P. 369. (15) "The slave of nature and the son of hell!"

An anonymous critic apud Theobald proposes "The shame of nature," &c.; Mr. Collier's Ms. Corrector substitutes "The stain of nature and the scorn of hell;" and Mr. Singer's Ms. Corrector reads "The shame of nature and the spawn of hell.”—But I believe the old text to be quite genuine.—The expression "slave of nature," according to Warburton, "alludes to the ancient custom of masters branding their profligate slaves; by which it is insinuated that his mis-shapen person was the mark that nature had set upon him to stigmatise his ill conditions."-Walker (Crit. Exam. &c. vol. ii. p. 307) says; "Does 'slave' here mean anything more than villain, abandoned wretch? This use of slave (compare the Italian cattivo, whence our caitif) is frequent in old plays: Othello, iv. 2;

'Some cogging, cozening slave,' &c."

And a little after (p. 309) he observes; "Therefore, a slave of nature will mean neither more nor less, I think, than a born villain."

P. 370. (16)

"Peace, peace, for shame, if not for charity.”

"Can this speech be really Buckingham's? Compare the two following speeches of Margaret with each other. I speak doubtfully." Walker's Crit. Exam. &c. vol. ii. p. 188.-Mr. W. N. Lettsom observes that perhaps it should be given to Rivers.

So the two latest quartos.-The other eds. have "subiects."

So the quartos that preceded the folio; which has "an end." See note 120 on The Second Part of King Henry VI.

P. 371. (19) "And for your grace,—and you, my noble lords."

So the two earliest quartos, except that they have “Lo:” (=“Lords”).— The folio has " and yours my gracious Lord."

P. 373. (20) "Methought that I had broken from the Tower,

Methought that Gloster stumbled.

Methought I saw"

See note 17 on The Winter's Tale.

P. 374. (21)

"in"

Rowe substituted "on,"-which Mr. Collier silently adopts.

P. 374. (22)

"Brak. I will, my lord: God give your grace good rest!—
[Clarence sleeps in a chair.

Sorrow breaks seasons"

"In the folio in the beginning of this scene we find Enter Clarence and Keeper; and after he has spoken this line, 'I will, my lord,' &c., we haveEnter Brakenbury, the Lieutenant of the Tower.' But in the quarto 1597, the scenical direction at the beginning of this scene is Enter Clarence and Brakenbury;' and after Clarence reposes himself, and Brakenbury has wished him good night [not "good night," but "good rest"], he naturally makes the observation-Sorrow breaks seasons,' &c. The Keeper and Brakenbury, who was Lieutenant of the Tower, were certainly the same person. There can be no doubt, therefore, that the text, which is regulated according to the original quarto 1597, is right." MALONE.-(Mr. Hunter (New Illust. of Shakespeare, ii. 83) thinks that the folio rightly represents the dialogue as being held "between Clarence and a keeper;" and observes that "it is improbable Brakenbury, who was the Lieutenant of the Tower, should pass the night in the sleeping-room of his prisoner." But the opening of this

scene

"Brak. Why looks your grace so heavily to-day?

Clar. O, I have pass'd a miserable night," &c.shows distinctly that it takes place during the day,-in the earlier part of the day,-Brakenbury having just come to visit his prisoner: and when Clarence says to Brakenbury,

'Keeper, I prithee, sit by me awhile;

[Quartos-I pray thee, gentle keeper, stay by me ;]

My soul is heavy, and I fain would sleep,”—

he evidently means no more than that Brakenbury should remain beside him while he refreshed himself by a short slumber. Hence it is that, immediately after wishing Clarence "good rest," Brakenbury remarks,

"Sorrow breaks seasons and reposing hours,

Makes the night morning, and the noon-tide night.")

"The

So the quartos.—The folio has "this passionate humor of mine."second murderer's next speech proves that 'holy' was the author's word. The player-editors probably changed it, as they did many others, on account of the statute, 3 Jac. I. c. 21. A little lower, they, from the same apprehension, omitted the word 'faith." MALONE.

Mr. W. N. Lettsom observes; "The first four lines of this speech are ad

dressed to the Second Murderer only, who alone had recommended Clarence to make his peace with God. The 4tos therefore are right in using the singular. The other two lines require the plural."

A begging prince what beggar pities not ?”

So the first quarto (except that in the third line of Clarence's speech it has "Oh if thy eye"); and so the later quartos (with some very trifling variations). The folio has

"Clar. Relent, and saue your soules:

Which of you, if you were a Princes Sonne,
Being pent from Liberty, as I am now,

If two such murtherers as your selues came to you,
Would not intreat for life, as you would begge

Were you in my distresse.

1 Relent? no: 'Tis cowardly and womanish.
Cla. Not to relent, is beastly, sauage, diuellish:

My Friend, I spy some pitty in thy lookes:

O, if thine eye be not a Flatterer,

Come thou on my side, and intreate for mee,

A begging Prince, what begger pitties not.

