Hoft. Who knocks fo loud at door? Look to the door there, Francis.

Enter Peto.

P. Henry. Peto, how now? what news?
Peto. The king your father is at Westminster;
And there are twenty weak and wearied pofts
Come from the north: and, as I came along,
I met and overtook a dozen captains,
Bare-headed, sweating, knocking at the taverns,
And asking every one for Sir John Falstaff.

P. Henry. By heaven, Poins, I feel me much to blame,

So idly to profane the precious time;

When tempeft of commotion, like the fouth
Borne with black vapour, doth begin to melt
And drop upon our bare unarmed heads.

Give me my fword and cloak. Falstaff, good night. [Exeunt Prince and Poins.

Fal. Now comes in the sweetest morfel of the night, and we must hence, and leave it unpluck'd. More knocking at the door?-How how? what's the matter?

Bard. You must away to court, Sir, presently; a dozen captains ftay at door for you.

Fal. Pay the musicians, Sirrah. Farewell, hoftefs; farewell, Doll. You fee, my good wenches, how men of merit are fought after: the undeferver may fleep, when the man of action is call'd. Farewell, good wenches if I be not fent away poft, I will fee you again ere I go.

Dol. I cannot fpeak; if my heart be not ready to burft: well, fweet Jack, have a care of thyfelf. Fal. Farewell, farewell.

[Exit. Hoft. Well, fare thee well. I have known thee thefe twenty-nine years, come peafcod-time; but an honester and truer-hearted man-Well, fare thee well.

Bard. Miftrefs Tear-fheet

Hoft.

Hoft. What's the matter?

Bard. Bid Mistress Tear-fheet come to my mafter.
Hoft. O run, Doll, run; run, good Doll. [Exeunt.

АСТ III.

I

SCENE I.

The palace in London.

Enter king Henry in his night-gown, with a Page.

G

K. HENRY.

O, call the earls of Surrey and of Warwick;
But, ere they come, bid them o'er-read these
letters,

And well confider of them. Make good speed.

[Exit page.

How many thousands of my pooreft fubjects
Are at this hour afleep! O gentle fleep,
Nature's soft nurse, how have I frighted thee,
That thou no more wilt weigh my eye-lids down,
And steep my senses in forgetfulness?

Why rather, Sleep, ly'ft thou in fmoaky cribs,
Upon uneafy pallets ftretching thee,

And hufh'd with buzzing night-flies to thy flumber
Than in the perfum'd chambers of the great,
Under the canopies of coftly ftate,

And lull'd with founds of fweetest melody?
O thou dull god, why ly'ft thou with the vile
In loathfome beds; and leav'ft the kingly couch

10 run, Doll, run; run good, good Doll.] Thus the folio. The quarto reads, O run, Doll run, run good Doll, come: fhe comes blubber'd. Yea will you come, Doll? STEEVENS.

This firft fcene is not in my copy of the first edition.

JOHNSON.

A watch

A watch-cafe, or a common larum bell?
Wilt thou, upon the high and giddy mast,
Seal up the fhip-boy's eyes, and rock his brains,
In cradle of the rude imperious furge;

And in the vifitation of the winds,

Who take the ruffian billows by the top,
Curling their monftrous heads, and hanging them
With deaf'ning clamours in the 3 flippery shrouds,
That, with the hurly, death itself awakes?
Can't thou, O partial Sleep! give thy repose
To the wet fea-boy in an hour fo rude;
And in the calmeft and the stillest night,
With all appliances and means to boot,
Deny it to a king? 4 then, happy low, lie down!
Uneafy lies the head that wears a crown.
Enter Warwick and Surrey.

War. Many good morrows to your majesty!
K. Henry. Is it good morrow, lords?

A watch-cafe, &c.] This alludes to the watchmen fet in garrifon-towns upon fome eminence attending upon an alarumbell, which he was to ring out in cafe of fire, or any approaching danger. He had a cafe or box to fhelter him from the weather, but at his utmost peril he was not to fleep whilft he was upon duty. These alarum-bells are mentioned in feveral other places of Shakespeare. HANMER.

