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―this golden rigol-] Rigol means a circle. STEEV.

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this golden rigol.' Rigol,' should be Regat, meaning that the crown is part of the Regalia, one of the ensigns of Royalty. Mr. S. informs us that rigol' means a circle-but why it should mean or signify a circle, I do not know. B.

K. Henry. When, like the bee, tolling from every flower

The virtuous sweets;

-tolling from every flower] This speech has been contracted, dilated, and put to every critical torture, in order to force it within the bounds of metre, and prevent the admission of hemistichs. I have restored it without alteration, but with those breaks which appeared to others as imperfections. The reading of the quarto is tolling. The folio reads culling. Tolling is taking toll. STEEV.

"Tolling" is not in this place taking toll, or tribute, but simply taking away. The sense is the same as culling. B.

Shal. Let me see, Davy; let me see:-yea, marry, William cook, bid him come hither.

William cook, bid him come hither.] It appears from this instance, as well as many others, that anciently the lower orders of people had no surnames, but in their stead were content to adopt the titles of their several professions. STEEV.

· William cook.' "The lower orders had anciently no surnames." Why what the plague! But perhaps the ingenious Mr. Steevens might have discovered in a little time that a common person had formerly no father: a circumstance which Prince Prettyman, it may be remembered, stood in fear of finding realized touching himself: and which, by the way, Dr. Johnson conceives to be possible in nature, if we are to judge from his note on a passage, A. 4. S. 4. of this play.

Mr. Steevens's meaning, however, as we are charitably led to imagine, will merely be that the people here spoken of were known-not by what we call a family name (cognomen) but by that (agnomen) which was derived from some particular action, or it might be from a trade or profession. This latter, however, is in fact, and properly, a surname. The family name (nom. gent.) I should yet observe, had, among the lower orders, its origin from the same source, (a trade or calling) and was become general in the time of Edward III.

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The advocates for Mr. S. may perhaps contend, that Herodotus speaks of a people who were without proper names. have only to say, that such his relation is utterly improbable; and that it is founded in error. B.

Ch. Just. And never shall you see, that I will beg A ragged and forestall'd remission.

A ragged and forestall'd remission.-] Rugged has no sense here. We should read:

A rated and forestall'd remission.

i. e. A remission that must be sought for, and bought with supplication. WARB.

Different minds have different perplexities. I am more puzzled with forestall'd than with ragged; for ragged, in our author's licentious diction, may easily signify beggarly, mean, base, ignominious; but forestall'd I know not how to apply to remission in any sense primitive or figurative. I should be glad of another word, but cannot find it. Perhaps by forestall'd remission, he may mean a pardon begged by a voluntary confession of offence, and anticipation of the charge. JOHN.

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And never shall you see, that I will beg

A ragged and forestall'd remission."

Warburton objects to one expression and Johnson to another. 'Ragged" is in this place without any meaning: and as to a forestall'd remission, no one will surely pretend to understand it. A ragged' should probably be arraigned. The n being left out by a careless transcriber (arraiged) the word would have nearly the sound of that in the text. I read the lines as follows

And never shall you see that I will beg, (Arraigned and forestall'd) remission:'

i. e. Never will I sue (charged as I am by the King, and who has a forestalled notion as to criminality in my proceedings, who has taken up prejudices against me,) no never,-as what I did was in honor of, and in support of, the authority of his father, will I beg forgiveness of Henry V.

Such, I believe, (by periphrasis) will be the sense of the passage: which after all, and from the ellipsis so common with the Poet, is somewhat obscure. B.

King Henry V.

ACT I. SCENE I.

Chor. O, for a muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention!

O for a muse of fire, &c.] This goes upon the notion of the Peripatetic system, which imagines several heavens one above another; the last and highest of which was one of fire.

WARB.

It alludes likewise to the aspiring nature of fire, which, by its levity, at the separation of the chaos, took the highest seat of all the elements. JOHN.

The commentators have 'here, I believe,

"Discover'd meanings which were never meant." "A muse of fire that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention"-means, I apprehend, vigor of fancy,--such as is capable of bold and daring flights; without any allusion to the Peripatetic system, or to the aspiring nature of fire. B.

