Must be as boist'rously maintain'd, as gain’d. 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 John lays you plots; the times confpire with you; 'No 'fcape of nature, no diftemper'd day, 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 kifs the lips of unacquainted change; [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 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 Methinks, no body fhould be fad but Í; Is it my fault, that I was Geffrey's fon? [Afide. Arth. Are you fick, Hubert? you look pale to day ; In footh, I would, you were a little fick; 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! Out at mine eyes in tender womanish tears. Arth. Too fairly, Hubert, for fo foul effect. Arth. And will you? Arth. Have you the heart? when your head did I knit my handkerchief about your brows And with my hand at midnight held your head; Saying, what lack you? and where lies your grief? you ? 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. Approaching near thefe eyes, would drink my tears, 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: 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. I will not stir, nor wince, nor fpeak a word, 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: |