Set armed, difcord 'twixt these perjur'd Kings. Auft. Lady Conftance, peace. Conft. War, war, no peace; peace is to me a war: O Lymoges, O Auftria! thou doft shame That bloody Spoil: thou flave,thou wretch, thou coward, Thou ever ftrong upon the ftronger fide; Should (14) Aut. Methinks, that Richard's Pride and Richard's Fall] Thefe 12 fubfequent Lines Mr. Pope first inferted from the Old Sketch of this Play, call'd, The troublefom Reign of K. John, in 2 Parts. As the Verses are not bad, I have not cafheer'd them; tho' I do not conceive them fo abfolutely effential to clearing up any Circumftance of the Action, as Mr. Pope feems to imagine. What was the Ground of this Quarrel of the Baftard to Auftria (lays that Gentleman,) is no where specified in the prefent Play; nor is there in this Place, or the Scene where it is firft hinted at, (namely, the 2d of Act 2) the least Mention of any Reafon for it. This is the Editor's Affertion; but let us examine, how well it is grounded. In the very Beginning of the 2d Act, the Dauphin, speaking of Auftria to young Arthur, fays; Richard, that robb'd the Lyon of his heart, Το Should be a precedent to fright you, Sir. Faulc. What words are these? how do my finews shake! My Father's foe clad in my father's Spoil! How doth Alecto whisper in my ears, "Delay not, Richard, kill the villain ftrait; "Difrobe him of the matchless monument, To which Arthur replies; God fhall forgive you Coeur-de-lion's Death, The rather, that you give his Offspring Life; Is not this a fufficient Ground for Faulconbridge's Quarrel to Auftria? It may be objected, Faulconbridge is not prefent to hear this. But, what if he be not? So the Audience be inform'd duely of the Circumftance, the Fact was too notorious to fuppofe Faulconbridge did not know of it. The Ground of his Quarrel, therefore, is fairly implied in that Knowledge: And the Poet's Art, perhaps, better fhewn, (if we were to contend that Point,) to let the Information come from any other Mouth than That of Faulconbridge. But then to a fecond material Point. The Story is, (fubjoins the Editor,) that Auftria, who kill'd K. Richard Coeur-de-lion, wore, as the Spoil of that Prince, a Lion's Hide which had belong'd to him: This Circumftance renders the Anger of the Baftard very natural: and ought not to have been omitted. But is it omitted? Or, elfe, 'tis but begging the Queftion. In the 3d Act, when Lady Conftance perceives that Auftria has abandon'd her Intereft, She fays to him; O Lymoges! O Auftria! thou doft fhame That bloody Spoil. Thou wear a Lion's hide! doff it, for shame; And hang a Calf's Skin on thofe recreant Limbs. Now Faulconbridge is prefent here, and fees Auftria thus habited. But before, in the 2d Act, where Faulconbridge begins to quarrel with Auftria, let us attend to their Dialogue. Auft. What the Devil art Thou? Faulc. One, that will play the Devil, Sir, with you, You are the Hare, of whom the Proverb goes, I'll fmoak your Skin-Coat, an' I catch you right; But may it not here again be objected, that though Faulconbridge faw Auftria clad in a Lion's Hide; yet he might not know it to be the very Hide, which was worn by K. Richard his Father? But to put that Point out of all Doubt, let us only hear what Lady Blanch immediately replies; O, well did He become that Lion's Hide, I fubmit it therefore, whether thefe Lines have not been inferted, ra- "Thy father's triumph o'er the favages. K. Jobn. We like not this, thou doft forget thy felf, K. Philip. Here comes the holy Legate of the Pope. I Pandulph, of fair Milain Cardinal, And from Pope Innocent the Legate here, Do in his name religioufly demand Why thou against the Church, our holy Mother, K. John. What earthly name to Interrogatories To charge me to an Anfwer, as the Pope. Tell him this Tale, and from the mouth of England K. Philip. Brother of England, you blafpheme in this, K. John. Tho' you, and all the Kings of Chriftendom Are led fo grofly by this medling Prieft, Dreading the Curfe, that mony may buy out; Purchase corrupted Pardon of a man, Who Who in that fale fells Pardon from himself: Against the Pope, and count his friends my foes. Conft. O, lawful let it be, (15) That I have room with Rome to curfe a while. To my keen Curfes; for without my Wrong Law cannot give my Child his Kingdom here; Eli. Look'ft thou pale, France? do not let go thy (15) O, lawful let it be, That I have leave with Rome to curfe a while;] Mr. Pope, in the Nicety of his Ear, has, against the Authority of all the Copies, difplaced a Jingle here; (which I have made bold to reftore to the Text,) tho' it is obvious to every knowing Reader, how customary it is with our Poet, in a thousand Inftances, to play on Words fimilar in Sound, and differing in Signification. He repeats the very fame Conundrum on the two Words now before Us, in Julius Cæfar. Now is it Rome, indeed; and room enough, Conft. Conft. Look to that, Devil! left that France repent, And, by disjoining hands, hell lofe a foul. Auft. King Philip, liften to the Cardinal. Faulc. And hang a calve's-skin on his recreant limbs. Auft. Well, ruffian, I must pocket up these wrongs, Becaufe Faulc. Your breeches beft may carry them. K. John. Philip, what fay'ft thou to the Cardinal? Or the light lofs of England for a friend; Blanch. That's the Curse of Rome. Conft. Lewis, ftand fast; the Devil tempts thee here (16) In likeness of a new and trimmed bride. Blanch. The lady Conftance speaks not from her faith: But from her Need. Conft. Oh, if thou grant my Need, Which only lives but by the death of Faith, K. John. The King is mov'd, and answers not to This. the Devil tempts thee here A (16) In Likeness of a new untrimmed Bride.] Tho' all the Copies concur in this Reading, yet as untrimmed cannot bear any Signification to fquare with the Senfe required, I cannot help thinking it a corrupted Reading. It might, indeed, admit of this Explanation, undress'd, ready to go to Bed: but then That is giving in to an Allufion too grofs for Lady Conftance. I have ventur'd to throw out the Negative, and read; In Likeness of a new and trimmed Bride. i. e. of a new Bride; and One, deck'd and adorn'd as well by Art as Nature. Or we might read; but it departs a little wider from the Traces of the Text as we find it; In Likeness of a new betrimmed Bride. But the firft Conjecture anfwers the Senfe and Purpose of the Speaker; and requires but a very flight Variation. Faulc. |