Henry and Lord Chief Justice.

66 Chief Just.-I am assured, if I be measured rightly, Your majesty hath no just cause to hate me." Measured here means judged of.

"Henry.-No! might a prince of my great hopes forget The great indignities you laid upon me?

What! rate, rebuke, and roughly send to prison
Th' immediate heir of England! was this easy?
May this be wash'd in Lethe, and forgotten ?"

Might a prince.-Might here means could. Of my great hopes. That had hopes of being king.

Was this easy.Gentle or easy to be borne. May this be washed in Lethe.-The ancients supposed that the waters of Lethe, the river of Hell, produced forgetfulness.

"Ch. Just. I then did use the person of your father;
The image of his power lay then in ine,
And in th' administration of his law,
While I was busy for the common-wealth,
Your highness pleased to forget my place,
The majesty and pow'r of law and justice,
The image of the king, whom I presented,
And struck me in the very seat of justice;
Whereon, as an offender to your father,
I gave bold way to my authority,

And did commit you. If the deed were ill,

Be you contented, wearing now the garland,
To have a son set your decrees at nought;
To pluck down justice from your awful bench,
To trip the course of law, and blunt the sword.
That guards the peace and safety of your person;
Nay, more, to spurn at your most royal image,
And mock your workings in a second body."

"I then represented the person of your father (who is supposed to be present in this court of justice ;) his power was then in me, and whilst I was administering the laws, and busy for the common-weal (for the common good,) your highness forgot my officeforgot the power and majesty of the laws and of justice-you forgot your father, whom I represented, and struck me, on the bench of justice; whereupon I boldly exerted my authority, and sent you to a prison. If you think this wrong, you must be contented when now you wear the garland (the crown), to have your son set your decrees at nought, to have him pull down the authority of your judgment-seat, to trip and stop the current course of law, and to take off the edge and power of the sword of justice, which guards the peace and safety of your person; nay more, you must submit to have your son affront your own royal image, represented and acting in the person of the judge, whom you sub

stitute in your place. Question your royal thoughts; make the case your own; suppose yourself a father, and that you had a son; suppose that you heard your dignity scorned, and that you saw your laws disdained; then imagine me taking your part, and by your power, inherent in me, silencing your son. After having brought these images before your mind, and after cool consideration, pass sentence upon me: and as you are a king, speak not as a private person, but in the dignity of your public capacity, and declare what I have done unbecoming of my office, my person, or your sovereignty."

Your highness.-Highness is now a title of honour or respect addressed in England to the sons or daughters of the king; formerly it was also used in addressing the king or 'queen.

Pleased.-Were pleased, or chose.

·I gave bold way.-I gave way boldly to the sense of the duties of my office.

If the deed were ill-Ill was formerly used for wrong, or bad, in common conversation, and is now used in compound words: illbehaved, ill-manners, ill-luck, ill-natured, &c. Il, before words which begin with 1, stands for in, or not, as illiberal, not liberal; illegal, not legal.

The garland.-Shakspeare, in two or three places, calls the crown the garland.

Set at nought.-Make nothing of. Nought, or naughty, is used for bad; that is, good for nothing: the word naught, or nought, comes from aught, any thing; naught, not any thing *.

And mock your working in a second body.-You must be contented to have your son mock your working, that is, your power acting in the person of a judge, who is your second self or body. Question your royal thoughts.-Reflect on your own mind as a king.

Be now the father.-Change places with your own father, and suppose that you had a son, who conducted himself as you did; place him before your eyes, slighting your laws, &c.

After this cold considerance, sentence me.-After this cool consideration, determine whether I acted wrongly or rightly.

Liege's sovereignty.-Liege properly means a person to whom a certain duty or obedience is owing. Formerly, after the conquest of

*The figure 0, in arithmetic, is called nought, because it does not represent any number, but is employed to note or mark the place or column, which other figures belong to-105.

1 in the place or column of hundreds.

0 or nothing, in the column of tens.

5 in the column of ones, or units.

England by William the Conqueror, the land of the kingdom was divided amongst his followers, or vassals, in the same manner that lands were usually divided upon the continent. Every man, instead of paying rent in money for the land which he held, was bound to supply the person from whom he held it, with a certain number of armed men, on horseback, or on foot. The person to whom he owed this service was called his liege lord. Persons who were themselves princes frequently had liege lords over them; in particular, the emperor of Germany had a great number of princes and dukes for his vassals, who were all bound to him as their liege lord.

"King Henry.

You are right, justice; and you weigh this well;

Therefore still bear the balance and the sword,
And I do wish your honours may increase,

Till you do live to see a son of mine
Offend you, and obey you, as I did :
So shall I live to speak my father's words→→
Happy am I, that have a man so bold,
That dares do justice on my proper son;
And no less happy having such a son,
That would deliver up his greatness so,
Into the hand of justice."

The first line of this speech cannot be put

into plainer prose than as it stands in the