"Take them to guard: this _entrance_ to our warres Is full of spirit, and begets much hope."

[368] From the upper stage.

[369] "Then a certain Italian of Gonzague's band cut off the Admiral's head, and sent it, preserved with spices, to Rome to the Pope and the Cardinal of Lorraine. Others cut off his hands."--_Three Parts of Commentaries_, &c., Book x. p. 14.

[370] "So the old ed.; and so indeed our early authors usually wrote the name:

'O, may they once as high as Haman mount, And from _Mount Faulcon_ give a sad account,' &c.

Sylvester's _Du Bartas's._"--_Dyce._

[371] Scene: a street.

[372] Scene: the entrance to Seroune's house.

[373] Old ed. "Sancta."

[374] Old ed. "he was."

[375] Old ed. "Rene."

[376] Old ed. "scoftes."

[377] Old ed. "actions."

[378] I have adopted Mitford's emendation. The reading of the old ed. is "Argumentum testimonis est in arte fetialis."

[379] Old ed. "Shekins."

[380] Grounds of proof,--in the scholastic sense of ~topoi~, or loci. "Itaque licet definire, _loc.u.m esse argumenti sedem_."--Cicero, _Top._ ii. 3.

[381] Old ed. "thorbonest."

[382] " ... tandemque P. Ramum diu quaesitum vicariorum coryphaeus unus offendit, eique veniam frustra deprecanti vulnus in brachio infligit, et plurimis aliis ictibus postea confoditur.... E fenestra spiritum trahens praecipitatur in aream, pedibusque fune devinctis per urbis sordes devolvitur et capite a chirurgo quodam truncato cadaver in ... Sequanam flumen misere projicitur."--Theophilus Banosius' _Vita Rami_, prefixed to _Commentarii de Religione Christiana_ (Francofurti, 1577).

[383] "'Carbonarius pater probri loco illi [sc. Ramo] objectus est.'

_Rami Vita per Freigium_."--_Dyce._

[384] Old ed. "Rene."

[385] The scene shifts to the King of Navarre's quarters in the Louvre.

[386] The young Prince of Conde, cousin to the King of Navarre.

[387] The stage-direction in old ed. is "Enter Guise."

[388] Scene: a room in the Louvre.

[389] Scene: near Paris.

[390] Old ed. "_by_ the."

[391] Scene: a wood near Paris.

[392] Scene: a room in the Castle of Vincennes.

[393] Du-Plessis Mornay.

[394] Old ed. "there," which Dyce silently retains. The correction was made by Cunningham, who explains the pa.s.sage thus:--"There are persons (you yourself and my Protestant subjects, for instance) from whom I have deserved a scourge, but their feelings would never lead them to poison their king; G.o.d grant that my dearest relations may prove to have been no worse than those who ought to be my enemies," &c.--"Scourge" must surely be the scourge of G.o.d. Navarre had said, "G.o.d will sure restore you:" to which the king answers, "I have deserved a scourge" from G.o.d.

Before l. 10 a line or more referring to the ma.s.sacre of the Protestants must have dropped out.

[395] Old ed. "Nauarre."

[396] Old ed. "seeme."

[397] Pampeluna.

[398] Scene: a hall in the Louvre.

[399] I should prefer to read:--

"Then may it please Your majesty to give me leave to punish Those that do [dare] profane this holy feast."

[400] Old ed. "as."

[401] Old ed. "lords."

[402] Scene: a room in the Duke of Guise's house.

[403] "The gallant of the d.u.c.h.ess was not Mugeroun (Maugiron), but Saint-Megrin, another of the King's 'Mignons.' See Anquetil.--_Hist. de France_, t. v. 345, ed. 1817."-- _Dyce._

[404] Old ed. "wert."

[405] "I must leave the location of this scene to the reader. I should have marked it--La Roch.e.l.le, but that the Messenger presently informs the King that 'a mighty army comes _from France_.'"--_Dyce._

[406] Hinder.

[407] Scene: an apartment in the Louvre.

[408] Old ed. "mor du."

[409] Old ed. "make."

[410] Scene: near Coutras.

[411] Scene: outside the Louvre.--In his _Hist. of Eng. Dram. Poetry_, iii. 134 (old ed.), Collier printed a portion (given below) of this scene from a fragment of a MS. copy. It will be seen that the printed text was much mutilated.

"_Enter a Souldier with a muskett._