Must be as boist'rously maintain'd, as gain’d.
And he, that ftands upon a flipp'ry place,
Makes nice of no vile hold to ftay him up.
That John may stand, then Arthur needs muft fall;
Só be it, for it cannot be but fo.

Lewis. But what shall I gain by young Arthur's fall? Pand. You, in the right of lady Blanch your wife, May then make all the claim that Arthur did.

Lewis. And lofe it, life and all, as Artbur did.

Pand. How green you are, and fresh in this old
world!

John lays you plots; the times confpire with you;
For he, that steeps his fafety in true blood,
Shall find but bloody fafety and untrue.
This act, fo evilly born, fhall cool the hearts
Of all his people, and freeze up their zeal;
That no fo fmall advantage shall step forth
To check his reign, but they will cherish it.
No nat❜ral exhalation in the sky,

'No 'fcape of nature, no diftemper'd day,
No common wind, no cuftomed event,
But they will pluck away it's natʼral cause,
And call them meteors, prodigies, and figns,
Abortives, and prefages, tongues of heav'n,
Plainly denouncing vengeance upon John.

Lewis. May be, he will not touch young Arthur's life;

But hold himself fafe in his imprisonment.

Pand. O Sir, when he fhall hear of your approach, If that young Arthur be not gone already, Ev'n at this news he dies: and then the hearts Of all his people fhall revolt from him,

2 True blood.] The blood of him that has the juft claim.

No 'fcape of nature,-] The author very finely calls a monfrous birth, an efcape of nature. As if it were produced while he

was bufy elfewhere, or intent on fome other thing. But the Ox→ ford Editor will have it, that Shakespeare wrote,

No fhape of nature.

WARBURTON.
And

And kifs the lips of unacquainted change;
And pick ftrong matter of revolt and wrath,
Out of the bloody fingers' ends of Jobn.
Methinks, I fee this hurly all on foot;
And Q, what better matter breeds for you
Than I have nam'd!The baftard Faulconbridge
Is now in England, ranfacking the church,
Offending charity. If but twelve French
Were there in arms, they would be as a call
To train ten thousand English to their side;
*Or, as a little fnow, tumbled about,
Anon becomes a mountain. Noble Dauphin;
Go with me to the King: 'tis wonderful
What may be wrought out of their difcontent.
Now that their fouls are top-full of offence,
For England go; I will whet on the King.
Lewis. Strong reafon makes strong actions: let us go;
Ifyou fay ay, the King will not fay no.

[Exeunt.

ACT IV. SCENE I.

H

Changes to ENGLAND:

A PRISON.

Enter Hubert and Executioners.

HUBERT.

EAT me these irons hot, and, look, thou

stand

Within the arras; when I ftrike my foot
Upon the bofom of the ground, rufh forth;

4 Or, as a little fnow.] Bacon, in his hiftory of Henry VII. fpeaking of Perkin's march, ob

ferves, that their snow-ball did not gather as it rolled.

And

And bind the boy, which you fhall find with me, Fast to the chair: Be heedful; hence, and watch. Exec. I hope, your warrant will bear out the deed. Hub. Uncleanly fcruples! fear not you; look to't.— Young lad, come forth; I have to fay with you.

Enter Arthur.

Arth. Good morrow, Hubert.

Hub. Good morrow, little prince.

Arth. As little prince (having fo great a title
To be more Prince) as may be.-You are fad.
Hub. Indeed, I have been merrier.
Arth. Mercy on me!

Methinks, no body fhould be fad but Í;
Yet I remember when I was in France,
Young gentlemen would be as fad as night,
Only for wantonnefs. By my christendom,
So were I out of prifon, and kept sheep,
I should be merry as the day is long :
And fo 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 fon?
Indeed, it is not; and I would to heav'n,
I were your fon, fo you would love me, Hubert.
Hub. If I talk to him, with his innocent prate
He will awake my mercy, which lies dead;
Therefore I will be fudden, and dispatch.

