To nature none more bound; his training such, That he may furnish and instruct great teachers, And never feek for aid out of himself.1 Yet fee, When these so noble benefits shall prove WOL. Stand forth; and with bold spirit relate what you, Most like a careful subject, have collected K. HEN. Speak freely. SURV. First, it was usual with him, every day It would infect his speech, That if the king 7 And never feek for aid out of himself.] Beyond the treasures of his own mind. JOHNSON. Read: $ And ne'er feek aid out of himself. Yet fee, . RITSON. noble benefits Not well dispos'd, Great gifts of nature and education, not joined with good dispositions, JOHNSON. As if besmear'd in hell.] So, in Othello : "Her name, that was as fresh "As Dian's visage, is now begrim'd and black "As mine own face." STEEVENS. Should without issue die, he'd carry it2 fo WOL. Please your highness, note This dangerous conception in this point. Not friended by his with, to your high perfon His will is most malignant; and it stretches Beyond you, to your friends. 2. KATH. Deliver all with charity. K. HEN. My learn'd lord cardinal, Speak on: How grounded he his title to the crown, Upon our fail? to this point haft thou heard him At any time speak aught? SURV. He was brought to this By a vain prophecy of Nicholas Hopkins.+ Rowe. he'd carry it-] Old copy-he'l. Corrected by Mr. MALONE. 3 This dangerous conception in this point. Note this particular part of this dangerous design. JOHNSON. 4 By a vain prophecy of Nicholas Hopkins.) In former editions : By a vain prophecy of Nicholas Henton. We heard before, from Brandon, of one Nicholas Hopkins; and now his name is changed into Henton; fo that Brandon and the furveyor feem to be in two stories. There is, however, but one and the fame person meant, Hopkins; as I have restored it in the text, for perfpicuity's fake: yet it will not be any difficulty to account for the other name, when we come to confider, that he was a monk of the convent, called Henton, near Bristol. So both Hall and Holinshed acquaint us. And he might, according to the custom of these times, be called Nicholas of Henton, from the place; as Hopkins from his family. THEOBALD. This mistake, as it was undoubtedly made by Shakspeare, is worth a note. It would be doing too great an honour to the players to suppose them capable of being the authors of it. STEEVENS. K. HEN. What was that Hopkins? SURV. Sir, a Chartreux friar, His confeffor; who fed him every minute With words of fovereignty. K. HEN. How know'st thou this? SURV. Not long before your highness sped to France, The duke being at the Rose, within the parish He folemnly had fworn, that, what he spoke, Shakspeare was perhaps led into the mistake by inadvertently referring the words, "called Henton," in the passage already quoted from Holinshed, (p. 25, n. 2.) not to the monaftery, but to the monk. MALONE. 5 The duke being at the Rofe, &c.] This house was purchased about the year 1561, by Richard Hill, sometime master of the Merchant Tailors company, and is now the Merchant Tailors school, in Suffolk-lane. WHALLEY. 6 -under the confeffion's feal-) All the editions down from the beginning have-commiffion's. But what commission's feal? That is a question, I dare say, none of our diligent editors asked themselves. The text must be restored, as I have corrected it; and honeft Holinshed, [p. 863.] from whom our author took the substance of this passage, may be called in as a teftimony." The duke in talk told the monk, that he had done very well to bind his chaplain, John de la Court, under the seal of confeffion, to keep secret fuch matter." THEOBALD. My chaplain to no creature living, but To me, should utter, with demure confidence This pausingly enfu'd, -Neither the king, nor his heirs, (Tell you the duke) shall prosper: bid him strive To gain the love of the commonalty; the duke Shall govern England. 2. KATH. If I know you well, " You were the duke's surveyor, and lost your office On the complaint o' the tenants: Take good heed, You charge not in your spleen a noble person, And fpoil your nobler foul! I say, take heed; - Yes, heartily beseech you. K. HEN. Go forward. Let him on : SURV. On my foul, I'll speak but truth. I told my lord the duke, By the devil's illufions This monk might be deceiv'd; and that 'twas dang'rous for him, To ruminate on this so far, until It forg'd him fome design, which, being believ'd, It was much like to do: He answer'd, Tush! It can do me no damage: adding further, 1 To gain the love-) The old copy reads-To the love. STEEVENS. For the infertion of the word gain, I am answerable. From the corresponding passage in Holinshed, it appears evidently to have been omitted through the carelessness of the compofitor: "The faid monke told to De la Court, neither the king nor his heirs should profper, and that I should endeavour to purchase the good wills of the commonalty of England." Since I wrote the above, I find this correction had been made by the editor of the fourth folio. MALONE. That, had the king in his last sickness fail'd, Should have gone off. K. HEN. Ha! what, so rank? Ah, ha! There's mischief in this man: - Canst thou say further? Being at Greenwich, After your highness had reprov'd the duke About fir William Blomer, K. HEN. I remember Of such a time:-Being my sworn servant, The duke retain'd him his. But on; What hence? SURV. If, quoth he, I for this had been committed, As, to the Tower, I thought, I would have play'd The part my father meant to act upon The ufurper Richard: who, being at Salisbury, Made fuit to come in his prefence; which if granted, As he made femblance of his duty, would Have put his knife into him. K. HEN. A giant traitor! 9- rank?] Rank weeds, are weeds grown up to great height and strength. What, says the king, was he advanced to this pitch? JOHNSON. 2 -Being my sworn fervant, &c.] Sir William Blomer, (Holinshed calls him Bulmer,) was reprimanded by the king in the star-chamber, for that, being his sworn servant, he had left the king's service for the duke of Buckingham's. Edwards's MSS. STEEVENS. 3 Have put his knife into him.] The accuracy of Holinshed, if from him Shakfpeare took his account of the accufations and punishment, together with the qualities of the Duke of Buckingham, is proved in the most authentick manner by a very curious report of his cafe in |