SCENE III. Gosford Green, near Coventry. Lifts fet out, and a Throne. Heralds, &c. attending. Enter the Lord Marshal, and AUMERLE.9 MAR. My lord Aumerle, is Harry Hereford arm'd? AUM. Yea, at all points; and longs to enter in. MAR. The duke of Norfolk, fprightfully and bold, Stays but the fummons of the appellant's trumpet. AUM. Why then, the champions are prepar'd, and ftay For nothing but his majefty's approach. Lord Marshal,] Shakspeare has here committed a flight miftake. The office of Lord Marfhal was executed on this occafion by Thomas Holland, Duke of Surrey. Our author has inadvertently introduced that nobleman as a diftinct person from the Marshal, in the prefent drama. Mowbray Duke of Norfolk was Earl Marshal of England; but being himself one of the combatants, the Duke of Surrey officiated as Earl Marshal for the day. MALONE. 9 Aumerle.] Edward Duke of Aumerle, fo created by his coufin german, King Richard II. in 1397. He was the eldest son of Edward of Langley Duke of York, fifth fon of King Edward the Third, and was killed in 1415, at the battle of Agincourt. He officiated at the lifts of Coventry, as High Conftable of England. MALOne. Flourish of Trumpets. Enter King RICHARD, who takes his feat on his Throne; GAUNT, and several Noblemen, who take their places. A Trumpet is founded, and answered by another Trumpet within. Then enter NORFOLK in armour, preceded by a Herald. K. RICH. Marshal, demand of yonder champion The cause of his arrival here in arms: Ask him his name; and orderly proceed To fwear him in the juftice of his cause. MAR. In God's name, and the king's, fay who thou art, And why thou com'ft, thus knightly clad in arms: Against what man thou com'ft, and what thy quar rel: Speak truly, on thy knighthood, and thy oath; I And fo defend thee heaven, and thy valour! NOR. My name is Thomas Mowbray, duke of Norfolk; Who hither come engaged by my oath, (Which, heaven defend, a knight should violate!) Both to defend my loyalty and truth, To God, my king, and my fucceeding iffue,3 I And fo] The old copies read-As fo-. STEEVENS. 2 Norfolk.] Mr. Edwards, in his MS. notes, obferves, from Holinfhed, that the Duke of Hereford, appellant, entered the lifts first; and this, indeed, must have been the regular method of the combat; for the natural order of things requires, that the accufer or challenger should be at the place of appointment first. STEEVENS. 3 my fucceeding iffue,] His is the reading of the first folio; other editions read-my iffue. Mowbray's iffue, was by this accufation, in danger of an attainder, and therefore he Against the duke of Hereford that appeals me; A traitor to my God, my king, and me: Trumpet founds. Enter BOLINGBROKE, in armour; preceded by a Herald. K. RICH. Marshal, ask yonder knight in arms,4 Both who he is, and why he cometh hither Thus plated in habiliments of war; And formally according to our law Depose him in the juftice of his caufe. MAR. What is thy name? and wherefore com'st thou hither, Before King Richard, in his royal lifts? might come, among other reasons, for their fake: but the reading of the folio is more juft and grammatical. JOHNSON. The three oldeft quartos read my, which Mr. M. Mason prefers, because, fays he, Mowbray fubjoins "To prove him, in defending of myself, "A traitor to my God, my king, and me." STEEVENS. and my fucceeding iffue,] Thus the firft quarto. The folio reads his fucceeding iffue. The firft quarto copy of this play, in 1597, being in general much more correct than the folio, and the quartos of 1608, and 1615, from the latter of which the folio appears to have been printed, I have preferred the elder reading. MALONE. Marshal, ak yonder knight in arms,] Why not, as before: The player, who varied the expreffion, was probably ignorant that he injured the metre. The infertion, however, of two little words would answer the fame purpose: Marshal, go ask of yonder knight in arms. RITSON. Against whom comeft thou? and what's thy quar rel ? Speak like a true knight, fo defend thee heaven! BOLING. Harry of Hereford, Lancaster, and Derby, Am I; who ready here do ftand in arms, To prove, by heaven's grace, and my body's valour, To God of heaven, king Richard, and to me; MAR. On pain of death, no person be so bold, BOLING. Lord marshal, let me kifs my fovereign's hand, And bow my knee before his majesty : And loving farewell, of our feveral friends. MAR. The appellant in all duty greets your high nefs, And craves to kifs your hand, and take his leave. K. RICH. We will defcend, and fold him in our arms. Coufin of Hereford, as thy cause is right, Farewell, my blood; which if to-day thou fhed, As confident, as is the falcon's flight my leave Of you, my noble coufin, lord Aumerle :- [To GAUNT, 6 And furbish new the name of John of Gaunt, GAUNT. Heaven in thy good cause make thee Be fwift like lightning in the execution; waxen coat,] Waxen may mean foft, and confequently penetrable, or flexible. The brigandines or coats of mail, then in ufe, were composed of small pieces of fteel quilted over one another, and yet so flexible as to accommodate the dress they form to every motion of the body. Of these many are still to be seen in the Tower of London. STEEVENS. The object of Bolingbroke's requeft is, that the temper of his lance's point might as much exceed the mail of his adversary, as the iron of that mail was harder than wax. HENLEY. And furbith-] Thus the quartos, 1608 and 1615. The folio reads furnish. Either word will do, as to furnish in the time of Shakspeare fignified to drefs. So, twice in As you like it: "furnished like a huntfman."-"-furnished like a beggar." STEEVENS. |