INDUCTION'. Warkworth. Before Northumberland's Castle. Enter RUMOUR, painted full of tongues". Rum. Open your ears; for which of you will stop 3 Under the smile of safety, wounds the world: That the blunt monster with uncounted heads, 1 Induction.] So called in the folio, 1623, where it is treated as the first scene of the play. The 4to. is not divided into Acts and Scenes, and Rumour there enters as if to deliver a Prologue. 2 Enter Rumour, painted full of tongues.] This is the descriptive stage-direction of the 4to, 1600: the folio, 1623, has only "Enter Rumour." 3 Stuffing the ears of MEN] The folios all have them for "men" of the 4to: there can be no question as to the true word, and in the corr. fo. 1632 it is restored. The same course was taken with "surmises," below. Can play upon it. But what need I thus Among my household? Why is Rumour here? Hath beaten down young Hotspur, and his troops, Even with the rebels' blood. But what mean I 4 Than they have learn'd of me: from Rumour's tongues They bring smooth comforts false, worse than true wrongs. 4 [Exit. through the PEASANT towns] So all the old editions, but the emendation in the corr. fo. 1632 is "pleasant towns"-very likely the true word, but as "peasant towns is quite intelligible we make no change, and in the German translation it is durch die Landstädt'. 5 Between THAT royal field of Shrewsbury] The folio, 1623, has the for "that;" but "that" of the 4to, 1600, is probably right, as the reference is to the "bloody field by Shrewsbury," before mentioned. Besides, "that royal field," and "this worm-eaten hold," in the next line, seem put in opposition. And this worm-eaten HOLD] Misprinted hole in the old copies, 4to. and folio: the compositor perhaps printed by his ear. It is altered to "hold" in the corr. fo. 1632, and Mr. Singer adopts the emendation without acknowledgment, perhaps because Theobald had guessed at it. 7 WHERE Hotspur's father,] The 4to, 1600, has When for "Where" of the folio, 1623. The latter is of course right, and the misprint was easy, therefore common. SECOND PART OF KING HENRY IV. ACT I. SCENE I. The Same. Enter Lord BARDOLPH. Bard. Who keeps the gate here? ho!-Where is the earl? Enter Warder, above'. Tell thou the earl, Ward. What shall I say you are? Bard. That the lord Bardolph doth attend him here. Ward. His lordship is walk'd forth into the orchard: Please it your honour knock but at the gate, And he himself will answer. Bard. Enter NORTHUMBERLAND. Here comes the earl. [Exit Warder. North. What news, lord Bardolph ? every minute now Should be the father of some stratagem. 1 Enter Warder, above.] The usual mode has been to represent the Warder (called Porter) "before the Gate," and then for Lord Bardolph to enter. Our arrangement is from the corr. fo. 1632, where Lord Bardolph is stated to enter first, and after his question "Who keeps the gate here? ho!" for the Warder to make his appearance above the gate. In the old copies the Warder never goes out, as if he remained at his post all the time Lord Bardolph was talking with Northumberland. How objectionable this course must be need not be stated, and the old annotator tells us that in his time the Warder used to make his exit just as Northumberland arrived. The whole of this part of the stage-business, so regulated, must be correct. Mr. Singer puts the Warder "above the gate," for the first time in any edition, but, by accident, does not state that this change was derived from the corr. fo. 1632. The times are wild: contention, like a horse Bard. Noble earl, I bring you certain news from Shrewsbury. North. Good, an God will! As good as heart can wish. The king is almost wounded to the death, Prince Harry slain outright; and both the Blunts North. How is this deriv'd? Saw you the field? came you from Shrewsbury? Bard. I spake with one, my lord, that came from thence; A gentleman well bred, and of good name, That freely render'd me these news for true. North. Here comes my servant, Travers, whom I sent On Tuesday last to listen after news. Bard. My lord, I over-rode him on the way, And he is furnish'd with no certainties, More than he haply may retail from me. Enter TRAVERS. North. Now, Travers, what good tidings come with you? Tra. My lord, sir John Umfrevile turn'd me back With joyful tidings; and, being better hors'd, Out-rode me. After him came spurring hard A gentleman, almost forspent with speed, I did demand, what news from Shrewsbury: And that young Harry Percy's spur was cold. 2 - come WITH you?] The folio. from: eight lines lower, the folio, 1623, reads "ill luck" for "bad luck" of the 4to; and most likely rightly, for Northumberland, just afterwards, repeats the words of Travers-" that rebellion had met ill luck." And, bending forward, struck his armed heels' North. Ha!-Again. Said he, young Harry Percy's spur was cold? Had met ill luck! Bard. My lord, I'll tell you what: If my young lord your son have not the day, Upon mine honour, for a silken point I'll give my barony: never talk of it. North. Why should that gentleman, that rode by Travers, Give, then, such instances of loss? Bard. Who, he? He was some hilding fellow3, that had stolen Spoke at a venture. Look, here comes more news. Enter MORTON. North. Yea, this man's brow, like to a title-leaf, Say, Morton, didst thou come from Shrewsbury? North. 6 How doth my son and brother? 3 - struck his ARMED heels] We can have no difficulty in preferring this reading of the 4to. to that of the folio, which has "able heels:" the compositor caught the word able from the preceding line; and it is amended to "armed heels" in the corr. fo. 1632. He seem'd in running to devour the way,] So, observes Steevens, in the book of Job, chap. xxxix. 24: "He swalloweth the ground in fierceness and rage." The same expression occurs in other poets. 5 He was some hilding fellow,] i. e. Some low fellow, a word applied by Shakespeare and others to both sexes. G WHEREON th' imperious flood] The folio substitutes when for "whereon," the authentic word in the 4to, 1600. "Whereon" is written in the margin of the corr. fo. 1632, and when erased. |