Arth.

And, pretty child, sleep doubtless and secure,
That Hubert, for the wealth of all the world,
Will not offend thee.

130

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.-King John's Palace.

Enter KING JOHN, PEMBROKE, SALISBURY, and other
Lords.

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 pleased,
Was once superfluous: you were crown'd before,

And that high royalty was ne'er pluck'd off,
The faiths of men ne'er stained with revolt;
Fresh expectation troubled not the land
With any long'd-for change or better state.
Sal. Therefore, to be possess'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
1. against crown'd] Ff 1, 2.

130. doubtless and secure] without doubt and without care. See supra, II. i. 27, 374.

133. closely] secretly. Compare Hamlet, III. 1. 29: "We have closely sent for Hamlet hither."

Scene II.

8. or] Vaughan needlessly con

5

ΙΟ

jectures "to," for we may take "better state as alternative with "change," while "long'd-for" qualifies both.

10. guard] to ornament, to put facings on. Compare The Merchant of Venice, II. ii. 164: a livery more guarded than his fellows"; also the modern "watch-guard.”

Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light

To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish, 15

Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.

Pem. 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 unseasonable.

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

It makes the course of thoughts to fetch about,
Startles and frights consideration,

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;

20

25

And oftentimes excusing of a fault

30

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.

21. antique] Pope; Anticke, Ff 1, 2; Antick, Ff 3, 4.

18, 19. This act . . . troublesome] Exactly the same simile has been used by the Dauphin in III. iv.

108.

24. to fetch about] to take a circuitous course.

27. so new a fashion'd robe] a robe of so new a fashion, "so new a fashion'd" being treated like a big compound adjective.

28. to do better] Staunton would read to better do, much improving the rhythm, but committing the un

pardonable sin of splitting the infinitive.

29. They do confound... covetous`ness] they spoil everything by aiming at too much-a case of vaulting ambition o'erleaping itself and falling on the other. Compare v. vii. 20 infra. There is no need to read "curiousness" for "covetousness," as Daniel would, as this does not improve the meaning, while scanning "cov'tousness makes Capell's conjecture of "covetize" needless.

Sal. To this effect, before you were new crown'd,

35

We breathed our counsel: but it pleased your highness To overbear it, and we are all well pleased, Since all and every part of what we would Doth make a stand at what your highness will. K. John. Some reasons of this double coronation

I have possess'd you with and think them strong; And more, more strong, then lesser is my fear, I shall indue you with: meantime but ask What you would have reform'd that is not well, And well shall you perceive how willingly I will both hear and grant you your requests. Pem. Then I, as one that am the tongue of these, To sound the purposes of all their hearts, Both for myself and them, but, chief of all, Your safety, for the which myself and them Bend their best studies, heartily request The enfranchisement of Arthur; whose restraint

42. then lesser] F1; then lesse Ff 2, 3, 4.

38, 39. Since all . . . will] everything we wish is subservient to your wishes.

42. And more my fear] If we keep the reading of the first Folio, we must take "then as equivalent to "than," understanding the line to mean "More reasons, more strong in proportion as my fear is less." Although Shakespeare in King John seems to have written several passages where the meaning is not obvious at first glance, he has not set such another puzzle as this. Tyrwhitt's conjecture of "when" for "then," adopted by Steevens, is, as Dr. Herford has said, very plausible, but has the great objection of making John admit that he was in great fear,

40

45

50

which is not at all probable. The true reading must be one in which John makes little of his fear; and none of the proposed readings (Collier MS. "thus lessening," Keightley "than lesser, in," Fletcher [N. and Q. 1889]" than lesser, is ") make this point.

50. myself and them] This ungrammatical construction may be explained (i.) by supposing myself" in suggesting themselves attracted "they' into "them ; (ii.) that the printer's eye caught the "myself and them" of the preceding line and repeated it; (iii.) that Shakespeare repeated his own phrase without being sensible of the grammatical error.

Doth move the murmuring lips of discontent
To break into this dangerous argument,-
If what in rest you have in right you hold,
Why then your fears, which as they say, attend
The steps of wrong, should move you to mew up
Your tender kinsman, and to choke his days
With barbarous ignorance, and deny his youth
The rich advantage of good exercise.
That the time's enemies may not have this
To grace occasions, let it be our suit
That you have bid us ask his liberty;
Which for our goods we do no further ask
Than whereupon our weal, on you depending,
Counts it your weal he have his liberty.

55

60

65

Enter HUBERT.

K. John. Let it be so: I do commit his youth
To your direction. Hubert, what news with you?
[Taking him apart.

Pem. This is the man should do the bloody deed;
He show'd his warrant to a friend of mine:

55. If what in rest, etc.] This line presents two difficulties; we cannot be sure of the exact meaning of the term "in rest," and the line as a whole is meaningless in view of lines 56-60. "Rest" can have nothing to do with the game of primero, where it stood for the limiting stake, and it seems best to take it, with Mr. Wright, as meaning "peace, security.' To make any meaning out of the whole passage we must either adopt Malone's suggestion of "hold not," or Vaughan's of "unright for "in right"; line 57 then becomes a state

70

ment of the popular point of view and not an indirect question in a state of un-English contortion, as some editors would take it.

59. deny] refuse. Compare Middleton, Michaelmas Term, 1. ii. 35: Deny a satin gown and you dare

66

now.

61, 62. That the time's enemies, etc.] that the enemies of the present state of things may not have this argument to use when opportunity offers, etc.

64. goods] This plural form of the abstract is common in Shakespeare. Compare "faiths," line 6 supra.

The image of a wicked heinous fault

Lives in his eye; that close aspect of his

Does show the mood of a much troubled breast;
And I do fearfully believe 'tis done,

What we so fear'd he had a charge to do.
Sal. The colour of the king doth come and go
Between his purpose and his conscience,
Like heralds 'twixt two dreadful battles set:
His passion is so ripe, it needs must break.
Pem. And when it breaks, I fear will issue thence
The foul corruption of a sweet child's death.
K. John. We cannot hold mortality's strong hand:
Good lords, although my will to give is living,
The suit which you demand is gone and dead:
He tells us Arthur is deceased to-night.

Sal. Indeed we fear'd his sickness was past cure.
Pem. Indeed we heard how near his death he was,

Before the child himself felt he was sick:

75

80

85

This must be answer'd either here or hence.
K. John. Why do you bend such solemn brows on me? 90
Think you I bear the shears of destiny?

Have I commandment on the pulse of life?
Sal. It is apparent foul-play; and 'tis shame

73. Does] F 4; Doe F 2; Do Ff 1, 3; 72. close] secretive, suspiciously reserved. Here the word implies that Hubert looked as if he were hiding a guilty secret. Compare "closely," IV. i. 133 supra.

77. Between conscience] between the thoughts of his accomplished design on Arthur's life and his conscience as a murderer.

89. answer'd] atoned for. Julius Cæsar, III. ii. 85:—

So

Doth Dyce and Staunton.

"If it were so, it was a grievous
fault,

And grievously hath Cæsar
answer'd it."

93. apparent] plainly evident. The
modern word is often used for what
appears to be so, but may not be,
and probably is not so.

93-95. It is apparent foul-play, etc.] it is manifest foul play, and it is a shame that those in high places should

UM