[Afide.

Arth. Are you fick, Hubert? you look pale to day ;

In footh, I would, you were a little fick;
That I might fit all night and watch with you.
Alas, I love you more than you do me.

Hub. His words do take poffeffion of my bofom.

Read here, young Arthur

How now, foolish rheum,

[Shewing a paper.

[Afide.

Tura

5

Turning difpiteous torture out of door!
I must be brief, left refolution drop

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

Arth. Too fairly, Hubert, for fo foul effect.
Must you with irons burn out both mine eyes?
Hub. Young boy, I must.

Arth. And will you?
Hub. And I will.

Arth. Have you the heart? when your head did
but ake,

I knit my handkerchief about your brows
(The best I had, a princefs wrought it me)
And I did never afk it you again;

And with my hand at midnight held your head;
And, like the watchful minutes to the hour,
Still and anon chear'd up the heavy time,

Saying, what lack you? and where lies your grief?
Or what good love may I perform for

you ?
Many a poor man's fon would have lain ftill,
And ne'er have spoke a loving word to you;
But you at your fick fervice had a Prince.
Nay, you may think, my love was crafty love,
And call it cunning. Do, an if you will:
If heav'n be pleas'd that you must must use me ill,
Why then, you must- Will you put out mine eyes?

Thefe eyes, that never did, nor never fhall,

So much as frown on you.

Hub. I've fworn to do it ;

And with hot irons muft I burn them out.

Arth. Ah, none, but in this iron age, would do it.
The iron of itself, tho' heat red-hot,

Approaching near thefe eyes, would drink my tears,
And quench its fiery indignation,

Turning difpiteous torture out followed, I think, without ne

of door!] For torture Sir

T. Hanmer reads nature, and is

VOL. III.

ceffity, by Dr. Warburton.

2

Even in the matter of mine innocence:
Nay, after that, confume away in rust,
But for containing fire to harm mine eye.

6

Are you more stubborn-hard, than hammer'd iron ? Oh! if an Angel fhould have come to me,

And told me,. Hubert fhould put out mine eyes,

"I would not have believ'd a tongue, but Hubert's. [Hubert Atamps, and the men enter.

Hub. Come forth; do, as I bid you.

Arth. O fave me, Hubert, fave me! my eyes are out, Ev'n with the fierce looks of these bloody men.

Hub. Give me the iron, I fay, and bind him here. Arth. Alas, what need you be fo boift'rous-rough? I will not ftruggle, I will stand stone-still.

For heav'n's fake, Hubert, let me not be bound.
Nay, hear me, Hubert-drive these men away,
And I will fit as quiet as a lamb.

I will not stir, nor wince, nor fpeak a word,
Nor look upon the iron angrily;

Thruft but these men away, and I'll forgive you,

6 I would not have believed a tengue BUT HUBERT'S.] Thus Mr. Pope found the line in the old editions. According to this reading, it is fuppofed that Hubert had told him, he would not put out his eyes; for the angel who fays he would, is brought in as contradicting Hubert. Mr. Theobald, by what authority I don't know, reads,

I would not have believ'd him:

no tongue, but Hubert's. which is fpoiling the meafure, without much mending the fenfe. Shakespeare, I am perfuaded, wrote, I would not have believ'd a

tongue BATE HUBERT; i. e. abate, difparage. The blunder feems to have arifen thus, bate fignifies except, faving; fo

4

the tranfcribers, taking it in this fenfe, fubftituted the more ufual word but in its place. My alteration greatly improves the fenfe, as implying a tenderness of affection for Hubert; the common reading, only an opinion of Hubert's veracity; whereas the point here was to win upon Hubert's paffions, which could not be better done than by fhewing af fection towards him.

WARBURTON;

I do not fee why the old reading may not ftand. Mr. Theobald's alteration, as we find, injures the measure, and Dr. Warburton's corrupts the language, and neither can be faid much to mend the fenfe.

What: