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455. For Orpheus' lute was strung with poets' sinews;] This shews Shakspere's knowledge of antiquity. He here assigns Orpheus his true character of legislator. For under that of a poet only, or lover, the quality given to his lute is unintelligible. But, considered as a lawgiver, the thought is noble, and the imagery exquisitely beautiful. For by his lute is to be understood his system of laws; and by the poets' sinews, the power of numbers, which Orpheus actually employed in those laws, to make them received by a fierce and barbarous people. WARBURTON

460. Visit by night your lady's chamber window

With some sweet concert: to their instruments,
&c.] The old reads:
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With some sweet consort

I believe, rightly. The words immediately following, “—to their instruments," shew, I think, that by consort was meant, band or company of musicians. So, in Massinger's Fatal Dowry, a tragedy, 1632: "Rom. By your leave, sirs! "Aym. Are you a consort?

"Rom. Do you take me for a fidler ?" Again, in our author's Romeo and Juliet

Tyb. Mercutio, thou consort'st with Romeo.

Mer. Consort! what, dost thou make us minstrels ?"

Thurio's next speech confirms this interpretation: "Let us into the city presently,

To sort some gentlemen well skill'd in musick.”

MALONE.

462. Tune a deploring dump ;-] A dump was the ancient term for a mournful elegy. STEEVENS.

464. will inherit her.] To inherit is, by our author, sometimes used, as in this instance, for to obtain possession of, without any idea of acquiring by inheritance. So, in Titus Andronicus:

"He that had wit would think that I had none,

"To bury so much gold under a tree,

"And never after to inherit it."

STEEVENS.

469. To sort-] i. e. to choose out what may best suit a particular occasion. So, in K. Richard III.

"Yet I will sort a pitchy hour for thee."

STEEVENS.

475. -I will pardon you.] I will excuse you from

waiting.

ACT IV.

JOHNSON.

Line 4.
IF not, we'll make you sit, and rifle you.]
The old copy reads as I have printed the passage.
Paltry as the opposition between stand and sit may be
thought, it is Shakspere's own. The editors read-
We'll make you, sir, &c.
STEEVENS.

Sir, is the corrupt reading of the third folio.

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MALONE.

37. Robin Hood was captain of a band of robbers, and was much inclined to rob churchmen.

JOHNSON. So, in A mery Geste of Robyn Hoode, &c. bl. let. no date :

"These byshoppes and these archebyshoppes,

"Ye shall them beate and bynde," &c.

By Robin Hood's fat friar. I believe, Shakspere means Friar Tuck, who was confessor and companion to this noted out-law.

So, in one of the old songs of Robin Hood: "And of brave Little John,

"Of Friar Tuck and Will Scarlett,

"Stokesly and Maid Marian.”

Again, in the 26th song of Drayton's Polyolbion: "Of Tuck the merry friar, which many a sermon made,

"In praise of Robin Hoode, his outlawes, and his trade."

See Figure III. in the plate at the end of the first part of K. Henry IV. with Mr. Tollet's observations on it. STEEVENS.

47. awful men :] Reverend, worshipful, such as magistrates, and other principal members of civil communities. JOHNSON. I think we should read lawful in opposition to lawless men. In judicial proceedings the word has this Sir J. HAWKINS.

sense.

The author of The Revisal has proposed the same

emendation.

STEEVENS.

Dij

Awful

Awful is used by Shakspere, in another place, in the sense of lawful. Second part of Henry IV. act iv.

SC. 2.

"We come within our awful banks again.”

TYRWHITT. Surely, awful, in the passage produced by Mr. Tyrwhitt, is an error of the press. I cannot help thinking the same also of the word introduced into the text here.

The old reading, however, may perhaps receive some support from a passage in Vittoria Corombona, a tragedy, by Webster, 1612:

"It is a wonder to your noble friends

That you

homines.

should in your prime age

"Neglect your awful throne." MALONE. I believe we should read-lawful men-i. e. legales So, in the Newe Boke of Justices, 1560, -commandinge him to the same to make an inquest and pannel of lawfull men of his countie.' For this remark I am indebted to Dr. Farmer.

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STEEVENS. Awful men means men well-governed, observant of law and authority; full of, or subject to awe. In the same kind of sense as we use fearful.

REMARKS

50. All the impressions, from the first downwards, An heir and niece allied unto the duke. But our poet would never have expressed himself so stupidly, as to tell us, this lady was the duke's niece, and allied to him for her alliance was certainly sufficiently in

cluded

cluded in the first term. Our author meant to say, she was an heiress, and near allied to the duke; an expression the most natural that can be for the purpose, and very frequently used by the stage poets. THEOBALD.

Mr. Theobald is often unfaithful in his account of the old copies. The first folio does not read, An heir, &c. but exhibits the line thus :

And heir and neece alide unto the duke.

I believe Shakspere wrote,

An heir, and near ally'd unto the duke.

Near was anciently spelt neere; so that there is only the variation of one letter-And was altered to an in the third folio. MALONE. 52. Whom, in my mood, I stabb'd unto the heart.] Mood means a FIT of passion. Thus Dryden: "Madness laughing in his ireful mood.”

Gray:

"Moody, madness, laughing, wild." HENLEY. 59. -in our quality—] Quality is nature relatively considered. STEEVENS.

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On silly women, or poor passengers.] This was one of the rules of Robin Hood's government.

*

STEEVENS.

89. sudden quips,] That is, hasty passionate reproaches and scoffs. So Macbeth is in a kindred sense said to be sudden; that is, irascible and im

petuous.

Diij

JOHNSON.
The

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