It is our fafety, and we must embrace
This gentle offer of the perilous time.

PEMB. Who brought that letter from the cardinal?

2

SAL. The count Melun, a noble lord of France? Whose private with me, of the Dauphin's love, Is much more general than these lines import. BIG. To-morrow morning let us meet him then. SAL. Or, rather then fet forward: for 'twill be Two long days' journey, lords, or e'er we meet. 3

2

3

Whofe private, &c.] i. e. whofe private account of the Dauphin's affection to our cafe, is much more ample than the letters.

POPE.'

3 or e'er we meet. ] This phrafe, fo frequent in our old writers, is not well underfood. Or is here the fame as ere, i. e. before, and should be written (as it is fill pronounced in Shropfhire) ore. There the common people use it often. Thus, they fay, Ore to-morrow, for ere or before to-morrow. The addition of ever, or e'er, is merely augmentative.

That or has the full fenfe of before, and that e'er when joined with it is merely augmentative, is proved from innumerable pasfages in our ancient writers, wherein or occurs fimply without e'er, and muft bear that fignification. Thus, in the old tragedy of Mafter Arden of Feversham, 1599, quarto, (attributed by fome, though falfely, to Shakspeare) the wife fays:

"He fhall be murdered or the guefts come in.

Sig. H. III. b. PERCY.

So, in All for Money, an old Morality, 1574:

"I could fit in the cold a good while I fwear, "Or I would be weary fuch fuitors to hear. " Again, in Every Man, another Morality, no date:

"As, or we departe, thou shalt know. Again, in the interlude of The Difobedient Child, bl. 1. no date: "To fend for victuals or I came away.

That or fhould be written ore, I am by no means convinced. The vulgar pronunciation of a particular county ought not to be received as a general guide. Ere is nearer the Saxon primitive ær. STEEVENS.

Enter the Baftard.

BAST. Once more to-day well met, diftemper'd 4

lords!

The king, by me, requests your prefence ftraight,
SAL. The king hath difpoffefs'd himself of us;
We will not line his thin beftained cloak

With our pure honours, nor attend the foot
That leaves the print of blood where-e'er it walks:
Return, and tell him fo; we know the worst.

BAST. Whate'er you think, good words, I think, were beft.

SAL. Our griefs, and not our manners, reafon

now.

BAST. But there is little reafon in your grief; Therefore, 'twere reafon, you had manners now. PEMB. Sir, fir, impatience hath his privilege. BAST. 'Tis true; to hurt his mafter, no man elfe. SAL. This is the prifon: what is he lies here? [Seeing ARTHUR.

PEMB. O death, made proud with pure and
princely beauty!

The earth had not a hole to hide this deed.
SAL. Murder, as hating what himself hath done,
Doth lay it open, to urge on revenge.

4

Hamlet:

5

diftemper'd-] i. e. ruffled, out of humour. So, in

in his retirement marvellous diftemper'd." STEEVens. reafon now, To reafon, in Shakspeare, is not so often to argue, as to talk. JOHNSON.

So, in Coriolanus:

BIG. Or, when he doom'd this beauty to a grave, Found it too precious-princely for a grave.

SAL. Sir Richard, what think you? Have you beheld, "

Or have you read, or heard? or could you think?? Or do you almost think, although you see,

That you do fee? could thought, without this ob

ject,

Form fuch another? This is the very top,

The height, the creft, or creft unto the creft,
Of murder's arms: this is the bloodieft fhame,
The wildest favag'ry, the vilest stroke,
That ever wall-ey'd wrath, or staring rage,
Prefented to the tears of foft remorfe.

PEMB. All murders' past do ftand excus'd in

this:

And this, fo fole, and fo unmatchable,

Shall give a holiness, a purity,

To the yet-unbegotten fin of times;

8

Have you beheld,] Old copy You have, Sec. Corre&ed by the editor of the third folio. MALONE.

