Act III. i. 44-Evans. "Pless you from his mercy sake, all of you." Shallow. "What! the Sword and the Word. Do you study them both, Mr. Parson?" In his agitation Parson Evans quotes a line from Ps. vi. 4, compare the Metrical Version Compare "2 Henry IV.," Act IV., "Turning the Word to Sword," for a play upon the same words. Phil. ii. 16" Holding forth the Word of life." Ephes. vi. 17-"The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." Act III. i. 63—Parson Evans. "Got's will, and his passion of my heart! I had as lief you would tell me of a messe of porredge." Page. "Why?" Evans. "He has no more knowledge in Hibbocrates and Galen -and he is a knave besides: a cowardly knave, as you would desires to be acquainted withal.” "Gallia and Guallia, French and Welch (as the Host says, The heading does not occur in the Authorised, Act III. iii. 204-Evans. "Heaven forgive my sins at the day of Judgment." Act III. iii. 206-Page. "What spirit, what devil suggests this imagination." References to the Last Judgment and to the temptation of Act III. iv. 32 Anne. "O! what a world of vilde ill favoured faultes Lookes handsome in three hundred pounds a yeere." Ecclus. xiii. 25-" When the rich man speaketh, every man holdeth his tongue; and looke what he saith they praise it unto the cloudes." Eccles. x. 19-" Silver answereth to all." James ii. 2" For if there come into your company a man with a golde ring, and in goodly apparell and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment. And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou heere in a goodly place, and say unto the poore, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstoole." Act IV. ii. 102 Mrs. Page. "We do not act, that often jest and laugh; A reference to the Prodigal and the swine. From the Authorised Version one would assume that the Prodigal, being unable to gain food from any one, satisfied his hunger with the husks that were set for the swine. Luke xv. 16-" And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him." But Mrs. Page seems to say that the Prodigal did not even receive the husks, although he would have been glad enough of them-" Still swine eat all the draff." It is interesting to note that in the 1598 edition of the Genevan Bible the following verse occurs, Luke xv. 16—" And he would faine have filled his belly with the huskes that the swine ate, but no man gave them him.' This verse exactly agrees with Mrs. Page's proverb that the swine ate all. All the Versions give "no man gave unto him" except Cranmer, "no man gave him." The 1557 Genevan Version, "no man gave unto him." I have not been able to find out the exact year when "gave them him " first appeared in the Genevan, but it is worth noting that the phrase is in the edition of 1598, probably the year of the writing of the "Merry Wives." Act IV. ii. 151-Evans. "Master Ford, you must pray and not follow the imaginations of your owne heart.” Direct use of Scripture— Gen. viii. 21-"The imagination of man's heart is evill, even from his youth." Luke i. 51-" Scattered the proude in the imagination of their hearts." Matt. xxvi. 41-"Watch and pray, lest ye enter into tentation." Wic.-"he scatered proude men with the thought of his herte." Tyn., Cran., Gen., Author.-"the imagination of their hearts." Act IV. ii. 201-" The witness of a good conscience." 2 Cor. i. 12-"The testimonie of our conscience, that in simplicitie and godlie purenesse." Rom. ix. 1-" My conscience bearing me witnesse in the Holy Ghost." Rom. ii. 15-" Their conscience also bearing witness." Act IV. v. 3-Simple. "Marry sir, I come to speak with Sir John Falstaff from Master Slender." Host. "There's his chamber, his house, his castle, his standing bed, and truckle-bed: tis painted about with the story of the Prodigal, fresh and new." Luke xv. Act V. i. 24-Falstaff. "He beat me grievously, in the shape of a woman; for in the shape of man, Master Brook, I fear not Goliah with a weaver's beam, because I know also, life is a shuttle." Direct use of Scripture 1 Sam. xvii. 4-"Then came a man named Goliath of Gath.” 7-" And the shaft of his speare was like a weaver's beame." Job vii. 6-" My dayes are swifter than a weaver's shittle." Act V. v. 60-"That it (Windsor Castle) may stand till the perpetual doom." Reference to the Day of Judgment— 2 Peter iii. 10—“But the day of the Lord will come as a thiefe in the night, in the which the heavens shall passe away with a noyse, and the elements shall melt with heate, and the earth with the works that are therein, shall be burnt up." Act V. v. 157-Ford. "And one that is as slanderous as Sathan?" Job i. 9-" Then Satan answered the Lord and sayd, Doeth Job feare God for nought? . . . See if he will not blaspheme Thee to Thy face" (Job ii. 4, 5). For poverty see Job i. 21-"Naked came I out of my mother's wombe, and naked shall I returne thither, the Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken it." And for wickedness see Job ii. 9-" Then said his wife unto him, Doest thou continue yet in thine uprightnes? Blaspheme God, and dye." Genevan Note-"Satan useth the same instrument against Job as hee did against Adam," his wife. "Afflicted by the sharpe tentations of his wife." HENRY THE FIFTH. Performed early in 1599. Thomas Creede in 1600 printed an imperfect draft. Complete version First Folio, 1623. Act I. i. 19-Ely. "This would drink deepe." A figure of completion. Compare the Biblical use Matt. xxvi. 39, 42— Isa. li. 17-"Which hast drunke at the hande of the Lord the cup of His wrath: thou hast drunken the dregges of the cup of trembling and wrung them out." Act I. i. 22-"The King is full of grace and faire regarde." Use of Scripture words— John i. 14-" Full of grace and truth." Luke i. 28 Wic., Tyn., Cran., Rheims—“ Heil, full of grace." Author.-"highly favoured." Act I. i. 25 Canter. "The breath no sooner left his Father's body Seem'd to dye too: yea, at that very moment And whipt th' offending Adam out of him, T' invelop and containe celestiall spirits." This sinne of mine in me I may be sanctified By grace of thine in thee." |