That no fupporter but the huge firm earth 6-here I and forrow fit;] The old copy has-forrows. STEEVENS. A flight corruption has here deftroyed a beautiful image. There is no poetical reader that will not join with me in reading"here I and Sorrow fit." M. MASON. Perhaps we fhould read-Here I and forrow fit. Our author might have intended to perfonify forrow, as Marlowe had done before him, in his King Edward II: "While I am lodg'd within this cave of care, "Where Sorrow at my elbow still attends." The tranfcriber's ear might eafily have deceived him, the two readings, when spoken, founding exactly alike. So, we find in the quarto copy of K. Henry IV. P. I: "The mailed Mars fhall on his altars fit,—” instead of-fhall on his altar fit. Again, in the quarto copy of the fame play we have-monftrous fcantle, instead of-monftrous cantle. In this conjecture I had once great confidence; but, a preceding line "I will inftruct my forrows to be proud," now appears to me to render it somewhat difputable. Perhaps our author here remembered the defcription of Elizabeth, the widow of King Edward IV. given in an old book, that, I believe, he had read: "The Queen fat alone below on the rushes, al defolate and dismaide; whom the Archbishop comforted in the best manner that he coulde." Continuation of Harding's Chronicle, 1543. So alfo, in a book already quoted, that Shakspeare appears to have read, A compendious and most marvelous hiftory of the latter times of the fewes Commonweale: "All those things when I Jofeph heard tydings of, I tare my head with my hand, and caft afhes upon my beard, fitting in great forrow upon the ground." MALONE. 7 bid kings come bow to it.] I muft here account for the liberty I have taken to make a change in the divifion of the second and third acts. In the old editions, the fecond act was made to end here; though it is evident Lady Conftance here, in her defpair, feats herself on the floor: and the muft be fuppofed, as I formerly obferved, immediately to rife again, only to go off and end the act decently; or the flat fcene muft fhut her in from the fight of the audience, an abfurdity I cannot wish to accufe Shakspeare of. Mr. Gildon and fome other criticks fancied, that a confiderable part of the fecond act was loft; and that the chafm began here. I had joined Enter King JoHN, King PHILIP, LEWIS, BLANCH, ELINOR, Baftard, AUSTRIA, and Attendants. K. PHI. 'Tis true, fair daughter; and this bleffed day, Ever in France shall be kept festival : in this suspicion of a scene or two being loft; and unwittingly drew Mr. Pope into this error. "It seems to be fo, (fays he,) and it were to be wifh'd the reftorer (meaning me) could supply it." To deferve this great man's thanks, I will venture at the task; and hope to convince my readers, that nothing is loft; but that I have fupplied the fufpected chafm, only by rectifying the divifion of the acts. Upon looking a little more narrowly into the constitution of the play, I am fatisfied that the third act ought to begin with that fcene which has hitherto been accounted the laft of the fecond act: and my reafons for it are thefe. The match being concluded, in the scene before that, betwixt the Dauphin and Blanch, a messenger is fent for Lady Conftance to King Philip's tent, for her to come to Saint Mary's church to the folemnity. The princes all go out, as to the marriage; and the Bastard staying a little behind, to defcant on intereft and commodity, very properly ends the act. The next fcene then, in the French king's tent, brings us Salisbury delivering his meffage to Conftance, who, refufing to go to the folemnity, fets herfelf down on the floor. The whole train returning from the church to the French king's pavilion, Philip expreffes fuch fatisfaction on occafion of the happy folemnity of that day, that Conftance rifes from the floor, and joins in the fcene by entering her proteft against their joy, and curfing the bufinefs of the day. Thus, I conceive, the scenes are fairly continued; and there is no chaẩm in the action, but a proper interval made both for Salisbury's coming to Lady Conftance, and for the folemnization of the marriage. Befides, as Faulconbridge is evidently the poet's favourite character, it was very well judged to close the act with his foliloquy. THEOBALD. This whole note feems judicious enough; but Mr. Theobald forgets there were, in Shakspeare's time, no moveable scenes in common playhoufes. JOHNSON. It appears from many paffages that the ancient theatres had the advantages of machinery as well as the more modern stages. See a note on the fourth fcene of the fifth act of Cymbeline. How happened it that Shakspeare himself should have mentioned the act of shifting scenes, if in his time there were no scenes capable of being shifted? Thus in the chorus to King Henry V : "Unto Southampton do we shift our feene." To folemnize this day, the glorious fun CONST. A wicked day,' and not a holyday!