And want of wisdom, you, that best should teach

us,

Shakspeare ufes the word capable as perverfely in King Lear: and of my land,

Loyal and natural boy, I'll work the mean "To make thee capable." STEEVENS.

The word capable almost every where in Shakspeare means intelligent, of capacity to understand, or quick of apprehenfion. So, in King Richard III:

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O, 'tis a parlous boy,

"Bold, quick, ingenious, forward, capable !"

Again, in Hamlet:

"His form and caufe conjoin'd, preaching to ftones,
"Would make them capable!"

In the fame play Shakspeare has used incapable nearly in the fenfe required here:

"As one incapable [i. e. unintelligent] of her own diftrefs." So, Marston, in his Scourge of Villanie, 1599:

"To be perus'd by all the dung-fcum rabble

"Of thin-brain'd ideots, dull uncapable."

Minshew in his Dictionary, 1617, renders the word by indocilis. The tranfcriber's ear, I fuppofe, deceived him, in the paffage before us, as in many others; and the chancellor, I conceive, means to fay, the condition of humanity is fuch, that we are all born frail in difpofition, and weak in our understandings. The fubfequent words appear to me to add fuch support to this emendation, that I have ventured, contrary to my general rule, to give it a place in my text; which, however, I fhould not have done, had the original reading afforded a glimmering of sense:

we are all men,

In our own natures frail, incapable;

Of our flesh, few are angels; out of which frailty,
And want of wisdom, you, &c.

Mr. Pope in his licentious method printed the paffage thus, and the three fubfequent editors adopted his fuppofed reformation:

we are all men,

In our own natures frail, and capable

Of frailty, few are angels; from which frailty, &c.

MALONE.

I cannot extort any kind of fense from the passage as it stands. Perhaps it fhould be read thus:

we are all men,

In our own natures frail and culpable:

Of our flesh, few are angels.

That is, few are perfect. M. MASON.

Have mifdemean'd yourself, and not a little, Toward the king first, then his laws, in filling The whole realm, by your teaching, and your chaplains,

(For fo we are inform'd,) with new opinions, Divers, and dangerous; which are herefies, And, not reform'd, may prove pernicious.

GAR. Which reformation must be fudden too, My noble lords: for those, that tame wild horses, Pace them not in their hands to make them gentle; But stop their mouths with ftubborn bits, and fpur them,

Till they obey the manage. If we fuffer
(Out of our eafinefs, and childish pity

To one man's honour) this contagious fickness,
Farewell, all phyfick: And what follows then?
Commotions, uproars, with a general taint
Of the whole state: as, of late days, our neighbours,
The upper Germany, can dearly witness,
Yet freshly pitied in our memories.

CRAN. My good lords, hitherto, in all the progrefs

Both of my life and office, I have labour'd,
And with no little ftudy, that my teaching,
And the strong courfe of my authority,
Might go one way, and fafely; and the end
Was ever, to do well: nor is there living
(I speak it with a fingle heart,3 my lords,)

2 The upper Germany, &c.] Alluding to the herefy of Thomas Muntzer, which fprung up in Saxony in the years 1521 and 1522. GREY.

3 ——a fingle heart,] A heart void of duplicity or guile. MALONE,

It is a fcriptural expreffion. See Ads, ii. 46. REED.

A man, that more detefts, more ftirs against,
Both in his private confcience, and his place,
Defacers of a publick peace, than I do.
'Pray heaven, the king may never find a heart
With lefs allegiance in it! Men, that make
Envy, and crooked malice, nourishment,
Dare bite the beft. I do befeech your lordships,
That, in this cafe of juftice, my accufers,

Be what they will, may ftand forth face to face,
And freely urge against me.

SUF.

Nay, my lord, That cannot be; you are a counsellor,

And, by that virtue, no man dare accufe you.

GAR. My lord, because we have business of more

moment,

We will be short with you. 'Tis his highnefs'

pleasure,

And our confent, for better trial of you,
From hence you be committed to the Tower;
Where, being but a private man again,
You fhall know many dare accufe you boldly,
More than, I fear, you are provided for.

CRAN. Ah, my good lord of Winchester, I thank

you,

You are always my good friend; if your will pafs,
I shall both find your lordship judge and juror,
You are so merciful: I fee your end,

'Tis my undoing: Love, and meeknefs, lord,
Become a churchman better than ambition;
Win ftraying fouls with modefty again,
Caft none away. That I fhall clear myself,
Lay all the weight ye can upon my patience,
I make as little doubt, as you do confcience

• Defacers of a publick peace,] Read,-the publick peace.

M. MASON.

In doing daily wrongs. I could fay more,
But reverence to your calling makes me modeft.
GAR. My lord, my lord, you are a sectary,
That's the plain truth; your painted glofs difcovers,
To men that understand you, words and weakness.
CROM. My lord of Winchester, you are a little,
By your good favour, too fharp; men fo noble,
However faulty, yet fhould find respect
For what they have been: 'tis a cruelty,
To load a falling man."

GAR.

Good master Secretary,

I cry your honour mercy; you may, worst
Of all this table, fay fo.

CROM.

Why, my lord?

GAR. Do not I know you for a favourer Of this new sect? ye are not found.

CROM.

Not found?

'Would you were half fo honeft!

GAR. Not found, I say.

CROM.

Men's prayers then would feek you, not their fears. GAR. I fhall remember this bold language.

5 -your painted glofs &c.] Thofe that understand you, under this painted glofs, this fair outfide, difcover your empty talk and your falfe reafoning. JOHNSON.

6

'tis a cruelty,

To load a falling man.] This fentiment had occurred before. The lord chamberlain, checking the earl of Surrey for his reproaches to Wolfey, fays:

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O, my lord,

"Prefs not a falling man too far." STEEVENS,

GAR.

CROM.

I have done.

And I.

CHAN. Then thus for you, my lord,-It ftands agreed,

I take it, by all voices, that forthwith
You be convey'd to the Tower a prisoner;
There to remain, till the king's further pleasure
Be known unto us: Are you all agreed, lords?

ALL. We are.

CRAN.

Is there no other way of mercy, But I must needs to the Tower, my lords?

GAR.

What other

Would you expect? You are ftrangely troublesome. Let fome o'the guard be ready there.

CRAN.

Stay, good my lords, I have a little yet to fay. Look there, my lords; By virtue of that ring, I take my cause

Chan. Then thus for you, &c.] This and the little speech above-" This is too much," &c. are in the old copy given to the Lord Chamberlain. The difference between Cham. and Chan. is fo flight, that I have not hesitated to give them both to the Chancellor, who on Cranmer's entrance first arraigns him, and therefore, (without any confideration of his high ftation in the council,) is the perfon to whom Shak fpeare would naturally affign the order for his being committed to the Tower. The Chancellor's apologizing to the king for the committal in a fubfequent paffage, likewife fupports the emendation now made, which was fuggefted by Mr. Capell. MALONE.