The Complete Plays (95 page)

25        
my lord of Winchester
: Spencer Senior, earl of Wiltshire.

45        
Bestow… France
: Spencer Junior employs Levune to bribe the French lords, and thus prevent Isabella from receiving aid in France.

47–8  
Jove to… Danaë
: The shower of gold in which Jupiter reached Danaë (N) was sometimes interpreted as a bribe.

53    
levelled
: For Q's
levied.

54        
lay their heads
: Punning on the sense ‘conspire'.

55        
clean
: Absolutely.

56        
clap so close
: (For Q's
claps close
) shake hands (to strike a deal) in secret.

Scene
14

10        
stay
: Await.

11        
Stand… device
: Kent calls upon the darkness of night to assist Mortimer Junior's escape.

14        
But… so happily?
: Did your sleeping potion work successfully on the warders?

Scene
15

1–2  
Ah, boy… unkind
: Levune's mission has been successful.

4          
a fig
: An obscene gesture involving the thumb being thrust between two fingers.

5          
my uncle's
: Kent's.

7          ‘
'A
: He (unstressed form).

9–10  
tuned… jar
: The metaphors are from music.

10        
jar too far
: (i) Quarrel too much, (ii) have become out of tune.

13        
Hainault
: A Flemish county in the Low Countries adjacent to France.

20        
shake off
: Cast off. The emendation
share of is
attractive.

24        
staff
: Quarter-staff used in combat.

32        
marquis
: William, Count of Hainault, brother to Sir John.

41        
thraldom
: (Here) captivity, bondage.

47        
Monsieur le Grand
: A fictional character invented by Marlowe.

49        
king
: I.e. the King of France.

50–51  
right… weapons want
: Mortimer means that right can find an opportunity even without weapons, but his words can also mean that right must cede place if it lacks power.

52        
made away
: Murdered.

55        
cast up caps
: Throw caps into the air with joy.

56        
appointed for
: Armed for battle.

66        
to bid… base
: Alluding to the children's game in which players could be caught by opponents when running between two bases.

67        
match
: Game.

74        
brother
: I.e. brother-in-law.

75        
motion
: Proposal.

76        
forward in arms
: Eager to fight.

Scene
16

8          
note
: Official list.

11.1  
SD
SPENCER
reads their names
: Q does not provide details of those nobles who were executed. However, the following passage (from Holinshed,
Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland
(1587), vol. 3, p. 331) could be adapted for performance purposes:

the lord William Tuchet, the lord William Fitz William, the lord Warren de L'Isle, the lord Henry Bradbourne, and the lord William Chenie barons, with John Page an esquire, were drawn and hanged at Pomfret aforesaid, and then shortly after, Roger lord Clifford, John lord Mowbraie, and sir Gosein d'Eevill barons, were drawn and hanged at York. At Bristow in the like manner were executed sir Henrie de Willington, and sir Henrie Montfort baronets; and at Gloucester, the lord John Gifford, and sir William Elmebridge knight; and at London, the lord Henry Teies baron; at Winchelsea, sir Thomas Culpepper knight; at Windsor, the lord Francis de Aldham baron; and at Canterbury, the lord Bartholomew de Badelis-mere, and the lord Bartholomew de Ashbornham, barons. Also at Cardiff in Wales, sir William Fleming knight was executed: divers were executed in their countries, as sir Thomas Mandit and others…

12        
barked apace
: (i) Barked rapidly like dogs, (ii) embarked swiftly (upon their treasons) (Forker 1994).

20        
'A will be had
: He will be caught.

28        
promised
: Levune begins formulaically with a reminder of the dutiful promises he has made. Many editors emend to ‘premised'.

38        
Your honour's… service
: At your honour's disposal for anything you want to do.

41        
lead the round
: Lead the dance.

42        
a'
: In.

43        
rout
: Band of followers.

52        
equal
: Able.

Scene
17

3          
Belgia
: The Netherlands.

4          
cope with
: (i) Engage with, (ii) embrace. Lines 3–9 all reflect this ambiguity.

26        
havocs
: Causes havoc in (i.e. plunders). Havocking was the indiscriminate slaughter of game.

Scene
18

0.1–0.2  
SD
flying about
: Cf. the ‘fly' of line I.

6          
r'enforce
: Once more encourage.

7          
bed of honour
: The ground on which the soldiers will die honourably, and be buried.

Scene
19

16–17  
Bristol… false
: I.e. the Mayor of Bristol has betrayed Edward I's son.

17        
Be… suspect
: Don't be found alone for it arouses suspicion.

43        
A goodly chancellor
. This is spoken sarcastically.

45.1  
SD
RICE
ap
HOWELL
: A Welshman (Rice = Rhys) employed to arrest Edward.

48        
this presence
: The royal presence (with a pun in the next line).

