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Richard the Third Cf. Love's Labour's Lost, IV. iii. 384; 'And justice always whirls in equal measure.'

intestate. The Folio reading is 'intestine.' There seems little doubt that 'intestine' is either a misprint or an attempted correction arising from a misunderstanding of the manuscript. The reading of the Quarto has, therefore, been adopted in this text.

This line is omitted in the Quarto, and the query concerning Hastings is added to the preceding line of the Queen.

Humphrey Hour. No satisfactory explanation of this apparent sarcasm of Richard's has yet been made. Those who lacked the price of a meal were said to dine with Duke Humphrey, but how the saying is meant to be applied here is not clear.

Elizabeth. '[Richard] would rather take to wife his cousine and neece the ladie Elizabeth, than for lacke of that affinitie the whole realme should run to ruine. Wherefore he sent to the queene (being in sanctuarie) diuerse and often messengers, which should so largelie promise promotions innumerable, and benefits, not onelie to hir, but also to hir sonne lord Thomas, Marquesse Dorset. ' Holinshed, 750. Halle, 406. The passage further describes how the queen 'began somewhat to relent.'

opposite. According to the pseudo-science of astrology the 'opposition' of beneficent stars neutralised their good effects, turning them to evil aspects.

Cf. Hamlet, II. i. 66: 'By indirections find directions out.'

so thrive I.e. May the success of my enterprise be as assured, as are my good intents toward you and yours in the future.

Lethe. A river of the Greek under-