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50 Flesh'd.

'Glutted;' generally, but not always (cf. iii. 3. II)='having tasted blood for the first time.'

51 Strain. 'Race.'

53 Too much memorable. Much is here simply intensive; as we use it with comparatives or participles, but not with positive adjectives. Cf. 2 Henry IV. 4. III, Now I am much ill."

66

64 Fate of him. (1) 'The destiny allotted to him' (JOHNSON); or (2) 'The doom (for us) that he brings with him.' Cf. fatal, 13, note.

70 Spend their mouths. 'Bay.'

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83 Sinister awkward. Primarily 'left-handed' and 'back-handed'; hence both words contain the notion of 'clumsy' and 'underhand,' and 'perverse,' which would be the nearest equivalent for either. Sinister here also suggests the notion of illegitimacy,' which is represented in heraldry by a "bend sinister" on the coat of arms. The meaning of the word now is confined almost to 'ill-omened,' from its occasional use in Latin in that sense, derived not from Roman but from Greek augury.

88 Line. Pedigree.'

90 Willing you overlook. Cf. ii. Prol. 18, note.

The insertion or omission of "to" before the infinitive after such words as will," "bid," &c., is very irregular in Shakespeare. IOI That. he will compel.

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102 Bids you

note.

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deliver up.

That'so that.'

and to take mercy. Cf. 1. 90,

Here we have to omitted with one infinitive and inserted with another, after the same verb bids. Cf. Julius Cæsar, i. 2. 172, "Brutus had rather be a villager than to repute himself a son of Rome," &c.

105 His for its. 106 1urning. matically correct. for turning.

Cf. i. 1. 66, note.

The Quarto reads turns he, which is gram-
We want either upon for and on, or turns he

107 Pining. Quarto reading. Folio privy.

124 Vaultages; i.e. hollow places which give an echo.' 125 Chide. 'Echo,' 'resound,' 'clamour.' So used of dogs baying.

126 Ordnance. Pronounced as a trisyllable. Folio spells ordenance. Where a liquid follows a consonant, an indefinite vowel sound is often introduced between them, and sometimes represented in spelling; e.g. in double forms like "through" and "thorough," "flip" and "fillip," "chrism" and "chrisom "; SO ordnance," "handling," and like words may be scanned as either trisyllables or disyllables. Here, however, ordinance is the correct form, and the vowel is slurred.

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133 Mistress-court. 'Chief tennis-court.' 145 Breath. 'Breathing time.'

ACT III. Prologue.

4 Well-appointed. 'Well-equipped.'

5 Brave.

'Splendid.' Cf. the double sense of gallant.

14 Rivage. 'Bank.' Der. Lat. ripa, 'bank.' The word does not occur elsewhere in Shakspeare. Three more äπağ λeyóμeva of precisely similar formation occur within a few lines-sternage (line 18), portage (1. 10), and vaultage (ii. 4. 124).

21 Either. Scanned as monosyllable, the th being slurred. So often with whether. Puissance here disyllabic, generally trisyllabic.

26 Ordnance. See ii. 3. 126, note. disyllable.

Ordnance here is a

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31 Dukedoms. Shakspeare has not kept the different offers clear. Cf. i. 2. 247, note. The offer there was of Aquitaine, Normandy, and Anjou, which were scarcely petty and unprofitable. The last offer actually made by France was the hand of Katherine, with nine hundred thousand crowns, and Limoges and its dependencies. Pleases not.'

32 Likes not.

33 Linstock. Chambers.

The staff to which the match was attached.' Small pieces of ordnance.'

SCENE I.

For Holinshed's account of Harfleur see notes at end of Scene 3.

1, 2 These are not exactly alternatives; the wall could hardly be "closed up" without the breach being again entered. But it is scarcely necessary to suppose with Johnson that a line is omitted.

10 Portage. 'Loop-holes' or 'embrasures,' as of a fort. Cf. Pr. 14, rivage, note.

12 Galled. 'Fretted,'
,''chafed' by the water.

13 His for its. See i. I. 66, note.

Confounded. 'Worn or wasted.' (JOHNSON.)

16 Bend up. to his full height. As the string is strained to its full tension by bending up the bow.

17 Noblest; i.e. 'of high degree," as distinct from the 'good yeomen,' separately addressed below.

18 Fet. Fetched.'

21 Argument. 'Matter.' When there was nothing left to use their swords on.

27 The mettle of your pasture. 'The fine quality of your breeding.'

30 That hath not; i.e. 'As not to have.'

31 In the slips; ¿.e. ‘Held in the leashes which are slipped to set them free.'

SCENE 2.

In fine contrast with Henry's rousing speech, we are now introduced to the valiant trio as they appear when blows are going. Bardolph is the most successful in assuming the appearance of courage.

3 Corporal. The titles of lieutenant and corporal are distributed in a somewhat reckless manner. They are both applied to Bardolph, who also applies the former to Ancient Pistol.

4 A case of lives. A store of lives to draw upon.' Perhaps a pair is meant, as a case of pistols or poniards meant a pair. If, with Mr. Aldis Wright, we infer from plain-song that a case of musical instruments is intended, it would mean four.

5 Plain-song. Properly, the 'air' alone as opposed to complicated forms; i.e. without descant or other harmony.'

So "the simplest form."

II Doth. Singular verb with plural subject, though Pistol's aberrations, like Mrs. Quickly's, must not be counted as instances of Shakspearian grammar. But cf. Appendix, § I.

21 Preach. Here and elsewhere the Folio spelling has been occasionally altered, with a view to producing some general conformity in Fluellen's pronunciation.

