Your pens to lances; to lances; and your tongue divine To a loud trumpet, and a point of war? Arch. Wherefore do I this?-so the question stands. And purge the obstructions, which begin to stop I have in equal balance justly weigh'd What wrongs our arms may do, what wrongs we suffer, And find our griefs heavier than our offences. We see which way the stream of time doth run, And are enforc'd from our most quiet sphere By the rough torrent of occasion : And have the summary of all our griefs, When time shall serve, to show in articles; When we are wrong'd, and would unfold our griefs, Even by those men that most have done us wrong. lowed by Sir Thomas Hanmer. Steevens, perhaps as plausibly, suggests greaves, i. e. armour for the legs, a kind of boots. instance,] i. e. Proof, recurrence. This word is used by Shakspeare with great laxity. But to establish here a peace indeed, West. When ever yet was your appeal denied? I make my quarrel in particular.P West. There is no need of any such redress; Mowb. Why not to him, in part; and to us all, Upon our honours? West. consecrate commotion's bitter edge?] i. e. The edge of bitter strife and commotion; the sword of rebellion.-MALONE. It was customary in the time of the crusades, for the pope to consecrate the general's sword.-WARBURTON. P My brother general, the commonwealth, &c.] i. e. My brother general (meaning Mowbray, the lord marischal) makes the misconduct of public affairs, and the welfare of the community, his cause of quarrel; but my particular cause of quarrel is a family injury, the cruelty with which my brother has been treated."-M. MASON. This appears the best of the explanations as the passage stands at present; perhaps the whole of the first line applies to Westmoreland, and that by a slight alteration we should read 'My brother-general i'the commonwealth, To brother born," &c. The circumstance alluded to is mentioned in the first part of this play: "The archbishop-who bears hard His brother's death at Bristol, the lord Scroop." a Construe the times to their necessities,] That is,-Judge of what is done in these times, according to the exigencies that over-rule us.-JOHNSON. Either from the king, &c.] Whether the faults of government be imputed to the time or the king, it appears not that you have, for your part, been injured either by the king or the time.-JOHNSON. To all the duke of Norfolk's signiories, Your noble and right-well-remember'd father's? O, when the king did throw his warder down, Have since miscarried under Bolingbroke. West. You speak, lord Mowbray, now you know not what: The earl of Hereford' was reputed then In England the most valiant gentleman; Who knows, on whom fortune would then have smil❜d? Cried hate upon him; and all their prayers, and love, And bless'd, and grac'd indeed, more than the king. To know your griefs; to tell you from his grace, • Their armed staves in charge,] An armed staff is a lance. To be in charge, is to be fixed in the rest for the encounter.-JOHNSON. — their beavers down,] Beaver meant properly that part of the helmet which let down, to enable the wearer to drink; but is confounded both here and in Hamlet with visiere, or used for helmet in general.-MALONE. sights of steel,] i. e. The perforated part of their helmets, through which they could see to direct their aim. Visiere, Fr.-STBEVENS. warder-] i. e. Truncheon, or staff of command. The earl of Hereford -] This is a mistake of our author's. He was duke of Hereford. MALONE. It shall appear that your demands are just, Mowb. But he hath forc'd us to compel this offer; West. Mowbray, you overween, to take it so; Mowb. Well, by my will, we shall admit no parley. Hast. Hath the prince John a full commission,. In very ample virtue of his father, To hear and absolutely to determine Of what conditions we shall stand upon? West. That is intended in the general's name :1 I muse, you make so slight a question. Arch. Then take, my lord of Westmoreland, this schedule; For this contains our general grievances : Each several article herein redress'd; All members of our cause, both here and hence, That are insinew'd to this action, Acquitted by a true substantial form; a - intended in the general's name: ne:] Intended is understood, like the French entendre. It is a power included in the name or office of a general.-STEEVENS and JOHNSON. b — substantial form ;] i. e. By a pardon of due form and legal validity. -JOHNSON. c confined ;]-is the old reading, and though the modern editors have changed it for consigned; it is indisputably right. Confined means tied up to. awful banks again,] i. e. The proper limits of reverence.-JOHNSON. West. This will I show the general. Please you, lords, In sight of both our battles we may meet: And either end in peace, which heaven so frame! Which must decide it. Arch. My lord, we will do so. [Exit WEST. Mowb. There is a thing within my bosom, tells me, That no conditions of our peace can stand. Hast. Fear not that if we can make our peace you Upon such large terms, and so absolute, As our conditions shall consist upon, Our peace shall stand as firm as rocky mountains. That every slight and false-derived cause, That even our corn shall seem as light as chaff, And good from bad find no partition. Arch. No, no, my lord; Note this, the king is weary Of dainty and such pickingh grievances: For he hath found,-to end one doubt by death, Revives two greater in the heirs of life. And therefore will he wipe his tables' clean; To new remembrance: For full well he knows, So that this land, like an offensive wife, e consist upon,] Perhaps the meaning is, as our conditions shall stand upon, shall make the foundation of the treaty. A Latin sense.-MALONE. nice,] i. e. Trivial. our royal faiths-] i. e. The faith we owe to the king. picking- i. e. Insignificant. his tables- i. e. His table-book. |