Out at mine eyes in tender womanish tears.— Arth. Too fairly, Hubert, for so foul effect. Arth. Hub. And will you? And I will. Arth. Have you the heart? When your head did but ache, I knit my handkerchief about your brows, (The best I had, a princess wrought it me,) And with my hand at midnight held your head, Saying, What lack you? and, Where lies your grief? If heaven be pleas'd that you will use me ill, So much as frown on you? Hub. I have sworn to do it, And with hot irons must I burn them out. Arth. Ah! none but in this iron age would do it. Approaching near these eyes would drink my tears, Even in the matter of mine innocence: And quench THIS fiery indignation,] Such is the reading of the old copies, unnecessarily altered in modern editions to "his fiery indignation." "This fiery indignation" refers to the iron "heat red-hot" of a line just preceding that was the fiery indignation which was to be quenched. Nay, after that, consume away in rust, And told me Hubert should put out mine eyes, I would not have believ'd him; no Hubert's. Hub. Come forth. no tongue but Re-enter Attendants, with Cord, Irons, &c. Do as I bid you do. [Stamps. Arth. O! save me, Hubert, save me! my eyes are out, Even with the fierce looks of these bloody men. Hub. Give me the iron, I say, and bind him here. Arth. Alas! what need you be so boisterous-rough? I will not struggle; I will stand stone-still. For heaven's sake, Hubert, let me not be bound. I will not stir, nor wince, nor speak a word, Thrust but these men away, and I'll forgive you, Hub. Go, stand within: let me alone with him. He hath a stern look, but a gentle heart.- Give life to yours. Hub. Come, boy, prepare yourself. Arth. Is there no remedy? Hub. None, but to lose your eyes. Arth. O heaven!-that there were but a mote in yours, A grain, a dust, a gnat, a wandering hair, Any annoyance in that precious sense! Then, feeling what small things are boisterous there, Your vile intent must needs seem horrible. Hub. Is this your promise? go to; hold your tongue. Arth. Hubert, the utterance of a brace of tongues Must needs want pleading for a pair of eyes: Let me not hold my tongue; let me not, Hubert: Or, Hubert, if you will, cut out my tongue, So I may keep mine eyes. O! spare mine eyes; Though to no use, but still to look on you. Lo! by my troth, the instrument is cold, And would not harm me. Hub. I can heat it, boy. Arth. No, in good sooth; the fire is dead with grief, Being create for comfort, to be us'd In undeserv'd extremes: see else yourself; There is no malice in this burning coal; The breath of heaven hath blown his spirit out, Hub. But with my breath I can revive it, boy. That mercy, which fierce fire, and iron, extends, 3 that doth TARRE him on.] The expressive word to "tarre" also occurs in "Hamlet," A. ii. sc. 2, and in “Troilus and Cressida,” A. i. sc. 3, exactly in the same sense, that of to proroke or excite; but I do not recollect to have met with it in any other dramatist of the time. It has been derived by Johnson with no great probability from the Greek rapdoow, and by Serenius, in his Dict. Anglo-Suethico-Latinum, from the Saxon tyrian, in which etymology Horne Tooke agrees. In Todd's Dictionary, it is also stated that Wickliffe uses the word in the form of terre, but not in what part of his writings it is found it would seem to have been coined from the imitative sound made in provoking dogs to fight. VOL. IV. F Creatures of note for mercy-lacking uses. Hub. Well, see to live; I will not touch thine eyes For all the treasure that thine uncle owes: Yet am I sworn, and I did purpose, boy, With this same very iron to burn them out. Arth. O! now you look like Hubert: all this while You were disguised. Hub. Peace! no more. Adieu. Your uncle must not know but you are dead: Arth. O heaven!-I thank you, Hubert. Hub. Silence! no more. Go closely in with me; Much danger do I undergo for thee. [Exeunt. SCENE II. The Same. A Room of State in the Palace. Enter King JOHN, crowned; PEMBROKE, SALISBURY, and other Lords. The King takes his State. K. John. Here once again we sit, once again crown'd', And look'd upon, I hope, with cheerful eyes. Pem. This once again, but that your highness pleas'd, Well, see to live; I will not touch thine eyes] In the old "King John," Hubert says, "Cheer thee, young lord, thou shalt not lose an eye, Though I should purchase it with loss of life. I'll to the king, and say his will is done, And of the languor tell him thou art dead. Go in with me, for Hubert was not born, To blind those lamps that nature polish'd so." once AGAIN crown'd,] Old copies, against. Corrected in the third folio. Was once superfluous: you were crown'd before, Sal. Therefore, to be possess'd with double pomp, To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish, Pem. But that your royal pleasure must be done, Sal. In this, the antique and well-noted face And, like a shifted wind unto a sail, It makes the course of thoughts to fetch about, Makes sound opinion sick, and truth suspected, For putting on so new a fashion'd robe. Pem. When workmen strive to do better than well, They do confound their skill in covetousness; And, oftentimes, excusing of a fault Doth make the fault the worse by the excuse: As patches, set upon a little breach, Discredit more in hiding of the fault, Than did the fault before it was so patch'd. Sal. To this effect, before you were new-crown'd, We breath'd our counsel; but it pleas'd your highness TO GUARD a title that was rich before,] To guard (as we have already seen in "Measure for Measure," "Much Ado about Nothing," and "The Merchant of Venice," Vol. ii. pp. 51. 196. & 498) means generally to ornament, and in that sense it is here used.. It arose out of the protection often afforded by lace, &c. to garments. |