Chapter LXX: Act IV: SCENE 2. Page 128

PEMB. If what in _rest_ you have, in right you hold.

Mr. Steevens would read _wrest_, which he explains to be _violence_. But surely "the murmuring lips of discontent" would not insinuate that John was an usurper; because the subsequent words, "in right you hold," would then be contradictory. One could not say, "if, being an usurper, you reign by right." The construction may therefore be more simple: "If the power you now possess in _quiet_ be held by right, why should your fears," &c. The explanation given by Mr. Malone might have sufficed.

SCENE 2. Page 137.

K. JOHN. It is the curse of kings to be attended
By slaves that take their humours for a warrant
To break within the bloody house of life.

Mr. Malone ingeniously conceives this to be a covert apology for Elizabeth's conduct to the queen of Scots; yet it may be doubted whether any such apology would be thought necessary during the life of Elizabeth. May it not rather allude to the death of the earl of Essex? If this conjecture be well founded, it will serve to ascertain the date of the composition of the play, and to show that Meres had mistaken the older piece for Shakspeare's.

SCENE 2. Page 139.

K. JOHN. Or turn'd an eye of doubt upon my face,
_As_ bid me tell my tale in express words.

_And_, and _or_, have been proposed instead of _as_, but without necessity. The words are elliptical in Shakspeare's manner, and only mean, "or turn'd _such_ an eye of doubt _as_ bid me," &c.

SCENE 3. Page 142.

SAL. Two long days journey lords, _or e'er_ we meet.

Dr. Percy has judiciously remarked that _ever_ or _e'er_ in this phrase is a useless augmentative, _or_ being of itself equivalent to _before_. The corruption is not much older than Shakspeare's time. In some of the editions of Cranmer's Bible, _Ecclesiastes_ xii. 6 is rendered, "_Or ever_ the silver lace be taken away, and _or ever_ the golden well be broken." In others the second _ever_ is omitted. Wicliffe's translation, an invaluable monument of our language, has it, "_er_ be to broke the silveren corde," &c. This is pure Saxon æꞃ or eꞃ; and so is our modern _ere_, often erroneously spelled _e'er_, as a supposed contraction of _ever_. Yet in Chaucer's time it had become _or_;

"For, par amour, I loved hir first _or_ thou."

Knight's tale, v. 1155.

though some copies, both manuscript and printed, read _er_ in this place as well as in others. Mr. Steevens seems properly to object to the orthography of _ore_.

ACT V.

SCENE 1. Page 155.

BAST. Away then, with good courage; yet I know,
Our party may well meet a _prouder_ foe.

Mr. Steevens has noticed Dr. Johnson's misconception of this passage; yet it may be doubted whether he has sufficiently simplified the meaning, which is, "yet I know that our party is fully competent to engage a more _valiant_ foe." _Prouder_ has in this place the signification of the old French word _preux_.

KING RICHARD II.