Of a full-charg'd confederacy," and give thanks And point by point the treafons of his mafter Johnson's conjecture: "Fortune, envious of such happy successe,— turned her wheele, and darkened their bright funne of profperitie with the mistie cloudes of mishap and mifery." Mr. M. Mason has obferved that Dr. Johnson did not do justice to his own emendation, referring the words whofe figure to Buckingham, when in fact they relate to shadow. Sir W. Blackftone had already explained the paffage in this manner. MALONE. By adopting Dr. Johnson's firft conjecture, puts out," for "puts on," a tolerable fenfe may be given to thefe obfcure lines. "I am but the fhadow of poor Buckingham: and even the figure or outline of this fhadow begins now to fade away, being extinguished by this impending cloud, which darkens (or interpofes between me and) my clear fun; that is, the favour of my fovereign." BLACKSTONE. 5 and the beft heart of it,] Heart is not here taken for the great organ of circulation and life, but, in a common, and popular fenfe, for the most valuable or precious part. Our author, in Hamlet, mentions the heart of heart. Exhaufted and effete ground is faid by the farmer to be out of heart. The hard and inner part of the oak is called heart of oak. JOHNSON. 6 -ftood the level Of a full-charg'd confederacy,] To stand in the level of a gun is to stand in a line with its mouth, fo as to be hit by the shot. "Could scape the hail of his all hurting aim." Again, in our author's 117th Sonnet: 66 Bring me within the level of your frown, "But hoot not at me," &c. STEEVENS. See alfo Vol. VII. p. 65, n. 4; and p. 85, n. 7. MALONE, The King takes his ftate. The Lords of the Council take their feveral places. The Cardinal places bimfelf under the King's feet, on his right fide. A noife within, crying, Room for the Queen. Enter the Queen, ushered by the Dukes of NORFOLK and SUFFOLK: he kneels. The King rifeth from his ftate, takes her up, kisses, and placeth her by him. 2. KATH. Nay, we must longer kneel; I am a fuitor. K. HEN. Arife, and take place by us :- Half your fuit Never name to us; you have half our power: 2. Катн. Thank your majesty. That you would love yourself; and, in that love, Not unconfider'd leave your honour, nor The dignity of your office, is the point Of my petition. K. HEN. Lady mine, proceed. 2. KATH. I am folicited, not by a few, And those of true condition, that your fubjects Are in great grievance: there have been com miffions Sent down among them, which hath flaw'd the heart Of all their loyalties:—wherein, although, My good lord cardinal, they vent reproaches Of these exactions," yet the king our master, as putter-on Of thefe exactions,] The inftigator of thefe exactions; the per (Whose honour heaven shield from foil!) even he escapes not Language unmannerly, yea, fuch which breaks In loud rebellion. 8 NOR. Not almoft appears, It doth appear: for, upon these taxations, The clothiers all, not able to maintain The many to them 'longing, have put off The spinfters, carders, fullers, weavers, who, Unfit for other life, compell'd by hunger And lack of other means, in defperate manner Daring the event to the teeth, are all in uproar, And Danger ferves among them." fon who fuggefted to the king the taxes complained of, and incited him to exact them from his fubjects. So, in Macbeth: 66 The powers above "Put on their inftruments." Again, in Hamlet: "Of deaths put on by cunning and forc'd caufe." MALONE. See Vol. VII. p. 544, n. 8. STEEVENS. 8 The many to them 'longing,] The many is the meiny, the train, the people. Dryden is, perhaps, the laft that ufed this word: "The kings before their many rode." JOHNSON. I believe the many is only the multitude, the ol' zona. Thus, Coriolanus, fpeaking of the rabble, calls them: 66 the mutable rank-fcented many." STEEVENS. 9 And Danger ferves among them.] Could one eafily believe, that a writer, who had, but immediately before, funk fo low in his expreffion, fhould here rife again to a height fo truly fublime? where, by the nobleft ftretch of fancy, Danger is perfonalized as ferving in the rebel army, and shaking the established government. WARBURTON. Chaucer, Gower, Skelton, and Spenfer, have perfonified Danger. The first, in his Romaunt of the Rofe; the second, in his fifth book De Confeffione Amantis; the third in his Bouge of Court: "With that, anone out ftart dangere." and the fourth, in the 10th Canto of the fourth book of his Faery Queen, and again in the fifth book and the ninth Canto. STEEVENS. K. HEN. Taxation! Wherein? and what taxation? My lord cardinal, WOL. Please you, fir, I know but of a fingle part, in aught Pertains to the state; and front but in that file 2. KATH. You know no more than others: Things, that are known alike; wholesome No, my lord, but you frame which are not To those which would not know them, and yet must Perforce be their acquaintance. Thefe exactions, K. HEN. Still exaction! The nature of it? In what kind, let's know, 2. ΚΑΤΗ. I am much too venturous In tempting of your patience; but am bolden'd 2 front but in that file-] I am but primus inter pares. I am but first in the row of counfellors. JOHNSON. This was the very idea that Wolfey wished to disclaim. It was not his intention to acknowledge that he was the firft in the row of counsellors, but that he was merely on a level with the reft, and ftept in the fame line with them. M. MASON. You know no more than others: &c.] That is, you know no more than other counfellors, but you are the perfon who frame those things which are afterwards propofed, and known equally by all. Under your promis'd pardon. The fubject's grief Comes through commiffions, which compel from each The fixth part of his fubftance, to be levy'd Is nam'd, your wars in France: This makes bold mouths : Tongues fpit their duties out, and cold hearts freeze Allegiance in them; their curfes now, Live where their prayers did; and it's come to pafs, That tractable obedience is a flave To each incenfed will. I would, your highness ·tractable obedience &c.] i. e. those who are tractable and obedient, muft give way to others who are angry. MUSGRAVE. The meaning of this is, that the people were fo much irritated by oppreffion, that their refentment got the better of their obedience. M. MASON. The meaning, I think, is-Things are now in fuch a fituation, that refentment and indignation predominate in every man's breaft over duty and allegiance. MALONE. 5 There is no primer bufinefs.] In the old edition: men. There is no primer baseness. The queen is here complaining of the fuffering of the commons; which, fhe fufpects, arose from the abuse of power in fome great But the is very reserved in fpeaking her thoughts concerning the quality of it. We may be affured then, that she did not, in conclufion, call it the highest bafenefs; but rather made ufe of a word that could not offend the cardinal, and yet would incline the king to give it a fpeedy hearing. I read therefore: There is no primer business. i. e. no matter of state that more earnestly presses a dispatch. WARBURTON. Dr. Warburton (for reafons which he has given in his note) would read: -no primer business: |