Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words,
Remembers me of all his gracious parts,
Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form;
Then, have I reafon to be fond of grief,
Fare you well: had you fuch a lofs as I,
I could give better comfort than you do.-
I will not keep this form upon my head,

[Tearing off her head-drefs.
When there is fuch diforder in my wit.
O lord! my boy, my Arthur, my fair fon!
My life, my joy, my food, my all the world!
My widow comfort, and my forrows' cure!

[Exit., K. PHг. I fear fome outrage, and I'll follow her.

[Exit. LEW. There's nothing in this world, can make me joy: 5

Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale," 6
Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man;

had you fuch a lofs as I,

I could give better comfort-] This is a fentiment which great forrow always didates. Whoever cannot help himself cafts his eyes on others for affiftance, and often mistakes their inability for coldnefs. JOHNSON.

5 There's nothing in this, &c.] The young prince feels his defeat with more fenfibility than his father. Shame operates moft ftrongly in the earlier years; and when can difgrace be less welcome than when a man is going to his bride? JOHNSON.

6 Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale, ] Our author, here and in another play, feems to have had the 90th Psalm in his thoughts: "For when thou art angry, all our days are gone, we bring our years to an end, as it were a tale that is told." So again, in

And bitter fhame hath fpoil'd the fweet world's

taste,'

That it yields naught, but shame, and bitterness.
PAND. Before the curing of a strong disease,
Even in the inftant of repair and health,
The fit is ftrongeft; evils, that take leave,
On their departure moft of all show evil:
What have you loft by lofing of this day?

LEW. All days of glory, joy, and happiness.
PAND. If you had won it, certainly, you had.
No, no: when fortune means to men moft good,
She looks upon them with a threatening eye.
'Tis ftrange, to think how much king John hath loft
In this which he accounts fo clearly won:
Are not you griev'd, that Arthur is his prifoner?
LEW. As heartily, as he is glad he hath him.
PAND. Your mind is all as youthful as your blood.
Now hear me speak, with a prophetick fpirit;
For even the breath of what I mean to speak
Shall blow each duft, each flraw; each little rub,
Out of the path which fhall directly lead
Thy foot to England's throne; and, therefore, mark.

༡ the fweet world's tafte,] The old copy-fweet word.

STEEVENS.

The Sweet word is life; which, fays the fpeaker, is no longer fweet, yielding now nothing but shame and bitterness. Mr. Pope, with fome plaufibility, but certainly without neceffity, reads - the fweet world's tale. MALONE.

I prefer Mr. Pope's reading, which is fufficiently juftified by the following paffage in Hamlet:

"How weary, ftale, flat and unprofitable

"Seem to me all the ufes of this world!"

Our prefent rage for refloration from ancient copies, may induce fome of our readers to exclain, with Othello,

again." STEEVENS.

Chaos is come

John hath feiz'd Arthur; and it cannot be,
That, whiles warm life plays in that infant's veins,
The mifplac'd John fhould entertain an hour,
One minute, nay, one quiet breath of reft:
A fcepter, fnatch'd with an unruly hand,
Must be as boisterously maintain'd as gain'd:
And he, that ftands upon a flippery place,
Makes nice of no vile hold to ftay him up:
That John may stand, then Arthur needs must fall;
So be it, for it cannot be but fo.

LEW. But what fhall I gain by young Arthur's

fall?

PAND. You, in the right of lady Blanch your

wife,

May then make all the claim that Arthur did.
LEW. And lose it, life and all, as Arthur did.
PAND. How green you are, and fresh in this old
world! 8

John lays you plots; the times confpire with you:
For he, that fteeps his fafety in true blood,*
Shall find but bloody fafety, and untrue.
This act, fo evilly born, fhall cool the hearts

66

How green, &c.] Hall in his Chronicle of Richard III. says, what neede in that grene worlde the protector had," &c. HENDERSON.

John lays you plots ;] That is, lays plots, which must be ferviceable to you. Perhaps our author wrote-your plots. John is doing your bufinefs. MALONE.

The old reading is undoubtedly the true one. A fimilar phrase Occurs in the Firft Part of K. Henry VI:

"He writes me here, that," &c.

Again, in the Second Part of the fame play" He would have carried you a fore-hand fhaft," &c. STEEVENS.

2

true blood,] The blood of him that has the just claim.

JOHNSON.

The expreffion feems to mean no more than innocent blood in general. RITSON.

Of all his people, and freeze up their zeal;
That none so small advantage shall step forth,
To check his reign, but they will cherish it:
No natural exhalation in the sky,

3

No fcape of nature, no diftemper'd day,
No common wind, no cuftomed event,
But they will pluck away his natural caufe,
And call them meteors, prodigies, and figns,
Abortives, préfages, and tongues of heaven,
Plainly denouncing vengeance upon John.
LEW. May be, he will not touch young Arthur's
life,

But hold himself fafe in his prifonment,

PAND. O, fir, when he fhall hear of your approach, If that young Arthur be not gone already, Even at that news he dies: and then the hearts Of all his people fhall revolt from him, And kifs the lips of unacquainted change; And pick strong matter of revolt, and wrath, Out of the bloody fingers' ends of John. Methinks, I fee this hurly all on foot; And, O, what better matter breeds for you, Than I have nam'd! 4-The baftard Faulconbridge Is now in England, ranfacking the church, Offending charity: If but a dozen French

3. No scape of nature, ] The old copy reads:- No fcope, &c.

STEEVENS.

It was corrected by Mr. Pope. The word abortives in the latter part of this fpeech, referring apparently to these fcapes of nature, confirms the emendation that has been made. MALONE.

The author very finely calls a monstrous birth, an escape of nature. As if it were produced while fhe was bufy elsewhere, or intent upon fome other thing. WARBURTON,

And, O, what better matter breeds for you,

Than I have nam'd!] I believe we should read lo! inflead of 0. M. MASON.

Were there in arms, they would be as a call5
To train ten thoufand English to their fide;
Or, as a little fnow, tumbled about,

6

Anon becomes a mountain. O noble Dauphin,
Go with me to the king: 'Tis wonderful,
What may be wrought out of their difcontent:
Now that their fouls are topfull of offence,
For England go; I will whet on the king.

they would be as a call] The image is taken from the manner in which birds are fometimes caught; one being placed for the purpose of drawing others to the net, by his note or call.

MALONE.

Or, as a little fnow,] Bacon, in his Hiftory of Henry VII. fpeaking of Simnel's march, obferves, that their Snow-ball did not gather as it went. JOHNSON.

7 Atrong actions:] The oldeft copy reads-frange actions: the folio 1632-ftrong. STEEVENS.

The editor of the fecond folio for ftrange fubftituted ftrong; and the two words fo nearly resemble each other that they might certainly have been eafily confounded. But in the present inftance I fee no reafon for departing from the reading of the original copy; which is perfedly intelligible. MALONE.

The repetition in the fecond folio is perfe&ly in our author's manner, and is countenanced by the following paffage in King Henry V:

"Think we King Harry Arong,

"And, princes, look, you firongly arm to meet him."

STEEVENS.