SCENE VI. The fame. A loud Alarum. Enter CLIFFORD, wounded." 'CLIF. Here burns my candle out, ay, here it dies,' Which, while it lafted, gave king Henry light. More than my body's parting with my foul. Enter Clifford, wounded.] The quarto adds, with an arrow in his neck. In ridicule of this, Beaumont and Fletcher, have introduced Ralph, the grocer's prentice, in The Knight of the Burning Pefile, with a forked arrow through his head. It appears, however, from Holinfhed, p. 664, that this circumstance has fome relation to the truth: "The lord Clifford, either for heat or paine, putting off his gorget fuddenlie, with an arrow (as fome faie) without a head, was ftriken into the throte, and immediately rendered his fpirit." STEEVENS. 1 Here burns my candle out, ay, here it dies,] So, in the first part of this play : 2 STEEVENS. "Here dies the dusky torch of Mortimer." -thy tough commixtures melt.] Perhaps better, the tough commixture. JOHNSON. The quartos read-" that tough commixture melts." STEEVENS. 3 The common people fwarm like fummer flies:] This line, which is not in the folio, was recovered from the old play by Mr. Theobald. The context fhows, that like a line in The Second Part of King Henry VI. it was omitted by the negligence of the tranfcriber or compofitor. MALONE, And whither fly the gnats, but to the fun ?4 Giving no ground unto the house of York, And what makes robbers bold, but too much lenity? Bootlefs are plaints, and cureless are my wounds; 4 The common people fwarm like fummer flies: And whither fly the gnats, but to the fun?] Hence, perhaps, originated the following paffage in The Bard of Gray: "The fwarm that in thy noontide beam were borne ? "Gone to falute the rifing morn." STEEVENS. $0 Phoebus! hadst thou never given confent-] The Duke of York had been entrusted by Henry with the reins of government both in Ireland and France; and hence perhaps was taught to aspire to the throne. MALONE. No way to fly, nor firength to hold out flight :] This line is clear and proper as it is now read; yet perhaps an oppofition of images was meant, and Clifford said: No way to fly, nor ftrength to hold out fight. JOHNSON. The fenfe of the original reading is-No way to fly, nor with ftrength fufficient left to fuftain myself in flight, if there were. STEEVENS. Come, York, and Richard, Warwick, and the rest; 'I ftabb'd your father's bofoms, split my breaft.7 [He faints. Alarum and Retreat, Enter EDWARD, GEOrge, RICHARD, MONTAGUE, WARWICK, and Soldiers. EDW. Now breathe we, lords;8 good fortune bids us paufe, And smooth the frowns of war with peaceful looks. * Some troops purfue the bloody-minded queen ;That led calin Henry, though he were a king, As doth a fail, fill'd with a fretting guft, "I ftabb'd your fathers' bofoms, Split my breast.] So the folio. The quartos read: "I stabb'd your father's, now come split my breast." STEEVENS. 8 Now breathe we, lords ;] Inftead of this fpeech the quartos have the following: "Thus far our fortunes keep an upward course, STEEVENS. This battle, in which the house of York was victorious, was fought on a plain between Towton and Saxton, on the 29th of March, (Palm Sunday) 1461. The royal army confifted, according to Hall, of about forty thousand men; and the young Duke of York's forces were 48,760. In this combat, which lafted fourteen hours, and in the actions of the two following days, thirty-fix thousand feven hundred and feventy-fix perfons are faid to have been killed; the greater part of whom were undoubtedly Lancaftrians. MALONE. • And smooth the frowns of war-] So, in K. Richard III: "Grim-vifag'd war hath Smooth'd his wrinkled front." STEEVENS. Command an argofy to ftem the waves. 'But think you, lords, that Clifford fled with them? WAR. No, 'tis impoffible he should escape: grave: [CLIFFORD groans, and dies. EDW. Whose foul is that which takes her heavy leave? 2 RICH. A deadly groan, like life and death's departing.3 EDW. See who it is: and, now the battle's ended, If friend, or foe, let him be gently us’d. I -mark'd him for the grave:] Young has transferred this expreffion to Alonzo in The Revenge: "This only marks my body for the grave." A fimilar phrafe occurs in Chapman's verfion of the fifth Iliad: "Our braveft foe is mark'd for death; he cannot long fuftain "My violent shaft,-" STEEVENS. 2 Edw. Whofe foul &c.] I have distinguished this and the two following fpeeches according to the authority of the quarto. The folio gave all to Richard, except the last line and half. STEEVENS. I have also followed the original regulation, because it seems abfurd that Richard fhould first fay to his brother, or to one of the foldiers," See who it is ;"-and then, himself declare that it is Clifford; and therefore I fuppofe the variation in the folio arofe, not from Shakspeare, but from fome negligence or inaccuracy of a compofitor or tranfcriber. MALONE. 3 like life and death's departing.] Sir Thomas Hanmer reads, like life in death departing; which Dr. Warburton has received. JOHNSON. The quartos read, like life and death's departure. STEEVENS. like life and death's departing.] Departing for feparation. MALONE. There is no occafion for correction. ""Till death us depart". was the expreffion in the old Marriage Service. FARMER. RICH. Revoke that doom of mercy, for 'tis Clifford; 'Who not contented that he lopp'd the branch In hewing Rutland when his leaves put forth,4 'But fet his murdering knife unto the root From whence that tender fpray did fweetly spring, 'I mean, our princely father, duke of York. WAR. From off the gates of York fetch down the head, Your father's head, which Clifford placed there: 'Inftead whereof, let this fupply the room; Measure for measure must be answered. EDW. Bring forth that fatal fcreech-owl to our house, 'That nothing fung but death to us and ours:5 'Now death fhall ftop his difmal threatening found, And his ill-boding tongue no more shall speak. [Attendants bring the Body forward. WAR. I think his understanding is bereft: * In hewing Rutland when his leaves put forth,] It is manifeft from this and many other paffages, that the author of the old play, where the correfponding line stands thus: "Who killed our tender brother Rutland-." imagined that Rutland was younger than George and Richard; whereas he was in fact older than them both, being the Duke of York's fecond fon; in confequence of which he bore a title by courtesy and a particular ftipulation was made in the compact entered into between Henry and the Duke of York, that Rutland, as well as his elder brother Edward Earl of March, should fwear to the due obfervance of the agreement. Shakspeare has, we fee, fallen into the fame error; as have Habington in his nervous and elegant Hiftory of Edward IV. and feveral other hiftorians. MALONE. -Screech-owl to our house, That nothing fung but death &c.] So, in K. Richard III: "Out on you, owls! nothing but fongs of death ?" STEEVENS, |