K. Phil. England, thou haft not fav'd one drop of blood, In this hot trial, more than we of France; We'll put thee down, 'gainst whom these arms we bear, Or add a royal number to the dead; Gracing the fcrowl, that tells of this war's lofs, Faule. Ha, majefty! how high thy glory towers, The other's peace; 'till then, blows, blood, and death! K. John. Whofe party do the townsmen yet admit? K. Phil. Speak, citizens, for England; who's your king? Cit. The king of England, when we know the king. K. Phil. Know him in us, that here hold up his right. K. John. In us, that are our own great deputy, And bear poffeffion of our perfon here; 9-mouthing the flesh of men,] The old copy reads-moufing. STEEVENS. 1 Cry havock, kings!] That is, command flaughter to procecd; fo, in another place: "He with Até by his fide, Cries, havock!" JOHNSON. 2 You equal potents, -] Potents for potentates. So, in Ane verie excellent and delectabill Treatife intitulit PHILOTUS, &c. 1603: "Ane of the potentes of the town." STEEVENS. Lord Lord of our prefence, Angiers, and of you. Our former fcruple in our ftrong-barr'd gates: And ftand fecurely on their battlements, 3 In the old copy: A greater pow'r, than we, denies all this; We fhould read, than ye. What power was this? their fears. It is plain therefore we fhould read: Kings are our fears, -i. e, our fears are the kings which at prefent rule us. WARBURTON. Dr. Warburton faw what was requifite, to make this paffage fenfe; and Dr. Johnfon, rather too haftily, I think, has received his emendation into the text. He reads: Kings are our fears, which he explains to mean, Our fears are the kings which at prefent rule us.' As the fame fenfe may be obtained by a much flighter alteration, I am more inclined to read: King'd of our fears, King'd is ufed as a participle paffive by Shakespeare more than once, I believe. I remember one inftance in Henry the Fifth, act II. fc. v. The Dauphin fays of England: 66 fhe is fo idly king'd. It is fcarce neceffary to add, that, of, here (as in numberless other places) has the fignification of, by. TYRWHITT. A greater power than we, may mean the Lord of hosts, who has not yet decided the fuperiority of either army; and 'till it be undoubted, the people of Angiers will not open their gates. Secure and confident as lions, they are not at all afraid, but are kings, i. e. masters and commanders, of their fears, until their fears or doubts about the rightful king of England, are removed. TOLLET. 4 thefe fcroyles of Angiers-] Efcrouelles, Fr. i. e. fcabby, fcrophulous fellows. Ben Jonfon ufes the word in Every Man in his Humour : hang them foroyles!" STEEVENS. 66 Do like the mutines of Jerufalem, Be friends a while, and both conjointly bend Even 'till unfenced defolation Leave them as naked as the vulgar air. To whom in favour the fhall give the day, How like you this wild counfel, mighty ftates? K. John. Now, by the fky that hangs above our heads, I like it well:-France, fhall we knit our powers, Faule. An if thou haft the mettle of a king,Being wrong'd, as we are, by this peevish town,— Turn thou the mouth of thy artillery, As we will ours, against these faucy walls: 5 Be friends a while, &c.] This advice is given by the Bastard in the old copy of the play, though comprized in fewer and less fpirited lines. STEEVENS, Auft. Auft. I from the north. K. Phil. Our thunder from the fouth. Shall rain their drift of bullets on this town. Faulc. O prudent difcipline! From north to fouth; Auftria and France fhoot in each other's mouth : I'll ftir them to it: Come, away, away! [Afide, Cit. Hear us, great kings: vouchfafe a while to stay, And I fhall fhew you peace, and fair-fac'd league; K. John. Speak on, with favour; we are bent to hear. Cit. That daughter there of Spain, the lady Blanch", Is the young Dauphin every way complete ; the lady Blanch,] The lady Blanch was daughter to Alphonfo the Ninth, king of Caftile, and was niece to king John by his fifter Elianor. STEEVENS. 7 If zealous love &c.] Zealous feems here to fignify pious, or influenced by motives of religion. JOHNSON. 8 If not complete of, fay, &c.] Sir T. Hanmer reads, O! fag. JOHNSON. Не He is the half part of a blessed man, Left to be finished by such a fhe; Lions more confident, mountains and rocks As we to keep this city. Faule. Here's a ftay", That shakes the rotten carcafs of old death 9 He is the half part of a blessed man, Left to be finished by fuch as the :} Out Dr. Thirlby prefcrib'd that reading, which I have here restored to THEOBALD.' the text. at this match, With Swifter Spleen &c.] Our author ufes Spleen for any violent hurry, or tumultuous fpeed. So, in the Midfummer Night's Dream he applies Spleen to the lightning. I am loath to think that Shakespeare meant to play with the double of match for nuptial, and the match of a gun. JOHNSON. 2 Here's a flay, That Shakes the rotten carcafs of old death Out of his rags!] I cannot but think that every reader wishes for fome other word in the place of stay, which though it may fignify an hindrance, or man that hinders, is yet very improper to introduce the next line. I read : Here's a flaw, That Shakes the rotten carcass of old death. That is, here is a guft of bravery, a blaft of menace. This fuits well L |