And in their rage, I having hold of both,
They whirl asunder and dismember me.
Husband, I cannot pray that thou mayst win;
Uncle, I needs must pray that thou mayst lose;
Father, I may not wish the fortune thine;
Grandam, I will not wish thy wishes thrive:
Whoever wins, on that side shall I lose
Assured loss before the match be play’d.
(III. i. 327.)
Could not this style of argument be used to prove that Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra immediately followed King John?