7 Or have you read, or heard? &c.] Similar interrogatories have been already urged by the Dauphin, A&t III. fc. iv:

แ 11

Who hath read, or heard,

"Of any kindred adion like to this?" STEEVENS.

I follow Mr.

- fin of time;] The old copy of times. Pope, whofe reading is juftified by a line in the celebrated foliloquy of Hamlet:

"For who would bear the whips and fcorns of time?" Again, by another in this play of King John, p. 446:

"I am not glad that fuch a fore of time." STEEVENS.
So, in King

—— of times; ] That is, of all future times. Henry V:

66 By cuftom and the ordinance of times. "

Again, in The Rape of Lucrece:

"For now against himself he founds his doom,
"That through the length of times he ftands difgrac'd.",

And prove a deadly bloodfhed but a jeft
Exainpled by this heinous fpectacle.

BAST. It is a damned and a bloody work;
The graceless action of a heavy hand,

If that it be the work of any hand.

༤

SAL. If that it be the work of any hand?
We had a kind of light, what could enfue:
It is the fhameful work of Hubert's hand;
The practice, and the purpose, of the king:
From whofe obedience I forbid my foul,
Kneeling before this ruin of fweet life,
And breathing to his breathless excellence
The incense of a vow, a holy vow;
Never to taste the pleafures of the world,9
Never to be infected with delight,
Nor converfant with ease and idleness,
Till I have fet a glory to this hand,
By giving it the worship of revenge.*

Mr. Pope and the fubfequent editors more elegantly read-fins of time; but the peculiarities of Shakspeare's didion ought, in my apprehenfion, to be faithfully preferved. MALONE.

Never to taste the pleasures of the world,] This is a copy of the vows made in the ages of fuperftition and chivalry.

JOHNSON.

2 Till I have fet a glory to this hand, By giving it the worship of revenge.] The worship is the dignity, the honour. We ftill fay worshipful of magiftrates. JOHNSON.

pointing to the

I think it should be—a glory to this head; dead prince, and ufing the word worship in its common acceptatiou. A glory is a frequent term:

"Round a quaker's beaver caft a glory,"

fays Mr. Pope: the folemn confirmation of the other lords feems to require this sense. The late Mr. Gray was much pleased with this correction. FARMER,

PEMB. BIG. Our fouls religiously confirm thy

words.

Enter HUBERT.

HUB, Lords, I am hot with hafte in feeking you: Arthur doth live; the king hath fent for you. SAL. O, he is bold, and blufhes not at death:Avaunt, thou hateful villain, get thee gone! HUB. I am no villain. SAL.

Muft I rob the law?
[Drawing his fword.

The old reading feems right to me, and means,-till I have famed and renowned my own hand by giving it the honour of revenge for fo foul a deed. Glory means fplendor and magnificence in St. Matthew, vi. 29. So, in Markham's Husbandry, 1631, p. 353:

But if it be where the tide is fcant, and doth no more but bring the river to a glory," i. e. fills the banks without overflowing. So, in A& II. fc. ii. of this play:

"O, two fuch filver currents, when they join,
"Do glorify the banks that bound them in."

"When we That we

A thought almoft fimilar to the prefent, occurs in Ben Jonfon's Catiline, who, A& IV. fc. iv. fays to Cethegus: meet again we'll facrifice to liberty. Cet. And revenge. may praise our hands once!" i. e. O! that we may fet a glory, or procure honour and praise, to our hands, which are the inftruments

of action. TOLLET.

I believe, at repeating these lines, Salisbury fhould take hold of the hand of Arthur, to which he promises to pay the worship of revenge. M. MASON.

I think the old reading the true one. In the next A& we have the following lines:

་

I will not return,

“Till my attempt so much be glorify'd

"As to my ample hope was promised."

The following paffage in Troilus and Creffida is decifive in support of the old reading:

Jove, let Eneas live,

It to my sword his fate be not the glory,

"A thoufand complete courfes of the fun." MALONE.