BIG. Or, when he doom'd this beauty to a grave, Found it too precious-princely for a grave.

SAL. Sir Richard, what think you? Have you

beheld,

Or have you read, or heard? or could you think?1 Or do almoft think, although you fee,

you

That you do fee? could thought, without this ob

ject,

Form fuch another? This is the very top,

The height, the creft, or creft unto the creft,
Of murder's arms: this is the bloodiest shame,
The wildest favag'ry, the vileft stroke,
That ever wall-ey'd wrath, or staring rage,
Prefented to the tears of foft remorfe.

PEMB. All murders paft do ftand excus'd in this:

And this, fo fole, and fo unmatchable,
Shall give a holiness, a purity,

To the yet-unbegotten fin of times;

6 Have you beheld,] Old copy-You have, &c. Corrected by the editor of the third folio. MALONE.

1 Or have you read, or heard? &c.] Similar interrogatories have been already urged by the Dauphin, Act III. fc. iv:

Who hath read, or heard,

"Of any kindred action like to this?" STEEVENS.

8 fin of time;] The old copy-of times. I follow Mr. Pope, whofe reading is juftified by a line in the celebrated foliloquy of Hamlet:

"For who would bear the whips and fcorns of time ?” Again, by another in this play of King John, p. 157: "I am not glad that such a fore of time

Henry V:

STEEVENS.

of times;] That is, of all future times. So, in King

By cuftom and the ordinance of times."

Again, in The Rape of Lucrece:

"For now against himself he founds his doom,

"That through the length of times he ftands difgrac'd."

And prove a deadly bloodshed but a jest,
Exampled by this heinous fpectacle.

BAST. It is a damned and a bloody work;
The graceless action of a heavy hand,
If that it be the work of any hand.

SAL. If that it be the work of any hand?—
We had a kind of light, what would enfue:
It is the fhameful work of Hubert's hand;
The practice, and the purpose, of the king:-
From whose obedience I forbid my foul,
Kneeling before this ruin of fweet life,
And breathing to his breathlefs excellence
The incenfe of a vow, a holy vow;
Never to taste the pleasures of the world,"
Never to be infected with delight,
Nor converfant with ease and idleness,
Till I have fet a glory to this hand,
By giving it the worship of revenge.1

Mr. Pope and the fubfequent editors more elegantly read-fins of time; but the peculiarities of Shakspeare's diction ought, in my apprehenfion, to be faithfully preferved. MALONE.

9 —a holy vow;

Never to taste the pleasures of the world,] This is a copy of the vows made in the ages of fuperftition and chivalry.

JOHNSON.

2 Till I have fet a glory to this hand, By giving it the worship of revenge.] The worship is the dignity, the honour. We still fay worshipful of magiftrates. JOHNSON.

I think it should be-a glory to this head;-pointing to the dead prince, and ufing the word worship in its common acceptation. A glory is a frequent term:

"Round a quaker's beaver cast a glory,"

fays Mr. Pope: the folemn confirmation of the other lords feems to require this fenfe. The late Mr. Gray was much pleased with this correction. FARMER.

PEMB. BIG. Our fouls religioufly confirm thy words.

Enter HUBERT.

HUB. Lords, I am hot with hafte in feeking you: Arthur doth live; the king hath fent for you. SAL. O, he is bold, and blushes not at death :Avaunt, thou hateful villain, get thee gone!

HUB. I am no villain.

SAL.

Muft I rob the law?
[Drawing his fword.

The old reading feems right to me, and means,—till I have famed and renowned my own haud by giving it the honour of revenge for fo foul a deed. Glory means fplendor and magnificence in St. Matthew, vi. 29. So, in Markham's Hufbandry, 1631, p. 353: "But if it be where the tide is fcant, and doth no more but bring the river to a glory," i. e. fills the banks without overflowing. So, in Act II. fc. ii. of this play:

66

O, two fuch filver currents, when they join,

"Do glorify the banks that bound them in.”

