"The sense of reckoning of the opposed numbers.
Pluck their hearts from them not to-day, O Lord!
Oh, not to-day!—Think not upon the fault," etc.

So I punctuate. Many editors follow Tyrwhitt in reading 'if the' for 'of the' in the first line. Theobald read lest for 'of.'

Sc. 2.
"And doubt them with superfluous courage."

For 'doubt' Pope read daunt; Rowe, followed by Dyce and Cambridge editors, dout. As the 'superfluous courage' seems to be the blood spun out, the word may be daub.

"I stay but for my guard. On to the field!"

A most happy emendation was that made by Dr. Thackeray, and by an Anon. ap. Rann: "I stay but for my guidon.—To the field!" This is amply confirmed by the following line, and by this passage of Holinshed, "The Duke of Brabant, when his standard was not come, caused a banner to be taken from a trumpet and fastened to a spear, the which he commanded to be borne before him instead of a standard." Guidon is a term still in use in the cavalry service.

Sc. 3.
"He that shall see this day and live to old age."

Pope, who has been usually followed, transposed 'see' and 'live.' I rather think to was omitted, and see no necessity for transposition.

"They'll be in fresher robes; for they will pluck," etc.

The 4to and folio both, which all the editors follow, read 'or they'; my own and Hanmer's conjecture is 'for they,' which alone gives sense, by explaining how they would be 'in fresher robes.' How easily might the f have been lost or omitted!

Sc. 4.
"Calitay! Callinó castorè me!"

I have ventured to change the 'Qualtitie' of the folio to Calitay, the English mode of pronouncing qualité, with the accent on the last syllable; which suggests Callino, etc., for which see Index s. v. The French qualité would never suggest quality to an illiterate Englishman.

Sc. 5.
"Let us die in ... Once möre back again."

By this punctuation the reading of the folio becomes clear. Knight, whom late editors follow, reads 'in honour,' which occurs in the 4to.

Sc. 7.
"To book our dead and then to bury them."

Collier's folio reads look, which might seem preferable.

Sc. 8.
"Now, Herald, are the dead all numbered?"

It might be better to read 'the dead on both sides.'

Act V.

Chor. "And the Emperor's coming in behalf of France."
Sc. 1.
"I eat and eat I swear...."

I read, with Johnson, 'eke' for the second 'eat,' as more Pistolian.

Sc. 2.
"So happy be the issue, brother Ireland."

I retain this reading of the folio; for I cannot see what should make the printer change England to Ireland, while the Queen may have done so to vary the title.

"Is be full of deceits; dat is de princess say."
"Wanting the scythe all uncorrected, rank."

The folio reads 'withal' for 'all.'

"And as our vineyards, fallows, meads, and hedges."

The folio has 'all our,' which the context rejects. 'As' is the reading of Capell.

"Sauf votre honneur, me understand not well."

Sense and metre seem to demand the negative.

"And I of thine most truly falsely must needs."
"Notwithstanding the poor and untempering effect of my visage."

I think we should read untempting, with Warburton.

"His daughter first, and in the sequel all."
"And thereupon give unto me your daughter."

KING HENRY VI.—PART I.

Act I.

Sc. 1.
"Than Julius Cæsar or bright ..."

Johnson proposed Berenice; and, though it was her hair and not herself that was stellified, he may have been right. The punctuation here given, however, removes all difficulty.

"Guienne, Champaigne, Rheims, Orleans, and Roan."

A little lower we have, "Is Paris lost? is Roän yielded up?"

"A third thinks that without expense at all."

The 2nd folio reads 'A third man thinks.'

"He being in the vaward, placed behind."

Most certainly 'vaward' should be 'rearward'. Introd. p. 66.

Sc. 2.
"Otherwhiles the famish'd English like pale ghosts."

Collier's folio reads 'The whiles.'

Sc. 3.
"Villains, answer you the Lord Protector so?"

The folio has 'answer you so.'

"Gloster, we'll meet, and to thy cost, be sure."
"For I intend to have it off ere long."
Sc. 5.
"Sheep run not half so treacherous from the wolf."

For 'treacherous,' which must be wrong, Pope read timorous, Collier's folio tremulous.

Sc. 6.
"For rescued is Orleans from the English."

The 2nd folio reads 'English wolves.'

"Divinest creäture, Astræa's daughter."

The 2nd folio reads bright Astræa's.

"Before the kings and queens of France for aye."

Act II.

Sc. 3.
"Lady, that will I show you presently."
Sc. 4.
"Or else was wrangling Somerset in the error?"

It should apparently be right, not 'error'; as it is a few lines lower.

Sc. 5.
"Was for that—young King Richard they remov'd."
"Unto King Edward the Third, whëreas he."
"I doubt not but with honour to redress 'em."

Act III.

