Good day to you, gentle lord archbishop;-
And so to you, lord Hastings,—and to all.—
My lord of York, it better show'd with you,
When that your flock, assembled by the bell,
Encircled you, to hear with reverence
Your exposition on the holy text;

Than now to see you here an iron man,“
Cheering a rout of rebels with your drum,
Turning the word to sword," and life to death.
That man, that sits within a monarch's heart,
And ripens in the sunshine of his favour,
Would he abuse the countenance of the king,
Alack, what mischiefs might he set abroach,
In shadow of such greatness! With you, lord bishop,
It is even so:-Who hath not heard it spoken,
How deep you were within the books of God?
To us, the speaker in his parliament;
To us, the imagin'd voice of God himself;®
The very opener, and intelligencer,

Between the grace, the sanctities of heaven,'
And our dull workings:1 O, who shall believe,
But you misuse the reverence of your place;
Employ the countenance and grace of heaven,

— an iron man,] Holinshed says of the Archbishop, that * coming foorth amongst them clad in armour, he incouraged and pricked them foorth to take the enterprise in hand." Steevens. 7 Turning the word to sword, &c.] A similar thought occurs in Gower's Confessio Amantis, 1554:

"Into the sworde the churche kaye

“Is turned, and the holy bede," &c. Steevens.

8 — the imagin'd voice of God himself;] The old copies, by an apparent error of the press, have-the imagine voice. Mr. Pope introduced the reading of the text. Perhaps Shakspeare wrote To us, the image and voice, &c.

So, in a subsequent scene:

"And he, the noble image of my youth." Malone.

I cannot persuade myself to reject a harmonious reading, that another eminently harsh may supply its place. Steevens.

the sanctities of heaven,] This expression Milton has co

"Around him all the sanctities of heaven
"Stood thick as stars." Johnson.

workings:].i. e. labours of thought. So, in K. Henry V:
the forge and working-house of thought." Steevene.

As a false favourite doth his prince's name,
In deeds dishonourable? You have taken up,2
Under the counterfeited zeal of God,

The subjects of his substitute, my father;
And, both against the peace of heaven and him,
Have here up-swarm'd them.

Arch.

Good my lord of Lancaster,

I am not here against your father's

peace:

But, as I told my lord of Westmoreland,

3

The time misorder'd doth, in common sense,
Crowd us, and crush us, to this monstrous form,
To hold our safety up. I sent your grace
The parcels and particulars of our grief;

The which hath been with scorn shov'd from the court,
Whereon this Hydra son of war is born:

Whose dangerous eyes may well be charm'd asleep,
With grant of our most just and right desires;
And true obedience, of this madness cur'd,
Stoop tamely to the foot of majesty.

Mowb. If not, we ready are to try our fortunes
To the last man.

Hast.
And though we here fall down,
We have supplies to second our attempt;
If they miscarry, theirs shall second them:
And so, success of mischief" shall be born;
And heir from heir shall hold this quarrel up,
Whiles England shall have generation.

4

P.John. You are too shallow, Hastings, much too shallow,

To sound the bottom of the after-times.

West. Pleaseth your grace, to answer them directly, How far-forth you do like their articles?

2 You have taken up,] To take up is to levy, to raise in arms.

3

Johnson.

in common sense,] I believe Shakspeare wrote common fence, i. e. drove by self-defence. Warburton.

Common sense is the general sense of general danger. Johnson. May not common sense here mean, according to the dictates of reason? M. Mason.

4 Whose dangerous eyes may well be charm'd asleep,] Alluding to the dragon charmed to rest by the spells of Medea. Steevens. And so, success of mischief -] Success for succession.

Warburton

P. John. I like them all, and do allow them well:
And swear here by the honour of my blood,
My father's purposes have been mistook;
And some about him have too lavishly
Wrested his meaning, and authority.—

My lord, these griefs shall be with speed redress'd;
Upon my soul, they shall. If this may please you,
Discharge your powers' unto their several counties,
As we will ours: and here, between the armies,
Let's drink together friendly, and embrace;
That all their eyes may bear those tokens home,
Of our restored love, and amity.

Arch. I take your princely word for these redresses. P. John. I give it you, and will maintain my word: And thereupon I drink unto your grace.

Hast. Go, captain, [to an Offi.] and deliver to the army This news of peace; let them have pay, and part: I know, it will well please them; Hie thee, captain.

[Exit Offi.

