Whatever torment you do put me to.

Hub. Go, ftand within; let me alone with him.
Exec. I am beft pleas'd to be from such a deed.

[Exeunt.

Arth. Alas, I then have chid away my friend
He hath a stern look, but a gentle heart;
Let him come back, that his compaflion may
Give life to yours.

Hub. Come, boy, prepare yourself.

Arth. Is there no remedy?

Hub. None, but to lofe your eyes.

Arth. O heav'n! that there were but a moth in yours, A grain, a dust, a gnat, a wandring hair, Any annoyance in that precious fenfe;

Then, feeling what fmall things are boiftrous there, Your vile intent must needs feem horrible.

Hub. Is this your promife? go to, hold your

tongue.

Arth. Hubert, the utterance of a brace of tongues Muft needs want pleading for a pair of eyes: Let me not hold my tongue : let me not, Hubert; 7 Or, Hubert, if you will, cut out my tongue, So I may keep mine eyes. O fpare mine eyes! Though to no ufe, but still to look on you. Lo, by my troth, the inftrument is cold, And would not harm me.

Hub. I can heat it, boy.

Arth. No, in good footh, the fire is dead with grief, Being create for comfort, to be us'd

In undeferv'd extreams; fee elfe yourself,
There is no malice in this burning coal;

The breath of heav'n hath blown its spirit out,

7 This is according to nature. We imagine no evil fo great as that which is near us.

No, in good footh, &c.] The fenfe is: The fire, being created

not to hurt but to comfort, is dead with grief for finding itself ufed in acts of cruelty, which, being innocent, I have not deferved.

Hh2

And

And ftrew'd repentant afhes on its head.

Hub. But with my breath I can revive it, boy.

Arth. And if you do, you will but make it blush,
And glow with fhame of your proceedings, Hubert:
Nay, it, perchance, will sparkle in your eyes:
And like a dog, that is compell'd to fight,
Snatch, at his mafter that doth tarre him on.
All things, that you should ufe to do me wrong,
Deny their office; only you do lack

That mercy which fierce fire and iron extend,
Creatures of note for mercy-lacking uses.

Hub. Well, fee to live; I will not touch thine
For all the treasure that thine uncle owns :
Yet am I fworn; and I did purpose, boy,
With this fame very iron to burn them out.

eye,

Arth. O, now you look like Hubert. All this while You were difguifed.

Hub. Peace: no more. Adieu,

Your uncle must not know but you are dead.
I'll fill thefe dogged fpies with false reports:
And, pretty child, fleep doubtlefs, and fecure,
That Hubert, for the wealth of all the world,
Will not offend thee.

Arth. O heav'n! I thank you, Hubert.

Hub. Silence, no more; go closely in with me. Much danger do I undergo for thee.

SCENE II.

Changes to the Court of England.

[Exeunt.

Enter King John, Pembroke, Salisbury, and other

K. John. H

Lords.

ERE once again we fit, once again

crown'd,

And look'd upon, I hope, with chearful eyes.

Pemb.

Pemb. This once again, but that your highness
pleas'd,

Was once fuperfluous; you were crown'd before,
And that high royalty was ne'er pluck'd off:
The faiths of men ne'er ftained with revolt:
Fresh expectation troubled not the land
With any long'd-for change, or better state.
Sal. Therefore, to be poffefs'd with double pomp,
'To guard a title that was rich before;
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
To throw a perfume on the violet,
To smooth the ice, or add another hue
Unto the rainhow, or with taper-light

To seek the beauteous eye of heav'n to garnish,
Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.

Hemb. But that your royal pleasure must be done, This act is as an ancient tale new told,

And in the last repeating troublesome :

Being urged at a time unfeasonable.

Sal. In this the antique and well-noted face
Of plain old form is much disfigured;
And, like a fhifted wind unto a fail,

It makes the courfe of thoughts to fetch about:
Startles and frights confideration;

2

Makes found opinion fick, and truth fufpected,
For putting on fo new a fafhion'd robe.

Pemb. When workmen ftrive to do better than well,

They do confound their skill in covetousness;

And oftentimes excufing of a fault

Doth make the fault the worfe by the excufe:

As patches, fet upon a little breach,
Difcredit more 3 in hiding of the fault,
Than did the fault before it was fo patch'd.

Sal. To this effect, before you were new-crown'd,
We breath'd our counfel; but it pleas'd your highness
To over-bear it; and we're all well pleas'd;
Since all and every part of what we would,

Muft make a stand at what your highness will.

4

K. John. Some reasons of this double coronation
I have poffeft you with, and think them strong.
And more, more ftrong (the leffer is my fear)
I fhall endue you with: mean time, but afk
What you would have reform'd, that is not well,
And well fhall you perceive how willingly...
I will both hear and grant you your requests.
Pemb. Then I, as one that am the tongue of these,
To found the purposes of all their hearts,
Both for myself and them, but chief of all,
Your fafety, for the which, myself and they
Bend their beft ftudies, heartily request

Th' infranchisement of Arthur; whose restraint
Doth move the murm'ring lips of discontent
To break into this dang'rous argument;
If what in rest you have, in right you hold,
Why should your fears (which, as they fay, attend
The fteps of wrong) then move you to mew up
Your tender kinfman, and to choke his days
With barb'rous ignorance, and deny his youth
The rich advantage of good exercife?

3 in hiding of the FAULT, Than did the FAULT] We fhould read FLAW in both places. WARBURTON. 4 Some reasons of this double co

ronation

I have pofleft you with, and

think them frong. And more, more frong, the leffer is my fear,

Ifhall endue you with.] I have told you fome reasons, in my opinion firong, and shall tell more yet fronger; for the ftronger my realons are, the less is my fear of your difapprobation. This feems to be the meaning.

5 To found the purposes.] To declare, to pullish the defires of all thofe. That

That the time's enemies may not have this
To grace occafions, let it be our fuit,
That you have bid us afk, his liberty;
Which for our good we do no further afk,
Than whereupon our weal, on you depending,
Counts it your weal, that he have liberty.
K. John. Let it be fo; I do commit his youth

Enter Hubert.

To your direction. Hubert, what news with you?
Pemb. This is the man, fhould do the bloody deed:
He fhew'd his warrant to a friend of mine.
The image of a wicked heinous fault
Lives in his eye; that clofe afpect of his
Does fhew the mood of a much-troubled breaft.
And I do fearfully believe 'tis done,

What we fo fear'd he had a charge to do..

Sal. The colour of the King doth come and go, Between his purpofe and his confcience", Like heralds 'twixt two dreadful battles fet 7: His paffion is fo ripe, it needs must break.

Pemb. And when it breaks, I fear will iffue thence The foul corruption of a fweet child's death.

K. John. We cannot hold mortality's strong hand. Good Lords, although my will to give is living, The fuit which you demand is gone, and dead.

6 Between his purpose and his confcience, ] Between his confcioufness of guilt, and his defign to conceal it by fair profellions.

7 Like Heralds, 'twixt two dreadful Battles fet ;] But Heralds are not planted, I prefume, in the midft betwixt two Lines of Battle; tho' they, and Trumpets, are often fent over from Party to Party, to propofe Terms, demand a Parley, c.

I have therefore ventur'd to read, fent. THEOBALD

This Dr. Warburton has fol. lowed without much advantage; fet is not fixed, but only placed a heralds must be fet between battles in order to be fent between them.

5. And when it breaks, This is but an indelicate metaphor, taken from an impottumated tumour.

H h 4

He