That, like a lion fofter'd up at hand, It may lie gently at the foot of peace, Lewis. Your grace fhall pardon me, I will not back: I am too high-born to be property'd, To be a fecondary at controul, Or useful ferving-man, and inftrument, To any fovereign ftate throughout the world. To underprop this action? Is't not I Sweat in this bufinefs, and maintain this war? Pand. You look but on the outside of this work. 3 — as I have bank'd their towns ?] Bank'd their towns means, thrown up fortifications, or rather entrenchments, before their towns. STEEVENS. Lewis. Outfide or infide, I will not return [Trumpet founds. What lufty trumpet thus doth fummon us? Enter Faulconbridge. Fanke. According to the fair play of the world, Pand. The dauphin is too wilful-oppofite, 4 This unheard facinefs, and boyish troops,] Thus the printed copies in general; but unheard is an epithet of very little force or meaning here; befides, let us obferve how it is coupled. Faulconbridge is fneering at the dauphin's invafion, as an unadvised enterprize, favouring of youth and indifcretion; the refult of childifhnefs, and unthinking rafhnefs: and he feems altogether to dwell on this character of it, by calling his preparation boyish troops, dwarfish war, pigmy arms, &c. which, according to my emendation, fort very well with unbair'd, i. e. unbearded fawcinefs. THEOBALD. From out the circle of his territories. That hand which had the strength even at your door, Of your dear mother England, blush for shame: For your own ladies, and pale-vifag'd maids, Like Amazons, come tripping after drums; Their thimbles into armed gauntlets change, Their needles to lances, and their gentle hearts To fierce and bloody inclination. Lewis. There end thy brave, and turn thy face in peace; We grant, thou canft out-fcold us: fare thee well; We hold our time too precious to be spent With fuch a brabler. Pand. Give me leave to speak. Faulc. No, I will speak. Lewis. We will attend to neither. Strike up the drums; and let the tongue of war Plead for our intereft, and our being here. 5 Faule. Indeed, your drums, being beaten, will cry out; take the hatch;] To take the hatch, is to leap the batch. To take a hedge or a ditch is the hunter's phrase. STEEVENS. And And fo fhall you, being beaten : do but start And mock the deep-mouth'd thunder:-for at hand doubt. Changes to a field of battle. Alarms. Enter king John and Hubert. K. John. How goes the day with us? oh, tell me, Hubert. Hub. Badly, I fear how fares your majefty? K. John. This fever, that hath troubled me fo long, Lies heavy on me. Oh, my heart is fick! Enter a messenger. Mef. My lord, your valiant kinfman, Faulconbridge, Defires your majefty to leave the field, And fend him word by me which way you go. K. John. Tell him, toward Swinstead, to the abbey there. Mef. Be of good comfort; for the great supply, That was expected by the dauphin here, Are wreck'd three nights ago on Goodwin fands. This news was brought to Richard but even now. The French fight coldly, and retire themselves. G3 K. John. K. John. Ah me! this tyrant fever burns me up, And will not let me welcome this good news. Set on toward Swinstead: to my litter strait; Weakness poffeffeth me, and I am faint, SCENE IV. Changes to the French camp. Enter Salifoury, Pembroke, and Bigot. [Exeunt. Sal. I did not think the king fo ftor'd with friends, Pemb. Up once again; put fpirit in the French: If they mifcarry, we miscarry too. Sal. That mii-begotten devil, Faulconbridge, In fpight of spight, alone upholds the day. Pemb. They fay, king John, fore fick, hath left the field. Enter Melun wounded, and led by foldiers. Melun. Lead me to the revolts of England here. Sal. When we were happy we had other names. Pemb. It is the count Melun. Sal. Wounded to death. Mel. Fly, noble English, you are bought and fold; 2 Unthread the rude eye of rebellion, And welcome home again difcarded faith. 2 Unthread the rude eye of rebellion,] Though all the copies concur in this reading, how poor is the metaphor of unthreading the eye of a needle? And befides, as there is no mention made of a needle, how remote and obfcure is the allufion without it? The text, as I have reftored it, is easy and natural; and it is the mode of expreffion, which our author is every where fond of, to tread and untread, the way, path, feps, &c. THEOBALD. The metaphor is certainly harfh, but I do not think the paffage corrupted. JOHNSON. Shakespeare elfewhere ufes the fame expreffion, threading dark cy'd night. STEEVENS, He |