Lew. May be he will not touch young Arthur's life, 160

But hold himself safe in his prisonment.

Pand. O, sir, when he shall hear of your approach,

If that young Arthur be not gone already,
Even at that news he dies; and then the hearts

Of all his people shall revolt from him,
And kiss the lips of unacquainted change,

165

And pick strong matter of revolt and wrath

Out of the bloody fingers' ends of John.
Methinks I see this hurly all on foot:

And, O, what better matter breeds for you

170

Than I have named! The bastard Faulconbridge

Is now in England, ransacking the church,
Offending charity: if but a dozen French

Were there in arms, they would be as a call

To train ten thousand English to their side,
Or as a little snow, tumbled about,

175

Anon becomes a mountain. O noble Dauphin,
Go with me to the king: 'tis wonderful

164. that] this F 4.

166-168. And kiss the lips John] will greet change as a welcome stranger, and find good cause for revolt and wrath in those crimes in which John has dabbled. Compare this unpleasant metaphor with Gammer Gurton's Needle (1563), ed. Gayley, line 153:—

"I picke not this geare, hearst thou, out of my fingers endes; But he that hard (sic) it told me."

169. hurly] tumult. Compare The Taming of the Shrew, IV. i. 206: "amid this hurly." In Holland's Livy (1600), "hurly" is used to

What may be wrought out of their discontent,
Now that their souls are topful of offence.
For England go: I will whet on the king.
Lew. Strong reasons make strong actions: let us go:
If you say ay, the king will not say no.

182. make] Capell; makes Ff.

180

[Exeunt.

strong] Ff 2, 3, 4; strange F 1.

180. topful] brimful. Compare Macbeth, 1. v. 44: “topfull of direst cruelty."

ACT IV

SCENE I. -A room in a castle.

Enter HUBERT and Executioners.

Hub. Heat me these irons hot; and look thou stand
Within the arras: when I strike my foot
Upon the bosom of the ground, rush forth,
And bind the boy which you shall find with me
Fast to the chair: be heedful: hence, and watch. 5
First Exec. I hope your warrant will bear out the deed.
Hub. Uncleanly scruples! fear not you look to't.

[Exeunt Executioners. Young lad, come forth; I have to say with you. Enter ARTHUR.

Arth. Good morrow, Hubert.
Hub.

1. thou] you Rowe.

2. arras] tapestry, so called from its having been first manufactured at Arras. It was evidently hung at some distance from the walls, for we often hear of people hiding behind it, as did Polonius in Hamlet.

7. Uncleanly you] The first three Folios read" Uncleanly scruples fear not you"; the fourth Folio inserts a comma after" scruples." The reading in the text is that of Rowe. Mr. Moore-Smith, following Schmidt and the first three Folios, would take the meaning as "Let no unbecoming

Good morrow, little prince.

scruples frighten you," giving "fear " the same meaning as it bears in II. i. 383. This is rather forcing the construction, and Rowe's reading is much to be preferred, especially as the fourth Folio supports it.

8. Young lad] Arthur is not to be classed with the children of Shakespeare-young Macduff, little Edmund of England, little Coriolanus. Shakespeare deliberately calls him a lad, and he is more like the sons of Cymbeline.

Arth. As little prince, having so great a title

To be more prince, as may be. You are sad. Hub. Indeed, I have been merrier.

Arth.

Mercy on me!

Methinks no body should be sad but I:
Yet, I remember, when I was in France,
Young gentlemen would be as sad as night,
Only for wantonness. By my christendom,
So I were out of prison and kept sheep,
I should be as merry as the day is long;
And so I would be here, but that I doubt
My uncle practises more harm to me:
He is afraid of me and I of him:

Is it my fault that I was Geffrey's son?

No, indeed, is 't not; and I would to heaven

ΙΟ

I were your son, so you would love me, Hubert. Hub. [Aside.] If I talk to him, with his innocent

prate

He will awake my mercy which lies dead:
Therefore I will be sudden and dispatch.

Arth. Are you sick, Hubert? you look pale to-day:
In sooth, I would you were a little sick,

10. As little prince, etc.] considering my great title, heir to the crown of England, I am at present as little a prince as may be.

16. wantonness] out of mere affectation. It was a fashion of the time to affect melancholy. See Jaques' description of the various kinds of melancholy in As You Like It, IV. i. 10. 16. christendom] christening, baptism, Christianity-therefore "by my christendom" means "by the fact that I am a Christian."

19. doubt] fear.

15

20

25

20. practises] plots. Compare Cotgrave, "manigance: secret practising or packing in a matter."

23. is 't] The Folios are here at cross purposes. Folios I and 4 read "is't," 2 and 3 "it's." Pope reads "it is." Mr. Moore-Smith says that there ought to be no comma after "indeed," in order to explain the inversion "is't" on the model of the German Gewiss ist es so,

That I might sit all night and watch with you: 30 I warrant I love you more than you do me. Hub. [Aside.] His words do take possession of my bosom. Read here, young Arthur. [Showing a paper. [Aside.] How now, foolish rheum!

Turning dispiteous torture out of door!
I must be brief, lest resolution drop

Out at mine eyes in tender womanish tears.
Can you not read it? is it not fair writ?

Arth. Too fairly, Hubert, for so foul effect:

35

Must you with hot irons burn out both mine eyes? Hub. Young boy, I must.

Arth.

Hub.

And will you?

And I will. 40

Arth. Have you the heart? When your head did but

ache,

I knit my handkercher about your brows,

The best I had, a princess wrought it me,

And I did never ask it you again;

And with my hand at midnight held your head, 45
And like the watchful minutes to the hour,

Still and anon cheer'd up the heavy time,

34. dispiteous] dispitious Ff. minutes to] Rowe; minutes, to Ff.

34. dispiteous] merciless.

38. Too fairly foul effect] too well written, Hubert, to convey such a horrible meaning. Malone suggests "a fact" for "effect." But compare Hamlet, III. iv. 129:

"Do not look upon me; Lest with this piteous action you

convert

35. lest] F 4; least Ff 1, 2, 3.

46.

rected into "handkerchief" by Rowe. The form " handkercher" still survives in vulgar speech.

46. watchful minutes to the hour] i.e. minutes which watch the hour. A common Elizabethan inversion.

47. Still and anon] continually, ever and again. For this use of "still" see note on II. i. 522 supra. Compare also Dekker, King's Entertainment 42. handkercher] needlessly cor- (1604), ed. Pearson, 1318: "Envy

My stern effects."