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, Of all his people shall revolt from him, 165 And pick strong matter of revolt and wrath Out of the bloody fingers' ends of John. And, O, what better matter breeds for you 170 Than I have named! The bastard Faulconbridge Is now in England, ransacking the church, Were there in arms, they would be as a call To train ten thousand English to their side, 175 Anon becomes a mountain. O noble Dauphin, 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, 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 [Exeunt Executioners. Young lad, come forth; I have to say with you. Enter ARTHUR. Arth. Good morrow, Hubert. 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: 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: Arth. Are you sick, Hubert? you look pale to-day: 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! Out at mine eyes in tender womanish tears. 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 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." |