The folding doors of an inner chamber are thrown open, and GLOSTER is difcovered dead in his bed: WARWICK and Others ftanding by it. 4 *WAR. Come hither, gracious sovereign, view this body. * K. HEN. That is to fee how deep my grave is made: *For, with his foul, fled all my worldly folace; *For feeing him, I fee my life in death. 5 4 This ftage-direction I have inferted as beft suited to the exhibition. The ftage-direction in the quarto is" Warwick draws the curtaines, [i. e. draws them open] and fhows Duke Humphrey in his bed." In the folio: "A bed with Glofter's body put forth." Thefe are fome of the many circumftances which prove, I think, decifively, that the theatres of our author's time were unfurnished with scenes. In those days, as I conceive, curtains were occafionally hung across the middle of the ftage on a iron rod, which, being drawn open, formed a fecond apartment, when a change of fcene was required. The direction in the folio, to put forth a bed," was merely to the property-man to thruft a bed forwards behind those curtains, previous to their being drawn open. See the Account of the ancient Theatres, Vol. III. MALONE. 66 5 For feeing him, I fee my life in death. ] Though, by a violent operation, fome fenfe may be extracted from this reading, yet I think it will be better to change it thus: For feeing him, I fee my death in life. That is, Seeing him I live to fee my own deftru&ion. Thus it will aptly correfpond with the first line: Come hither, gracious fovereign, view this body. K. Henry. That is to fee how deep my grave is made. JOHNSON. Surely the poet's meaning is obvious as the words now stand.-I fee my life deftroyed or endangered by his death. PERCY. I think the meaning is, I fee my life in the arms of death; I fee my life expiring, or rather expired. The conceit is much in our author's manner. So in Macbeth: the death of each day's life." Our poet in K. Richard III. has a fimilar play of words, though the fentiment is reverfed : even through the hollow eyes of death "Ifpy life peering." MALONE. WAR. As furely as my foul intends to live With that dread King, that took our ftate upon him To free us from his Father's wrathful curfe, 6 I do believe that violent hands were laid Upon the life of this thrice-famed duke. SUF. A dreadful oath, fworn with a folemn tongue! What inflance gives lord Warwick for his vow? WAR. See, how the blood is fettled in his face! Oft have I feen a timely-parted ghoft, 6 6 Oft have I feen a timely-parted ghost, &c.] All that is true of the body of a dead man is here faid by Warwick of the foul. I would read: Oft have I feen a timely-parted corfe. But of two common words how or why was one changed for the other? I believe the tranfcriber thought that the epithet timely parted could not be used of the body, but that, as in Hamlet there is mention of peace-parted fouls, fo here timely-parted muft have the fame fubftantive. He removed one imaginary difficulty, and made many real. If the foul is parted from the body, the body is likewife parted from the foul. I cannot but ftop a moment to obferve, that this horrible defcription is fcarcely the work of any pen but Shakspeare's. JOHNSON. This is not the first time that Shakspeare has confounded thè terms that fignify body and foul, together. So, in A Midfummer Night's Dream: damned fpirits all "That in crofs ways and floods have burial. ' It is furely the body and not the foul that is committed to the earth, or whelm'd in the water. The word ghost, however, is licentiously used by our ancient writers. In Spenfer's Faery Queen, B. II. c. viii, Sir Guyon is in a fwoon, and two knights are about to ftrip him, when the Palmer fays: 66 no knight fo rude I weene, As to doen outrage to a fleeping ghoft. 19 Again, in the fhort copy of verfes printed at the conclufion of the three first books of Spenser's Faerie Queen, 1596: "And grodes of buried ghoftes the heavens did perfe. " VOL. XIV. T 7 • Of afhý semblance, meager, pale, and bloodless, Again, in our author's K. Richard 11: The ghosts they have depos'd. Again, in Sir A. Gorge's tranflation of Lucan, B. IX: a peasaut of that coaft "Bids him not tread on Hector's ghoft.. Again, in Certain Secret Wonders of Nature, &c. by Edward Fenton, quarto, bl. 1. 1569, “— aftonished at the view of the mortified ghoft of him that lay dead, &c. p. 104. STEEVENS. A timely-parted ghoft means a body that has become inanimate in the common course of nature; to which violence has not brought a timeless end. The oppofition is plainly marked afterwards, by the words "As guilty of duke Humphrey's timeless death. The corresponding lines appear thus in the quarto; by which, if the notion that has been already fuggefted be well founded, the reader may see how much of this deservedly admired fpeech is original, and how much fuper-induced: Oft have I feen a timely-parted ghoft, His well proportion'd beard made rough and ftern; His fingers spread abroad, as one that grafp'd For life, yet was by ftrength furpriz'd. The leaft Of these are probable. It cannot choose But he was murthered. 1 In a fubfequent paffage, alfo in the original play, which Shakfpeare has not transferied into his piece, the word ghoft is again used as bere. Young Clifford addreffing himself to his father's dead body, fays, "A difmal fight! fee, where he breathless lies, All fmear'd and welter'd in his luke-warm blood! "Sweet father, to thy murder'd ghoft I fwear," &c. Our author therefore is not chargeable here with any impropriety, or confufion. He has only used the phrafeology of his time. MALONE. 7 Of afhy femblance, ] So Spenfer, Ruins of Rome, 4to. 1591: "Ye pallid fpirits, and ye afhy ghosts," $ bloodless, MALONE. Being all defcended to the labouring heart; ] That is, the blood being all defcended, &c; the fubftantive being comprised in the adjective bloodlefs. M. MASON. Who, in the conflict that it holds with death, To blufh and beautify the cheek again. But, fee, his face is black, and full of blood; 9 His hands abroad display'd, as one that grasp'd du'd. Look on the fheets, his hair, you fee, is ftriking; Like to the fummer's corn by tempeft lodg'd. Myfelf, and Beaufort, had him in protection; • WAR. But both of you were vow'd duke Hum- 1 See His hands abroad difplay'd,] i. e. the fingers being widely diftended. So adown, for down; aweary, for weary, &c. Peacham's Complete Gentleman, 1627: "Herein was the Emperor Domitian fo cunning, that let a boy at a good distance off hold up his hand and ftretch his fingers abroad, he would shoot through the fpaces, without touching the boy's hand or any finger. MALONE. His well-proportion'd beard. ] His beard nicely trim'd and adjufted. See note on King Henry V. A& III. fc. vi. Vol. XIII. MALONE. His well-proportioned beard, I believed, means no more than his beard well proportioned by nature. STEEVENS. 1 And you, forfooth, had the good duke to keep: 'Tis like, you would not feast him like a friend; And 'tis well feen, he found an enemy. Q. MAR. Then you, belike, fufpect thefe noble men As guilty of duke Humphrey's timeless death. WAR. Who finds the heifer dead, and bleeding fresh, And fees faft by a butcher with an axe, But will fufpect, 'twas he that made the slaughter? Q. MAR. Are you the butcher, Suffolk? where's Is Beaufort term'd a kite? where are his talons? SUF. I wear no knife, to flaughter fleeping men; But here's a vengeful fword, rufted with eale, That fhall be fcoured in his rancorous heart, That flanders me with murder's crimfon badge:Say, if thou dar'ft, proud lord of Warwickshire, That I am faulty in duke Humphrey's death. [Exeunt Cardinal, Soм. and Others. WAR. What dares not Warwick, if false Suffolk dare him? Q. MAR. He darès not calm his contumelious fpirit, Nor ceafe to be an arrogant controller, Though Suffolk dare him twenty thousand times. WAR. Madam, be ftill; with reverence may I fay; For every word, you fpeak in his behalf, |