Page:Henry VI Part 2 (1923) Yale.djvu/133

King Henry the Sixth Henry was twenty-five years old at the time of Gloucester's death in 1447. Gloucester, however, had ceased to be Protector in name, or even in fact, long before. His formal Protectorship was annulled in 1429, when the king was crowned (at the age of seven). Thereafter Gloucester held no higher title than that of 'First Councillor.'

 Pride went before, ambition follows him. 'Pride' stands for the Cardinal, 'ambition' for Buckingham and Somerset.

 Thy deeds, thy plainness, and thy housekeeping Hath won the greatest favour of the commons. Many modern editors alter 'hath' to 'have,' but Elizabethan English often prefers a logical to a grammatical agreement between subject and verb. 'Hath' may be explained as agreeing with the nearest of the three subjects, or with the aggregate idea of Warwick's character implied by all three. Frequently the lack of agreement is only apparent, not real (cf. note on I. iv. 77).

 brother York, thy acts in Ireland. Salisbury and York were brothers-in-law (see note on line 241 below). York's 'acts in Ireland' were not performed till later than the historical date of this scene (1445). His highly successful administration of Ireland occurred in 1448-1450. Compare the note on III. i. 318.

 As did the fatal brand Althæa burnt Unto the prince's heart of Calydon. The heart of the prince of Calydon (Meleager) succumbed to death when his mother in anger burned the piece of firewood ('brand'), which the Fates had prophesied would measure his length of life. This passage, like many others of a flowery and rhetorical nature, is not found in the original (Contention) version, and was presumably added by Shakespeare. It has been noted that the myth is here correctly reproduced from Ovid, whereas