Sc. 1.
"Am I not Lord Protector, saucy priest?"
"Rome shall this remedy.—Roam thither then."

The folio reads "Rome shall remedy this."

"And Henry born in Windsor should lose all."

The 2nd folio added should.

Sc. 3.
"As looks the mother on her lowly babe."

For 'lowly' Collier's folio reads lovely.

Act IV.

Sc. 1.
"This dastard at the battle of Patay."

The folio reads Poictiers; Steevens made the correction. The error must have been the printer's.

"But always resolute in most extremes."

I adopt the correction of worst for 'most.'

"And now, my Lord Protector, view the letter."
"My lord, how say you? Are you not content?"

The folio reads "How say you, my lord?"

"To wilful disobedience and rebellion."

The end had certainly been effaced. Introd. p. 57.

"An if I wist he did ... but let it rest."

So Steevens corrected the wish of the folio.

"But that it doth presage some ill event."

For 'that' we should read sees, or some other verb.

Sc. 4.
"Swearing that you withhold his levied host."

For 'host' Hanmer read horse, which the next speech would seem to prove to be right.

Sc. 5.
"But if I bow they'll say it was for fear."

For 'bow' I read do.

Sc. 7.
"Great Märshal to Henery the Sixth."

So Lucy must have pronounced it, in a slow measured tone. See on Rich. II. i. 3.

"For God's sake let him have 'em."

For ''em' the folio reads him here, and five lines lower down.

Act V.

Sc. 3.
"And lay them gently on thy tender side.
I kiss these fingers for eternal peace."

I approve of this transposition made by Malone.

"Hast not a tongue? is she not here?"

The 2nd folio, which all follow, adds thy prisoner; alone might be better.

"Confounds the tongue and makes the senses rough?"

Various attempts have been made to amend 'rough,' but with little success. We might perhaps read dull; but 'rough' may have been used in the sense of rugged, insensible.

"And here I will expect thy coming down."
"Mad natural graces that extinguish art."

For 'Mad,' which makes no sense, Capell read And.

Sc. 4.
"Used intercession to obtain a league."

I think we should read truce or peace for 'league.'

Sc. 5.
"Provokes the mightiest hulk against the tide."

I incline to read Propels for 'Provokes.'

"Yes, my good lord, her father is a king."
"The most of all these reasons bindeth."
"Whëreas the contráry bringeth bliss."

The 2nd folio reads 'bringeth forth.'

KING HENRY VI.—PART II.

Act I.

Sc. 1.
"They please us well. Lord Marquess, kneel thee down."
"And hath his Highness in his infancy
Been crowned in Paris, in despight of foes?"

Capell also added Been.

Sc. 3.
"That my mistress was? No forsooth."

For 'mistress' Malone very properly read master. (See on Tam. of Shr. i. 2.) In the Contention the only word used here is master.

"God and King Henry govern England's realm.
Give up your staff, sir, and the King his realm."

One of these 'realms' must be wrong. (Introd. p. 60.) Johnson proposed helm for the first; I make that change in the second. "And you yourself shall steer the happy helm" (i. 3).

"She's tickled now; her fume now needs no spurs,
She'll gallop fast enough to her destruction."

The 2nd folio reads 'can need'; 'fast' is Pope's correction for far of the folio.

Act II.

Sc. 1.
"For with such holiness you can do it."

In 'The Contention,' etc., 4to, it is dote for 'do it'; the folio reads 'can you.'

"For to present your Highness with the man."
"How cam'st thou so?—A fall from off a tree."
"Then, Saunder, sit thee there, the lyingest knave."
"And would you not think it to be great cunning?"

The folio reads "it cunning to be great."

"Alas, alas! sir, we did it for pure need."
"Until they come to Berwick, whence they came."
Sc. 2.
"My lord, I long to hear it at full length."
"Father, the Duke has told the truth in this."
Sc. 3.
"Despatch; for this knave's tongue begins to double."
"Go, and take hence this traitor from our sight."

Act III.

Sc. 1.
"And in his simple show he harbours treason."

The proper place of this line is at the end of the speech, where I have placed it in my Edition. It then, it will be seen, refers to the fox, and the preceding line to the brook.

"That you will clear yourself from all suspense."

Capell and Collier's folio read suspect.

Sc. 2.
"I thank thee, Nell; these words content me much."

So the name was written evidently by the poet, and Elianor in a following speech of the Queen's. As Margaret had only occurred in the beginning of the play, and she is always simply Queen, Shakespeare, when making the additions, had probably forgotten her real name. Editors are therefore not justified in making alterations.

"Of ashy semblance, meagre, pale, and bloodless,
Being all descended to the labouring heart."

There is evidently a line lost between these.

"Madam, be still! with reverence may I say it."

So it is given in The Contention.

"Myself no joy in nought, but that thou livest."

