I believe stay is right: I incline to Mr. Malone's

last explanation.

Eli.

P. 46.-484.-60.

Urge them, while their souls

Are capable of this ambition;

Lest zeal, now melted, by the windy breath
Of soft petitions, pity, and remorse,

Cool and congeal again to what it was.

I believe Mr. Steevens is right.

P. 54.-492.-71.

Sal. I may not go without you to the king's.
Const. Thou may'st, thou shalt, I will not go with thee:
I will instruct my sorrows to be proud;

For grief is proud, and makes his owner stout.
To me, and to the state of my great grief,
Let kings assemble; for my grief's so great,
That no supporter but the huge firm earth
Can hold it up: here I and sorrow sit;
Here is my throne, bid kings come bow to it.

[She throws herself on the ground.

I think with Mr. Malone, that the old reading stoop (which he has rightly explained) is the

true one.

P. 54.-493.-73.

here I and sorrow sit.

Surely we should read sorrow in the singular number. In Mr. Malone's edition it is printed

sorrows.

P. 59.-497.-79.

Const. Thou wear a lion's hide! doff it for shame,
And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs.

It is, I think, obvious that Constance means to call Austria not fool but coward, as the Author of the Remarks had observed before Mr. Malone, though Mr. Malone has thought fit silently to suppress his note.

P. 62.-498-81.

K. John. What earthly name to interrogatories,
Can task the free breath of a sacred king?

Name here signifies (as it frequently does) person. There is no need of recurring to the idea of the subscription of a name to interrogatories exhibited in writing, as Mr. Malone, by his mode of expression, appears to suppose. Theobald's emendation is clearly right.

P. 66.-501.85.

Const. O Lewis, stand fast; the detil tempts thee here,
In likeness of a new untrimmed bride.

We should surely adopt Theobald's emendation, and trimmed. Besides the passage cited by Mr. Malone in his Appendix from Romeo and Juliet:

Go waken Juliet; go and trim her up;

Make haste; the bridegroom he is come already.

which is extremely apposite, Sternhold's version of the 5th verse of the 19th Psalm may be alleged:

In them the Lord made for the sun

A place of great renown;

Who like a bridegroom ready trimm'd
Comes from his chamber down.

P. 67.-503.88.

Pand. France, thou may'st hold a serpent by the tongue,

A cased lion by the mortal paw,

A fasting tiger safer by the tooth,

Than keep in peace that hand which thou dost hold.

I think chafed, the reading of the modern editors, is the true reading. I prefer chased to cased.

P. 73.-508.-96.

K. John. Hubert, keep this boy -Philip, make up:

My mother is assailed in our tent.<

I would read keep thou this boy, with Mr. Tyrwhitt.

K. John.

P. 74.-509.-97.

see thou shake the bags

Of hoarding abbots; imprisoned angels

Set thou at liberty: the fat ribs of peace
Must by the hungry now be fed upon.

I believe the text is uncorrupt. I incline to Mr. Steevens's explanation.

K. John.

P. 76.-511.-100.

If the midnight bell

Did with his iron tongue and brazen mouth,
Sound one unto the drowsy race of night.

Surely, we should read sound one.

P. 78.-512.-102.

Then, in despite of brooded watchful day,
I would into thy bosom pour my thoughts.

I am by no means satisfied with the explanation of brooded given by Mr. Steevens and Mr. Malone. I wish to receive Mr. Pope's emendation.

P. 81.-515.-106.

Enter Constance.

K. Phi. Look, who comes here! a grave unto a soul;
Holding the eternal spirit, against her will,

In the vile prison of afflicted breath.

I think Mr. M. Mason and Mr. Malone (whose explanations are nearly the same) are clearly right.

P. 85.-519-113.

Lew. There's nothing in this world can make me joy:
Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale,

Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man;

And bitter shame hath spoil'd the sweet world's taste,
That it yields naught, but shame, and bitterness.

I concur with Mr. Steevens in preferring Mr. Pope's reading.

1

P. 86.520.-114.

Pand. How green you are, and fresh in this old world!
John lays you plots; the times conspire with you:
For he, that steeps his safety in true blood,

Shall find but bloody safety, and untrue.

I believe true blood, means the blood of a true (i. e. innocent) person; so the Author of the Remarks understands it.

P. 88.-522.-116.

Lew. Strong reasons make strange actions: Let us go;
If you say, ay, the king will not say, no.

I think the true reading is, strong reasons make strong actions.

P. 93.-527.-123.

Arth. There is no malice in this burning coal;
The breath of heaven hath blown his spirit out,
And strew'd repentant ashes on his head.

I incline to think Dr. Gray's reading is right. The coal had ceased to burn, at least Arthur supposed so.

Ibid.-124.

Hub. Well, see to live; I will not touch thine eyes

For all the treasure that thine uncle owes.

I think Malone is right in his note here, though he retracts it in his Appendix.

P. 96.-530.-127.

K. John. Some reasons of this double coronation
I have possess'd you with, and think them strong;
And more, more strong, (when lesser is my fear,)
I shall indue you with.

When lesser is my fear is without doubt the true reading.

Ibid. 128.

Pemb. 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.

I incline to think that this is rightly explained by Mr. Malone. If Mr. Steevens's reading, wrest, be the true one, I think Mr. Ritson's explanation of it, and not Mr. Steevens's should be adopted; the meaning would be rendered more obvious by making then and should change place.

Never to taste the pleasures of the world,
Never to be infected with delight,

Nor conversant with ease and idleness,
Till I have set a glory to this hand,

By giving it the worship of revenge.

There is no occasion to change hand into head.

P. 111.-543.-147.

Sal. Thou art a murderer.

Do not prove me so;

Hub.
Yet, I am none: Whose tongue soe'er speaks false,
Not truly speaks; who speaks not truly, lies.

"I rather believe (says Mr. Davies) do not prove me so, is as much as to say, do not bring me to a trial, or to the proof of it, for the consequence will be, that yourself will be found slanderer and a liar." I incline to think that Davies is right.

a

P. 116.-549.-155.

Bast. Away then, with good courage; yet, I know,
Our party may well meet a prouder foe.

I cannot help wondering that Dr. Johnson should so strangely mistake the meaning of this passage, which clearly is, "I know that our party "is still able to cope with a more powerful enemy "than that which it is now to encounter."

P. 125.-558.-167.

Mel. Fly, noble English, you are bought and sold;
Unthread the rude eye of rebellion,

And welcome home again discarded faith.