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P. 13, 1, 11. 12. Against whose fury and unmatched force

The awless lion could not wage the fight,] Shakspeare here alludes to the old metrical romance of Richard Coeur-de-lion, wherein this once celebrated monarch is related to have acquired his distinguishing appellation, by having plucked out a lion's heart to whose fury he was exposed by the Duke of Austria, for having slain his son with a blow of his fist. From this ancient romance the story has crept into some of our old chronicles: but the original passage may be seen at large in the introduction to the third volume of Reliques of ancient English Poetry. PERCY.

P. 14, I. 2. Richard, that robb'd the lion of his heart,] So, Rastal, in his Chronicle; "It is sayd that a lyon was put to kynge Richard, beynge in prison, to have devoured him, and when the lyon was gapynge he put his arme in his mouth, and pulled the lyon by the harte so hard that he slewe the lyon, and therefore some say he is called Richarde Cure de Lyon; but some say he is called Cure de Lyon, because of his boldness and hardy stomake." GREY.

I have an old black-lettered history of lord Faulconbridge, whence Shakspeare might pick up this circumstance. FARMER.

In Heywood's Downfall of Robert Earl of Huntingdon, 1601, there is a long description of this fabulous atchievement.

The same story is told by Knighton, inter Decem Scriptores, and by Fabian, who calls it a fable. It probably took its rise from Hugh de Nevill, one of Richard's followers, having killed

a lion, when they were in the Holy Land: a circumstance recorded by Matthew Paris. MALONE.

Hugh de Nevill as a reward for his bravery, obtained from King Richard I. the manors of Medburn and Blaston in Leicestershire; which are to this day enjoyed by his family. NICHOLS.

P. 14, 1. 4. By this brave Duke came early to his grave:] The old play led Shakspeare into this error of ascribing to the Duke of Austria the death of Richard, who lost his life at the siege of Chaluz, long after he had been ransomed out of Austria's power.

STEEVENS.

The producing Austria on the scene is also contrary to the truth of history, into which anachronism our author was led by the old play. Leopold Duke of Austria, by whom Richard I. had been thrown in prison in 1193, died in consequence of a fall from his horse in 1195, some years before the commencement of the present play.

The original cause of the enmity between Richard the First, and the Duke of Austria, was, according to Fabian, that Richard "tooke from a knighte of the Duke of Ostriche the said Duke's banner, and in despite of the said Duke, trade it under foote, and did unto it all the spite he might." Harding says, in his Chronicle, that the canse of quarrel was Richard's taking down the Duke of Austria's arms and banner, which he had set up above those of the King of France and the King of Jerusalem. The affront was given, when they lay before Acre in Palestine. This circumstance is alluded to in the old King John, where the Bastard, after killing Austria, says,

"And as my father triumph'd in thy spoils, And trod thine ensigns underneath his feet," &c.

Other historians say, that the Duke suspected Richard to have been concerned in the assassination of his kinsman, the Marquis of Montferrat, who was stabbed in Tyre, soon after he had heen elected King of Jerusalem; but this was a calumny, propagated by Richard's enemies for political purposes. MALONE.

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P. 14, 1. 6. At our importance i. e. At our importunity. JOHNSON. P. 14, 1. 25. that white fac'd shore,] England is supposed to be called Albion from the withe rocks facing France. JOHNSON.

P. 15, 1. 5. To make a more requital to your love.] I believe it has been already observed, that more signified in our author's time, greater. STEEVENS.

P. 15, 1. 13. To cull the plots of best advantages:] i. e, to mark such stations as might most over-awe the town. HENLEY.

P. 15, 1. 25. A wonder, Lady! &c.] The wonder is only that Chatillon happened to arrive at the moment when Constance mentioned him; which the French King, according to a supperstition which prevails more or less in every mind agitated by great affairs, turns into a miraculous interposition, or omen of good. JOHNSON.

P. 16, 1. 4. His marches are expedient i. e. immediate, expeditious. JOHNSON.

P. 16. 1. 7. Até was the Goddess of Revenge. The play-editors read-an Ace.

This image might have been borrowed from the celebrated libel, called Leicester's Commonwealth, originally published about the year 1584: "She standeth like a tend or fury, at the elVOL. VIII 15

bow of her Amadis, to stirre him forward when occasion shall serve." STEEVENS.

P. 16, 1. 17. Waft for wafted.

So again in this play:

"The iron of itself, though heat red-hot-." i. e. heated. STEEVENS.

P. 16, 1. 19.

scath] Destruction, harm.

P. 17, 1. 14. — underwrought worked, undermined, STEEVENS.

JOHNSON.

i. e. under

P. 17, l. 23. A brief is a short writing, abstract, or description. STEEvens.

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P. 17, 1. 26. And this is Geffrey's :) I have no doubt but we should read "and his is Geffrey's." The meaning is, "England was Geffrey's right, and whatever was Geffrey's, is now his," pointing to Arthur. M. MASON.

P. 17, last 1.

into the blots and stains of right.] Mr. Theobald reads, with the first folio, blats, which being so early authorized, and so much better understood, needed not to have been changed by Dr. Warburton to bolts, though bolts might be used in that time for spots: so Shakspeare calls Banquo "spotted with blood, the blood-bolter'd Banquo." The verb to blot is used figuratively for to disgrace, a few lines lower. And perhaps, after all, bolts was only a typographical mistake. JOHNSON.

Blots is certainly right. The illegitimate branch of a family always carried the arms of it with what in ancient heraldry was called a blot or difference. STEEVENS.

Blot had certainly the heraldical sense mentioned by Mr. Steevens. But it here, I think, means only blemishes. So again, in Act III.

MALONE.

P. 18, 1. 10. That thou may'st be a Queen, and check the world!]

"Surely (says Holinshed) Queen Eleanor, the Kyngs mother, was sore against her nephew Arthur, rather moved thereto by envye conceyved against his mother, than upon any just occasion, given in the behalfe of the childe; for that she saw, if he were King, how his mother Constance woulde looke to beare the most rule within the realme of Englande, till her sonne should come to a lawful age to govern of himselfe. So hard a thing it is, to bring women to agree in one minde, their natures commonly being to contrary." MALONE.

P. 18, l. 19. an if thou wert his mother.] Constance alludes to Elinor's infidelity to her husband Lewis the Seventh, when they were in the Holy Land; on account of which he was divor→ ced from her. She afterwards (1151) married our King Henry II. MALONE.

P. 18, 1. 25. Hear the crier.] Alluding to the usual proclamation for silence, made by criers in courts of justice, beginning Oyez, corruptly pronounced O-Yes. Austria has just said Peace! MALONE.

P. 18, 1. 26. and fol. The ground of the quarrel of the Bastard to Austria is no where specified in the present play. But the story is, that Austria, who killed King Richard Coeur-de-lion, wore as the spoil of that Prince, a lion's hide, which had belonged to him. This circumstance renders the anger of the Bastard very natural, and ought not to have been omitted. POPE.

The omission of this incident was natural. Shakspeare having familiarized the story to his own imagination, forgot that it was obscure to

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