ACT I. SCENE I. Northampton. A Room of ftate in the Palace. Enter King JOHN, Queen ELINOR, PEMBROKE, ESSEX, SALISBURY, and Others, with CHATILLON. K. Jobn. Now, fay, Chatillon, what would France with us? A play entitled The troublefome raigne of John King of England, in two parts, was printed in 1591, without the writer's name. It was written, I believe, either by Robert Greene, or George Peele; and certainly preceded this of our author. Mr. Pope, who is very inaccurate in matters of this kind, says that the former was printed in 1611, as written by W. Shakspeare and W. Rowley. But this is not true. In the Second edition of this old play in 1611, the letters W. Sh. were put into the title-page, to deceive the purchaser, and to lead him to fuppofe the piece was Shakspeare's play, which at that time was not published.See a more minute account of this fraud in An Attempt to ascertain the order of Shakspeare's Plays, Vol. I. Our author's King John was written, I imagine, in 1596. The reasons on which this opinion is founded, may be found in that Effay. This drama was evidently formed on the old anonymous play. Probably, however, Shakspeare alfo perufed Holinthed's account of this reign, he being undoubtedly his guide in all his historical plays. This play comprehends a period of almost seventeen years, being nearly the whole reign of King John, commencing soon after his acceffion to the throne, and ending with his death. MALONE. There must have been fome tradition, however erroneous, upon which Mr. Pope's account was founded. I make no doubt that Rowley wrote the first King John; and when Shakspeare's play was called for, and could not be procured from the players, a piratical bookfeller reprinted the old one, with W. Sh. in the title-page. FARMER. "A booke called The Hyftorie of Lord Faulconbridge, baftard Sox to Richard Cordelion," was entered at Stationers' Hall, Nov. 29, 1614; but I have never met with it, and therefore know not whether it was the old black letter hiftory, or a play on the fame fubject. For the original King John, fee Six old plays on which Shakspeare founded &c. published by S. Leacroft, Charing Crofs. STEEVENS. The byftorie of Lord Faulconbridge, &c. is a profe narative, in bl. 1. The earliest edition that I have feen of it, was printed in 1616, A book entitled "Richard Cur de Lion," was entered on the Stationers' Books in 1558. MALONE. Chat. Chat. Thus, after greeting, speaks the king of France, In my behaviour, to the majefty, The borrow'd majefty of England here. majefty! Arthur Plantagenet, lays moft lawful claim To Ireland, Poitiers, Anjou, Touraine, Maine: Which fways ufurpingly these several titles ; K. John. What follows, if we difallow of this? To inforce these rights fo forcibly withheld. K. John. Here have we war for war, and blood for blood, Controlment for controlment; fo answer France. Chat. 2 In my behaviour,] The word behaviour seems here to have a fignification that I have never found in any other author. The king of France, fays the envoy, thus fpeaks in my behaviour to the majefty of England; that is, the king of France speaks in the character which I here affume. I once thought that these two lines, In my behaviour, &c. had been uttered by the ambassador as part of his master's meffage, and that behaviour had meant the conduct of the king of France towards the king of England; but the ambaffador's speech, as continued after the interruption, will not admit this meaning. JOHNSON. In my behaviour means, I think, in the words and action that I am now going to use. MALONE. 3-control-] Oppofition, from controller. JOHNSON. I think, control means rather confiraint, or compulfion. So, in the fecond act of King Henry V. when Exeter demands of the king of France the furrender of the crown, and the king answers, " Or elfe what follows?" Exeter replies: "Bloody constraint; for if you hide the crown "Even in your hearts, there will he rake for it." MASON. 4 Here bave we war for war, and blood for blood, Controlment for controlment; &c.] King John's reception of Chatillon not a little refembles that which Andrea meets with from the king of Portugal in the first part of Jeronimo, &c. 1605: «And. Chat. Then take my king's defiance from my mouth, The fartheft limit of my embaffy. K. John. Bear mine to him, and fo depart in peace: Be thou as lightning' in the eyes of France; For ere thou canft report I will be there, The thunder of my cannon fhall be heard: So, hence! Be thou the trumpet of our wrath, And fullen prefage of your own decay.An honourable conduct let him have ;Pembroke, look to't :-Farewell, Chatillon. [Exeunt CHAT. and PEM. Eli. What now, my fon? have I not ever said, This might have been prevented: and made whole, "And. Thou shalt pay tribute, Portugal, with blood.