The jealous o'erworn widow,] That is, the Queen and Shore. JOHNS. L. 26. the Queen's abjects,-] That is, not the Queen's fubjects, whom he might protect, but her abjects, whom she drives away. JOHNS. L. 29. Were it to call king Edward's widow fifter,] This is a very covert and subtle manner of infinuating treafon. The natural expreffion would have been, were it to call king Edward's wife fifter. I will folicit for you though it should be at the expence of fo much degradation and constraint, as to own the lowborn wife of King Edward for a fifter. But by flipping as it were cafually widow into the place of wife, he tempts Clarence with an oblique propofal to kill the king. JOHNS. P. 429. 1. 22. More pity, that the eagle fhould be mew'd, While kites and buzzards play at liberty,] I have, upon the authority of the old quarto's, reftored prey, as the most expreffive and proper word. THEOB.* P. 431. 1. 30. I'll make a coarfe of him that disobeys,] So in Hamlet, I'll make a ghost of him that holds me. JOHNS. P. 432. 1. 17. -pattern of thy butcheries,] Pattern is inftance, or example. L. 19. fee, dead Henry's wounds JOHNS. Open their congeal'd mouths and bleed afresh,] It is a tradition very generally received, that the murdered body bleeds on the touch of the murderer. This was fo much believed by Sir Kenelm Digby that he has endeavoured to explain the reafon. L. 22. JOHNS. - where no blood dwells,] This may be right. But probably Shakespear wrote, whence no blood wells. i. e. whence no blood has its fpring or course. WARB.* P. 433. 1. 9. Vouchsafe, diffus'd infection of a man,] I believe diffufed in this place fignifies irregular, uncouth; such is its meaning in other paffages of Shakespeare. JOHNS. L. 31. That laid their guilt-] The crime of my brothers. He has juft charged the murder of lady Anne's hufband upon Edward. JOHNS. P. 434. 1. 24. Thou waft the cause, and most accurft effect,] Effect, for executioner. He afks, was not the caufer as ill as the executioner? She answers, Thou waft both. But, for caufer, ufing the word caufe, this led her to the word effect, for execution, or executioner. But the Oxford editor troubling himself with nothing of this, will make a fine oratorical period of it. Thou waft the caufe. And most accurft th' effect! WARB. Ibid.] I cannot but be rather of Sir T. Hanmer's opinion than Dr. Warburton's, because effect is ufed immediately in its common fenfe, in anfwer to this line. JOHN S. P.435. 1. 28. they kill me with a living death,] In imisation of this paffage, and I suppose of a thousand more; - a living death I bear, Says Dapperwit, and funk befide his chair. JOHNS. L. 31. Thefe eyes, which never, &c.] The twelve following beautiful lines added after the first editions. POPE. JOHNS. Shakespeare Ibid.] They were added with many more. P. 436. 1. 26. But 'twas thy beauty] Countenances the obfervation, that no woman can ever be offended with the mention of her beauty. JOHNS. P. 437.1.27. Crofby-place:] A houfe near Bishopfgate-ftreet belonging to the Duke of Gloucefter. THEOB. P.438. 1. 28. Fram'd in the prodigality of nature,] i. e. when nature was in a prodigal or lavish mood. WARB. L. 29. and, no doubt, right royal,] Of the degree of royalty belonging to Henry the fixth there could be no doubt, nor could Richard have mentioned it with any fuch hesitation; he could not indeed very properly allow him royalty. I believe we should read, - and, no doubt, right loyal. That is, true to her bed. He enumerates the reasons for which the fhould love him. He was young, wife, and valiant; these were apparent and indifputable excellencies. He then mentions another not lefs likely to endear him to his wife, but which he had lefs opportunity of knowing with certainty, and, no doubt, right loyal. JOHNS. P. 439.1. 6. -to a beggarly Denier,] This may be right; but perhaps Shakespear wrote Taniere, French, a hut or WARB.* cave. P. 440. 1. 