Chor. Then should the warlike Harry, like himself, Assume the port of Mars; and, at his heels, Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword, and fire, Crouch for employment.

Leasht in like hounds, should famine, sword, and fire,

Crouch for employment.——]

In K. Henry VI. "Lean famine, quartering steel, and climbing fire," are called the three attendants on the English general, lord Tal

bot; and, as I suppose, are the dogs of war mentioned in Julius Cæsar.

This image of the warlike Henry very much resembles Montfaucon's description of the Mars discovered at Bresse, who leads a lyon and a lyoness in couples, and crouching as for employment.

TOLLET.

Crouch for employment.' Mr. Tollet is wrong in saying that the lion in Montfaucon's drawing is crouching as for employment. The lion crouching or couchant, is meant as being expressive of the valor of Mars. The animal is represented as subdued, and lying at the feet of the conqueror.

Chor. Whose high-upreared and abutting fronts
The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder.

Whose high-upreared and abutting fronts
The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder.]

B.

Perilous narrow, in burlesque and common language, meant no more than very narrow. STEEV.

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The perilous narrow ocean parts.'- Perilous, narrow' means, in this place, much more than very narrow. It is used to signify perilous on account of its narrowness. Every one knows that sailing in a narrow sea is infinitely more dangerous than in the broad and open ocean. In the former the waves by being confined have usually the appearance of breakers; while in the latter, except in very tempestuous weather, their motion is regular and uniform. There should be a between the words perilous narrow, as printed above. B.

Cant. But that the scambling and unquiet time

Did push it out of further question.

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The scambling and unquiet time. In the old household book of the 5th earl of Northumberland, there is a particular section appointing the order of service for the scambling days in lent, that is, days on which no regular meals were provided, but every one scambled, i. e. scrambled and shifted for himself as well as he could.

-So, in the old noted book intitled, "Leicester's Commonwealth," one of the marginal heads is, "Scambling between Leicester and Huntington at the upshot." Where in the text, the author says, "Hastings, for ought I see, when he cometh to the scambling, is like to have no better luck by the bear [Leicester] then his ancestors had by the boare [K. Rich. III.]." edit. 1641, 12mo. p. 87. So again, Shakspeare himself makes king Hen. V. say to the princess Katharine," I get thee with scambling, and thou must therefore prove a good soldier-breeder." Act V. PERCY.

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The scambling and unquiet time.' I would rather under

stand scambling, in the present instance, in the sense in which it is used by More, shifting, variable. B.

Cant. So that the art, and practic part of life Must be the mistress to this theorique :

-to this theorique :] Theoric is what terminates in speculation. STEEV.

-'to this theorique.' Theoric' is theory; and theory is the same as speculation. What Mr. Steevens means by "theory terminating in speculation," I cannot tell. It is the general observation that theory usually terminates in practice. B.

Cant. Save, that there was not time enough to hear (As, I perceiv'd, his grace would fain have done) The severals, and unhidden passages,

'Of his true titles to some certain dukedoms;

The severals, and unhidden passages,] This line I suspect of corruption, though it may be fairly enough explained: the passages of his titles are the lines of succession by which his claims descend. Unhidden is open, clear. JOHN.

The severals and unhidden passages.' The passage is corrupt :-It is evident that unhidden' must be wrong; for if the line of succession were open, or clear, as Johnson would understand by the word unhidden, the argument made use of by the Bishop is impertinent. The contrary, however, is the fact, and it is of Henry's rights as settled by compact that he speaks: a circumstance of which he finds the king to be ignorant. I therefore read :

'The severals, and unheeden pactises

Of his true titles, &c.'

The Bishop says there was not time sufficient to attend to particulars, to take into consideration the several compacts which had lain unheeded, and which will show that the king has a true title to certain dukedoms &c. Unheeden for unheeded—as I have before observed of participles, and words like the present which partake of the nature of the participle, or which may be termed participial adjectives.

Pactise is an old French word signifying contract, agreement. ("Pactiser-faire un pacte") "to covenant, to make a contract." Dict. B.

Cant. To fine his title with some shew of truth, (Though, in pure truth, it was corrupt and naught) Convey'd himself as heir to the lady Lingare,

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