A thought almoft fimilar to the prefent, occurs in Ben Jonfon's Catiline, who, Act IV. fc. iv. fays to Cethegus: "When we meet again we'll facrifice to liberty. Cet. And revenge. That we may praise our hands once!" i. e. O! that we may fet a glory, or procure honour and praife, to our hands, which are the inftruments

of action. TOLLET.

I believe, at repeating thefe lines, Salisbury fhould take hold of the hand of Arthur, to which he promises to pay the worship of revenge. M. MASON.

I think the old reading the true one. In the next Act we have the following lines:

I will not return,

"Till my attempt so much be glorify'd

"As to my ample hope was promifed."

The following paffage in Troilus and Creffida is decifive in fupport

of the old reading:

Jove, let Æneas live,

"If to my fword his fate be not the glory,

"A thousand complete courfes of the fun." MALONE.

BAST. Your fword is bright, fir; put it up again." SAL. Not till I fheath it in a murderer's skin. HUB. Stand back, lord Salisbury, stand back, I

fay;

By heaven, I think, my fword's as fharp as yours:
I would not have you, lord, forget yourself,
Nor tempt the danger of my true defence; +
Left I, by marking of your rage, forget
Your worth, your greatnefs, and nobility.

BIG. Out, dunghill! dar'ft thou brave a nobleman?

HUB. Not for my life: but yet I dare defend My innocent life against an emperor.

SAL. Thou art a murderer.

Do not prove me so;

HUB. Yet, I am none: Whofe tongue foe'er speaks false, Not truly speaks; who speaks not truly, lies.

PEMB. Cut him to pieces.

BAST.

Keep the peace, I fay.

SAL. Stand by, or I fhall gall you, Faulconbridge.

BAST. Thou wert better gall the devil, Salisbury: If thou but frown on me, or ftir thy foot,

Or teach thy hafty spleen to do me fhame,

3 Your fword is bright, fir; put it up again.] i. e. left it lose its brightnefs. So, in Othello:

Keep up your bright fwords; for the dew will ruft them."
MALONE.

true defence ;] Honeft defence; defence in a good cause.

JOHNSON.

5 Do not prove me fo; Yet, I am none:] Do not make me a murderer, by compelling me to kill you; I am hitherto not a murderer.

JOHNSON.

I'll strike thee dead. Put up thy fword betime;
Or I'll fo maul you and your toafting-iron,"
That you fhall think the devil is come from hell.

BIG. What wilt thou do, renowned Faulcon

bridge?

Second a villain, and a murderer?

HUB. Lord Bigot, I am none.

BIG.

Who kill'd this prince?

HUB. 'Tis not an hour fince I left him well: I honour'd him, I lov'd him; and will weep My date of life out, for his fweet life's lofs.

SAL. Truft not thofe cunning waters of his eyes, For villainy is not without fuch rheum; And he, long traded in it, makes it feem Like rivers of remorfe and innocency. Away, with me, all you whofe fouls abhor The uncleanly favours of a flaughter-house; For I am ftifled with this fmell of fin.

BIG. Away, toward Bury, to the Dauphin there! PEMB. There, tell the king, he may enquire us [Exeunt Lords.

out.

BAST. Here's a good world!-Knew you of this fair work?

Beyond the infinite and boundless reach

Of mercy, if thou didst this deed of death,
Art thou damn'd, Hubert.

HUB.

Do but hear me, fir.

BAST. Ha! I'll tell thee what;

Thou art damn'd as black-nay, nothing is fo black;

6

your toafting-iron,] The fame thought is found in King Henry VI dare not fight, but I will wink and hold out mine iron. It is a fimple one, but what though? it will toaft cheese." STEEVENS.

Like rivers of remorfe] Remorse here, as almost every where in thefe plays, and the contemporary books, fignifies pity. MALONE.