And all for her; A plague upon her! ELI. Thou unadvised scold, I can produce A will, that bars the title of thy son. CONST. Ay, who doubts that? a will! a wicked will; A woman's will: a canker'd grandam's will! K. PHI. Peace, lady; pause, or be more tempe rate : It ill beseems this presence, to cry aim Some trumpet summon hither to the walls These men of Angiers; let us hear them speak, Whose title they admit, Arthur's or John's. beadle to her sin, or executioner of the punishment annexed to it. HENLEY. 9 It ill beseems this presence, to CRY AIM To these ill-tuned repetitions.] Dr. Warburton has well observed, on one of the former plays, that to " cry aim" is to encourage. I once thought it was borrowed from archery; and that aim! having been the word of command, as we now say present! to cry aim had been to incite notice, or raise attention. But I rather think that the old word of applause was J'aime, I love it, and that to applaud was to cry J'aime, which the English, not easily pronouncing Je, sunk into aime, or aim. Our exclamations of applause are still borrowed, as bravo and encore. JOHNSON. Dr. Johnson's first thought, I believe, is best. So, in Beaumont and Fletcher's Love's Cure, or The Martial Maid: 66 Can I cry aim "To this against myself? Again, in Tarlton's Jests, 1611: "The people had much ado to keep peace: but Bankes and Tarleton had like to have squared, and the horse by, to give aime." Again, in Churchyard's Charge, 1580, p. 8, b: "Yet he that stands, and giveth aime, "Maie judge what shott doeth lose the game; Again, in our author's Merry Wives of Windsor, where Ford says: "and to these violent proceedings all my neighbours shall cry aim." See vol. viii. p. 98, n. 7. STEEVENS, Trumpets sound. Enter Citizens upon the walls. 1 CIT. Who is it, that hath warn'd us to the walls? K. PHI. 'Tis France, for England. K. JOHN. England, for itself: You men of Angiers, and my loving subjects,K. PHI. You loving men of Angiers, Arthur's subjects, Our trumpet call'd you to this gentle parle. K. JOHN. For our advantage;-Therefore, hear These flags of France, that are advanced here 2 3 And merciless proceeding by these French, Confront your city's eyes, your winking gates 3 ; And, but for our approach, those sleeping stones, That as a waist do girdle you about, By the compulsion of their ordnance By this time from their fixed beds of lime 1 For OUR advantage ;-Therefore, hear us first.] If we read-" For your advantage," it will be a more specious reason for interrupting Philip. TYRWHITT. 2 CONFRONT your city's eyes,] The old copy reads-Comfort, &c. Mr. Rowe made this necessary change. STEEVENS. 3 - your WINKING gates;] i. e. gates hastily closed from an apprehension of danger. So, in King Henry IV. Part II.: "And winking leap'd into destruction." MALONE. So, in Old Fortunatus, 1600: "Whether it were lead or latten that hasp'd those winking casements, I know not." STEEVENS. 4 — dishabited,] i. e. dislodged, violently removed from their places: a word, I believe, of our author's coinage. STEEVENS, For bloody power to rush upon your peace. They shoot but calm words, folded up in smoke, Crave harbourage within your city walls. K. PHI. When I have said, make answer to us both. Lo, in this right hand, whose protection And king o'er him, and all that he enjoys: In warlike march these greens before your town; Than the constraint of hospitable zeal, 5 - a COUNTERCHECK-] This, I believe, is one of the ancient terms used in the game of chess. So, in Mucedorus, 1598: "Post hence thyself, thou counterchecking trull.” STEEVENS. 6 They shoot but calm WORDS, FOLDED UP IN SMOKE,] So, in our author's Rape of Lucrece : "This helpless smoke of words, doth me no right." MALONE. "Forwearied-] i. e. worn out, Sax. So, Chaucer, in his Romaunt of the Rose, speaking of the mantle of Avarice : "And if it were forwerid, she "Would havin," &c. STEEVENS. To pay that duty, which you truly owe, 8 To him that owes it ; namely, this young prince: With unhack'd swords, and helmets all unbruis'd, 8 To him that owes it;] Owes is here, as in other books of our author's time, used for own. MALONE. See our author and his contemporaries, passim. So, in Othello: that sweet sleep "That thou ow'dst yesterday." STEEVENS. This use of the word continued till the time of Charles II. I am possessed of a volume containing Legh's Accedens of Armory, and Bossewell's Works of Armorie, bound up together, which is ascertained to have been formerly the property of Randle Holme (I suppose the antiquary), by these whimsical lines written in a flyleaf at the beginning: "Randle Holme this book doth owe, "William Holme the same doth knowe; "R. Holme junier will testefie, "That William Holme doth not lye." Boswell. 9 'Tis not the ROUNDURE, &c.] the French rondeur, i. e. the circle. Roundure means the same as So, in All's Lost by Lust, a tragedy by Rowley, 1633: 66 will she meet our arms "With an alternate roundure?" Again, in Shakspeare's 21st Sonnet: 66 all things rare, "That heaven's air in this huge rondure hems." STEEVENS. Or shall we give the signal to our rage, 1 CIT. In brief, we are the king of England's subjects; For him, and in his right, we hold this town. K. JOHN. Acknowledge then the king, and let me in. 1 CIT. That can we not: but he that proves the king, To him will we prove loyal; till that time, And, if not that, I bring you witnesses, Twice fifteen thousand hearts of England's breed,- K. JOHN. To verify our title with their lives. BAST. Some bastards too. K. PHI. Stand in his face, to contradict his claim. 1 CIT. Till you compound whose right is worthiest, We, for the worthiest, hold the right from both. K. JOHN. Then God forgive the sin of all those souls, That to their everlasting residence, Before the dew of evening fall, shall fleet, In dreadful trial of our kingdom's king! K. PHI. Amen, Amen !-Mount, chevaliers! to arms! BAST. St. George, that swing'd the dragon, and e'er since, Sits on his horseback at mine hostess' door, Teach us some fence !-Sirrah, were I at home, |