For 'no' Collier's folio reads to, which seems to be right.

Act IV.

Sc. 1.
"Yes, Poole.—Poole?—Poole, sir Poole, lord Poole."
"Jove sometime went disguis'd, and why not I?"

This line, so essential to the sense, is not in the folio; to obtain it recourse has been had to The Contention.

"As hating thee, are rising up in arms."

For 'are,' Rowe's correction, the folio has and.

"Advance our half-fac'd sun, striving to shine."

For 'our' we should read a or an; for the Captain does not seem to have had any connexion with the House of York. See on Hen. V. ii. Chor.

"Exempt is true nobility from fear."

The folio reads 'True nobility is exempt.' We might also, with a loss of force however, read 'For true,' etc. Still the choice is difficult.

Sc. 2.
"I'll make myself a knight here presently."
Sc. 4.
"Trust nobody for fear you be betray'd."

The 2nd folio supplied be.

Sc. 7.
"And the help of hatchet."

For 'help' Farmer read pap. "Pap of hatchet" was a common phrase. In the preceding line there is in the folio a misprint of candle for 'caudle.'

Sc. 8.
"Or let a rabble lead you to your deaths."

Both Collier's and Singer's folio properly read rebel.

Sc. 9.
"Of Gallowglasses and stout Kernes he."
"I pray thee, Buckingham, to go and meet him."
Sc. 10.
"Contenteth me and is worth a monarchy."
"And as for words whose greatness answers words."

Act V.

Sc. 1.
"Alexander Iden, that's my name, my liege."
"They may astonish these fell lurking curs."

We should perhaps read lurching.

"Who being suffered with the bear's fell paw."

For 'being' it might be better to read having.

"And so to arms, my victorious father!"
Sc. 2.
"To cease! Wast thou ordained O dear father."
Sc. 3.
"Of Salisbury, who can report of him?"

I have followed Collier's folio in reading Old for 'Of'.

"Aged contusions and all brush of time,
And like a gallant in the brow of youth."

For 'brush' and 'brow' Collier's folio reads bruise and bloom.

KING HENRY VI.—PART III.

Act I.

Sc. 1.
"Prove it so, Henry, and thou shalt be King."
"Before I would have granted to that act."

This use of 'granted' is unusual; we might read assented.

"Will cost my crown, and like an empty eagle
Tire on the flesh of me."

I do not understand 'cost' here. Singer reads coast.

Sc. 2.
"Thou, Richard, shalt unto the duke of Norfolk,
And tell him privily of our intent.
You, Edward, shall unto my lord of Cobham."
"Courteous, witty, liberal, full of spirit."

The folio reads 'Witty, courteous.'

"The Queen with all the Northern earls and lords
Intend here to besiege you in your castle."

We might incline to read 'Intends'; but see Jul. Cæs. iv. 3, and Hen. VIII. i. 3.

Act II.

Sc. 2.
"And this soft courage makes your followers faint."

For 'courage' M. Mason gave from the original play carriage, which perhaps is right.

Sc. 5.
"So minutes, hoürs, days, weeks, months, and years."

The printer evidently omitted weeks.

"And so obsequious will thy father be
Men, for the loss of thee."

For 'Men,' which makes no sense, I read Son; Rowe has Lad, Collier Man, Dyce E'en. It is possible also that a prep., as 'fore or to, may have been effaced before 'Men.'

Act III.

Sc. 1.
"Let me embrace the sour adversaries."

I read, with Pope, adversities.

"We charge you in God's name and in the King's."
Sc. 2.
"Saying he'll lade it dry, to have his way."

We should probably read lay or ladle.

Sc. 3.
"Queen Margaret, prince Edward, and lord Oxford."
"Peace, impudent and shameless Warwick, peace!"
"Thou and lord Oxford, with five thousand men."

Act IV.

Sc. 1.
"Ay, but the safer when 'tis back'd by France."
"Go tell false Edward thy supposed King."

The folio has the for 'thy.'

Sc. 3.
"While he himself keeps in the cold field here."
"I'll follow you, and tell him then what answer."
Sc. 6.
"And all his lands and goods confiscated."
Sc. 7.
"I' faith, a wise, stout captain, and soon persuaded."

Act V.

Sc. 5.
"Take that, the likeness of this railer here."

For 'the' I incline to read 'thou.'

Sc. 6.
"Men for their sons, wives for their husbands,
And orphans for their parents' timeless death."

In the first line the 2nd folio adds fate, as it does And in the second line. For fate we might perhaps better read, as I have done, mourning.

KING RICHARD III.

Act I.

Sc. 1.
"Antony Woodeville, her brother there."

Here we must read 'Woodeville' as a trisyllable, like Catesby sometimes in this play, and Colleville in 2 Hen. IV. iv. 3.