Enter king John, king Philip, Lewis, Blanch, Elinor, Faulconbridge, and Auftria. K. Phil. 'Tis true, fair daughter; and this bleffed day Ever in France fhall be kept festival: To folemnize this day, the glorious fun this fufpicion of a fcene or two being loft; and unwittingly drew Mr. Pope into this error. "It feems to be fo, fays he, and it were to be wifl'd the restorer (meaning me) could fupply it." To deferve this great man's thanks, I'll venture at the tafk; and hope to convince my readers, that nothing is loft; but that I have fupplied the fufpected chafm, only by rectifying the divifion of the acts. Upon looking a little more narrowly into the conftitution of the play, I am fatisfied that the 3d act ought to begin with that scene which has hitherto been accounted the laft of the 2d act; and my reafons for it are thefe: the match being concluded, in the fcene before that, betwixt the Dauphin and Blanch, a meffenger is fent for lady Conftance to king Philip's tent, for her to come to Saint Mary's church to the folemnity. The princes all go out, as to the marriage; and the bastard staying a little behind, to defcant on interest and commodity, very properly ends the act. The next fcene then, in the French king's tent, brings us Salisbury delivering his meffage to Conftance, who, refufing to go to the folemnity, fets herself down on the floor. The whole train returning from the church to the French king's pavilion, Philip expreffes fuch fatisfaction on occafion of the happy folemnity of that day, that Conftance rifes from the floor, and joins in the scene by entering her protest against their joy, and curfing the bufinefs of the day. Thus, I conceive, the fcenes are fairly continued; and there is no chafm in the action, but a proper interval made both for Salisbury's coming to lady Conftance, and for the folemnization of the marriage. Befides, as Faulconbridge is evidently the poet's favourite character, it was very well judged to close the act with his foliloquy. THEOBALD. This whole note feems judicious enough; but Mr. Theobald forgets that there were, in Shakefpeare's time, no moveable scenes in common playhoufes. JOHNSON. It appears from many paffages that the ancient theatres had the advantages of machinery as well as the more modern ftages. See a note on the fourth scene of the fifth act of Cymbeline. STEEVENS. › To folemnize this day, &c.] From this paffage Rowe seems to have borrowed the first lines of his Fair Penitent. JOHNSON. Stays in his course, and plays the alchymift'; Conft. A wicked day, and not a holy-day! [Rifing What hath this day defery'd? what hath it done; That it in golden letters fhould be fet, Among the high tides', in the kalendar ? Nay, rather, turn this day out of the week; This day of fhame, oppreffion, perjury: Or, if it must stand ftill, let wives with child Pray, that their burthens may not fall this day, Left that their hopes prodigioufly be croft: But on this day 3, let feamen fear no wreck; No bargains break, that are not this day made: 9 and plays the alchymist;] Milton has borrowed this thought, Paradije Loft, b, iii: "when with one virtuous touch "Th' arch-chemic fun, &c." STEEVENS. high tides, i. e. folemn feafons, times to be obferved above others. STEEVENS. 2 prodigioufly be croft:] i. e. be difappointed by the production of a prodigy, a moniter. So, in the Midjummer Night's Dream: "Nor mark prodigious, fuch as are No bargains break, &c.] That is, except on this day. JOHNSON. In the ancient almanacs (one of which I have in my poffeffion, dated 1562) the days fuppofed to be favourable or unfavourable to bargains, are diftinguifhed among a number of other particulars of the like importance. This circumftance is alluded to in Webster's Dutchess of Malfy, 1623: "By the almanac, I think "To choofe good days and fhun the critical." Again, in The Elder Brother of Beaumont and Fletcher: an almanac 66 "Which thou art daily poring in, to pick out This day, all things begun come to ill end; K. Phil. By heaven, lady, you fhall have no caufe To curfe the fair proceedings of this day: Have I not pawn'd to you my majeftly? Conft. You have beguil'd me with a counterfeit, Refembling majefty; which, being touch'd, and try'd, Proves valuelefs: You are forfworn, forfworn; And our oppreffion hath made up this league :- Wear out the day in peace; but, erc fun-fet, Auft. Lady Conftance, peace. Conft. War! war! no peace! peace is to me a war. O Lymoges! O Auftria! thou doft shame 4 You came in arms to spill mine enemies' blood, That I am afraid here is a clinch intended; You came in war to deftroy my enemies, but now you ftrengthen them in embraces. JOHNSON. Set armed difcord &c.] Shakespeare makes this bitter curfe effectual. JOHNSON. O Lymoges! O Aufiria!