- Jeronimo was exhibited on the stage before the year 1590. MALONE. Be thou as lightning-] The fimile does not fuit well: the lightning indeed appears before the thunder is heard, but the lightning is deftructive, and the thunder innocent. JOHNSON. King John does not allude to the destructive power either of thunder or lightning; he only means to fay, that Chatillon fhall appear to the eyes of the French like lightning, which fhews that thunder is approaching and the thunder he alludes to is that of his cannon. Dr. Johnfon forgets, that though philosophically speaking, the deftructive power is in the lightning, it has generally in poetry been attributed to the thunder. So, Lear fays: "You fulphurous and thought-executing fires, fullen prefage-] By the epithet fullen, which cannot be applied to a trumpet, it is plain that our author's imagination had now fuggested a new idea. It is as if he had faid, be a trumpet to alarm with our invafion, be a bird of ill omen to croak out the prognoftick of your own ruin. JOHNSON. I do not fee why the epithet fullen may not be applied to a trumpet, with as much propriety as to a bell. In our author's King Henry IV. P. II. we find "Sounds ever after as a fullen bell," Malone. 4 Which Which now the manage of two kingdoms muff K. John. Our strong poffeffion, and our right, for us. Eli. Your ftrong poffeffion, much more than your right; Or else it must go wrong with you, and me: So much my confcience whispers in your ear; Enter the Sheriff of Northamptonshire, who whispers Effex. - Effex. My liege, here is the ftrangest controversy, Our abbies, and our priories, fhall pay [Exit Sheriff. Re-enter Sheriff, with Robert Faulconbridge, and Philip, bis baftard brother. This expedition's charge.-What men are you As 7 - the manage-] i. e. conduct, administration. Se, in King Richard II: "Expedient manage must be made, my liege." STEEVENS. 8-and Philip, bis baftard brother.] Though Shakspeare adopted this character of Philip Faulconbridge from the old play, it is not improper to mention that it is compounded of two diftinct perfonages. Matthew Paris fays:"Sub illius temporis curriculo, Falcafus de Brente, Neufterienfis, et fpurius ex parte matris, atque Bastardus, qui in vili jumento manticato ad regis paulo ante clientelam descenderat," &c. Matt. Paris, in his Hiftory of the Monks of St. Albans, calls him Falco, but in his General History, Falcafius de Brente, as above. Holinfhed fays, "that Richard I. had a natural fon named Philip, who in the year following killed the viscount De Limoges, to revenge the death of his father." STEEVENS. Perhaps the following paffage in the Continuation of Harding's Chronicle, 1543, fol. 24, b. ad ann. 1472, induced the author of the old play to affix the name of Faulconbridge to King Richard's natural fon, who is only mentioned in our hiftories by the name of Philip: "one Faulconbridge, therle of Kent his baßarde, a toute harted man." Whe As I fuppofe, to Robert Faulconbridge; Rob. The fon and heir to that fame Faulconbridge. Baft. Moft certain of one mother, mighty king, That is well known; and, as I think, one father: But, for the certain knowledge of that truth, I put you o'er to heaven, and to my mother; Of that I doubt, as all men's children may 9. Eli. Out on thee, rude man! thou doft shame thy mother, And wound her honour with this diffidence. Baft. I, madam? no, I have no reason for it; That is my brother's plea, and none of mine; The which if he can prove, 'a pops me out At least from fair five hundred pound a year: Heaven guard my mother's honour, and my land! K. John. A good blunt fellow :-Why, being younger born, Doth he lay claim to thine inheritance ? Baft. I know not why, except to get the land. But once he flander'd me with bastardy : Who the mother of Philip was, is not ascertained. It is faid that fhe was a lady of Poitou, and that King Richard bestowed upon her fon a lordship in that province. In expanding the character of the Baftard, Shakspeare seems to have proceeded on the following flight hint in the original play : "Next them, a bastard of the king's deceas'd, But for the certain knowledge of that truth, I put you o'er to beaven, and to my mother; MALONE. Of that I doubt, as all men's children may.] The resemblance between this fentiment and that of Telemachus in the first book of the Ody fey, is apparent. The paffage is thus tranflated by Chapman : "My mother, certaine, fayes I am his fonne; "I know not; nor was ever fimply knowne, Mr. Pope has obferved that the like fentiment is found in Euripides, Menander, and Ariftotle. Shakspeare expresses the fame doubt in feveral of his other plays, STEVENS. VOL. IV. G g But |