———— [Rifing. This phrafe was hardly more ancient than the custom which it defcribes. STEEVENS. 8 To folemnize this day, &c.] From this paffage Rowe seems to have borrowed the first lines of his Fair Penitent. JOHNSON. The first lines of Rowe's tragedy— "Let this aufpicious day be ever facred," &c. are apparently taken from Dryden's Verfion of the fecond Satire of Perfius: "Let this aufpicious morning be expreft," &c. STEEVENS. 9 — and plays the alchemist;] Milton has borrowed this thought: 66 -when with one virtuous touch "Th' arch-chemic fun," &c. Paradife Loft, B. III. STEEVENS. So, in our author's 33d Sonnet: "Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchymy." MALONE. 2 Shall never fee it but a holyday.] So, in The Famous Hiftorie of George Lord Fauconbridge, 1616: "This joyful day of their arrival [that of Richard I. and his mistress, Clarabel,] was by the king and his counfell canonized for a holy-day." MALONE. 3 A wicked day, &c.] There is a paffage in The Honeft Whore, by Decker, 1604, fo much refembling the prefent, that I cannot forbear quoting it: Curft be that day for ever, that robb'd her "Of breath, and me of blifs! henceforth let it ftand "On Monday let them be delivered," &c. HENDERSON. What hath this day deferv'd? what hath it done; -high tides,] i. e. folemn seasons, times to be observed above others. STEEVENS. 5 Nay, rather, turn this day out of the week;] In allufion (as Mr. Upton has obferved) to Job iii. 3: "Let the day perish," &c. and v. 6: "Let it not be joined to the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months." MALONE. In The Fair Penitent, the imprecation of Califta on the night which betrayed her to Lothario, is chiefly borrowed from this and fubfequent verfes in the fame chapter of job. STEEVENS. 6 - prodigiously be cross'd:] i. e. be disappointed by the production of a prodigy, a monfter. So, in A Midsummer Night's Dream: "Nor mark prodigious, fuch as are Defpifed in nativity." STEEVENS. "But on this day, &c.] That is, except on this day. JOHNSON. In the ancient almanacks (feveral of which I have in my poffeffion) the days fuppofed to be favourable or unfavourable to bargains, are diftinguished among a number of other particulars of the like importance. This circumftance is alluded to in Webster's Duchefs of Malfy, 1623: By the almanac, I think "To choose good days and fhun the critical." Again, in The Elder Brother of Beaumont and Fletcher : 66 —an almanac "Which thou art daily poring in, to pick out 66 Days of iniquity to cozen fools in." STEEVENS. See Macbeth, A&t IV. fc. i. MALONE. K. PHI. By heaven, lady, you fhall have no cause To curfe the fair proceedings of this day: Have I not pawn'd to you my majesty? CONST. You have beguil'd me with a counterfeit, Refembling majefty; which, being touch'd, and tried,9 Proves valueless: You are forfworn, forfworn; You came in arms to fpill mine enemies' blood, But now in arms you ftrengthen it with yours:* The grappling vigour and rough frown of war, Is cold in amity and painted peace, And our oppreffion hath made up this league:Arm, arm, you heavens, against these perjur'd kings! A widow cries; be husband to me, heavens! AUST. Lady Constance, peace. You have beguil'd me with a counterfeit, Refembling majefty;] i. e. a falfe coin. A counterfeit formerly fignified alfo a portrait. A reprefentation of the king being usually impreffed on his coin, the word seems to be here used equivocally. MALONE. 9 Refembling majefty; which, being touch'd, and tried,] Being touch'd-fignifies, having the touchstone applied to it. The two laft words and tried, which create a redundancy of measure, fhould, as Mr. Ritfon obferves, be omitted. STEEVENS. 2 You came in arms to spill mine enemies' blood, But now in arms you ftrengthen it with yours:] I am afraid here is a clinch intended. You came in war to deftroy my enemies, but now you ftrengthen them in embraces. JOHNSON. 3 Wear out the day-] Old copy-days. Corrected by Mr. Theobald. MALONE. Set armed difcord, &c.] Shakspeare makes this bitter curfe effectual. JOHNSON. |
