AUST. O, that a man fhould fpeak those words to me! BAST. And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs. AUST. Thou dar'ft not fay fo, villain, for thy life. BAST. And hang a calf's-skin on thofe recreant limbs.7 K. JOHN. We like not this; thou doft forget thyfelf. 7 Here Mr. Pope inferts the following fpeeches from the old play of King John, printed in 1591, before Shakspeare appears to have commenced a writer : "Auft. Methinks, that Richard's pride, and Richard's fall, "Should be a precedent to fright you all. "Faule. What words are these? how do my finews shake! My father's foe clad in my father's fpoil! "How doth Alecto whisper in my ears, Delay not, Richard, kill the villain straight; Difrobe him of the matchless monument, "Thy father's triumph o'er the favages !"Now by his foul I swear, my father's foul, "Twice will I not review the morning's rife, "Till I have torn that trophy from thy back, "And split thy heart for wearing it fo long." STEEVENS. I cannot by any means approve of the infertion of these lines from the other play. If they were neceffary to explain the ground of the Baftard's quarrel to Auftria, as Mr. Pope fuppofes, they fhould rather be inserted in the first scene of the second act, at the time of the firft altercation between the Baftard and Austria. But indeed the ground of their quarrel feems to be as clearly expreffed in the first scene as in these lines; fo that they are unnecessary in either place; and therefore, I think, fhould be thrown out of the text, as well as the three other lines, which have been inferted with as little reason in Act III. fc. ii: Thus hath king Richard's, &c. TYRWHITT. Enter PANDULPH. K. PHI. Here comes the holy legate of the pope. I Pandulph, of fair Milan cardinal, Why thou against the church, our holy mother, K. JOHN. What earthly name to interrogatories, What earthly, &c.] This must have been at the time when it was written, in our struggles with popery, a very captivating scene. So many paffages remain in which Shakspeare evidently takes his advantage of the facts then recent, and of the paffions then in mo tion, that I cannot but fufpect that time has obfcured much of his art, and that many allufions yet remain undiscovered, which perhaps may be gradually retrieved by fucceeding commentators. JOHNSON. The fpeech ftands thus in the old fpurious play: "And what haft thou, or the pope thy mafter to do, to demand of me how I employ mine own? Know, fir prieft, as I honour the church and holy churchmen, fo I fcorne to be fubject to the greatest prelate in the world. Tell thy mafter fo from me; and fay, John of England faid it, that never an Italian priest of them all, fhall either have tythe, toll, or polling penny out of England; but as I am king, fo will I reign next under God, fupreme head both over fpiritual and temporal: and he that contradicts me in this, I'll make him hop headlefs." STEEVENS. What earthly name to interrogatories, · Can talk the free breath, &c.] i. e. What earthly name, fubjoined G Thou canst not, cardinal, devise a name Tell him this tale; and from the mouth of Eng land, Add thus much more,-That no Italian priest But as we under heaven are fupreme head, K. PHI. Brother of England, you blafpheme in this. K. JOHN. Though you, and all the kings of Chrif- Are led fo grofsly by this meddling priest, Who, in that fale, fells pardon from himself: to interrogatories, can force a king to speak and answer them? The old copy reads-earthy. The emendation was made by Mr. Pope. It has alfo taft inftead of task, which was fubftituted by Mr. Thecbald. Breath for fpeech is common with our author. So, in a fubfequent part of this fcene: "The latest breath that gave the found of words." Again, in The Merchant of Venice," breathing courtesy," for verbal courtefy. MALONE. The emendation [task] may be justified by the following paffage in King Henry IV. P. Í : "How fhow'd his talking? feem'd it in contempt?" Again, in King Henry V: "That tok our thoughts concerning us and France." STEEVENS. This juggling witchcraft with revenue cherish; Yet I, alone, alone do me oppose Against the pope, and count his friends my foes. PAND. Then, by the lawful power that I have, CONST. To my keen curfes; for, without my wrong, CONST. And for mine too; when law can do no That takes away by any fecret courfe, Thy hateful life.] This may allude to the bull published against Queen Elizabeth. Or we may fuppofe, fince we have no proof that this play appeared in its prefent ftate before the reign of King James, that it was exhibited foon after the popish plot. I have feen a Spanish book in which Garnet, Faux, and their accomplices, are registered as faints. JOHNSON. If any allufion to his own times was intended by the author of the old play, (for this fpeech is formed on one in King John, 1591,) it must have been to the bull of Pope Pius the Fifth, 1569: "Then I Pandulph of Padua, legate from the Apoftolike fea, doe in the name of Saint Peter, and his fucceffor, our holy father Pope Innocent, pronounce thee accurfed, difcharging every of thy fubjects of all dutie and fealtie that they do owe to thee, and pardon and forgiveneffe of finne to thofe or them what foever which shall carrie armes against thee or murder thee. This I pronounce, and charge all good men to abhorre thee as an excommunicate person." MALONE. * Let it be lawful, that law bar no wrong: PAND. Philip of France, on peril of a curfe, And raise the power of France upon his head, ELI. Look'st thou pale, France? do not let go CONST. Look to that, devil! left that France re- And, by disjoining hands, hell lofe a foul. AUST. King Philip, liften to the cardinal. AUST. Well, ruffian, I muft pocket up these Becaufe BAST. Your breeches beft may carry them. * K. JOHN. Philip, what fay'ft thou to the cardi nal? CONST. What fhould he fay, but as the cardi- LEW. Bethink you, father; for the difference BLANCH. That's the curfe of Rome. 3 Is, purchase of a heavy curfe from Rome,] It is a political maxim, that kingdoms are never married. Lewis, upon the wedding, -Your breeches bes! may carry them.] Perhaps this sarcasm. So, there is somewhat proverbial in this old Play of King Leir, 1605: Num. Well. I have a payre of flops for the nonce, with hold all your iöcké” in th |