35 Nor never. The double negative is common in Shakspeare. Cf. Merchant of Venice, v. 1. 84

"The man that hath no music in himself,

Nor is not moved by concord of sweet sounds." Hydra-headed. Johnson supposes that Shakspeare was thinking of Hercules and the Lernaean hydra here, and of the Augean stables above.

37 The change. The leopard cannot change his spots. Shakspeare does not make the monarch change his nature on coming to the throne. The character of the king is the true development of the character of the prince, though peers and prelates, in the play, generally though not always fail to recognise the truth. See Introduction, pp. x.-xii.

39 Hear him, &c. There is no sufficient reason to suppose that these lines were added later to gratify King James, who accounted himself a great theologian. Still it is not impossible. 43 List his discourse. Expect list to, but cf. King Lear, v. 3. 181, "List a brief tale."

45 Cause of policy.

Any political matter.'

46 The Gordian knot. This knot was one of the fastenings of a chariot said to have been dedicated by Gordius, an early Phrygian king, in the temple of Zeus at Gordium. Tradition declared that whoever could loose this knot should rule over Asia. Alexander the Great solved the problem by cutting it. The Archbishop here contrasts Henry with Alexander, saying that the former would have needed no such rough-and-ready method; the loosing of the knot by legitimate means would have presented no difficulty to him.

47 That'so that.' A common usage. "And he smote him that he died."

Cf. 2 Samuel 1. 15,

48 Chartered libertine; i.e. 'one with full liberty to do as he will, guaranteed.' Cf. As You Like It, ii. 7. 48—

"I must have liberty,

Withal as large a charter as the wind,
To blow on whom I please."

49 The mute wonder lurketh. As a bee lurks in the flower to suck the honey.

51 So that the art, &c. 'So that practice and practical experience must have taught him his theoretical principles.' Theobald curiously renders (reading act for art), The king should now wed that theory to action."

66

53 Which... it. Redundant object='which how his grace should glean is a wonder.' Cf. "I know thee who thou art," where the relative clause is the object of the verb, and thee is redundant.

55 Companies.

'Companions.'

59 Popularity. Plebeian intercourse" (STEEVENS), suggest

ing the Latin use of populares 'the demagogic faction.' Cf. 1 Henry IV. iii. 2. 69, Grew a companion to the common streets, Enfeoffed himself to popularity.?

66 Crescive in his faculty. "Increasing in its proper power." (JOHNSON.)

His. The earlier form of the possessive case, used both for masculine and neuter. Its," which was only beginning to come into use, does not occur in the Authorised Version of the Bible.

73 Swaying, &c. 'Inclining to our side.'

74 Exhibiters. The technical term for what we now call the "promoters" of a Bill in Parliament. Cf. Merry Wives, ii. 1. 29, "I'll exhibit a bill in the parliament for the putting down of men.

76 Upon; i.e. 'on the occasion of,' or perhaps 'on the part of.

81 Withal. (1) 'With,' as here. Cf. As You Like It, iii. 2. 328, &c., "I'll tell you who Time ambles withal, who Time trots withal, who Time gallops withal, and who he stands still withal." (2) Therewith." (3) 'Besides.'

86 Severals. 6 'Particulars.' Cf. Troilus, i. 3. 180, "Severals and generals of grace."

Unhidden passages. Clear lines of succession.'

88 Seat. Throne.'

89 For the nature of this claim see Appendix, §§ 2, 3.

SCENE 2.

Hall and Holinshed give the following as the course of negotiations before war was declared: Parliament meeting in Henry's second year, the bishops urged the king to press his claim to the French crown, the case being argued exactly as in the first 200 lines of this scene. Thereupon Henry sent an embassy demanding the crown of France and sundry duchies. Being answered indefinitely—unless the story of the tennisballs (258 and note) is true-war was resolved on. Then came a French embassy offering "a great some of money with diverse base and pore countries with the lady Katherin in marriage (HALL), an offer which was scouted. This scene may be taken as covering the whole of these negotiations. See also Appendix, § 4.

دو

4 Resolved; i.e. 'satisfied.' Cf. Richard III. iv. 5, 19, "These letters will resolve him of my mind."

II The law Salique. The aw limiting the royal succession to the male line. See Appendix, §§ 2, 3. The law, which was a custom of the Franks who lived on the mouth of the Rhine, appears to have been applied first in French politics,

and affirmed as French law, in order to place Philip of Valois on the throne. (See tables, Appendix, §3.) Mr. Moberly (Rugby edition) derives Salique from Old German sala, 'house,' a kind of property which would naturally pass to a male heir, because the women were expected to marry and go to the husband's house.

12 Or... or for 'either . . . or.' Cf. 225 following"Or there we'll sit .

Or lay these bones in an unworthy urn.

15 Nicely. 'Nice''subtle.' So here, "By too much subtlety." Cf. Richard II. ii. 1. 84, "Can sick men play so nicely with their words."

Charge. Burden.' Cf. Julius Cæsar, iii. 3. 2, “ And things unlucky charge my fantasy.'

16 Opening titles miscreate. 'Discovering titles which have no legitimate basis.'

19 Approbation. 'Ratification,' not ‘approval.'

21 Impawn. 'Pledge;' i.e. 'take care of that to which you are pledging me, if you lead me to begin war.'

27 Wrongs. 'Wrong-doing.' More commonly passive= 'wrongs suffered.' So Folio.

Wrongs gives. editions wrongs give.

note.

Globe wrong gives. Other

See Appendix, § 1, and cf. i. Prol. 9,

28 Makes. So Folio. Globe make; v. supra.

30 No bar. The Archbishop leaves out of count the prior claim, by descent, of the Mortimers. To have recognised that would have been in effect to dispute Henry's title to the English throne.

