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1 Lord. 'Tis our hope, fir,

After well-enter'd foldiers, to return
And find your grace in health.

King. No, no, it cannot be; and yet my heart
Will not confefs, he owes the malady

That does my life befiege. Farewel, young lords; Whether I live or die, be you the fons

Of worthy Frenchmen: 3 let higher Italy

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This is obfcure. Italy, at the time of this fcene, was under three very different tenures. The emperor, as fucceffor of the Roman emperors, had one part; the pope, by a pretended donation from Conftantine, another; and the third was compofed of free states. Now by the last monarchy is meant the Roman, the last of the four general monarchies. Upon the fall of this monarchy, in the fcramble, feveral cities fet up for themselves, and became free states: now these might be faid properly to inherit the fall of the monarchy. This being premised, let us now confider fenfe. The King fays, higher Italy-giving it the rank of preference to France; but he corrects himself and fays, I except those from that precedency, who only inherit the fall of the last monarchy; as all the little petty ftates; for inftance, Florence, to whom these voluntiers were going. As if he had faid, I give the place of honour to the emperor and the pope, but not to the free states.

WARBURTON.

The ancient geographers have divided Italy into the higher and the lower, the Apennine hills being a kind of natural line of partition; the fide next the Adriatick was denominated the higher Italy, and the other fide the lower: and the two feas followed the fame terms of diftinction, the Adriatick being called the upper fea, and the Tyrrhene or Tuscan the lower. Now the Sennones or Senois with whom the Florentines are here fuppofed to be at war, inhabited the higher Italy, their chief town being Arminium, now called Rimini, upon the Adriatick. HAN Mer. Sir T. Hanmer reads:

Thofe baftards that inherit, &c.

with this note :

Reflecting upon the abject and degenerate condition of the cities and states which arofe out of the ruins of the Roman empire, the laft of the four great monarchies of the world. HANMER.

Dr. Warburton's obfervation is learned, but rather too subtle; Sir Tho, Hanmer's alteration is merely arbitrary. The paffage is confeffedly

Thofe 'bated, that inherit but the fall
Of the laft monarchy) fee, that you come
Not to woo honour, but to wed it; when
The braveft queftant fhrinks, find what you feek,
That fame may cry you loud: I fay, farewel.

2 Lord. Health, at your bidding, ferve your majefty!

King. Thofe girls of Italy, take heed of them;
They fay, our French lack language to deny,
If they demand: beware of being captives,
Before you ferve.

Both. Our hearts receive your warnings.
King. Farewel.-Come hither to me.

[The King retires to a couch.

1 Lord. Oh my fweet lord, that you will ftay behind us!

Par. 'Tis not his fault; the fpark

2 Lord. Oh, 'tis brave wars!

Par. Moft admirable: I have feen those wars.

confeffedly obfcure, and therefore I may offer another explanation. I am of opinion that the epithet higher is to be understood of fituation rather than of dignity. The sense may then be this, Let upper Italy, where you are to exercise your valour, fee that you come to gain honour, to the abatement, that is, to the difgrace and depreffion of thofe that have now loft their ancient military fame, and inberit but the fall of the laft monarchy. To abate is used by Shakefpeare in the original fenfe of abatre, to deprefs, to fink, to deject, to fubdue. So, in Coriolanus:

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'till ignorance deliver you,

"As most abated captives to fome nation
"That won you without blows."

And bated is ufed in a kindred fenfe in the Merchant of Venice: in a bondman's key,

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"With bated breath and whiip'ring humbleness.

The word has still the fame meaning in the language of the law. JOHNSON.

4 ·Beware of being captives,

Before you ferve.]

The word ferve is equivocal; the fenfe is, Be not captives before you ferve in the war. Be not captives before you are foldiers.

D 4

JOHNSON.

Ber.

Ber. I am commanded here, and kept a coil with ; Too young, and the next year, and 'tis too early. Par. An thy mind stand to it, boy,

bravely.

fteal away

Ber. I fhall ftay here the forehorse to a fmock, Creaking my fhoes on the plain masonry,

'Till honour be bought up, and no fword worn, But one to dance with! By heaven, I'll fteal away. I Lord. There's honour in the theft.

Par. Commit it, count.

2 Lord. I am your acceffary; and fo farewel. Ber. I grow to you, and our parting is a tortur'd body.

I Lord. Farewel, captain.

2. Lord. Sweet monfieur Parolles !

Par. Noble heroes, my fword and yours are kin. Good sparks and luftrous, a word, good metals :— 5 You fhall find in the regiment of the Spinii, one captain Spurio, with his cicatrice, an emblem of war, here on his finifter cheek; it was this very fword entrench'd it: fay to him, I live; and observe his re'ports for me.

