He gave his nose, and took’t away again;
Who, therewith angry, when it next came there,
9 Took it in snuff:- and still he finil'd, and talk'd ;
And, as the soldiers bare dead bodies by,
He call'd them untaught knaves, unmannerly,
To bring a slovenly, unhandsome corse
Betwixt the wind and his nobility.
With many holiday and lady terms
He question'd me: amongst the rest demanded
My priloners, in your majesty's behalf.
'I then, all smarting, with my wounds being cold,

fumes then in fashion : the lid of which, being cut with open work, gave it its name ; from poinfoner, to prick, pierce, or engrave. WARBURTON.

Dr. Warburton's explanation is just. At the christening of Q. Elizabeth, the marchioness of Dorset gave, according to Holinshed, “three gilt bowls pounced, with a cover.”

STEEVENS, 9 Took it in snuff :- ] Snuff is equivocally used for anger and a powder taken up the nose.

So in The Fleire, a comedy, by E. Sharpham, 1610 : “ Nay " be not angry, I do not touch thy nose, to the end it should “ take any thing in snuff.” Again, in our author's Love's Labour loft:

“ You marr the light, by taking it in fnuff.” Steevens. ? I then, all smarting, with my wounds being cold,

To be fo pefier'd with a popinjay,] But in the beginning of the speech he represents himself at this time not as cold but hot, and infamed with rage and labour,

When I was dry with rage and extreme toil, &c. I am persuaded therefore that Shakespeare wrote and pointed it thus :

I then all smarting with my wounds; being gall'd

To be lo pefter'd with a popinjay, &c. WARBURTON. Whatever Percy might say of his rage and toil, which is merely declamatory and apologetical, his wounds would at this time be certainly cold, and when they were cold would smart, and not before. If any alteration were necessary I thould transpose the lines :

I then all smarting with 1:1y wounds being cold,
Out of my grief, and my impatience,
To be fo pefter'd with a popinjay,

Answer'd neglealingly.
A popinjay is a parrot. Johnson.

To be fo pester’d with a popinjay,
Out of my grief and my impatience,
Answer'd, neglectingly, I know not what;
He should, or should not; for he made me mad,
To see him shine so brisk, and smell so sweet,
And talk so like a waiting-gentlewoman,
Of guns, and drums, and wounds (God save the

mark !)
And telling me the sovereign'st thing on earth
Was parmacity, for an inward bruise;
And that it was great pity, so it was,
This villainous salt-petre should be digg'd
Out of the bowels of the harmless earth,
Which many a good tall fellow had destroy'd
So cowardly; and, but for these vile guns,
He would himself have been a soldier.
This bald, unjointed chat of his, my lord,
I answer'd indirectly, as I said;
And, I beseech you, let not this report
Come current for an accusation,
Betwixt my love and your high majesty.

Blunt. The circumstance consider’d, good my lord,
Whatever Harry Percy then had said
To such a person, and in such a place,
At such a time, with all the rest retold,
May reasonably die; and never rise
2 To do him wrong, or any way impeach
What then he said, fo he unsay it now.

K. Henry.

K. Henry. Why yet he doth deny his prisoners ; But with proviso and exception, That we, at our own charge, shall ransom straight

His brother-in-law, the foolish Mortimer ; · Who, on my soul, hath wilfully betray'd

The lives of those that he did lead to fight
Against the great magician, damn’d Glendower ;
Whose daughter, as we hear, the earl of March
Hath lately marry'd. Shall our coffers then
Be empty'd, to redeem a traitor home?
Shall we buy treason? 3 and indent with fears,
When they have lost and forfeited themselves?
No; on the barren mountains let him starve:
For I shall never hold that man my friend,
Whose tongue shall ask me for one penny cost
To ransom home revolted Mortimer.

“ never rise to do him wrong or any ways impeach him. For “ see, my liege, what he then said, he now uníays,” And the king's answer is pertinent to the words, as so emended :

Why, yet he doth deny bis prisoners;

But with proviso, &c. implying “ you are mistaken in saying, see he now un'ays it.” But the answer is utterly impertinent to what precedes in the common reading. WARBURTON.

The learned commentator has perplexed the passage. The construction is, “ Let what he then said never rise to impeach “ him, so he unsay it now." JOHNSON,

3- and indent with fears, 1 The reason why he says, bargain and article with fears, meaning with Mortimer, is, because he supposed Mortimer had wilfully betrayed his own forces to Glendower out of fear, as appears from his next speech. No need therefore to change fears to foes, as the Oxford Editor has done. WARBURTON.