3

old copy reads,

4

flippery fhrouds,] Thus the modern editors. The in the flippery clouds. STEEVENS. then, happy low, lie down!] Evidently corrupted from happy lowly clown. Thefe two lines making the juft conclufion from what preceded. "If fleep will fly a king and confort itfelf with beggars, then happy the lowly clown, and uneafy "the crown'd head." WARBURTON.

Dr. Warburton has not admitted this emendation into his text: I am glad to do it the juftice which its author has neglected. JOHNSON.

The fenfe of the old reading feems to be this, "You, who "are happy in your humble fituations, lay down your heads to "reft: the head that wears a crown lies too uneasy to expect "fuch a bleffing." Had not Shakespeare thought it neceffary to fubject himself to the tyranny of rhime, he would probably have faid, "then happy low, fleep on! STEEVENS.

War.

War. 'Tis one o'clock, and past.

K. Henry. 9 Why, then, good morrow to you. Well,
my lords,

Have you read o'er the letters that I fent you?
War. We have, my liege.

K. Henry. Then you perceive the body of our king, dom,

How foul it is; what rank difeafes grow,
And with what danger, near the heart of it.
War. It is but as a body, yet, diftemper'd,
Which to its former strength may be restor❜d,
With good advice and little medicine:

My lord Northumberland will foon be cool'd.
K. Henry. O heaven, that one might read the book
of fate,

And fee the revolution of the times

Make mountains level, and the continent (Weary of folid firmness) melt itself Into the fea! and, other times, to fee

In the old edition:

Why then good morrow to you all, my lord's:

Have you read o'er, &c.] The king fends letters to Surrey and Warwick, with charge that they fhould read them and attend him. Accordingly here Surrey and Warwick come, and no body elfe. The king would hardly have faid, "Good mor "row to you all," to two peers. THEOBALD.

Sir Thomas Hanmer and Dr. Warburton have received this emendation, and read well for all. The reading either way is of no importance. JOHNSON.

It is but as a body, yet, difiemper'd,] What would he have more? We fhould read,

It is but as a body flight diftemper'd. WARBURTON. The prefent reading is right. Distemper, that is, according to the old phyfic, a difproportionate mixture of humours, or inequality of innate heat and radical humidity, is less than actual difeafe, being only the ftate which foreruns or produces diseases. The difference between distemper and disease seems to be much the fame as between difpofition and habit. JOHNSON. My lord Northumberland will foon be cool'd.] I believe Shakespeare wrote fchool'd; tutor'd, and brought to fubmiffion. WARBURTON.

2

Cool'd is certainly right.
VOL. V.

JOHNSON.
E e

The

The beachy girdle of the ocean

Too wide for Neptune's hips! how chances mock,
And changes fill the cup of alteration

With divers liquors! 3 O, if this were seen,
The happieft youth, viewing his progrefs through
What perils paft, what croffes to enfue,

Would fhut the book, and fit him down and die.
"Tis not ten years gone

Since Richard and Northumberland, great friends,
Did feaft together; and in two years after
Were they at wars. It is but eight years fince
This Percy was the man nearest my foul;
Who, like a brother, toil'd in my affairs,
And laid his love and life under my foot;
Yea, for my fake, even to the eyes of Richard
Gave him defiance. 4 But which of you was by
(You, coufin Nevil, as I may remember) [To War.
When Richard, with his eye brim-full of tears,
Then check'd and rated by Northumberland,
Did speak these words, now prov'd a prophecy?
Northumberland, thou ladder by the which
My coufin Bolingbroke afcends my throne:

Though then, heaven knows, I had no fuch intent ;-
But that neceffity fo bow'd the state,

That I and greatnefs were compell'd to kifs :
The time will come, thus did he follow it,
The time will come, that foul fin, gathering head,
Shall break into corruption: fo went on,.

3

O if this were feen, &c.] Thefe four lines are fupplied from the edition of 1600. WARBURTON.

My copy wants the whole fcene, and therefore these lines. There is fome difficulty in the line,

What perils paft, what croffes to enfue;

because it seems to make paft perils equally terrible with enfuing croffes. JOHNSON.

4 But which of you was by, &c.] He refers to King Richard, act v. fcene But whether the king's or the author's memory fails him, it was, that Warwick was not prefent at that converfation.

OHNSON.

Fore