2 Lord. We fhall, noble captain.

s Ig grow to you, and our parting is a tortur'd body.] I read thus: Our parting is the parting of a tortured body. Our parting is as the difruption of limbs torn from each other. Repetition of a word is often the cause of mistakes the eye glances on the wrong word, and the intermediate part of the fentence is omitted. JOHNSON, So, in K. Henry VIII. act II. fc. iii:

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:

29 STEEVENS.

it is a fufferance, panging "As foul and body's fevering." You shall find in the regiment of the Spinii, one captain Spurio, bis cicatrice, with an emblem of war here on his finifter cheek ;] It is furprifing, none of the editors could fee that a flight tranfpofition was abfolutely neceffary here, when there is not common fenfe in the paffage, as it ftands without fuch tranfpofition. Parolles only means: You fhall find one captain Spurio in the camp, with a fear on his left cheek, a mark of war that my fword gave him.'

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THEOBALD.

Par

Par. Mars doat on you for his novices! what will you do?

Ber. Stay; the king

Par. Ufe a more fpacious ceremony to the noble lords; you have reftrain'd yourself within the lift of too cold an adieu: be more expreffive to them; for 7 they wear themselves in the cap of the time, there do mufter true gait, eat, fpeak, and move under the influence of the most receiv'd ftar; and though the devil lead the measure, fuch are to be follow'd: after them, and take a more dilated farewel.

Ber. And I will do fo.

Par. Worthy fellows; and like to prove moft finewy fword-men. [Exeunt.

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Laf. Pardon, my lord, for me and for my tidings. King. I'll fee thee to stand up.

7 they wear themfelves in the cap of the time, there, do mufter, true gait, &c.] The main obfcurity of this paffage arifes from the miftake of a fingle letter. We fhould read, instead of, do mufter, to mufter. To wear themselves in the cap of the time, fignifies to be the foremost in the fashion: the figurative allufion is to the gallantry then in vogue, of wearing jewels, flowers, and their miftrefs's favours in their caps. there to mufter true gait, fignifies to affemble together in the high road of the fashion. All the reft is intelligible and easy. WARBURTON.

I think this emendation cannot be faid to give much light to the obfcurity of the paffage. Perhaps it might be read thus: They do mufter with the true gaite, that is, they have the true military step. Every man has obferved fomething peculiar in the strut of a foldier. JOHNSON.

Perhaps we should read. mafter true gait. To mafter any thing, is to learn it perfectly. So, in the Firft Part of K. Hen. IV: "As if he mafter'd there a double spirit

"Of teaching and of learning'

Again, in K. Hen. V:

"Between the promise of his greener days,
"And thofe he mafters now."

In this last instance, however, both the quartos, viz. 1600, and 1608, read mufters. STEEVENS.

Laf.

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Laf. Then here's a man

Stands, that has bought his pardon. I would, you
Had kneel'd, my lord, to afk me mercy; and
That, at my bidding, you could fo ftand up.
King. I would I had; fo I had broke thy pate,
And afk'd thee mercy for't.

Laf. Goodfaith, 9 acrofs:but, my good lord,

'tis thus ;

Will you be cur'd of your infirmity?

King. No.

Laf. O, will you eat

No grapes, my royal fox?

yes, but you will,

My noble grapes, an if my royal fox

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Could reach them: I have seen a medecin,

That's able to breathe life into a stone;

Quicken a rock, and make you dance canary

With sprightly fire and motion; whofe fimple touch
Is powerful to araife king Pepin, nay,

To give great Charlemain a pen in his hand,
And write to her a love-line.

3

9

King. What her is this?

-that has bought his pardon.] The old copy reads-brought.

STEEVENS.

acrofs:] This word, as has been already obferved, is ufed when any pafs of wit mifcarries. JOHNSON.

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Yes, but you will, my noble grapes; an' if] Thefe words, my noble grapes, feem to Dr. Warburton and Sir T. Hanmer, to ftand fo much in the way, that they have filently omitted them. They may be indeed rejected without great loss, but I believe they are Shakespeare's words. You will eat, fays Lafeu, no grapes. Yes, but you will eat fuch noble grapes as I bring you, if you could reach them. JOHNSON.

2

I have feen a medecin,

That's able to breathe life into a ftone;

Quicken a rock, and make you dance canary]

Mr. Rich. Broom, in his comedy, intitled, The City Wit, or the Woman wears the Breeches, act IV. fc. i. mentions this among other dances: "As for corantoes, levoltos, jigs, measures, pavins, brawls, galliards or canaries; I fpeak it not fwellingly, but I fubfcribe to no man." Dr. GRAY.

Laf.

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