Arch. To you, my noble lord of Westmoreland.
West. I pledge your grace: And, if you knew what

pains

I have bestow'd, to breed this present peace,
You would drink freely: but my love to you

Shall show itself more openly hereafter.

Arch. I do not doubt you.

West.
I am glad of it.—
Health to my lord, and gentle cousin, Mowbray.
Mowb. You wish me health in very happy season;
For I am, on the sudden, something ill.

Arch. Against ill chances, men are ever merry;3

6 and do allow -] i. e. approve. So, in King Lear, Act II, sc. iv:

66. if your sweet sway

"Allow obedience." Malone.

7 Discharge your powers-] It was Westmoreland who made this deceitful proposal, as appears from Holinshed: "The earl of Westmoreland using more policie than the rest, said, whereas, our people have been long in armour, let them depart home to their woonted trades: in the meane time let us drink togither in signe of agreement, that the people on both sides may see it, and know that it is true, that we be light at a point." Steevens.

Against ill chances, men are ever merry;] Thus the poet de

But heaviness foreruns the good event.

West. Therefore be merry, coz;' since sudden sorrow Serves to say thus,-Some good thing comes to-morrow. Arch. Believe me, I am passing light in spirit.

Mowb. So much the worse, if your own rule be true. [Shouts within. P. John. The word of peace is render'd; Hark, how they shout!

Mowb. This had been cheerful, after victory. Arch. A peace is of the nature of a conquest; For then both parties nobly are subdued,

And neither party loser.

P. John.

Go, my lord,

[Exit WEST.

And let our army be discharged too.

And, good my lord, so please you, let our trains1
March by us; that we may peruse the men
We should have cop'd withal.

Go, good lord Hastings,

Arch.
And, ere they be dismiss'd, let them march by.

[Exit HAST. P. John. I trust, lords, we shall lie to-night toge

ther.

Re-enter WESTMORELAND.

Now, cousin, wherefore stands our army still?

West. The leaders, having charge from you to stand, Will not go off until they hear you speak.

P. John. They know their duties.

Re-enter HASTINGS.

Hast. My lord, our army is dispers'd already:

scribes Romeo, as feeling an unaccustomed degree of cheerfulness just before he hears the news of the death of Juliet. Steevens.

9 Therefore be merry, coz;] That is-Therefore, notwithstanding this sudden impulse to heaviness, be merry, for such sudden dejections forbode good. Johnson.

1 let our trains &c.] That is, our army on each part, that we may both see those that were to have opposed us. Johnson.

We ought, perhaps, to read—your trains. The Prince knew his own strength sufficiently, and only wanted to be acquainted with that of the enemy. The plural, trains, however, seems in favour of the old reading. Malone.

The Prince was desirous to see their train, and therefore, under pretext of affording them a similar gratification, proposed that both trains should pass in review. Steevens.

Like youthful steers unyok'd, they take their courses East, west, north, south; or, like a school broke up, Each hurries toward his home, and sporting-place.

West. Good tidings, my lord Hastings; for the which I do arrest thee, traitor, of high treason:—

And you, lord archbishop,-and you, lord Mowbray,Of capital treason I attach you both.

Mowb. Is this proceeding just and honourable?

West. Is your assembly so?

Arch. Will you thus break your faith?

P. John.

I pawn'd thee none: I promis'd you redress of these same grievances, 2 Whereof you did complain; which, by mine honour, I will perform with a most christian care. But, for you, rebels,-look to taste the due Meet for rebellion, and such acts as yours. Most shallowly did you these arms commence, Fondly brought here, and foolishly sent hence.-Strike up our drums, pursue the scatter'd stray; Heaven, and not we, hath safely fought to-daySome guard these traitors to the block of death; Treason's true bed, and yielder up of breath. [Exeunt.“

3

2 I promis'd you redress of these same grievances,] Surely the two redundant words-these same, should be omitted, for the sake of metre. They are undoubted interpolations. Steevens.

3 Fondly brought here, &c.] Fondly is foolishly. So, in Lord Surrey's translation of the second Book of Virgil's Eneid:

"What wight so fond such offer to refuse?"

Steevens.

4 Exeunt.] It cannot but raise some indignation to find this horrid violation of faith passed over thus slightly by the poet, without any note of censure or detestation. Johnson.

Shakspeare, here, as in many other places, has merely followed the historians who related this prefidious act without animadversion, and who seem to have adopted the ungenerous sentiment of Chorobus:

dolus an virtus, quis in hoste requirat?" But this is certainly no excuse; for it is the duty of a poet always to take the side of virtue. Malone.