60        
started thence
: Driven from their place of refuge.

63        
in a muse
: Perplexed.

70        
Your lordship… head
: Your recently acquired status may save you from hanging, but not beheading.

75        
Being of countenance
: Having authority.

Scene
20

18        
nurseries of arts
: I.e. universities.

20        
life contemplative
: The
vita contemplativa
, the monks' life of religious devotion.

29        
gloomy fellow
: The Mower who appears at line 45.

35        
fall on shore
: Run aground.

44–5  
drowsiness… no good
: Sleepiness was sometimes considered an evil omen.

45.1  
SD
Welsh hooks
: Long-handled hedging bills resembling a scythe.

53–4  
Quem… iacentem
: ‘He whom the coming day [dawn] saw in his pride, the passing day [dusk] has seen laid low' (from Seneca's
Thyestes
, 613–14).

56        
by no other names
: Leicester denies the titles which Edward has conferred upon Spencer Junior and Baldock.

58        
Stand not on titles
: Do not depend upon the privileges of noble status.

61–2  
O day… stars
: A recollection of Gaveston's lament, 10.4–5.

67        
in rescue of
: As payment for the release from custody of.

81        
Killingworth
: A common variant of ‘Kenilworth', but the associations of the name darken as the play proceeds.

85    
As good… benighted
: I.e. it would be best to leave for Killingworth before nightfall (Wiggins and Lindsey 1997).

89        
hags
: Hellish spirits.

90        
these, and these
: Edward probably indicates the monks of Neath Abbey, Spencer Junior and Baldock.

96        
feignèd weeds
: False clothes (i.e. the disguises they are wearing).

98        
Life… friends
: Now that his friends have been sent to their deaths, his life has become meaningless.

101      
Rend, sphere… orb
: Let heaven be torn apart, and let the fire burst from its sphere (which surrounded the world in Ptolemaic cosmology).

113      
the place appointed
: I.e. the gallows.

115      
remember me
: I.e. remunerate me.

Scene
21

3          
lay… a space
: Resided a while here for pleasure.

9–10  
forest deer… herb… wounds
: It was believed that the herb dittany could heal wounds. Cf. Pliny,
Historia Naturalis
VII.xli.97.
being struck
: I.e. shot with an arrow.

13        
And
: Missing from all early texts.

18        
pent and mewed
: Penned and caged (like a bird in a ‘mew' or cage).

27        
perfect
: Mere (Rowland 1994).

35        
exchange
: Change of circumstances.

43–4  
this crown… fire
: Medea gave Creusa (for whom Jason had left her) a crown which burst into flames when it was worn.

47        
vine
: An emblem of royal lineage. See also 11.163n.

66        
watches of the element
: I.e. stars and planets.

67        
rest… stay
: Remain motionless.

71        
tiger's milk
: Tigers were emblematic of cruelty.

85.1  
SD
The
KING
rageth
: In the Coventry
Pageant of the Shearmen and Taylors
(Late fourteenth-century mystery play), ‘Erode [Herod] ragis in the pagond and in the strete also' (783–4).

88        
install
: Invest (a person) to a position of authority.

109      
for aye
: For ever.

115      
protect
: Be Lord Protector to.

130      
to… breast
: Edward offers ‘himself as to a murderer's dagger' (Gill 1967).

149      
estate
: Condition.

153      
I… once
: Proverbial (Tilley M219).

Scene
22

2          
light-brained
: Frivolous.

8          
slip
: Escape.

9          
And grip… himself
: And bite more fiercely for having been captured himself. ‘Grip' is not clearly distinguished at this date from
gripe
(Q's reading), used of an animal seizing its prey (cf. 23.57).

10        
that imports us much
: That (it) is most important for us.
us
: For Q's
as
.

11        
erect
: Establish on the throne.

13–14  
For… under writ
: I.e. Mortimer Junior and Isabella will enjoy greater power when they can act in the name of the new king.

17        
so
: Provided that.

30        
or this… sealed
: Before (‘or') Edward's letter of abdication was sealed.

31        
he
: Edward.

33        
no more but so
: Without more ado (Forker 1994).

37        
privy seal
: Royal seal.

39        
To dash… drift
: To frustrate the stupid Edmund's plan.

48        
resign
: Hand over.

57        
casts… liberty
: Is contriving to free him.

110      
'sdain'st thou so
: Are you so disdainful?

114      
nearer
: Closer in blood to Prince Edward.

115      
charge
: Responsibility.

Redeem him
: Give him back.

Scene
23

6–7  
nightly bird… fowls
: The owl, which other birds will mob if it appears in daylight. Because it was thought to foul its own nest, it was traditionally a dirty bird, which may explain Edward's identification with it.

10        
unbowel
: Open up.