This dangerous conception in this point 2.
Not friended by his wish, to your high person
His will is most malignant; and it stretches
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 hast thou heard him At any time speak aught?

SURV.

3

He was brought to this

Sir, a Chartreux friar,

By a vain prophecy of Nicholas Hopkins 3.
K. HEN. What was that Hopkins?

SURV.
His confessor; who fed him every minute.
With words of sovereignty.

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

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

3 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; so that Brandon and the surveyor seem to be in two stories. There is, however, but one and the same person meant, Hopkins, as I have restored it in the text, for perspicuity's sake; yet it will not be any difficulty to account for the other name, when we come to consider 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.

Saint Lawrence Poultney, 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. Presently 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, says he,
Hath sent to me, wishing me to permit
John de la Court, my chaplain, a choice hour
To hear from him a matter of some moment :
Whom after under the confession's seal
He solemnly had sworn, that, what he spoke
My chaplain to no creature living, but

To me, should utter, with demure confidence
This pausingly ensu'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.

4 The duke being at the Rose, &c.] This house was purchased about the year 1561, by Richard Hill, some time master of the Merchant Tailors company, and is now the Merchant Tailors school, in Suffolk-lane.

WHALLEY.

under the CONFESSION's seal-] All the editions, down from the beginning, have-commission's. But what commission's seal? 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 honest Holinshed, [p. 863,] from whom our author took the substance of this passage, may be called in as a testimony.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 confession, to keep secret such matter." THEOBALD.

66

6 TO GAIN the love-] The old copy reads-To the love. STEEVENS.

For the insertion 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 compositor: "The said monke told to De la Court, neither the king nor his heirs should prosper, and that I should endeavour to purchase the good wills of the commonalty of England."

Q. 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 spoil your nobler soul! I say, take heed;
Yes, heartily beseech you.

K. HEN. Go forward.

SURV.

Let him on:

I told my lord the duke, By the devil's illusions The monk might be deceiv'd; and that 'twas dang'rous for him",

To ruminate on this so far, until

It forg'd him some 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 sir Thomas Lovell's heads
Should have gone off.

K. HEN.

3

Ha! what, so rank? Ah, ha! There's mischief in this man :-Canst thou say fur

After your highness had reprov'd the duke

About sir William Blomer,

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 subsequent editors. STEEVENS.

Certainly not all. Mr. Steevens, in his editions 1773 and 1778, has not adopted it, but reads-For the love of the commonalty. BOSWELL.

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

MALONE.

8 -SO RANK?] "Rank weeds," are weeds grown up to great height and strength.' "What, (says the King,) was he advanced to this pitch ?" JOHNSON.

K. HEN.

I remember,

Of such a time :-Being my servant sworn,
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,-1 would have play'd
The part my father meant to act upon

The usurper Richard: who, being at Salisbury,
Made suit to come in his presence; which if granted,
As he made semblance of his duty, would

Have put his knife into him1.

K. HEN.

A giant traitor! WOL. Now, madam, may his highness live in freedom,

And this man out of prison ?

9 Being my servant sworn, &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.

1 Have put his knife into him.] The accuracy of Holinshed, if from him Shakspeare took his account of the accusations 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 case in East. Term. 13 Hen. VIII. in the year books published by authority, fol. 11 and 12, edit. 1597. After, in the most exact manner, setting forth the arrangement of the Lord High Steward, the Peers, the arraignment, and other forms and ceremonies, it says: "Et issint fuit arreine Edward Duc de Buckingham, le derrain jour de Terme le xij jour de May, le Duc de Norfolk donques estant Grand seneschal : la cause fuit, pur ceo que il avoit entend l' mort de nostre Sñr. le Roy. Car premierment un Moine del' Abbey de Henton in le countie de Somerset dit a lui que il sera Roy et command' luy de obtenir le benevolence del' communalte, et sur ceo il doña certaines robbes a cest entent. A que il dit que le moine ne onques dit ainsi a lui, et que il ne dona ceux dones a cest intent. Donques auterfoits il dit, si le Roy morust sans issue male, il voul' estre Roy: et auxi que il disoit, si le Roy avoit lui commis al' prison, donques il voul' lui occire ove son 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 Feste del Pentecost que fuit le xiij jour de May avant dit. Dieu à sa ame grant mercy-car il fuit tres noble prince et prudent, et mirror de tout courtesie."

VAILLANT,

Q. KATH.

God mend all!

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

SURV. After the duke his father, with the

knife,

He stretch'd him, and, with one hand on his dagger,
Another spread on his breast, mounting his eyes,
He did discharge a horrible oath; whose tenour
Was,-Were he evil us'd, he would out-go
His father, by as much as a performance
Does an irresolute purpose.

K. HEN.

To sheath his knife in us.

There's his period,

He is attach'd;

Call him to present trial: if he may

Find mercy in the law, 'tis his; if none,
Let him not seek't of us: By day and night',
He's traitor to the height.

2

[Exeunt.

By day and night,] This, I believe, was a phrase anciently signifying at all times, every way, completely. In The Merry Wives of Windsor, Falstaff, at the end of his letterto Mrs. Ford, styles himself:

"Thine own true knight,

66

By day or night," &c.

Again, (I must repeat a quotation I have elsewhere employed,) in the third book of Gower, De Confessione Amantis :

"The sonne cleped was Machayre,

"The daughter eke Canace hight,

66

By daie bothe and eke by night."

The King's words, however, by some criticks, have been considered as an adjuration. I do not pretend to have determined the exact force of them. STEEVENS.