Do like the mutines of Jerufalem,' 2 Do like the mutines of Jerufalem,] The mutines are the mutineers, the feditious. So again, in Hamlet: and lay "Worfe than the mutines in the bilboes." the Our author had probably read the following paffages in A Compendious and most marvellous Hiftory of the latter times of the Ferwes Common-weale, &c. Written in Hebrew, by Jofeph Ben Gorion,tranflated into English, by Peter Morwyn: "The fame yeere civil warres grew and increafed in Jerufalem; for the citizens flew one another without any truce, reft, or quietneffe.-The people were divided into three parties; whereof the first and best followed Anani, the high-prieft; another part followed feditious Jehochanan; the third most cruel Schimeon.-Anani, being a perfect godly man, and seeing the common-weale of Jerufalem governed by the feditious, gave over his third part, that ftacke to him, to Eliafar, his fonne. Eliafar with his companie took the Temple, and the courts about it; appointing of his men, fome to bee fpyes, fome to keepe watche and warde.-But Jehochanan tooke the marketplace and streetes, the lower part of the citie. Then Schimeon, the Jerofolimite, tooke the highest part of the towne, wherefore his men annoyed Jehochanan's parte fore with flings and croffebowes. Betweene thefe three there was alfo moft cruel battailes in Jerufalem for the fpace of four daies. "Titus' campe was about fixe furlongs from the towne. The next morrow they of the towne feeing Titus to be encamped upon the mount Olivet, the captaines of the feditious affembled together, and fell at argument, every man with another, intending to turne their cruelty upon the Romaines, confirming and ratifying the fame atonement and purpose, by fwearing one to another; and fo became peace amongst them. Wherefore joyning together, that before were three feverall parts, they fet open the gates, and all the best of them iffued out with an horrible noyfe and fhoute, that they made the Romaines afraide withall, in fuch wife that they fled before the feditious, which fodainly did fet upfon them unawares." The book from which I have tranfcribed these paffages, was printed in 1602, but there was a former edition, as that before me is faid to be " newly corrected and amended by the tranflatour." From the fpelling and the ftyle, I imagine the first edition of this book had appeared before 1580. This allufion is not found in the old play. Since this note was written, I have met with an edition of the book which Shakspeare had here in his thoughts, printed in 1575. MALONE. Be friends a while,' and both conjointly bend The flinty ribs of this contemptuous city: Leave them as naked as the vulgar air. To whom in favour the fhall give the day, K. JOHN. Now, by the fky that hangs above our heads, I like it well;-France, fhall we knit our powers, BAST. An if thou haft the mettle of a king,Being wrong'd, as we are, by this peevish town,Turn thou the mouth of thy artillery, As we will ours, against these faucy walls: 3 Be friends a while, &c.] This advice is given by the Baftard in the old copy of the play, though compriz! in fewer and lefs fpirited lines. STEEVENS. 4 Till their foul-fearing clamours—] i. e. foul-appalling. See Vol. V. p. 423, n. 9. MALONE. K. PHI. Let it be fo:-Say, where will you affault? K. JOHN. We from the weft will fend deftruction Into this city's bosom. AUST. I from the north. K. PHI. Our thunder from the south, Shall rain their drift of bullets on this town. BAST. O prudent difcipline! From north to fouth; Auftria and France fhoot in each other's mouth: I'll ftir them to it:-Come, away, away! [Afide. I CIT. Hear us, great kings: youchsafe a while to stay, And I fhall fhow you peace, and fair-faced league; K. JOHN. Speak on, with favour; we are bent to hear. I CIT. That daughter there of Spain, the lady Is near to England; Look upon the years 5 -the lady Blanch,] The lady Blanch was daughter to Alphonfo the Ninth king of Caftile, and was niece to King John by his fifter Elianor. STEEVENS. 6 If zealous love, &c.] Zealous feems here to fignify pious, or influenced by motives of religion. JOHNSON. Whofe veins bound richer blood than lady Blanch? And two fuch fhores to two fuch streams made one, Two fuch controlling bounds fhall you be, kings, Lions more confident, mountains and rocks As we to keep this city. "If not complete, Ofay,] The old copy reads-If not complete of, Corrected by Sir T. Hanmer. MALONE. Jay, &c. 8 -Such a fhe;] The old copy-as fhe. STEEVENS. Dr. Thirlby prefcribed that reading, which I have here restored to the text. 9 THEOBALD. at this match, With favifter fpleen, &c.] Our author ufes Spleen for any violent hurry, or tumultuous fpeed. So, in A Midsummer Night's Dream, he applies Spleen to the lightning. I am loath to think that Shakspeare meant to play with the double of match for nuptial, and the match of a gun. JOHNSON. BAST. Here's a stay, That shakes the rotten carcafe of old death 2 Here's a stay, That Shakes the rotten carcafe of old death Out of his rags!] I cannot but think that every reader wishes for fome other word in the place of ftay, which though it may fignify an hindrance, or man that hinders, is yet very improper to introduce the next line. I read: Here's a flaw, That Shakes the rotten carcafe of old death. That is, here is a guft of bravery, a blaft of menace. This fuits well with the fpirit of the fpeech. Stay and flaw, in a careless hand are not eafily diftinguifhed; and if the writing was obscure, flaw being a word lefs ufual, was eafily miffed. JOHNSON. Shakspeare feems to have taken the hint of this fpeech from the following in The Famous Hiftory of Tho. Stukely, 1605, bl. 1: Why here's a gallant, here's a king indeed!" "He fpeaks all Mars:---tut, let me follow fuch Ev'ry look he cafts, flafheth like lightning; "There's mettle in this boy. "He brings a breath that fets our fails on fire: Why now I fee we shall have cuffs indeed." Perhaps the force of the word stay, is not exactly known. I meet with it in Damon and Pythias, 1582: "Not to prolong my life thereby, for which I reckon not this, "But to fet my things in a ftay." Perhaps by a stay, the Baftard means "a fteady, refolute fellow, who fhakes," &c. So, in Fenton's Tragical Difcourfes, bl. 1. 4to. 1567: more apt to follow th' inclination of vaine and lafcivious defyer, than difpofed to make a ftaye of herselfe in the trade of honeft vertue.' A ftay, however, feems to have been meant for fomething active, in the following passage in the 6th canto of Drayton's Baron's Wars: "Oh could ambition apprehend a ftay, "The giddy courfe it wandereth in, to guide." Again, in Spenfer's Faery Queen, B. II. c. x : "Till riper yeares he raught, and stronger stay." Shak fpeare therefore, who ufes wrongs for wrongers, &c. &c. might have used a stay for a ftayer. Churchyard, in his Siege of Leeth, 1575, having occafion to fpeak of a trumpet that founded to proclaim a truce, fays This ftaye of warre made many men to mufe." |