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2 MURD. Never, my lord; therefore prepare to die.

CLAR. Are you call'd forth from out a world of men,9

To flay the innocent? What is my offence?
Where is the evidence that doth accufe me?
What lawful quest' have given their verdict up
Unto the frowning judge? or who pronounc'd
The bitter fentence of poor Clarence' death?
Before I be convict by courfe of law,2

To threaten me with death is most unlawful.

Are you call'd forth from out a world of men,] I think it may be better read:

Are ye cull'd forth

The folio reads:

JOHNSON.

"Are you drawn forth among a world of men."

I adhere to the reading now in the text. So, in Nobody and Somebody, 1598:

"Art thou call'd forth amongst a thousand men
"To minifter this foveraigne antidote?" STEEVENS.

The reading of the text is that of the quarto, 1598.

What lawful queft-] Quest is inqueft or jury.

So, in Hamlet:

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MALONE.

JOHNSON.

Before I be convict &c.] Shakspeare has followed the current tale of his own time, in fuppofing that Clarence was imprisoned by Edward, and put to death by order of his brother Richard, without trial or condemnation. But the truth is, that he was tried and found guilty by his Peers, and a bill of attainder was afterwards paffed against him. According to Sir Thomas More, his death was commanded by Edward; but he does not assert that the Duke of Glofter was the inftrument. Polydore Virgil fays, though he talked with several persons who lived at the time, he never could get any certain account of the motives that induced Edward to put his brother to death. See p. 322, n. 1.

MALONE.

I charge you, as you hope for any goodness,3
By Chrift's dear blood fhed for our grievous fins,
That you depart, and lay no hands on me;
The deed you undertake is damnable.

1 MURD. What we will do, we do upon command.

2 MURD. And he, that hath commanded, is our king.

CLAR. Erroneous vaffal! the great King of kings Hath in the table of his law commanded,

That thou fhalt do no murder; Wilt thou then
Spurn at his edict, and fulfil a man's?
Take heed; for he holds vengeance in his hand,
To hurl upon their heads that break his law.

2 MURD. And that fame vengeance doth he hurl on thee,

For falfe forfwearing, and for murder too:
Thou didst receive the facrament, to fight
In quarrel of the houfe of Lancaster.

1 MURD. And, like a traitor to the name of God, Didft break that vow; and, with thy treacherous blade,

Unrip'dft the bowels of thy fovereign's fon.

3

2 MURD. Whom thou waft fworn to cherish and

defend.

1 MURD. How canft thou urge God's dreadful

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law to us,

as you hope for any goodness,] The quarto reads:
As you hope to have redemption."

I have adopted the former words, for the fake of introducing variety; the idea of redemption being comprized in the very next line. STEEVENS.

This arbitrary alteration was made, and the fubfequent line was omitted, by the editors of the folio, to avoid the penalty of the Stat. 3. Jac. c. 21. MALONE.

When thou haft broke it in fuch dear 4 degree?

CLAR. Alas! for whofe fake did I that ill deed?
For Edward, for my brother, for his fake:
He fends you not to murder me for this;
For in that fin he is as deep as I.

If God will be avenged for the deed,
O, know you, that he doth it publickly;5
Take not the quarrel from his powerful arm;
He needs no indirect nor lawless course,
To cut off those that have offended him.

1 MURD. Who made thee then a bloody minifter, When gallant-fpringing, brave Plantagenet, That princely novice,' was ftruck dead by thee? CLAR. My brother's love, the devil, and my rage. 1 MURD. Thy brother's love, our duty, and thy fault,

Provoke us hither now to flaughter thee.

dear] This is a word of mere enforcement, and very frequently occurs, with different fhades of meaning, in our author. So, in Timon of Athens:

"And ftrain what other means is left unto us,

"In our dear peril." STEEVENS.

5 O, know you, that &c.] The old copies-O, know you yet, but we should read-that inftead of yet. In the MS. copy that would naturally have been written yt. Hence the mistake, which I have corrected, by the advice of Dr. Farmer.