32 and following lines. The Archbishop's argument runs as follows: "The reigning house of France claims the throne by the Salic law; but that law applies only to the Salic district, not to the French crown (32-55), having been instituted specifically for that district as late as Charlemagne (55-64); whereas Charlemagne's own predecessor Pepin, and the house of Capet, which subsequently usurped the throne, recognised that they were bound to assert the female claim (64-89), so that ultimately the claim of the reigning house is itself inconsistent with the Salic law (89-95), which is itself contrary to biblical ordinance. (98-100)."

40 Unjustly. The obvious answer is, that the law known as "Salic" was not confined to the "Salic Land," but ratified as French law by the French nation. At the very worst, the title of the house of Valois could be rested on identical grounds with those on which Henry rested his own title to the English crown. See Appendix, §§ 2, 3.

Gloze.

Explain.' Cf. Holinshed-"Which the French

glossers expound to be the realme of France." The "glossers are clearly the "legal commentators."

58 Defunction. 'Death.'

In

61 Charles the Great throughout is the Emperor, known, according to taste, as Karl or Charles the Great, or Charlemagne. 74 The Lady Lingare is a wholly fictitious person. Holinshed, whom Shakspeare follows closely, she appears as "Lingard," possibly a corruption of "Luitgard," Charlemagne's fifth wife.

75 Charlemain is not the above Charlemagne, but “Carolus Magnus," commonly known as Charles the Bald."

66

77 Lewis the Tenth. As a matter of fact, Louis IX. was the grandson of Isabel. Throughout this account Holinshed follows Hall closely, but changes Lewis IX. here into Lewis X. Shakspeare followed Holinshed, though he seems to have read Hall.

88 King Lewis his satisfaction. His was often put for the sign of the possessive case, from a mistaken explanation of the form. So 2 Henry IV. ii. 4. 262, “Poins his brother." But it does not occur elsewhere after a dissyllable in s. And throughout this speech "Lewis" is scanned practically as a monosyllable.

93 And rather choose, &c. "And prefer to hide behind what covers them no better than a net-i.e. prefer to make a pretended defence with a plea which every one can see throughrather than freely bar their own inadequate claim; i.e. own that they have no claim."

94 Imbar. Either bar, as above interpreted (so SCHMIDT), or bar in; i.e. 'secure,' 'defend,' by producing a stronger title. (Clarendon Press Edition.) Several commentators prefer to read "imbare"="lay bare," as being better contrasted with "hiding in a net."

106-110. The reference is to the battle of Crecy. Bowle quotes Holinshed: "The earle of Northampton and others sent to the king, where he stood aloft on a windmill-hill; the king demanded if his son were slaine, hurt, or felled to the earth. No, said the knight that brought the message, but he is sore matched. Well (said the king) return to him and them that sent you, and saie to them, that they send no more to me for any adventure that falleth, so long as my son is alive; for I will that this journaye be his."

114 Cold for action; i.e. 'with waiting for action,' 'for want of action.' For='so far as regards.'

118 Renowned them. 'Made them famous.' Cf. Twelfth Night, iii. 3. 24, "The things of fame that so renown this city.' But the verb dropped out of use.

119 Runs. Singular verb, with two subjects coupled by "and." Cf. Prol. 9, note, and Appendix, § 1.

120 Henry was in his twenty-seventh year.

125-6 They know, &c. 'They know you have cause, and you have it." Warburton wished to read race for grace quite

superfluously.

128 Whose hearts, &c. ; i.e. in desire and imagination, they are already in France.

131 Blood. Folio bloods.

An instance showing the liability to inserting s by a misprint, which must be considered in deciding the question raised in Appendix, § 1.

137 Proportions. 'Calculations.' So 2 Henry IV. iv. I. 23, "The just proportion that we gave them out." But cf. Glossary. 138 Make road. 'Make inroad.' So Coriolanus iii. 1. 5, "Ready to make road upon's again."

140 Marches. 'Borders.' Applied especially to the Welsh and Scotch borders. So we speak of neighbouring estates marching" together.

144 Intendment. Either (1) 'purpose'='intention,' or (2) 'incursion.' Formed from intend in the sense of intendere cursum, for which cf. 1 Henry IV. iv. 1. 92—

"The king himself in person is set forth,
Or hitherwards intended speedily.'

150 That'so that.' Cf. i. I. 47, note.

151 Assays. 'Attempts,' so 'hostile attempts,' 'attacks.' Cf. Hamlet, ii. 2. 71, “To give the assay of arms against your majesty.'

154 Shook. Owing to the general tendency to discard inflexional terminations, the participle in -en (shaken, &c.) was often dropped, and the form of the past tense substituted. So 2 Henry IV. i. 1. 131, "Stumbling in fear, was took."

155 Feared; i.e. 'frightened.' Cf. Merchant of Venice, ii. I. 9, "I tell thee, lady, this aspect of mine hath feared the valiant."

161 The King of Scots. David Bruce, taken at the battle of Neville's Cross, in 1346.

165 The idea of danger from Scotland appeals to Westmoreland as a neighbour of the border. This speech is not really inconsistent with the former one (124, foll.), where the point is that Henry is as well equipped as any ancestor for martial exploits. Perhaps he meant to urge a Scotch war.

173 To tear and havoc; i.e. by tearing,' &c. So 2 Henry IV. Introduction, 28, "What mean I to speak so true?" Acts xxi. 13, "What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart?” Originally to was used with the gerund to express purpose. But the inflexions of gerund and infinitive were disused; and to simply became the sign of the gerund or infinitive. To tear is here gerund.-Tear, Folio tame. Tear is Rowe's emendation. Theobald proposed taint, which is perhaps more appro