KING JOHN.] The Troublefome Reign of King John was written in two parts, by W. Shakspeare and W Rowley, and printed 1611. But the prefent play is entirely different, and infinitely fuperior to it. POPE. The edition of 1611 has no mention of Rowley, nor in the account of Rowley's works is any mention made of his conjunction with Shakspeare in any play. King John was reprinted in two parts in 1622. The first edition that I have found of this play in its prefent form, is that of 1623, in folio. The edition of 1591 I have not feen. JOHNSON. Dr. Johnfon miftakes when he fays there is no mention in Rowley's works of any conjun&ion with Shakspeare. The Birth of Merlin is afcribed to them jointly; though I cannot believe Shakspeare had any thing to do with it. Mr. Capell is equally miftaken when he says (Pref. p. 15.) that Rowley is called his partner in the title page of The Merry Devil of Edmonton. There must have been fome tradition, however erroneous, upon which Mr. Pope's account was founded. I make no doubt that Rowley wrote the firft King John; and when Shakspeare's play was called for, and could not be procured from the players, a piratical bookfeller reprinted the old one, with W. Sh. in the titlepage. FARMER. The elder play of King John was first published in 1591. Shakspeare has preferved the greateft part of the conduct of it, as well as fome of the lines. A few of these I have pointed out, and others I have omitted as undeferving notice. The number of quotations from Horace, and fimilar fcraps of learning scattered over this motley piece, ascertain it to have been the work of a scholar. It contains likewife a quantity of rhyming Latin, and ballad-metre ; and in a scene where the Baftard is reprefented as plundering a monaftery, there are ftrokes of humour, which feem, from their particular turn, to have been moft evidently produced by another hand than that of our author. Of this hiftorical drama there is a fubfequent edition in 1611, printed for John Helme, whose name appears before none of the genuine pieces of Shakspeare. I admitted this play fome years ago as our author's own, among the twenty which I published from the old editions; but a more careful perufal of it, and a further convidion of his cuftom of borrowing plots, fentiments, &c. difpofes me to recede from that opinion. STEEVENS. A play entitled The troublesome raigne of John King of England, in two parts, was printed in 1591, without the writer's name. It was written, I believe, either by Robert Greene, or George Peele; and certainly preceded this of our author. Mr. Pope, who is very inaccurate in matters of this kind, fays that the former was printed in 1611, as written by W. Shakspeare and W. Rowley. But this is not true. In the Second edition of this old play in 1611, the letters W. Sh. were put into the title-page, to deceive the purchafer, and to lead him to fuppofe the piece was Shakspeare's play, which at that time was not published. See a 'more minute account of this fraud in An Attempt to afcertain the order of Shakspeare's Plays, Vol. II. Our author's King John was written, I imagine, in 1596. The reasons on which this opinion is founded, may be found in that Effay. MALONE. Though this play have the title of The Life and Death of King John, yet the action of it begins at the thirty-fourth year of his life; and takes in only fome tranfactions of his reign to the time of his demife, being an interval of about feventeen years. THEOBALD. Hall, Holinfhed, Stowe, &c. are closely followed not only in the conduct, but fometimes in the very expreffions throughout the following hiftorical dramas; viz. Macbeth, this play, Richard II. Henry IV. two parts, ́ Henry V. Henry VI. three parts, Richard III. and Henry VIII. "A booke called The Hiftorie of Lord Faulconbridge, baftard Son to Richard Cordelion," was entered at Stationers' Hall, Nov. 29, 1614; but I have never met with it, and therefore know not whether it was the old black letter hiftory, or a play on the fame fubje&. For the original K. John fee Six old Plays on which Shakspeare founded, &c. published by S. Leacroft, Charing-Crofs. STEEVENS. The hyftorie of Lord Faulconbridge, &c. is a profe narrative, in bl. 1. The earlieft edition that I