The difficulty seems to me to arise from this, that the king is not desired to article or contract with Mortimer, but with another for Mortimer. Perhaps we may read,

Shall we buy treason? anid indent with peers,

When they have loft and forfeited themelues? Shall we purchase back a traitor? Shall we descend to a composition with Worcester, Northumberland, and yourg Percy, who by disobedience have lost and forfeited their honours and ihemselves ? JOHNSON.

Hot. Revolted Mortimer! 4 He never did fail off, my sovereign liege, But by the chance of war; 5 to prove that true, Needs no more but one congue, for all those wounds, Those mouthed wounds, which valiantly he took, When, on the gentle Severn's fedgy bank, In single opposition, hand to hand, He did confound the best part of an hour In changing hardiment with great Glendower : Three times they breath'd, and three times did they

drink,

. 4 He never did fall off, my sovereign liege,

But ły the chance of war ;- ) A poor apology for a soldier, and a man of honour, that he fell off, and revolted by the chance of war. Tie poct certainly wrote,

But 'bides the chance of war; i.e. he never did revolt, but abides the chance of war, as a prisoner. And if he still endured the rigour of imprifonment, that was a plain proof he was not revolted to the enemy. Hotspur says the same thing afterwards,

juter'd his kinsman March

to be encag’d in Wales. Here again the Oxford Editor makes this correction his own at the small expence of changing’bides to bore. WARBURTON.

The plain meaning is, “he came not into the enemy's power " but by the chance of war.” To 'bide the chance of war may well enough to signify, to stand the hazard of a battle: but can scarcely mean, to endure the severities of a prison. The king charged Mortimer, that he wilfully betrayed his army, and, as he was then with the enemy, calls him revolted Mortimer. Hotspur replies, that he never fell off, that is, fell into Glendower's hands, but by the chance of war. I should not have explained thus tediously a palinge so hard to be miitaken, but that two editors have already mistaken it. Johnson. is

to prove that true, Needs no more but one tongue, for all those wounds, &c.] This paffage is of obscure construction. The later editors point it, as they understood that for the wounds a tongue was necdful, and only one tongue. This is harsh. I rather think it is a broken sentence. « To prove the loyalty of Mortimer,” says Hotspur, “one speaking witness is sufficient; for his wounds “ proclaim his loyalty, those mouthed wounds," &c. Johns.

Upon

K. Hennelie hiin;

Upon agreement of sweet Severn's flood;
6 Who then affrighted with their bloody looks,
Ran fearfully among the trembling reeds,
And hid ? his crisp head in the hollow bank,
Blood-stained with these valiant combatants.
& Never did bare and rotten policy
Colour her working with such deadly wounds;
Nor never could the noble Mortimer
Receive so many, and all willingly :
Then let him not be Nander'd with revolt.
K. Henry. Thou dost belie him, Percy, thou dost

belie hiin;
He never did encounter with Glendower ;
I tell thee, he durit as well have met the devil alone,
As Owen Glendower for an enemy.
Art not ashamed? But, firrah, henceforth
Let me not hear you speak of Mortimer.
Send me your prisoners with the speedieít means,
Or you shall hear in such a kind from me
As will displease you.-My lord Northumberland,
We license your departure with your fon.
-Send us your prisoners, or you'll hear of it.

[Exit K. Henry. Hot. And if the devil come and roar for them,

with Glendow.ne'devil alone

• Who then affrighted, &c.] This passage has been censured as founding nonsense, which represents a ltream of water as: capable of fear. It is misunderstood. Severn is here not the flood, but the tutelary power of the flood, who was affrighted, and hid his head in the hollow bank. JOHNSON.

? — his criss head --) Crijp is curled. So Beaumont and Fletcher, in The Maid of the Mill,

" methinks the river,

“ As he steals by, curis up his head to view you." Perhaps Shakespeare has bestowed an epithet, applicile only · to the stream of water, on the genius of the itream. STE '' EN 3.

s Never did bare and rotten policy] All the quarto', vhich I have seen read bare in this place. The first folio, and a de subsequent editions, have bufe. I believe Care is right: Ne“ ver did policy lying open to detection 10 colour its worki“ ings.” JOHNSON

R 4

I will