K. HEN.

Speak freely.
SURV. First, it was ufual with him, every day
It would infect his fpeech, That if the king
Should without iffue die, he'd carry it' fo
To make the scepter his: Thefe very words
I have heard him utter to his fon-in-law,
Lord Aberga'ny; to whom by oath he menac'd
Revenge upon the cardinal.

WOL.

Please your highness, note This dangerous conception in this point." Not friended by his with, to your high perfon His will is moft malignant; and it ftretches Beyond you, to your friends.

Q. 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.3

1-he'd carry it-] Old copy-he'l. Corrected by Mr. Rowe. MALONE.

This dangerous conception in this point.] Note this particular part of this dangerous defign. JOHNSON.

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 seem to be in two ftories. There is, however, but one and the fame perfon 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 Holinfhed acquaint us. And he might, according

Sir, a Chartreux friar,

K. HEN. What was that Hopkins?

SURV.
His confeffor; who fed him every minute
With words of fovereignty.

K. HEN.

How know'ft thou this?

SURV. Not long before your highness fped to

France,

The duke being at the Rofe, within the parish
Saint Lawrence Poultney,4 did of me demand
What was the speech amongst the Londoners
Concerning the French journey: I replied,
Men fear'd, the French would prove perfidious,
To the king's danger. Prefently the duke
Said, 'Twas the fear, indeed; and that he doubted,
'Twould prove the verity of certain words
Spoke by a holy monk; that oft, fays he,
Hath fent to me, wishing me to permit
John de la Court, my chaplain, a choice hour
To hear from him a matter of fome moment:
Whom after under the confefsion's feal 5

to the cuftom of thefe 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 fuppofe them capable of being the authors of it.

STEEVENS.

Shakspeare was perhaps led into the mistake by inadvertently referring the words, " called Henton," in the paffage already quoted from Holinfhed, (p. 26, n. 9,) not to the monaftery, but to the monk. MALONE.

4 The duke being at the Rofe, &c.] This houfe was pur chafed about the year 1561, by Richard Hill, fometime matter of the Merchant Tailors company, and is now the Merchant Tailors fchool, in Suffolk-lane. WHALLEY.

under the confeffion's feal-] All the editions, down from the beginning, have-commiffion's. But what commiffion's

ᎠᏎ

He folemnly had fworn, that, what he spoke,
My chaplain to no creature living, but
To me, fhould utter, with demure confidence
This paufingly enfu'd,-Neither the king, nor his
heirs,

(Tell you the duke) fhall profper: bid him ftrive
To gain the love of the commonalty; the duke
Shall govern England.

Q. KATH.

If I know you well, You were the duke's furveyor, and loft your office On the complaint o' the tenants: Take good heed, You charge not in your fpleen a noble perfon, And spoil your nobler foul! I say, take heed; Yes, heartily befeech you.

K. HEN.

Go forward.

SURV.

Let him on :

On my foul, I'll fpeak but truth. I told my lord the duke, By the devil's illufions

feal? That is a question, I dare fay, none of our diligent editors asked themselves. The text must be reftored, as I have corrected it; and honeft Holinfhed, [p. 863,] from whom our author took the fubftance of this paffage, 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 feal of confeffion, to keep fecret fuch matter." THEOBALD.

• To gain the love-] The old copy reads-To the love. STEEVENS.

For the infertion of the word gain I am anfwerable. From the correfponding paffage in Holinfhed, it appears evidently to have been omitted through the careleffness of the compofitor: "The faid monke told to De la Court, neither the king nor his heirs fhould 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.

It had been adopted by Mr. Rowe, and all fubfequent editors.

STEEVENS.

The 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,
That, had the king in his last sickness fail'd,
The cardinal's and fir Thomas Lovell's heads
Should have gone off.

K. HEN.

Ha! what, fo rank? Ah, ha! There's mischief in this man:- -Canft thou fay

After your highness had reprov'd the duke

About fir William Blomer,

K. HEN.

I remember,

Of fuch a time :-Being my fervant fworn,9

The duke retain'd him his.- -But on; What

hence?

SURV. If, quoth he, I for this had been com

mitted,

As, to the Tower, I thought,—I would have play'd The part my father meant to act upon

for him,] Old copy-for this. Corrected by Mr. Rowe. MALONE.

8

-fo rank?] Rank weeds, are weeds grown up to great height and ftrength. What, fays the King, was he advanced to this pitch? JOHNSON.

9 Being my fervant fworn, &c.] Sir William Blomer, (Holinfhed calls him Bulmer,) was reprimanded by the King in the ftar-chamber, for that, being his fworn fervant, he had left the King's fervice for the duke of Buckingham's.

Edwards's MSS. STEEVENS.

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.1

K. HEN.

A giant traitor!

WOL. Now, madam, may his highness live in

freedom,

And this man out of prison?

Q. KATH.

God mend all!

K. HEN. There's fomething more would out of thee; What say'st ?

SURV. After-the duke his father,—with the knife,

Have put his knife into him.] The accuracy of Holinfhed, if from him Shakspeare 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 Eaft. Term, 13 Hen. VIII. in the year books published by authority, fol. 11 and 12, edit. 1597. After, in the most exact manner, fetting forth the arrangement of the Lord High Steward, the Peers, the arraignment, and other forms and ceremonies, it fays: "Et iffint fuit arreine Edward Duc de Buckingham, le derrain jour de Terme le xij jour de May, le Duc de Norfolk donques eftant Grand fenefchal: la caufe fuit, pur ceo que il avoit entend l' mort de noftre Snr. le Roy. Car premierment un Moine del' Abbey de Henton in le countie de Somerset dit a lui que il fera Roy & command' luy de obtenir le benevolence del' communalte, & fur ceo il doña certaines robbes a cest entent. A que il dit que le moine ne onques dit ainfi a lui, & que il ne dona ceux dones a ceft intent. Donques auterfoits il dit, le Roy moruft fans iffue male, il voul' eftre Roy: & auxi que il difoit, fi le Roy avoit lui commis al' prifon, donques il voul' lui occire ove fon dagger. Mes touts ceux matters il denia in effect, mes fuit trove coulp: Et pur ceo il avoit jugement comme traitre, et fuit decolle le Vendredy devant le Fefte del Pentecoft que fuit le xiij jour de May avant dit. Dieu à fa ame grant mercy-car il fuit tres noble prince & prudent, et mirror de tout courtefie." VAILLANT.