have feen of it, was printed in 1616. A book entitled "Richard Cur de Lion," was entered on the Stationers' Books in 1558. A play called The Funeral of Richard Cordelion, was written by Robert Wilfon, Henry Chettle, Anthony Mundy, and Michael Drayton, and firft exhibited in the year 1598. See The Hiftorical Account of the English Stage, Vol. III. MALONE. King John: Prince Henry, his fon; afterwards King Henry III. Arthur. Duke of Bretagne, fon of Geffrey, late Duke. of Bretagne, the elder brother of King John. William Marefhall, Earl of Pembroke. Geffrey Fitz-Peter, Earl of Effex, Chief Justiciary of England. William Longfword, Earl of Salisbury. Robert Bigot, Earl of Norfolk. 2 Hubert de Burgh, Chamberlain to the King. Robert Faulconbridge, fon of Sir Robert Faulconbridge: Philip Faulconbridge, his half-brother; baftard fon to K. Richard the Firft. James Gurney, fervant to Lady Faulconbridge. Philip, King of France. Lewis, the Dauphin. Arch-duke of Auftria. Cardinal Pandulpho, the Pope's Legate. Melun, a French Lord. Chatillon, Ambaffador from France to King John. Elinor, the widow of King Henry II, and mother of King John. Conftance, mother to Arthur. Blanch, daughter to Alphonfo King of Caftile, and niece to King John. Lady Faulconbridge, mother to the baftard, and Robert Faulconbridge. Lords, Ladies, Citizens of Angiers, Sheriff, Heralds, Officers, Soldiers, Meffengers, and other Attendants. SCENE, fometimes in England, and fometimes in France. Salisbury. Son to King Henry II. by Rofamond Clifford. STEEVENS. KING JOHN. ACT I. SCENE I. Northampton. A Room of State in the Palace. Enter King JOHN, Queen ELINOR, PEMBROKE, ESSEX, SALISBURY, and Others, with CHATILLON. K. JOHN. Now, fay, Chatillon, what would France with us? CHAT. Thus, after greeting, fpeaks the king of France, In my behaviour, to the majefty, The borrow'd májesty of England' here. ELI. A ftrange beginning;-borrow'd majesty! K. JOHN. Silence, good mother; hear the embaffy, * In my behaviour,] The word behaviour seems here to have a fignification that I have never found in any other author. The king of France, fays the envoy, thus speaks in my behaviour to the majefty of England; that is, the King of France speaks in the character which I here affume. I once thought that these two lines, in my behaviour, &c. had been uttered by the ambaffador as part of his master's meffage, and that behaviour had meant the conduct of the King of France towards the King of England; but the ambaffador's fpeech, as continued after the interruption, will not admit this meaning. JOHNSON. In my behaviour means, in the manner that I now do. M. MASON. In my behaviour means, I think, in the words and action that I am now going to ufe. So, in the fifth a&t of this play, the Bastard fays to the French king, CHAT. Philip of France, in right and true behalf Of thy deceased brother Geffrey's fon, Arthur Plantagenet, lays moft lawful claim To Ireland, Poitiers, Anjou, Touraine, Maine: Which sways ufurpingly these feveral titles; K. JOHN. What follows, if we difallow of this? war, To enforce these rights so forcibly with-held. K. JOHN. Here have we war for war, and blood for blood. Controlment for controlment; fo answer France. 4 3 control— ] Oppofition, from controller. JOHNSON. I think it rather means constraint or compulfion. So, in the fecond act of King Henry V. when Exeter demands of the King of France the furrender of his crown, and the King answers-" Or else what follows?" Exeter replies: "Bloody constraint; for if you hide the crown The paffages are exactly similar. M. MASON. 4 Here have we war for war, and blood for blood, Controlment for controlment ; &c.] King John's reception of Chatillon not a little refembles that which Andrea meets with from the King of Portugal in the firft part of Jeronimo, &c. 1605: "And. Thou shalt pay tribute, Portugal, with blood.-"Bal. Tribute for tribute then; and foes for foes. "And. - I bid you fudden wars." STEEVENS. Jeronimo was exhibited on the flage before the year 1590. MALONE. From the following paffage in Barnabie Googe's Cupido conquered, (dedicated with his other Poems, in May, 1562, and printed in 1563,1 Jeronimo appears to have been written earlier than the earlieft of thefe dates: |