4. It is determin'd, not concluded yet,] Determin'd fignifies the final conclufion of the will: concluded, what cannot be alter'd by reason of fome act, confequent on the final judgment. WARB. L. 6. Here comes the Lords of Buckingham and Derby,] This is a blunder of inadvertence, which has run thro' the whole chain of impreffions. It could not well be original in Shakespeare, who was moft minutely intimate with his history and the intermarriages of the nobility. The perfon here called Derby, was Thomas Lord Stanley, Lord Steward of King Edward the IVth's houfhold, But this Thomas Lord Stanley was not created Earl of Derby till after the acceffion of Henry VII; and, accordingly, afterwards in the fourth and fifth acts of this play, before the battle of Bofworth-field, he is every where call'd Lord Stanley. This fufficiently juftifies the change I have made in his title. THEOB. P. 441. 1. 30. of your ill will, &c.] This line is restored from the first edition. POPE. P. 443. 1. 14. Tell him, and spare not; look, what I have faid,] This verfe I have reftored from the old quarto's. L. 16. My pains,] My labours, my toils. THEOB. JOHNS. WARB. Ibid.] There is no need of change, but if there were, the commentator does not change enough: he should read, I remember them too well; that is, his pains. L. 28. Was not your bufband JOHNS. In Margret's battle,] It is faid in Henry VI. that he died in quarrel of the house of York. JOHNS. P. 444. 1. 25. A little joy enjoys the Queen thereof.] I apprehend we should read, as little joy, for, a little joy, instead of, little joy, is fcarce English; and the Queen immediately adds, that she is altogether joyless.' REVIS.* L. 28. Hear me, ye rangling Pirates,] This fcene of Margaret's imprecations is fine and artful. She prepares the audience, like another Caffandra, for the following tragic revolutions. WARB. P. 445. 1. 1. Ab, gentle villain,-] We fhould read, unWARB. gentle villain. Ibid.] The meaning of gentle is not, as the commentator imagines, tender or courteous, but high born. An oppofition is meant between that and villain, which means at once a wicked and a low born wretch. So before, Since ev'ry Jack is made a gentleman There's many a gentle perfon made a Jack. JOHNS. L. 18. Q. Mar. So just is God, &c.] This line fhould be given to Edward IVth's Queen. WARB. P. 446. 1. 1. By furfeit die your King,] Alluding to his luxurious life. P. 447. l. I. JOHNS. - rooting bog!] The expreffion is fine, alluding (in memory of her young fon) to the ravage which hogs make, with the finest flowers, in gardens; and intimating that Elizabeth was to expect no other treatment for her fons. WARB. Ibid. She calls him bog as an appellation more contemptuous than bear, as he is elsewhere termed from his enfigns armorial. There is no fuch heap of allufion as the commentator imagines. JOHNS. L. 3. The flave of nature,] The expreffion is ftrong and noble, and alludes to the antient custom of master's branding their profligate flaves: by which it is infinuated that his mif-fhapen person was the mark that nature had fet upon him to stigmatize his ill conditions. Shakespear expreffes the fame thought in The Comedy of Errors, He is deformed, crooked, &c. But as the speaker rises in her resentment, she expreffes this contemptuous thought much more openly, and condemns him to a still worfe ftate of flavery, Sin, Death and Hell have fet their marks upon him. Only, in the first line, her mention of his moral condition infinuates her reflections on his deformity: and, in the last her mention of his deformity infinuates her reflections on his moral condition and thus he has taught her to scold in all the elegance of figure. WARB. L. 6. Thou rag of honour, &c.] We should certainly read, Thou wrack of honour i. e. the ruin and destruction of honour; which I fuppofe was firft writ rack, and then further corrupted to rag. WARB. Ibid. Rag is, in my opinion, right, and intimates that much of his honour is torn away. JOHNS. L. 19. Bottled fpider,] A Spider is called bottled, because, like other infects, he has a middle flender and a belly protuberant. Richard's form and venom make her liken him to a spider. JOHNS. P. 448. 1. 1. Q. Mar. Peace, mafter marquis, you are malapert, Your fire-new ftamp of honour is fcarce current,] Shakefpeare may either allude to the late creation of the marquis of Dorfet, or to the inftitution of the title of marquis here in England, as a special dignity; which was no older than |