-] The propriety or impropriety of thefe titles, which every editor has fuffered to pafs unnoted, deferves a little confideration. Shakespeare has, on this occafion, followed the old play, which at once furnished him with the character of Faulconbridge, and afcribed the death of Richard I. to the duke of Auftria. In the perfon of Auftria, he has conjoined the two well-known enemies of Coeur-de-lion. Leopold, duke of Auftria, threw him into prifon, in a former expedition; but the caftle of Chalus, before which he fell, belonged to Vidomar, viscount of Limoges; and the archer, who pierced his fhoulder with an arrow (of which wound he died) was Bertrand de Gour E 4 don. That bloody spoil: Thou flave, thou wretch, thou coward; Thou little valiant, great in villainy! Auft. don. The editors feem hitherto to have understood Lymoges as being an appendage to the title of Auftria, and therefore enquired no further about it. Holinfhed fays on this occafion: "The fame yere, Phillip, baftard fonne to king Richard, to whome his father had given the caftell and honor of Coinacke, killed the vifcount of Limoges, in revenge of his father's death, &c." Auftria, in the fpurious play, is called Lymoges the Auftrich duke. With this note, I was favoured by a gentleman to whom I have yet more confiderable obligations in regard to Shakespeare. His extenfive knowledge of history and manners, has frequently fupplied me with apt and neceffary illuftrations, at the fame time that his judgment has corrected my errors; yet fuch has been his conftant folicitude to remain concealed, that I know not but I may give offence while I indulge my own vanity in affixing to this note the name of my friend HENRY BLAKE, efq. STEEVENS. 7 doff it for shame,] To doff is to do off, to put off. So, in Fuimus Troes, 1603: 8 "Sorrow muft doff her fable weeds." STEEVENS. And hang a calf's-fkin on thofe recreant limbs.] When fools were kept for diverfion in great families, they were distinguished by a calf-fkin coat, which had the buttons down the back; and this they wore that they might be known for fools, and efcape the refentment of thofe whom they provoked with their waggeries. In a little penny book, intitled The Birth, Life, and Death of Jobn Auft. O, that a man would speak those words to me Faulc. And hang a calf's-fkin on those recreant limbs. Auft. Thou dar'ft not fay fo, villain, for thy life. Faulc. And hang a calf's-fkin on those recreant limbs". K. John. John Franks, with the Pranks he played though a meer Fool, mention is made in feveral places of a calf's-fkin. In chap x. of this book, Jack is faid to have made his appearance at his lord's table, having then a new calf-fkin fuit, red and white fpotted. This fact will explain the farcafm of Conftance and Faulconbridge, who mean to call Auftria a fool. SIR J. HAWKINS. I may add, that the custom is still preserved in Ireland; and the fool, in any of the legends which the mummers act at Christmas, always appears in a calf's or cow's fkin. In the prologue to Wily Beguiled, are the two following paffages: I'll make him do penance upon the stage in a calf's skin,” Again: "His calf's fkin jefts from hence are clean exil'd." Again, in the play: "I'll come wrapp'd in a calf's skin, and cry bo, bo.". Again :-" I'll wrap me in a roufing calf-fkin fuit, and come like fome Hobgoblin.". "I mean my Christmas calf fkin fuit." STEEVENS. Here Mr. Pope inferts the following speeches from the old play of K. John, printed in 1591, (before Shakespeare appears to have commenced a writer) with the following note upon them. "Auft. Methinks, that Richard's pride, and Richard's fall, "Should be a precedent to fright you all. "Faulc. What words are these? how do my finews shake! "My father's foe clad in my father's fpoil! "How doth Alecto whisper in my ears, "Delay not, Richard, kill the villain firait; "Difrobe him of the matchless monument, "Thy father's triumph o'er the favages. "Now by his foul I fwear, my father's foul, "Twice will I not review the morning's rife, "Till I have torn that trophy from thy back, "And split thy heart, for wearing it fo long.' "Methinks, that Richard's pride, &c.] What was the ground. of this quarrel of the baftard to Auftria is no where specified in the prefent play; nor is there in this place, or the fcene where it is first hinted at (namely the second of act II.) the least mention of 29 |