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Whatever torment you do put me to.

Hub. Go, ftand within; let me alone with him.
Exec. I am beft pleas'd to be from such a deed.

[Exeunt. Arth. Alas, I then have chid away my friend; He hath a stern look, but a gentle heart; Let him come back, that his compaffion may Give life to yours.

Hub. Come, boy, prepare yourself.

Arth. Is there no remedy?

Hub. None, but to lose your eyes.

Arth. O heav'n! that there were but a moth in yours, A grain, a dust, a gnat, a wandring hair,

Any annoyance in that precious sense;

Then, feeling what fmall things are boift'rous there, Your vile intent must needs feem horrible.

Hub. Is this your promife? go to, hold your

tongue.

Arth. Hubert, the utterance of a brace of tongues Muft needs want pleading for a pair of eyes: Let me not hold my tongue : let me not, Hubert; 7 Or, Hubert, if you will, cut out my tongue, So I may keep mine eyes. O fpare mine eyes! Though to no use, but still to look on you. Lo, by my troth, the inftrument is cold, And would not harm me.

Hub. I can heat it, boy.

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Arth. No, in good footh, the fire is dead with grief, Being create for comfort, to be us'd

In undeferv'd'extreams; fee else yourself,
There is no malice in this burning coal;

The breath of heav'n hath blown its spirit out,

7 This is according to nature. We imagine no evil fo great as that which is near us.

* No, in good footh, &c.] The fenfe is: The fire, being created

not to hurt but to comfort, is dead with grief for finding itself used in acts of cruelty, which, being innocent, I have not deferved.

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And

And ftrew'd repentant ashes on its head.

Hub. But with my breath I can revive it, boy.
Arth. And if you do, you will but make it blush,
And glow with fhame of your proceedings, Hubert:
Nay, it, perchance, will fparkle in your eyes:
And like a dog, that is compell'd to fight,
Snatch at his mafter that doth tarre him on.
All things, that you should use to do me wrong,
Deny their office; only you do lack

That mercy which fierce fire and iron extend,
Creatures of note for mercy-lacking uses.

Hub. Well, fee to live; I will not touch thine eye, For all the treasure that thine uncle owns :

Yet am I fworn; and I did purpose, boy,

With this fame very iron to burn them out.

Arth. O, now you look like Hubert. All this while You were disguised.

Hub. Peace: no more.

Adieu,

Your uncle must not know but you are dead.
I'll fill thefe dogged fpies with falfe reports:
And, pretty child, fleep doubtlefs, and fecure,
That Hubert, for the wealth of all the world,
Will not offend thee.

Arth. O heav'n! I thank you, Hubert.

Hub. Silence, no more; go closely in with me. Much danger do I undergo for thee.

SCENE II.

Changes to the Court of England.

[Exeunt.

Enter King John, Pembroke, Salisbury, and other

K. John. H

Lords.

ERE once again we fit, once again

crown'd,

And look'd upon, I hope, with chearful eyes.

Pemb.

Pemb. This once again, but that your highness

pleas'd,

Was once fuperfluous; you were crown'd before,
And that high royalty was ne'er pluck'd off:
The faiths of men ne'er stained with revolt:
Fresh expectation troubled not the land
With any long'd-for change, or better state.
Sal. Therefore to be poffefs'd with double pomp,
To guard a title that was rich before;
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
To throw a perfume on the violet,
To smooth the ice, or add another hue
Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light

To feek the beauteous eye of heav'n to garnish,
Is wafteful and ridiculous excefs.

Pemb. But that your royal pleasure must be done,
This act is as an ancient tale new told,
And in the last repeating troublesome;

Being urged at a time unfeasonable.

Sal. In this the antique and well-noted face
Of plain old form is much disfigured;
And, like a fhifted wind unto a fail,

It makes the course of thoughts to fetch about;
Startles and frights confideration;

Makes found opinion fick, and truth fufpected,

For putting on fo new a fashion'd robe.

Pemb. When workmen ftrive to do better than well,

"They do confound their skill in covetousness;

And oftentimes excufing of a fault

Doth make the fault the worse by the excuse:

9 This once again- was once fuperfluous.] This one time more was one time more than enough.

To guard a title that was
rich before.] To guard, is

to fringe.

2

They do corfound their Skill in
Covetoufnefs.] i. e. Not

by their Avarice, but in an eager
Emulation, an intense Defire of
excelling; as in Henry V.
But if it be a Sin to covet Ho-

nour,

I am the m'ft offending Soul alive. THEOBALD.

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As patches, fet upon a little breach,
Difcredit more 3 in hiding of the fault,

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Than did the fault before it was fo patch'd.

Sal. To this effect, before you were new-crown'd, We breath'd our counfel; but it pleas'd your highness To over-bear it; and we're all well pleas'd;

Since all and every part of what we would,
Muft make a ftand at what your highness will.

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K. John. Some reafons of this double coronation I have poffeft you with, and think them ftrong. And more, more strong.(the leffer is my fear) I fhall endue you with: mean time, but ask What you would have reform'd, that is not well, And well shall you perceive how willingly I will both hear and grant you your requests. Pemb. Then I, as one that am the tongue of thefe, To found the purposes of all their hearts, Both for myself and them, but chief of all, Your fafety, for the which, myself and they Bend their best ftudies, heartily request Th' infranchifement of Arthur; whofe reftraint Doth move the murm'ring lips of discontent To break into this dang'rous argument; If what in reft you have, in right you hold, Why fhou'd your fears, (which, as they fay, attend The fteps of wrong) then move you to mew up Your tender kinfman, and to choke his days With barb'rous ignorance, and deny his youth The rich advantage of good exercife?

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That the time's enemies may not have this
To grace occafions, let it be our fuit,
That you have bid us afk, his liberty;
Which for our good we do no further afk,
Than whereupon our weal, on you depending,
Counts it your weal, that he have liberty.
K. John. Let it be fo; I do commit his youth

Enter Hubert.

To your direction. Hubert, what news with you? Pemb. This is the man, fhould do the bloody deed: He fhew'd his warrant to a friend of mine.

The image of a wicked heinous fault

Lives in his eye; that close aspect of his
Does fhew the mood of a much-troubled breast.
And I do fearfully believe 'tis done,

What we fo fear'd he had a charge to do.

Sal. The colour of the King doth come and go,

Between his purpose and his confcience,

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Like heralds 'twixt two dreadful battles fet: 7
His paffion is fo ripe, it needs must break.

Pemb. And when it breaks, I fear, will iffue thence The foul corruption of a fweet child's death.

K. John. We cannot hold mortality's ftrong hand. Good Lords, although my will to give is living, The fuit which you demand is gone, and dead.

THEOBALD.

6 Between his purpose and his I have therefore ventur'd to read, confcience,] Between his fent. conferoun fs of guilt, and his defign to conceal it by fair profeflions.

7 Like Heralds, 'twixt two deadful Battles fet ;] But Heralds are not planted, I prefume, in the midft betwixt two Lines of Battle; tho' they, and Trumpets, are often fent over from Party to Party, to propofe Terms, demand a Paley, &c.

This Dr. Warburton has followed without much advantage; fet is not fixed, but only placed heralds must be fet between battles in order to be sent between them.

8 And when it breaks,This is but an indelicate metaphor, taken from an impoftumated tumour.

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