Line 179. Ye have angels' faces,] She may perhaps allude to the old jingle of Angli and Angeli.

ACT III. SCENE II.

JOHNSON.

Line 228. And force them-] Force is enforce, urge. JOHNS.

Strangely neglected?] Which of the peers has not

gone by him contemned or neglected?

The stamp of nobleness in any person,

JOHNSON.

Out of himself?] When did he, however careful to carry his own dignity to the utmost height, regard any dignity of another.

Line 258.

JOHNSON.

contrary proceedings-] Private practices oppo

site to his public procedure.

JOHNSON.

Line 277. And hedges, his own way.] To hedge, is to creep along by the hedge: not to take the direct and open path, but to steal covertly through circumvolutions.

JOHNSON.

Line 285. Trace the conjunction!] To trace, is to follow.

JOHNSONJ

Enter the King, reading a Schedule;] That the cardinal gave the king an inventory of his own private wealth, by mistake, and thereby ruined himself, is a known variation from the truth of history. Shakspeare, however, has not injudiciously represented the fall of that great man, as owing to an incident which he had once improved to the destruction of another. See Holinshed, vol. ii. p. 796 and 797.

"Thomas Ruthall, bishop of Durham, was, after the death of “king Henry VII. one of the privy council to Henry VIII. to "whom the king gave in charge to write a book of the whole " estate of the kingdom, &c. Afterwards, the king commanded "cardinal Wolsey to go to this bishop, and to bring the book away "with him.-This bishop having written two books (the one to answer the king's command, and the other intreating of his

own private affairs) did bind them both after one sort in vellum, "&c. Now, when the cardinal came to demand the book due to "the king, the bishop unadvisedly commanded his servant to "bring him the book bound in white vellum, lying in his study,

"in such a place. The servant accordingly brought forth one of "the books so bound, being the book intreating of the state of "the bishop, &c. The cardinal having the book, went from the "bishop, and after (in his study by himself) understanding the " contents thereof, he greatly rejoiced, having now occasion "(which he long sought for) offered unto him, to bring the "bishop into the king's disgrace.

"Wherefore he went forthwith to the king, delivered the book "into his hands, and briefly informed him of the contents there"of; putting further into the king's head, that if at any time he "were destitute of a mass of money, he should not need to seek "further therefore than to the coffers of the bishop. Of all "which when the bishop had intelligence, &c. he was stricken "with such grief of the same, that he shortly, through extreme

sorrow, ended his life at London, in the year of Christ 1523, "After which, the cardinal, who had long before gaped after his "bishoprick, in singular hope to attain thereunto, had now his "wish in effect, &c." STEEVENS.

Line 382.

then, stops again,] Sallust describing the disturbed state of Catiline's mind, takes notice of the same circumstance: " -citus modo, modo tardus incessus." STEEVENS. Line 446. Beyond all man's endeavours:] The sense is, my purposes went beyond all human endeavour. I purposed for your honour more than it falls within the compass of man's nature to attempt. JOHNSON,

Line 448. Yet, fil'd with my abilities:] My endeavours, though less than my desires, have fil'd; that is, have gone an equal pace with my abilities. JOHNSON.

Line 467. notwithstanding that your bond of duty,] Besides the general bond of duty, by which you are obliged to be a loyal and obedient subject, you owe a particular devotion of yourself to me, as your particular benefactor. JOHNSON.

Line 523. Till I find more than will, or words, to do it,

(I mean, your malice,) know, &c.] Wolsey had

said,

-words cannot carry

Authority so mighty.

To which they reply,

Who dare cross them? &c.

Wolsey, answering them, continues his own speech, Till I find more than will or words (I mean more than your malicious will and words) to do it; that is, to carry authority so mighty; I will deny to return what the king has given me.

JOHNSON.

Line 593. Worse than the sacring bell,] The little bell, which is rung to give notice of the Host approaching when it is carried) in procession, as also in other offices of the Romish church, is called the sacring, or consecration bell; from the French word, THEOBALD.

sacrer.

Line 722. -a tomb of orphans' tears wept on 'em!] The chancellor is the general guardian of orphans. A tomb of tears is very harsh.

Line 746.

make use-] Use for interest.

JOHNSON.

Line 786. Had I but serv'd my God &c.] This sentence was really uttered by Wolsey.

