So clear, fo fhining, and fo evident, That it will glimmer through a blind man's eye. War. I love no colours; and, without all colour I pluck this white rofe, with Plantagenet. Suf, I pluck this red rofe, with young Somerfet ; And say withal, I think he held the right. Ver. Stay, lords, and gentlemen; and pluck no more, Till you conclude that he, upon whose fide The fewest roses are cropp'd from the tree, Shall yield the other in the right opinion. Som. Good mafter Vernon, it is well objected"; If I have feweft, I subscribe in filence. Plan. And I. Ver. Then, for the truth and plainnefs of the cafe, I pluck this pale and maiden bloffom here, Giving my verdict on the white rose fide. Som. Prick not your finger as you pluck it off; Left, bleeding, you do paint the white rofe red, 3 In dumb fignificants—] I suspect, we should read-fignificance. MALONE, 4 From off this briar pluck a white rofe with me.] This is given as the original of the two badges of the houses of York and Lancaster, whether truly or not, is no great matter. WARBURTON. 5 I love no colours;] Colours is here used ambiguously for tints and deceits. JOHNSON. 6 - well objected ;] Properly thrown in our way, justly proposed. JOHNSON. So, in Chapman's Verfion of the 21ft Book of Homer's Odyssey: "Excites Penelope t' object the prize (The bow and bright steeles) to the woer's ftrength. STIEV. And And fall on my fide fo against your will. Som. Well, well, come on: Who else? [To Som. Plan. Now, Somerset, where is your argument? Shall dye your white rofe in a bloody red. Plan. Mean time, your cheeks do counterfeit our rofes; For pale they look with fear, as witneffing The truth on our fide. Som. No, Plantagenet, 'Tis not for fear; but anger,-that thy cheeks7 Som. Well, I'll find friends to wear my bleeding rofes, Plan. Now, by this maiden bloffom in my hand, I fcorn thee and thy fashion, peevish boy. Suf. Turn not thy fcorns this way, Plantagenet. Plan. Proud Poole, I will; and fcorn both him and thee. 7-but anger, that thy cheeks, &c.] i. e. it is not for fear that my cheeks look pale, but for anger; anger produced by this circum. ftance, namely, that tby cheeks blush, &c. MALONE. 8 I fcorn thee and thy fashion,] Dr. Warburton understands by fabion "the badge of the red rofe which Somerfet faid he and his friends fhould be diftinguished by. Mr. Theobald with great probability reads-faction. Plantagenet afterward ufes the fame word this pale and angry rose "Will I for ever, and my faction, wear." In K. Henry V. we have pation for paction. MALONE. Suf. Suf. I'll turn my part thereof into thy throat. Som. Away, away, good William De-la-Poole ! We grace the yeoman, by converfing with him. War. Now, by God's will, thou wrong'ft him, Somerfet; His grandfather was Lionel duke of Clarence * Plan. He bears him on the place's privilege', Som. By him that made me, I'll maintain my words On any plot of ground in Christendom: Was not thy father, Richard, carl of Cambridge, To fcourge you for this apprehenfion 4: His grandfather was Lionel duke of Clarence.] The author mistakes. Plantagenet's paternal grandfather was Edmund of Langley, Duke of York. His maternal grandfather was Roger Mortimer, Earl of Marche, who was the fon of Philippa the daughter of Lionel Duke of Clarence. That duke therefore was his maternal great great grandfather. See Vol. V. p.139, n. 6. MALONE. 9 Spring creftlefs yeomen-] i. e. those who have no right to arms. WARBURTON. -on the place's privilege,] The Temple, being a religious house, was an afylum, a place of exemption, from violence, revenge, and bloodshed. JOHNSON, MALONE. 2 Corrupted, and exempt-] Exempt, for excluded. WARBURTON. 3 For your partaker-] A partaker in old language was an accom plice; a perfon joined in the fame party with another. 4-for this apprehenfion :] i. e. opinion. WARBURTON. Mr. Theobald reads reprebenfion. MALONE. Look Look to it well; and fay you are well warn'd. Suf. Go forward, and be chok'd with thy ambition! [Exit. Sem. Have with thee, Poole. Farewell, ambitious Richard. [Exit. Plan. How I am brav'd, and muft perforce endure it! War. This blot, that they object against your houfe, Shall be wip'd out in the next parliament, Call'd for the truce of Winchester and Glofter: 5- this pale and angry rofe, As cognizance of my blood-drinking bate,] So, in Romeo and Juliet: "Either my eye-fight fails, or thou look'ft pale. A badge is called a cognifance à cognofcendo, becaufe by it fuch perfons as do wear it upon their fleeves, their fhoulders, or in their hats, are manifeftly known whofe fervants they are. In heraldry the cognifance is feated upon the most eminent part of the helmet. TOLLET. Shall be wip'd out-] Old Copy-whip't. Corrected by the editor of the fecond folio. MALONE. Law. Lar. And fo will I. Plan. Thanks, gentle fir7. Come, let us four to dinner: I dare say, This quarrel will drink blood another day. SCENE V. The fame. A Room in the Tower. [Exeunt. Enter MORTIMER, brought in a chair by two keepers. Mor. Kind keepers of my weak decaying age, Let 7-gentle fir.] The latter word, which yet does not complete the metre, was added by the editor of the fecond folio. MALONE. 8 Enter Mortimer,] Mr. Edwards, in his Mf. notes, obferves, that Shakspeare has varied from the truth of history, to introduce this fcene between Mortimer and Richard Plantagenet. Edmund Mortimer served under Henry V. in 1422, and died unconfined in Ireland in 1424. Holinfhed fays, that Mortimer was one of the mourners at the funeral of Henry V. His uncle, Sir John Mortimer, was indeed prisoner in the tower, and was executed not long before the earl of March's death, being charged with an attempt to make his escape in order to stir up an infurrection in Wales. STEEVENS. A half-informed Remarker on this note feems to think that he has totally overturned it, by quoting the following paffage from Hall's Chronicle: "During whiche parliament [held in the third year of Henry VI. 1425.] came to London Peter Duke of Quimber,-whiche of the Duke of Exeter, &c. was highly fefted. During whych feafon Edmond Mortymer, the laft Erle of Marche of that name, (whiche long tyme had bene reftrayned from hys liberty and finally waxed lame,) difceafed without yflue, whofe inheritance defcended to Lord Richard Plantagenet," &c. as if a circumftance which Hall has mentioned to mark the time of Mortimer's death, neceffarily ascertained the place where it happened alfo. The fact is, that this Edmund Mortimer did not die in London, but at Trim in Ireland. He did not however die in confinement (as Sandford has erroneously afferted in his Genealogical Hiftory. See K. Henry IV. P. I. p. 139, n. 6.); and whether he ever was confined, (except by Owen Glendower) may be doubted, notwithstanding the affertion of Hall. Hardyng, who lived at the time, fays he was treated with the greatest kindness and care both by Henry IV. (to whom he was a ward,) and by his fon Henry V. See his Chronicle, 1543, fol. 229. He was certainly at liberty in the year 1415 having a few days before King Henry failed from Southampton divulged to him in that town the traiterous intentions of his brother-in-law Richard Earl of Cambridge, by which he probably conciliated the friendship of the young king. He at that time received a general pardon from Henry, and |