The fame. SCENE II. A Room of ftate in the Palace. Enter King JOHN, crowned; PEMBROKE, SALISBURY, and other Lords. The King takes his ftate. K. JOHN. Here once again we fit, once again crown'd,+ And look'd upon, I hope, with cheerful eyes. PEM. This once again, but that your highness pleas'd, Was once fuperfluous: you were crown'd before, To guard a title that was rich before," once again crown'd,] Old copy-againft. Corrected in the fourth folio. MALONE. $ This once again, Was once fuperfluous:] This one time more was one time more than enough. JOHNSON. It should be remembered that King John was at prefent crowned for the fourth time. STEEVENS. John's fecond coronation was at Canterbury in the year 1201. He was crowned a third time at the fame place, after the murder of his nephew, in April 1202; probably with a view of confirming his title to the throne, his competitor no longer ftanding in his way. MALONE. "To guard a title that was rich before,] To guard, is to fringe. JOHNSON. Rather, to lace. So, in The Merchant of Venice: give him a livery "More guarded than his fellows." STEEVENS. See Measure for Measure, Vol. IV. p. 282-3, n. 2. MALONE. To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, To feek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish, PEMB. But that your royal pleasure must be done, SAL. In this, the antique and well-noted face It makes the courfe of thoughts to fetch about; Makes found opinion fick, and truth suspected, PEMB. When workmen ftrive to do better than well, They do confound their skill in covetoufness: 7 as an ancient tale new told;] Had Shakspeare been a diligent examiner of his own compofitions, he would not fo foon have repeated an idea which he had firft put into the mouth of the Dauphin : "Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale, Mr. Malone has a remark to the fame tendency. STEEVENS. 8 They do confound their skill in covetoufnefs:] i. e. not by their avarice, but in an eager emulation, an intenfe defire of excelling; as in Henry V: "But if it be a fin to covet honour, "I am the moft offending foul alive." THEOBALD. So, in our author's 103d Sonnet : "Were it not finful then, ftriving to mend, "To mar the fubject that before was well?" Again, in King Lear: Striving to better, oft we mar what's well." MALONE. Doth make the fault the worfe by the excufe; 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 highnefs To overbear it; and we are all well pleas'd; K. JOHN. Some reafons of this double corona- I have poffefs'd you with, and think them ftrong in hiding of the fault,] Fault means blemish. STEEVENS. 2 Since all and every part of what we would,] Since the whole and each particular part of our wishes, &c. MALONE. 3 Some reafons of this double coronation I have poffefs'd you with, and think them strong ; And more, more ftrong, (when leffer is my fear,) I fball indue you with:] Mr. Theobald reads (the leffer is my fear) which, in the following note, Dr. Johnfon has attempted to explain. STEEVENS. I have told you fome reafons, in my opinion ftrong, and shall tell more yet fronger; for the stronger my reafons are, the less is my fear of your difapprobation. This feems to be the meaning. And more, more ftrong, (when leffer is my fear,) I fhall indue you with:] The firft folio reads: -(then leffer is my fear) The true reading is obvious enough: (when leffer is my fear). TYRWHITT. JOHNSON. I have done this emendation the justice to place it in the text. STEEVENS. PEMB. Then I, (as one that am the tongue of these, To found the purposes of all their hearts,) 5 To found the purposes-] To declare, to publish the defires of all thofe. JOHNSON. 6 "If, what in reft you have, in right you hold, Why then your fears, (which, as they fay, attend The fteps of wrong,) fhould move you to mew up i. e. if what you poffefs by an act of seizure or violence, &c. "The imminent decay of wrefted pomp." Wreft is a fubftantive used by Spenfer, and by our author in Troilus and Crefida. STEEVENS. The emendation propofed by Mr. Steevens is its own voucher. If then and should change places, and a mark of interrogation be placed after exercife, the full fenfe of the paffage will be restored. HENLEY. Mr. Steevens's reading of wreft is better than his explanation. If adopted, the meaning muft be-If what you poffefs, or have in your hand, or grafp. RITSON. It is evident that the words should and then, have changed their places. M. MASON. The construction is-If you have a good title to what you now quietly poffefs, why then should your fears move you, &c. MALONE. Perhaps this question is elliptically expreffed, and means— Why then is it that your fears should move you," &c. STEEVENS. The rich advantage of good exercise?" 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 fhow'd his warrant to a friend of mine: The image of a wicked heinous fault 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, 8 — good exercife?] In the middle ages the whole education of princes and noble youths confifted in martial exercises, &c. Thefe could not be eafily had in a prifon, where mental improvements might have been afforded as well as any where else; but this fort of education never entered into the thoughts of our active, warlike, but illiterate nobility. PERCY. Between his purpofe and his confcience,] Between his confciousnefs of guilt, and his defign to conceal it by fair profeffions. JOHNSON. The purpose of the King, which Salisbury alludes to, is that of putting Arthur to death, which he confiders as not yet accomplished, and therefore fuppofes that there might still be a conflict in the King's mind, "Between his purpofe and his confcience." VOL. VIIL K |