JOHNSON.

ACT IV. SCENE I.

Line 1.

the second act.

Line 13.

-once again.] Alluding to their former meeting in

JOHNSON.

their royal minds;] i. e. their minds well af

fected to their king.

MALONE.

Line 24.

-this day-] Hanmer reads,

-these days,

but Shakspeare meant such a day as this, a coronation day. And such is the English idiom, which our author commonly prefers to grammatical nicety.

Line 105.

JOHNSON. -like rams-] That is, like battering rams.

JOHNSON.

ACT IV. SCENE II.

SCENE II.] This scene is above any other part of Shakspeare's tragedies, and perhaps above any scene of any other poet, tender and pathetick, without gods, or furies, or poisons, or precipices, without the help of romantick circumstances, without im

probable sallies of poetical lamentation, and without any throes of tumultuous misery.

Line 171. he stepp'd before me, happily,

JOHNSON,

For my example.] Happily seems to mean on this occasion-peradventure. I have been more than once of this opinion, when I have met with the same word mis-spelt in other passages.

STEEVENS.

Line 180. —with easy roads,] i. e. by short stages.

STEEVENS.

199. Of an unbounded stomach,] i. e. of unbounded

pride, or haughtiness.

Line 200.-one, that by suggestion

STEEVENS.

Ty'd all the kingdom:] The word suggestion, says Dr. Warburton, is here used with great propriety, and seeming knowledge of the Latin tongue: and he proceeds to settle the sense of it from the late Roman writers and their glossers. But Shakspeare's knowledge was from Holinshed, whom he follows verbatim:

"This cardinal was of a great stomach, for he compted himself equal with princes, and by craftie suggestion got into his hands innumerable treasure: he forced little on simonie, and was not pitifull, and stood affectionate in his own opinion: in open presence he would lie and seie untruth, and was double both in speech and meaning: he would promise much and perform little he was vicious of his bodie, and gaue the clergie euil example." Edit. 1587, p. 922. Dr. FARMER.

Line 229. Unwilling to outlive the good that did it;] i. e. Unwilling to survive that virtue which was the cause of its foundation. MALONE.

solemnly tripping one after another,] This whimsical stagedirection is exactly copied from the folio.

STEEVENS.

Line 333. The model of our chaste loves,] Model is image or representative. MALONE.

ACT V. SCENE I.

Line 4. Not for delights;] Gardiner himself is not much delighted. The delight at which he hints seems to be the king's diversion, which keeps him in attendance.

JOHNSON.

Line 10. at primero-] Primero and primavista, two games at cards, H. I. Primera Primavista. La Primiere, G. Prime, f. Prime ceue. Primum, et primum visum, that is, first, and first seen: because he that can shew such an order of cards first, wins the game. Minshieu's Guide into Tongues, col. 575. Dr. GREY. Line 18. Some touch of your late business:] Some hint of the business that keeps you awake so late. JOHNSON.

Line 39.

49.

mine own way;] Mine own opinion in religion, JOHNSON.

Stands in the gap and trade of more preferments,]

Trade is the practised method, the general course.

JOHNSON.

Incens'd the lords o' the council, that he is, &c.

A most arch heretick,] The passage, according to Shakspeare's licentious grammar, may mean-I have incens'd the lords of the council, for that he is, i. e. because. STEEVENS. Line 63. broken with the king;] They have broken silence; told their minds to the king. JOHNSON.

Line 68. He be convented.] i. e. convened.

140. -You a brother of us, &c.] You being one of the council, it is necessary to imprison you, that the witnesses against you may not be deterred. JOHNSON.

Line 148. Than I myself, poor man.] Poor man probably belongs to the king's reply. JOHNSON.

Line 159. The good I stand on-] Though good may be taken for advantage or superiority, or any thing which may help or support, yet it would, I think, be more natural to say,

The ground I stand on

JOHNSON.

Mr. Malone is of opinion that the old reading is right.

Line 174.

-Ween you of better luck,] To ween is to think,

to imagine.

Line 212.

-bless her!] It is doubtful whether her is reJOHNSON.

ferred to the queen or the girl.

Line 217. Lovell,] Lovell has been just sent out of the

presence, and no notice is given of his return. I have placed it here at the instant when the king calls for him.

STEEVENS.