2 Looke behinde you, my Lord."

In my former edition I adopted here (as the Cambridge Editors do) the very violent transposition first proposed by Tyrwhitt ;

"Clar.

Relent, and save your souls.

First Murd. Relent! 'tis cowardly and womanish.

Clar. Not to relent is beastly, savage, devilish.

Which of you, if you were a prince's son,

Being pent from liberty, as I am now,—

If two such murderers as yourselves came to you,-
Would not entreat for life?

My friend, I spy some pity in thy looks;

O, if thine eye be not a flatterer,

Come thou on my side, and entreat for me,
As you would beg, were you in my distress:
A begging prince what beggar pities not?
Sec. Murd. Look behind you, my lord."

But I am now convinced that the best way of remedying the confusion which the intolerable carelessness of the player-editors has occasioned here, is to omit, with Capell and Mr. Staunton, the lines which are found only in the folio,-lines belonging to some manuscript that differed from the manuscript of the tragedy followed in the original quarto.

P. 380. (26) "From my Redeemer to redeem me hence;" Here Pope substituted "recall" for "redeem,". occurred to Walker (Crit. Exam. &c. vol. i. p. 278).

an alteration which also

P. 382. (27)

"Of you, Lord Rivers,—and, Lord Grey, of you,
That all without desert have frown'd on me :—
Dukes, earls, lords, gentlemen ;—indeed, of all."

So the four first quartos; from which the later quartos only differ in having "Of you my Lord Riuers," &c.-The folio has

Of you and you, Lord Riuers and of Dorset,
That all without desert haue frown'd on me :

Of you Lord Wooduill, and Lord Scales of you,

Dukes, Earles, Lords, Gentlemen, indeed of all."

Malone remarks; "The eldest son of Earl Rivers was Lord Scales; but there was no such person as Lord Woodville."

Dr. Richardson (Dict. sub Splent, &c.) remarks, that in the present line "splinter'd is by more [most?] editors altered to splinted:"--but they had the authority of all the quartos except the first for that alteration.-(In Othello, act ii. sc. 3, we have "This broken joint between you and her husband entreat her to splinter," &c.)

The folio has "the estate is."-Corrected by Walker (Crit. Exam. &c. vol. iii. p. 72). This is not in the quartos.

"Capell, with great probability, assigns this speech to Hastings, and the next to Stanley. See his note." W. N. LETTSOM.

P. 388. (31)

"Madam,—and you, my mother,"

So the quartos.-The folio has "Madam, and you my Sister," which Mr. Collier and Mr. Knight have replaced in the text: but, throughout the present scene at least, Gloster evidently keeps up towards the Queen an appearance of due respect, which would be not a little violated if here he addressed his mother first.

P. 390. (32)

"Arch."

The folio has "Yor."-To the corresponding speech the quartos prefix "Car." -see note 35.

my gracious madam." So the folio. "I think it is the latter gracious' that is wrong." Walker's Crit. Exam. &c. vol. i. p. 290. Perhaps so: but in page 392 the Archbishop calls the Queen "gracious lady."—The quartos give the second of these lines thus, "Why madame, so no doubt he is."

P. 391. (34)

"Arch. Good madam, be not angry with the child.”

In the folio this line is given to Dut.;" in the quartos to "Car. :" see next note.

"This question is given in the quarto to the Archbishop (or Cardinal, as he is there called), where also we have in the following speech my gracious lady.' The editor of the folio altered 'lady' to 'lord;' but it is more probable that the compositor prefixed' Car.' (the designation there of the Archbishop) to the words, 'For what offence?' instead of 'Qu.,' than that' lady' should have been printed in the subsequent speech instead of ‘lord.'” MALONE. Johnson was the first who saw that the question here belonged to the Queen.

"The word 'Anon' may safely be omitted." STEEVENS.

the greenness of his age ;" and Mr. the goodness of his age."

Collier's Ms. Corrector (very unhappily) Johnson explains the text thus; "Compare the act of seizing him with the gross and licentious practices of these times,”- —an explanation which does not satisfy me.-1864. Mr. W. N. Lettsom observes; "The context seems to require a word like 'cunning' or 'knowledge;' for the meaning is apparently, 'Examine the matter well, the superior knowledge and cleverness of the present age, and you will find you can seize the child without breaking sanctuary.'"

So the second folio.-The earlier eds. have "And therefore," the eye of the transcriber or of the original compositor having caught the word "And" from the second line above.

P. 394. (39)

"Where it seems best unto your royal self."

So the two earliest quartos.-The later eds. have "Where it thinkst [and "think'st"] best," &c.-Walker (who has shown that in the line of Hamlet, act v. sc. 2, as given in the folio, "Does it not, thinkst thee, stand me now vpon," &c., "thinkst thee" is to be understood as "thinks't thee," i.e." thinks it thee") would here read "Where it thinks best," &c. (Shakespeare's Versification, &c. p. 284),—and rightly perhaps: but since Walker's reading involves the rejection of a letter, I have preferred, with the modern editors, that of the two earliest quartos.