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STEEVENS.

Springing-Plantagenet,] Blooming Plantagenet; a prince in the Spring of life. JOHNSON.

So, in Spenfer's Shepherd's Calender, 1579:
"That wouldeft me my Springing youth to spill."

MALONE.

When gallant, fpringing.] This should be printed as one word, I think;-gallant-fpringing. Shakspeare is fond of these compound epithets, in which the firft adjective is to be confidered as an adverb. So, in this play, he ufes childish-foolish, fenfelefsobftinate, and mortal-ftaring. TYRWHITT.

7 novice,] Youth; one yet new to the world.

JOHNSON,

CLAR. If you do love my brother, hate not me; I am his brother, and I love him well. If you are hir'd for meed, go back again, And I will fend you to my brother Glofter; Who fhall reward you better for my life, Than Edward will for tidings of my death.

2 MURD. You are deceiv'd, your brother Glofter hates you.9

CLAR. O, no; he loves me, and he holds me dear:

Go you to him from me.

BOTH MURD.

Ay, fo we will.

CLAR. Tell him, when that our princely father

York

Blefs'd his three fons with his victorious arm,
And charg'd us from his foul to love each other,
He little thought of this divided friendship:
Bid Glofter think on this, and he will weep.

8 If you are hir'd for meed,] Thus the quarto 1597 and the folio. The quarto 1598, reads-If you be hired for need; which is likewise sense: If it be neceffity which induces you to commit this murder. MALONE.

9

your brother Glofter hates you.] Mr. Walpole, fome years ago, fuggefted from the Chronicle of Croyland, that the true caufe of Glofter's hatred to Clarence was, that Clarence was unwilling to share with his brother that moiety of the estate of the great Earl of Warwick, to which Glofter became entitled on his marriage with the younger fifter of the Duchefs of Clarence, Lady Anne Neville, who had been betrothed to Edward Prince of Wales. This account of the matter is fully confirmed by a letter, dated Feb. 14, 1471-2, which has been lately published. Pafton Letters, Vol. II. p. 91: "Yesterday the king, the queen, my lords of Clarence and Gloucefter, went to Shene to pardon; men fay, not all in charity. The king entreateth my lord of Clarence for my lord of Gloucester; and, as it is faid, he anfwereth, that he may well have my lady his fifter-in-law, but they hall part no livelihood, as he faith; fo, what will fall, can I not fay." MALONE.

1 MURD. Ay, mill-ftones; as he leffon'd us to

weep.

ČLAR. O, do not flander him, for he is kind.

1 MURD. Right, as fnow in harvest.—Come, you deceive yourself;

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'Tis he that fends us to deftroy you here.

CLAR. It cannot be; for he bewept my fortune, And hugg'd me in his arms, and fwore, with fobs, That he would labour my delivery.

1 MURD. Why, fo he doth, when he delivers you From this earth's thraldom to the joys of heaven. 2 MURD. Make peace with God, for you must die, my lord.

CLAR. Haft thou that holy feeling in thy foul, To counsel me to make my peace with God, And art thou yet to thy own foul so blind, That thou wilt war with God, by murdering me?Ah, firs, confider, he, that fet you on

To do this deed, will hate you for the deed.

2 MURD. What fhall we do?

CLAR.

Relent, and fave your

fouls.*

1 MURD. Relent! 'tis cowardly, and womanish. CLAR. Not to relent, is beaftly, favage, devilish.Which of you, if you were a prince's fon,

Being pent from liberty, as I am now,—

I

2

he will weep.

1 Murd. Ay, mill-ftones;] So, in Maffinger's City Madam:

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He, good gentleman,

"Will weep when he hears how we are used.-
"Yes, mill-fiones." STEEVENS.

and fave your fouls. &c.] The fix following lines are not in the old edition. [i. e. the quarto.] POPE.

They are not neceffary, but fo forced in, that fomething seems omitted to which these lines are the answer. JOHNSON.

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