KING JOHN.
Act I.
Sc. 1.
"It would not be Sir Nob in any case."
The 2nd folio properly read I for 'It.'
"Kneel thee down Philip, but to rise more great."
"'Tis too respective and too sociable
For your conversion."
In the only other place where 'conversion' occurs in these plays it signifies change; but it may be conversation.
"As at his next conversion with your Grace
He will relate the circumstance at full."
Ham. 1603.
"Sir Robert could do well; marry, to confess the truth;
Could he get me? Sir Robert could not do it."
Act II.
Sc. 1.
"It hangs as sightly on the back of him
As great Alcides' shoes upon an ass."
This, and all that has been written upon it, is sheer nonsense. As 'shoes' and shews are alike in sound, Theobald proposed this last word; but as there was neither picture nor tale existing on the subject, I prefer shew'd in the conjunctive mood. We might also, and better perhaps, read should. After 'Alcides'' 'lion's robe' is of course to be understood. The allusion to the ass in the lion's skin is manifest.
"King Lewis determine what we shall do straight."
By an ordinary error (Introd. p. [66]) 'Lewis' is substituted for Philip, both here and in the heading of the next speech.
"Comfort your city's eyes, your winking gates."
Rowe read Confront, Capell Confronts, Collier's folio Come 'fore, which last is, I think, the best.
"In that behalf in which we have challeng'd it."
Sc. 2.
"And Victory, with little loss, doth play
Upon the dancing banners of the French,
Triumphantly displayed; who are at hand."
I have, it will be seen, made a necessary transposition in the last line. It is strange that no one seems to have observed the error.
"Say shall the current of our right roam on."
The 2nd folio for 'roam' reads run, and ronne might easily become rome. See on Ham. i. 3.
"Kings of our fear; until our fears resolved."
Tyrwhitt proposed 'King'd.' We should punctuate 'Kings of our fear!' i.e. Kings whom we fear.
"That daughter there of Spain, the Lady Blanch,
Is near to England."
Collier's folio reads niece. In the Two Gent. (iv. 1) we have, "An heir and niece allied unto the Duke," where all the editors read near.
"Left to be finished by such as she."
Thirlby proposed a for 'as.'
"Here's a stay
That shakes the rotten carcass of old Death."
'Stay' is hindrance, impediment.
"What you in wisdom still vouchsafe to say."
Capell properly read shall for 'still.'
"Her dowry shall weigh equal with a queen's."
"Hath drawn him from his own determin'd aid."
For 'aid' Mason and Collier's folio read aim.
Act III.
Sc. 1.
"As true as I believe you think them false."
The poet probably wrote 'you'll' think.
"I will instruct my sorrows to be proud;
For Grief is proud, and makes his owner stoop."
Hanmer reads stout for 'stoop,' but I see no need of change. We talk of a person being bowed to the earth with grief, and this is what the poet meant. 'Owner' was used of one who simply had, as "But like the owner of a foul disease" (Ham. iv. 1).
"But as we under Heaven are supreme head,
So under Him that great supremacy."
Collier's folio reads Heaven for 'Him,' which is very good.
"In likeness of a new, untrimmed bride."
This would seem intended to express the indecent haste of the wedding, the bride having, as it were, no trousseau, but being married in her ordinary clothes. In ii. 2 it was termed an "unlook'd-for, unprepared pomp." Theobald proposed 'and trimm'd' and 'betrimm'd'; Dyce reads 'uptrimm'd.'
"A cased lion by the mortal paw."
As 'cased' is skinned, it can hardly be right. I read, as Mitford, I find, had done, caged.
"So looks a pent-up lion, o'er the wretch
That trembles under his devouring paws."
3 Hen. VI. i. 3.
As Shakespeare had re-made this play not long before, the image may have remained in his mind. We might also read raged, i.e. enraged—
"In war was never lion rag'd more fierce" (Rich. II. ii. 1);
or, with Theobald, chafed—
"So looks the chafed lion
Upon the daring huntsman that ha gall'd him"
(Hen. VIII. iii. 2).
"By what thou swear'st against the thing thou swear'st."
I rather think that the second 'swear'st' should be swor'st. Possibly to or by was lost at the end of the line; but we have, "Thou swear'st thy gods in vain." Lear, i. 1.
Sc. 2.
"Some airy devil hovers in the sky."
Warburton proposed fiery, needlessly.
"Here, Hubert, keep this boy.—Philip, make up."
