And ftrew'd repentant afhes on its head.

Hub. But with my breath I can revive it, boy.
Arth. And if you do, you will but make it blush,
And glow with fhame of your proceedings, Hubert:
Nay, it, perchance, will fparkle in your eyes:
And like a dog, that is compell'd to fight,
Snatch at his mafter that doth tarre him on.
All things, that you should ufe to do me wrong,
Deny their office; only you do lack

That mercy which fierce fire and iron extend,
Creatures of note for mercy-lacking ufes.

Hub. Well, fee to live; I will not touch thine eye, For all the treafure that thine uncle owns :

Yet am I fworn; and I did purpose, boy,
With this fame very iron to burn them out.

Arth. O, now you look like Hubert. All this while You were difguifed.

Hub. Peace: no more. Adieu,

Your uncle must not know but you are dead.
I'll fill thefe dogged fpies with falfe reports:
And, pretty child, fleep doubtlefs, and fecure,
That Hubert, for the wealth of all the world,
Will not offend thee.

Arth. O heav'n! I thank you, Hubert.

Hub. Silence, no more; go clofely in with me. Much danger do I undergo for thee.

SCENE II.

Changes to the Court of England.

[Exeunt.

Enter King John, Pembroke, Salisbury, and other

K. John. H
HER

Lords.

TERE once again we fit, once again. crown'd,

And look'd upon, I hope, with chearful eyes.

Pemb.

Pemb. This once again, but that your highness pleas'd,

Was once fuperfluous; you were crown'd before,
And that high royalty was ne'er pluck'd off:
The faiths of men ne'er ftained with revolt:
Fresh expectation troubled not the land
With any long'd-for change, or better state.
Sal. Therefore, to be poffefs'd with double pomp,
To guard a title that was rich before;
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
To throw a perfume on the violet,
To fmooth the ice, or add another hue
Unto the rainhow, or with taper-light

To feek the beauteous eye of heav'n to garnish,
Is wafteful and ridiculous excess.

Hemb. But that your royal pleasure must be done, This act is as an ancient tale new told,

And in the last repeating troublesome :
Being urged at a time unfeafonable.

Sal. In this the antique and well-noted face
Of plain old form is much disfigured;
And, like a fhifted wind unto a fail,

It makes the courfe of thoughts to fetch about :
Startles and frights confideration;

Makes found opinion fick, and truth fufpected,
For putting on fo new a fashion'd robe.

Pemb. When workmen ftrive to do better than well, 2 They do confound their skill in covetousness; And oftentimes excufing of a fault

Doth make the fault the worfe by the excufe:

As patches, fet upon a little breach,
Difcredit more in hiding of the fault,
Than did the fault before it was fo patch'd.

Sal. To this effect, before you were new-crown'd,
We breath'd our counfel; but it pleas'd your highness
To over-bear it; and we're all well pleas'd;
Since all and every part of what we would,

Muft make a stand at what your highness will.

4

K. John. Some reafons of this double coronation
I have poffeft you with, and think them ftrong.
And more, more ftrong (the leffer is my fear)
I fhall endue you with: mean time, but afk
What you would have reform'd, that is not well,
And well fhall you perceive how willingly
I will both hear and grant you your requests.
Pemb. Then I, as one that am the tongue of these,
"To found the purposes of all their hearts,
Both for myself and them, but chief of all,
Your fafety, for the which, myself and they
Bend their best ftudies, heartily request

Th' infranchisement of Arthur; whofe restraint
Doth move the murm'ring lips of discontent
To break into this dang'rous argument;
If what in rest you have, in right you hold,
Why should your fears (which, as they fay, attend
The steps of wrong) then move you to mew up
Your tender kinfman, and to choke his days
With barb'rous ignorance, and deny his youth
The rich advantage of good exercise?

3 in hiding of the FAULT, Than did the FAULT WORD ] We should read FLAW in both places. WARBURTON. 4 Some reasons of this double co

ronation

I have poffeft you with, and

think them frong. And more, more strong, the leffer is my fear,

I fhall endue you with.] I have told you fome reasons, in my opinion firong, and shall tell more yet ftronger; for the stronger my realons are, the less is my fear of your disapprobation. This feems to be the meaning.

5 To found the purposes.] To declare, to publifh the defires of all those.

That

That the time's enemies may not have this
To grace occafions, let it be our fuit,
That you have bid us afk, his liberty;
Which for our good we do no further ask,
Than whereupon our weal, on you depending,
Counts it your weal, that he have liberty.
K. John. Let it be fo; I do commit his youth

Enter Hubert.

To your direction. Hubert, what news with you?
Pemb. This is the man, fhould do the bloody deed:
He fhew'd his warrant to a friend of mine.

The image of a wicked heinous fault
Lives in his eye; that clofe afpect of his
Does fhew the mood of a much-troubled breaft.
And I do fearfully believe 'tis done,
What we fo fear'd he had a charge to do.

Sal. The colour of the King doth come and go,
Between his purpofe and his confcience",
Like heralds 'twixt two dreadful battles fet 7:
His paffion is fo ripe, it needs must break.

Pemb. And when it breaks, I fear will iffue thence The foul corruption of a sweet child's death.

K. John. We cannot hold mortality's ftrong hand. Good Lords, although my will to give is living, The fuit which you demand is gone, and dead.

He tells us, Arthur is deceas'd to-night.

Sal. Indeed, we fear'd, his ficknefs was paft cure. Pemb. Indeed, we heard how near his death he was, Before the child himfelf felt he was fick.

This must be anfwer'd, either here, or hence.

K. John. Why do you bend fuch folemn brows on me?

Think you, I bear the fhears of deftiny?
Have I commandment on the pulse of life?
Sal. It is apparent foul-play, and 'tis fhame
That greatnefs fhould fo grofly offer it:
So thrive it in your game, and fo farewel!
Pemb. Stay yet, Lord Salisbury, I'll go with thee.
And find th' inheritance of this poor child,
His little kingdom of a forced grave.

That blood, which own'd the breadth of all this ifle,
Three foot of it doth hold; bad world the while!
This must not be thus borne; this will break out
To all our forrows, and ere long, I doubt. [Exeunt.

K. John. They burn in indignation; I repent. There is no fure foundation fer on blood;

No certain life atchiev'd by others' death

Enter a Messenger.

A fearful eye thou haft; where is that blood,
That I have feen inhabit in thofe cheeks?

So foul a fky clears not without a storm;

Pour down thy weather. How goes all in France? Mej. From France to England. Never fuch a power, For any foreign preparation,

Was levy'd in the body of a land.

9 From France to England.-] The king afks bow all goes in France, the meffenger catches the

word goes, and anfwers, that whatever is in France goes now into England.

The