Thomas Ryder & John Francis Rigaud

Shakspeare. First Part of King Henry the Fourth. Act V, Scene IV. Plain Near Shrewsbury. Prince Henry, Hotspur and Falstaff. Published June 4, 1796, by J & J. Boydell, at the Shakspeare Gallery Pall Mall; & at No. 90, Cheapside. Engraved by Thomas Ryder. Painted by Francis Rigaud Esq. R. A.

Enter Douglas; he fights with Falstaff, who falls down as if he were dead, and exit Douglas. Hotspur is wounded, and falls.

Hotspur: O, Harry, thou hast robb'd me of my youth:
I better brook the loss of brittle life
Than those proud titles thou hast won of me;
They wound my thoughts worse than thy sword my flesh: -
But thought's the slave of life, and life time's fool;
And time, that takes survey of all the world,
Must have a stop. O, I could prophesy,
But that the earthy and cold hand of death
Lies on my tongue; - No, Percy, thou art dust,
And food for -- [Dies.

Prince Henry: For worms, brave Percy: Fare thee well, great
heart! --
Ill-weav'd ambition, how much art thou shrunk!
When that this body did contain a spirit,
A kingdom for it was too small a bound;
But now, two paces of the vilest earth
Is room enough: - This earth, that bears thee dead,
Bears not alive so stout a gentleman.
If thou wert sensible of courtesy,
I should not make so great a show of zeal: -
But let my favours hide thy mangled face;
And, even in thy behalf, I'll thank myself
For doing these fair rites of tenderness.
Adieu, and take thy praise with thee to heaven!
Thy ignomy sleep with thee in thy grave,
But not remember'd in thy epitaph! --
[He sees Falstaff on the ground.]
What! old aquaintance! could not all this flesh
Keep in a little life? Poor Jack, farewell! ...

In William Shakespeare's King Henry the Fourth, The First Part, Act Five, Scene Four, the engraving depicts the plain near Shrewsbury with Prince Henry, Hotspur and Falstaff. William Shakespeare writes that Henry IV, the Prince of Wales (Prince Henry), vowed to kill the valiant Knight Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, also known as (Sir Harry Hotspur) for his successive rebellions against King Henry IV of England (his father). The scene in this Shakespearean engraving depicts the death of Hotspur at the battle of Shrewsbury (Shropshire). He has just been mortally wounded by Prince Henry. Shakespear's words written above describe the conversation between Hotspur and Prince Henry (Harry), just before he dies. And, as usual, Falstaff is on the ground hiding under his shield, pretending he is either hurt or dead as the battle continues in the background.

This original engraving is a 'First Edition Impression'. 4. 'First Edition Impressions'. The completed set of John Boydell's Shakespeare engravings was published in London in 1803. The full publisher's address appears along the lower margin as well as the text for the play. The heading,'Shakspeare', is now filled in with stippling. The text below the image of this proof impression reads; "Shakspeare. First Part of King Henry the Fourth. Act V, Scene IV. Plain Near Shrewsbury. Prince Henry, Hotspur and Falstaff. Published June 4, 1796, by J & J. Boydell, at the Shakspeare Gallery Pall Mall; & at No. 90, Cheapside. Engraved by Thomas Ryder. Painted by Francis Rigaud Esq. R. A.

Hot: O, Harry, thou hast robb'd me of my youth:
I better brook the loss of brittle life
Than those proud titles thou hast won of me;
They wound my thoughts worse than thy sword my flesh: -
But thought's the slave of life, and life time's fool;

And time, that takes survey of all the world,
Must have a stop. O, I could prophesy,
But that the earthy and cold hand of death
Lies on my tongue; - No, Percy, thou art dust,
And food for____"

An Important Note on Boydell States and Editions: Proof impressions and true first edition impressions are easily identified by their fine lines and strong contrasts of black and white tones. Later more common editions print in a more overall grey tone and contain areas of re-working. Briefly, the publishing history of these great engravings can be categorized into five states or editions:

1. 'Artist's Proofs'. These are the earliest of states and were printed in only a handful of impressions. They are identified not only by their vibrant lines and tones but by the fact that they lack any letters along the lower margin.
2. 'Proofs Before Title'. These impressions usually contain the names of the artist, publisher and engraver along the lower margin. They lack the title of the specific play depicted and usually the heading -- 'Shakspeare' -- is smaller than in the published edition. Once again, this state was printed in a very small numbers.
3. 'Open Letter Proofs'. These impressions bear the title of the play. the heading, 'Shakspeare' (Shakespeare), is yet to be filled in with stippling. These impressions were printed before the publication of the first edition and were probably struck from the plate at a customer's request. Perhaps ten to twenty Open Letter Proofs exist for each engraving.
4. 'First Edition Impressions'. The completed set of Boydell's Shakespeare engravings was published in London in 1803. The full publisher's address appears along the lower margin as well as the text for the play. The heading, 'Shakspeare', is now filled in with stippling. Both first edition impressions and proofs were most often printed on either hand-made, laid paper or wove paper bearing the 'J. Whatman' watermark.
5. 'Posthumous Impressions and Restrikes' As early as 1807, John Stockdale of London issued a second edition of the Shakespeare prints. They continued to be published throughout the first half of the nineteenth century. Finally, in 1852, an enterprising dentist in New York City (with the delightful name of Shearjashub Spooner) acquired the plates, restored them and produced the last edition. These prints are most commonly offered for sale.

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