Sc. 3.
"Of hoarding abbots; imprison'd angels
Set at liberty: the fat ribs of peace."
Never was a more happy and a more certain correction than S. Walker's transposition of 'imprison'd angels' and 'Set at liberty,' which restores the metre of two lines.
"Sound on into the drowsy race of Night."
As Shakespeare had read, in the Faerie Queen, of Night "To run her timely race" (i. 5. 45), the attempted corrections of 'race' are all superfluous. So also is Warburton's reading of one for 'on'; for 'Sound on' is keep sounding.
"Then in despight of brooded, watchful day."
As 'brooded' is brooding, no just objection can be made. Pope proposed broad-eyed, Mitford broad and.
Sc. 4.
"So by a roaring tempest, on the flood
A whole armado of convicted sail," etc.
For 'convicted' I read conflicted, i.e. dashed, or dashing together. We have "conflicting wind and rain" (Lear, iii. 1), "conflicting elements" (Tim. iv. 3). It seems more probable than any of the various corrections proposed.
"No scope of Nature, no distempered day."
I adopt Pope's reading, 'scape.
"Strong reasons make strong actions."
So 2nd folio properly reads; the 1st has 'strange actions.'
Act IV.
Sc. 1.
"Can you not read it? is it not fairly writ?"
The reply proves that we should read so.
"And quench this fiery indignation."
The context shows that 'this' should be his.
Sc. 2.
"Doth make a stand at what your Highness wills."
"And more, more strong then lesser, is my fear."
I read 'in my fear.' We have Is for In also in Jul. Cæs. i. 3; the same confusion of these words occurs more than once in Chaucer. I have often met with it in books printed in the last century; and I myself, in writing these Notes, have frequently confounded these words.
"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," etc.
As it is plain, from what went before, that they should not have that effect, editors have made a transposition of 'then' and 'should.' It seems to me, however, that here, as in so many other places, the printer omitted the negative after 'should.' I do not perfectly understand 'rest' in the preceding line, but it may be tranquillity, tranquil, undisturbed possession, a sense it bears in Scripture. See Ps. xcv. 11, cxvi. 7.
"That you'd have bid us ask his liberty."
"How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds
Makes ill deeds done!"
So also Capell and Collier's folio have transposed in the last line.
"As bid me tell my tale in express words."
For 'As' Pope read Or, Malone And.
"Thou art a murderer.—Do not prove me so;
Yet am I none."
For 'not,' which makes no sense, we should read you or but. I prefer the latter.
Act V.
Sc. 1.
"Send fairplay orders and make compromise."
For 'orders' Collier's folio reads offers, which I have adopted.
Sc. 2.
"That we the sons and children of this isle
Were born to see so sad an hour as this."
For 'Were' the folio has Was, produced by 'isle.'
"And grapple thee unto a pagan shore."
'Grapple' is Pope's correction; the folio has cripple.
"Your breath first kindled the dead coal of wars."
Capell read 'coals of war.'
"Vive le roy! as I have bank'd their towns."
As there is mention of cards in the next line, I think that in 'bank'd' there may be an allusion to card-playing. The same is the opinion of Mr. Staunton. In Ant. and Cleop. (ii. 2) we have "she pursed up his heart."
"This unheard sauciness and boyish troops."
For 'unheard' Theobald read unhaired; and we have in Venus and Adonis 'hairless face.' I, however, prefer unbeard, i.e. unbearded, beardless. We have already had in this play 'heat' for heated.
"Even at the crying of your nation's crow."
For 'crow' I read cock; Collier's folio reads cock, and crowing for 'crying.' In the next line I read, with Rowe, his for 'this.'
Sc. 4.
"Unthread the rude eye of rebellion."
Theobald reads untread and way. A little further on we have, "We will untread the steps of damned flight;" but no change is needed here.
"For if the French be lords of this loud day,
He means to recompense," etc.
Here 'He' can only refer to John, while it is evidently the Dolphin that is meant. I have therefore, as I find Mr. Lloyd also has done, read Prince for 'French,' and of course lord for 'lords.' But as in this play Prince alone is never used of the Dolphin, it may be that a line is lost. It might have been something of this sort: "And Fortune smile upon the Dolphin's arms."
Sc. 6.
"Unkind Remembrance! Thou and endless Night."
For 'endless' Theobald read eyeless; but there is no need of change.
Sc. 7.
"I have a kind soul that would give you thanks."