22 Duke. The complimentary title is applied to Fluellen simply to curry favour. It is superfluous to consider with some commentators that Exeter is on the stage.

Men of mould. "To men of earth, to poor mortal men." (JOHNSON.)

29 Swashers. 'Swash-bucklers,' 'braggarts.'

Boy to all three; i.e. 'serving-boy.' The boy plays on the use of both boy and man in the sense of servant.

31 Antics. Through 'antique' to 'old-fashioned' and so 'grotesque.'

35 Breaks words. The boy is of course playing on the similarity of word and sword.

36 Best; i.e. 'bravest.'

39 Good deeds; i.e. 'deeds of valour.'

41 Purchase. This word means little more than 'procuring,' the verb not implying any money transaction. Henry IV. (2 Henry IV. iv. 5. 199) speaks of his crown as "purchased." For the euphemism cf. Merry Wives, i. 3. 32, “Convey the wise it call. Steal! foh! a fico for the phrase.'

43 Sworn brothers; i.e. ‘they go shares.' Cf. ii. I. II, note.

45 Piece of service. Playing on the different senses of military service and domestic service.

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Carry coals. Cant phrase for 'submit to anything.' So Romeo and Juliet, i. 1. 1, “Gregory, o' my word we'll not carry coals. Numbers of other instances are quoted sub loc. by Steevens. Presumably the carrying of coals was regarded as a peculiarly degraded service. Here suggested to the boy's mind by the fire-shovel.

49 Pocketing. So we speak of "pocketing an insult."

53 Presently. 'Immediately;' now='before long.' Anon ('an one'=' in one moment') passed through a similar softening. 57 Disciplines. Fluellen uses the word in the sense of Latin disciplina. The "disciplines of the wars are the rules of

scientific warfare."

66

59 Has digt himself. Fluellen means, "Has dug countermines four yards under the mines."

71 and following. This passage has been referred to in the Introduction (pp. viii. ix.), because commentators have attempted to invest it with a direct political bearing, supposing it to have been inserted on behalf of the Essex party, who aimed at a union of the whole of the British Islands. Even if we could allow that Shakspeare doctored his plays with a view to current politics, this scene can hardly be twisted into bearing any marked political aspect.

It serves, however, to illustrate the barbaric condition of Ireland in Shakspeare's day that Captain Macmorris should pass as a representative character. His English is incomparably the worst of any. Beside Fluellen and the imperturbable Jamy he is little better than a savage. The finished portraiture of Shakspeare's Welshmen, and the undoubted Scotchness of Captain Jamy, show the poet's capacity for detecting national traits clearly enough to make us sure that Macmorris is a very fair portrait of the Irishman as known in England in his day. Shakspeare, as a Warwickshire man, had probably considerable opportunities of studying Welsh character. One of his fellowtownsmen was a Fluellen.

98 Quit you. 'Answer you.' Jamy means that he will join in the argument as occasion serves. Quit'repay.' See Glossary.

116 Ish a villain, &c. It is needless to transpose and put "Who talks of my nation" before "Ish a villain," &c., as Knight does, for the sake of making sense. The sentence is a splutter of indignation in a foreign language.

130 More better. The double comparative is common in Shakspeare. So Merchant of Venice, iv. 1. 251, "How much more elder art thou than thy looks."

SCENE 3.

1 Yet; i.e. after all this.' So John ii. 1. 361, "Whose party do the townsmen yet admit ?"

2 Latest parle. 'Last parley.' Latest in this sense of 'not to be repeated' has been almost entirely displaced by last with us. 8 Half-achieved. 'Half-won.'

II Fleshed. 'Having tasted (or had their fill) of flesh'; just as we talk of having tasted blood. Cf. ii. 4. 50, note. Rough, &c. In consequence of being fleshed.

24 Bootless. 'Vainly. Lit. 'unprofitably.' Boot and booty are the same word.

26 Precept. Thus accented = 'a legal summons.'

28 Take pity of. On and of are largely interchangeable; e.g. one might go of or on a message equally.

31 O'erblows. 'Blows away,' as a high wind which makes clouds drive overhead, prevents rain.

32 Heady (Steevens conjectures for Folio headly) = ‘hotheaded.' Cf. 1 Henry IV. ii. 3. 58, "A heady fight."

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45 Whom of succours we entreated. Cf. Merchant of Venice, iv. I. 402, “I humbly do desire your grace of pardon;" and Othello, iii. 3. 212, "I humbly do beseech you of your pardon.' We should say, I ask pardon of you"; not, "I ask you of pardon." Here possibly we should take whom of together, like whereof.

46 Yet

still.'

51 Uncle. Exeter was half-brother to Henry IV. 58 Addrest. 'Ready.'

That Harfleur was not over mercifully treated appears from Holinshed's account of the siege, as given below. It must, however, be remembered that Henry claimed that opposition on the part of a French town was rebellion.

"And dailie was the towne assaulted; for the Duke of Glocester to whome the order of the siege was committed, made three mines under the ground, and approaching to the wals with his engins and ordinance, would not suffer them within to take anie rest. For although they with their countermining somwhat disappointed the Englishmen . yet they were so inclosed on ech side, as well by water as land that succour they saw could none come to them." Accordingly they asked for a truce. "The king aduertised hereof, sent them word, that except they would surrender the towne to him the morow next insuing, without anie condition, they should spend no more time in talke about the matter." However, "the king neuerthelesse was after content to grant a respit upon certeine conditions, that the capteins within might haue time to send to the French king for succour. . . When this composition was

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