Upon our foldiers, we'll retire to Calais. [Flourish. The King, &c. enter the town. Enter KATHARINE and ALICE. KATH. Alice, tu as efté en Angleterre, et tu parles bien le language. 4 are we addreft,] i. e. prepared. So, in Heywood's Brazen Age, 1613: clamours from afar, "Tell us these champions are addreft for war." STEEVENS. 5 Scene IV.] I have left this ridiculous fcene as I found it; and am forry to have no colour left, from any of the editions, to imagine it interpolated. WARBURTON. Sir T. Hanmer has rejected it. The fcene is indeed mean enough, when it is read; but the grimaces of two French women, and the odd accent with which they uttered the English, made it divert upon the stage. It may be obferved, that there is in it not only the French language, but the French fpirit. Alice compliments the princefs upon her knowledge of four words, and tells her that the pronounces like the English themfelves. The princess fufpects no deficiency in her inftructress, nor the inftructress in herfelf. Throughout the whole fccne there may be found French fervility, and French vanity. I cannot forbear to tranfcribe the first fentence of this dialogue from the edition of 1608, that the reader, who has not looked into the old copies, may judge of the ftrange negligence with which they are printed. "Kate. Alice venecia, vous aves cates en, vou parte fort bon Angloys englatara, coman fae palla vou la main en francoy." JOHNSON. We may obferve in general, that the early editions have not half the quantity; and every fentence, or rather every word, most ridi KATH. Je te prie, m'enfeignez; il faut que j'apprenne à parler. Comment appellez vous la main, en Anglois? culously blundered. Thefe, for feveral reafons, could not poffibly be published by the author; and it is extremely probable that the French ribaldry was at first inferted by a different hand, as the many additions most certainly were after he had left the stage.Indeed, every friend to his memory will not easily believe, that he was acquainted with the scene between Katharine and the old Gentlewoman: or furely he would not have admitted such obscenity and nonfenfe. FARMER. It is very certain, that authors in the time of Shakspeare did not correct the prefs for themselves. I hardly ever faw in one of the old plays a fentence of either Latin, Italian, or French, without the most ridiculous blunders. In the Hiftory of Clyomon, Knight of the Golden Shield, 1599, a tragedy which I have often quoted, a warrior asks a lady, disguised like a page, what her name is. She answers, "Cur Daceer," i. e. Cœur d' Acier, Heart of Steel. STEEVENS. 6 Kath. Alice, tu as efté-] I have regulated several speeches in this French fcene; fome whereof were given to Alice, and yet evidently belonged to Katharine: and fo vice verfa. It is not material to diftinguish the particular tranfpofitions I have made. Mr. Gildon has left no bad remark, I think, with regard to our poet's conduct in the character of this princefs: "For why he fhould not allow her," fays he, "to fpeak in English as well as all the other French, I cannot imagine; fince it adds no beauty, but gives a patch'd and pye-bald dialogue of no beauty or force." THEOBALD. In the collection of Chefter Whitfun Myfteries, among the Harleian MSS. No. 1013, I find French speeches introduced. In the Vintner's Play, p. 65, the three kings, who come to worship our infant Saviour, addrefs themselves to Herod in that language, and Herod very politely anfwers them in the fame. At first, I fuppofed the author to have appropriated a foreign tongue to them, becaufe they were ftrangers; but in the Skinner's Play, p. 144, 1 found Pilate talking French, when no fuch reafon could be offered to juftify a change of language. Thefe myfteries are faid to have been written in 1328. It is hardly neceffary to mention that in this MS. the French is as much corrupted as in the passage quoted by Dr. Johnfon from the quarto edition of King Henry V. STEEVENS, ALICE. La main? elle eft appellée, de hand. KATH. De hand. Et les doigts? ALICE. Les doigts? may foy, je oublie les doigts; mais je me fouviendray. Les doigts? je penfe, qu'ils font appellé de fingres; ouy, de fingers. KATH. La main, de hand; les doigts, de fingres. Je penfe, que je fuis le bon efcolier. J'ay gagné deux mots d'Anglois viftement. Comment appellez vous les ongles? ALICE. Les ongles? les appellons, de nails. KATH. De nails. Efcoutez; dites moy, fi je parle bien: de hand, de fingres, de nails. ALICE. C'est bien dit, madame; il eft fort bon Anglois. KATH. Dites moy en Anglois, le bras. ALICE. De arm, madame. KATH. Et le coude. ALICE. De elbow. CATH. De elbow. Je m'en faitz la repetition de tous les mots, que vous m'avez appris dès a prefent. ALICE. Il est trop difficile, madame, comme penfe. je KATH. Excufez moy, Alice; efcoutez: De hand, de fingre, de nails, de arm, de bilbow. ALICE. De elbow, madame. KATH. O Seigneur Dieu! je m'en oublie; De elbow. Comment appellez vous le col? ALICE. De neck, madame. KATH. De neck: Et le menton? ALICE. De chin. KATH. De fin. Le col, de neck: le menton, de ALICE. Ouy. Sauf voftre honneur; en verité, vous prononces les mots auffi droit que les natifs d' Angle terre. KATH. Je ne doute point d'apprendre par la grace de Dieu; et en peu de temps. ALICE. N'avez vous pas deja oublié ce que je vous ay enfeignée? KATH. Non, je reciteray à vous promptement. De hand, de fingre, de mails, ALICE. De nails, madame. KATH. De nails, de arme, de ilbow. KATH. Ainfi dis je; de elbow, de neck, et de fin: Comment appellez vous le pieds et la robe? ALICE. De foot, madame; et de con. KATH. De foot, et de con? O Seigneur Dieu! ces font mots de fon mauvais, corruptible, grosse, et impudique, et non pour les dames d'honneur d'ufer: Je ne voudrois prononcer ces mots devant les Seigneurs de France, pour tout le monde. Il faut de foot, & de con, neant-moins. Je reciterai une autre fois ma leçon enfemble: De hand, de fingre, de nails, de arm, de elbow, de neck, de fin, de foot, de con. ALICE. Excellent, madame! KATH. C'eft affez pour une fois; allons nous a difner. [Exeunt. |