P. 114, first 1. and fol. K. Rich. Stay, Madam, &c.] On this dialogue 'tis not necessary to bestow anuch criticism, part of it is ridiculous, and the whole improbable.

P. 114, 1, 18...

--

JOHNSON. she is of royal blood,] The she is a royal Princess. STEEVENS. Lo, at their births] Perhaps No, at their births

folio reads \. P. 114, 1. 25. we should read

MALONE.

P. 115, 1. 4. 5.

Whose hands soever lanc'd their tender hearts,

Thy head, all indirectly, gave direction:] This is a jingle in which Shakspeare perhaps found more delight than his readers. STEEVENS.

P. 115, l. 6. 7. the murderous knife was dull and blunt,

Till it was whetted on thy stone-hard heart,] This conceit seems also to have been a great favourite of our author. We meet with it more than once.

P. 115, l. 9.

use. STEEVENS. P. 115, 1. 28.

STEEVENS.

still use ] i. e. constant

The high imperial type of this

earth's glory, exhibition, show, display. JoHNSON.

Type is

I think it means emblem, one of its usual significations. By the imperial type of glory, Richard means a crown. M. MASON.

The canopy placed over a pulpit is still called by architects a type. It is, I apprehend, in a similar sense that the word is here used.

HENLEY.

P. 115, 1. 30. 31.

what state, what dignity, what honour,

Canst thou demise to any child of mine?] To demise is to grant, from demittere, to devolve a right from one to another. STEEVENS.

66

The constant language of leases is, demised, granted, and to farm let." But I believe the word is used by no poet but Shakspeare. For demise, the reading of the quarto, and first folio, the editor of the second folio arbitrarily substituted devise. MALONE.

P. 116, last 1. & P. 117, 1. 1. 2. - as sometime Margaret

Did to thy father, steep'd in Rutland's blood,

A handkerchief;] Here is another reference to the plays of Henry VI. JOHNSON.

P. 117, 1. 19. she cannot choose but have thee,] Old copy-hate thee. The scuse seems to require that we should read:

- but love thee, ironically. TYRWHITE.

As this is evidently spoken ironically, I agree with Tyrwhitt, that the present reading is corrupt, but should rather amend it by reading "have you, " than "love you;" as the word have is more likely to have been mistaken for hate, the traces of the letters being nearly the same.

M. MASON. As this conjecture is, in my opinion, at once fortunate and judicious, I have placed it in the A somewhat corresponding error had happened in Coriolanus, last speech of scene iv. Act IV. where have was apparently given instead of→ hate. STEVENS.

text.

P. 117, 1. 20.

Having bought love with such
a bloody spoil.] Spoil

is waste, havock. JOHNSON.

P. 117, last but one 1. Endur'd of her,] Of in the language of Shakspeare's age was frequently used for by. MALONE.

P. 117, last but one 1.

the past tense from bide.

for whom you bid
Bid is în

like sorrow.
JOHNSON.

P. 118, 1. 17 - 20. The liquid drops of tears that you have shed,

Shall come again transform'd to orient pearl; Advantaging their loan, with interest &c.] The folio-love. My easy emendation will convince every reader that love and lone are made out of one another only by a letter turned upside down. The tears that you have lent to your afflictions, shall be turn'd into gems; and requite you by way of interest, &c. THEOBALD.

How often, the letters u and n'are confounded in these copies, has been shewn in various places. MALONE. P. 118, 1. 31. To whom I will retail my conquest won,] To retail (as Mr. M. Mason has observed in a note on Act III. sc. i.) is to hand down from one to another. Richard, in the present instance, means to say he will transmit the benefit of his victories to Eliza beth. STEEVENS.

P. 119, 1. 10. the King's King forbids.] Alluding to the prohibition in the Levitical law. See Leviticus xviii, 14. GREY,

P. 121, first 1. Which now, two tender bedfellows for dust,] Mr. Roderick observes, that the word two is without any force, and would read:

"

Which now too tender, &c. STEEVENS. P. 122, I. 12. in that nest of spicery, they shall breed &c.] Alluding to the Phoenix. STEEVENS.

P. 122, last 1. K. Rich. Some light-foot friend post to the Duke of Norfolk: &c.] Richard's precipitation and confusion is in this scene very happily represented by inconsistent orders, and sudden variations of opinion. JOHNSON ♪ :P. 124, l. 16. What heir of York is there alive, but we?]

i. e.

What son of Richard Duke of York? RITSON. Richard asks this question in the plenitude of power, and no one dares to answer him. But they whom he addresses, had they not been intimidated, might have told him, that there was a male heir of the house of York alive, who had a better claim to the throne than he; Edward Earl of Warwick, the only son of the Usurper's elder brother, George Duke of Clarence; and Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of Edward IV, and all her sisters, had a better title than either of them.

MALONE. The issue of King Edward had been pronounced illegitimate, the Duke of Clarence attainted of high-treason, and the usurper declared "the undoubted heir of Richard Duke of York," by act of parliament: so that, as far as such a proceeding can alter the constitution, and legaliza usurpation and murder, he is perfectly correct and unanswerable. RITSON.

P. 125, last 1.

-

more competitors-] That is, more opponents. JOHNSON.

Competitors do not here mean opponents, but associates. See a note on this subject in The

Two Gentlemen of Verona, where Sir Proteus, speaking of Valentine, says,

Myself in counsel his competitor.".

That is, his associate. M. MASON. {

P. 126, last 1. & P. 127, first 1. — he, mistrust

ing them,

Hois'd sail, and made his course again for Bretagne.] Henry Tu-dor, Earl of Richmond, the eldest son of Edmund of Hadham Earl of Richmond, (who was halfbrother to King Henry VI.) by Margaret; the only daughter of John the first Duke of Somerset, who was grandson to John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster, was carried by his uncle Jasper Earl of Pembroke immediately after the battle of Tewksbury into Britany, where he was kept in a kiud of honourable custody by the Duke of Bretagne, and where he remained till the year 1484, when he made his escape and fled for protection to the French court. Being considered at that time as nearest in blood to King Henry VI. all the Lancastrian party looked up to him even in the life-time of King Edward IV. who was extremely jealous of him; and after Richard usurped the throne, they with more confidence supported Richmond's claim. The claim of Henry Duke of Buckingham was in some respects inferior to that of Richmond; for he was descended by his mother from Edmund the second Duke of Somerset, the younger brother of Duke John; by his father from Thomas Duke of Gloster, the younger brother of John of Gaunt: but whatever priority the Earl of Richmond might claim by his mother, he could not plead any title through his father, who in fact had no Laucastrian blood whatsoever: nor was his maternal title of the pu- '