grave 'Richard, that robb'd the lion of his heart, Of thy unnatural uncle, English John: Embrace him, love him, give him welcome hither. 'Richard, that robb'd &c.] So, Raftal in his Chronicle: "It is fayd that a lyon was put to kynge Richard, beynge in prifon, to have devoured him, and when the lyon was gapynge he put his arme in his mouth, and pulled the yon by the harte fo hard that he flewe the lyon, and therefore fome fay he is called Rycharde Cure de Lyon; but fome fay he is called Cure de Lyon, becaufe of his boldness and hardy ftomake." GRAY. I have an old black lettered hiftory of lord Fauconbridge, whence Shakespeare might pick up this circumftance. FARMER. 2 By this brave duke came early to his grave:] The old play led Shakespeare into this error of afcribing to the duke of Auftria the death of Richard, who loft his life at the fiege of Chaluz, long after he had been ranfom'd out of Auftria's power. STEEVENS, 3 At our importance] At our importunity. JOHNSON, -that pale, that white-fac'd fhore,] England is fuppofed to be called Albion from the white rocks facing France. JOHNSON. Even 'till that England, hedg'd in with the main, Conft. O, take his mother's thanks, a widow's thanks, 'Till your strong hand fhall help to give him strength, To make a more ' requital to your love. Auft. The peace of heaven is theirs, that lift their fwords In fuch a juft and charitable war. K. Philip. Well then, to work; our cannon fhall be bent Against the brows of this refifting town. Conft. Stay for an answer to your embaffy, 6 Enter Chatillon. K. Philip. A wonder, lady!-lo, upon thy with, Our meffenger Chatillon is arriv'd. To make a more requital, &c.] I believe it has been already obferved, that more fignified in our author's time, greater. STEEVENS. 6 A wonder, lady!] The wonder is only that Chatillon happened to arrive at the moment when Conftance mentioned him ; which the French king, according to a fuperftition which prevails more or lefs in every mind agitated by great affairs, turns into a miraculous interpofition, or omen of good. JOHNSON. What What England fays, fay briefly, gentle lord, His marches are 7 expedient to this town, With ladies' faces, and fierce dragons' fpleens,- In brief, a braver choice of dauntless spirits, To do offence and scath in Chriftendom. The interruption of their churlish drums [Drums beat, 7-expedient-] Immediate, expeditious. JOHNSON. An Até, firring him &c.] Até was the Goddess of Revenge. The player-editors read-an Ace. STEEVENS. 9 Bearing their birth-rights, &c.] So, Hen. VIII: 66 Many broke their backs with bearing manors on them." feath] Destruction, harm. JOHNSON. So, in How to chufe a good Wife from a Bad, 1630: "For these accounts, faith it will feath thee fomewhat." Again : "And it fhall feath him fomewhat of my purfe." STEEVENS. K. Philip. K. Philip How much unlook'd for is this expedi tion! Auft. By how much unexpected, by so much Enter King John, Faulconbridge, Elinor, Blanch, Pembroke, and others. K. John. Peace be to France; if France in peace permit Our juft and lineal entrance to our own! If not; bleed France, and peace ascend to heaven! 2 Out-faced infant ftate, and done a rape Upon the maiden virtue of the crown. 2-under-wrought] i, e, underworked, undermined. STEEVENS. Which owe the crown that thou o'er-maftereft? K. John. From whom haft thou this great commiffion, France, To draw my answer from thy articles? K. Phil. From that fupernal judge, that ftirs good thoughts In any breaft of ftrong authority, 3 To look into the blots and ftains of right. K. John. Alack, thou doft ufurp authority. 3 To look into the blots and ftains of right.] Mr. Theobald reads, with the first folio, blots, which being fo early authorized, and fo much better understood, needed not to have been changed by Dr. Warburton to bolts, though bolts might be used in that time for fpots: fo Shakespeare calls Banquo "Spotted with blood, the blood-bolter'd Banquo." The verb to blot is ufed figuratively for to difgrace a few lines lower. And perhaps, after all, bolts was only a typographical mistake. JOHNSON. Blot is certainly right. The illegitimate branch of a family always carried the arms of it with what in ancient heraldry was called a blot or difference. So, in Drayton's Epiftle from 2. Ifabel to K. Richard II: "No baftard's mark doth blot his conq'ring fhield." Blots and ftains occur again together in the firft fcene of the third act. STEEVENS. |