The bird of wonder dies, the maiden phoenix,
Her ashes new create another heir

40

As great in admiration as herself,

So shall she leave her blessedness to one

When heaven shall call her from this cloud of darkness-
Who from the sacred ashes of her honour

45

Shall star-like rise, as great in fame as she was,

And so stand fix'd. Peace, plenty, love, truth, terror,

That were the servants to this chosen infant,

Shall then be his and like a vine grow to him:

Wherever the bright sun of heaven shall shine,
His honour and the greatness of his name

50

Shall be, and make new nations: he shall flourish,
And, like a mountain cedar, reach his branches
To all the plains about him. Our children's children
Shall see this, and bless heaven.

King.
Thou speakest wonders.
Cran. She shall be, to the happiness of England,
An aged princess; many days shall see her,
And yet no day without a deed to crown it.
Would I had known no more! but she must die;

55

She must; the saints must have her; yet a virgin,

60

A most unspotted lily shall she pass

To the ground, and all the world shall mourn her.

King. O lord archbishop,

Thou hast made me now a man! never, before

This happy child, did I get any thing.

65

This oracle of comfort has so pleased me,

That when I am in heaven I shall desire

To see what this child does, and praise my Maker.

I thank ye all. To you, my good lord mayor,

And your good brethren, I am much beholding;

70

I have received much honour by your presence,
And ye
shall find me thankful. Lead the
Lead the way, lords:
Ye must all see the queen, and she must thank ye;
She will be sick else. This day, no man think
Has business at his house; for all shall stay:
This little one shall make it holiday.

75

[Exeunt.

THE EPILOGUE.

'Tis ten to one this play can never please
All that are here: some come to take their ease,
And sleep an act or two; but those, we fear,
We have frighted with our trumpets; so, 'tis clear,
They'll say 'tis naught: others, to hear the city
Abused extremely, and to cry 'That's witty!'
Which we have not done neither; that, I fear,
All the expected good we're like to hear
For this play at this time, is only in
The merciful construction of good women;
For such a one we show'd 'em: if they smile,
And say 'twill do, I know, within a while
All the best men are ours; for 'tis ill hap,
If they hold when their ladies bid 'em clap.

5

IO

NOTES.

NOTE I.

I. I. 167. Mr Collier says: "In the three earlier folios the word is spelt 'wrenching,' which the printer of the fourth folio, not understanding, altered to 'drenching."" In the three copies of the fourth folio now before us the word is 'wrenching.'

NOTE II.

I. 2. Capell, followed by Malone, made many gratuitous alterations in the stage-directions of the Folios, which we have not thought it worth while always to record.

NOTE III.

II. 3. 7-9. Pope's reading is as follows:

'Still growing in a majesty and pomp,

The which to leave, a thousand-fold more bitter

Than sweet at first t'acquire.'

Theobald, followed by Hanmer, has:

'Still growing to a majesty and pomp,

The which to leave's a thousand-fold more bitter
Than sweet at first t'acquire.'

Capell reads, following the arrangement of the Folios:

'Still growing in a majesty and pomp,-the which
To leave, 's a thousand fold more bitter, than
'Tis sweet at first to acquire.'

We are in doubt here as to which is the reading of Mr Collier's MS. Corrector, for in his edition of Coleridge's Lectures he gives it,

'To leave's a thousand times more bitter, than
Sweet, &c.'

while in the second edition of his Shakespeare he quotes it as follows: 'To leave's a thousand-fold more better, than

'Tis sweet, &c.'

NOTE IV.

II. 3. 103. Mr Collier says, "If the blood of Anne Bullen had saluted or welcomed the news,-'If my blood salute this a jot-' there would have been no difficulty." It is not clear whether Mr Collier intends this as a conjectural emendation or not.

NOTE V.

II. 3. The stage direction which we have given from the Folios has been variously altered. The only important change which Capell introduces is in making the Archbishop of Canterbury follow the Bishops. The alteration 'between' for 'below' appeared in Reed's edition of 1803, and has been followed by some modern editors.

NOTE VI.

II. 4. 75. This line appears to have been accidentally omitted by the printer of the edition by Johnson, who, without taking the trouble to refer even to Warburton's text, conjectured that the passage was corrupt and proposed to read:

'Nay, before.

Induc'd by potent circumstances, that

You are my enemy, I make my challenge.
You shall not be my judge.'

NOTE VII.

II. 4. 182. Mr Collier, in his 2nd edition, says, "We are quite satisfied that Theobald was right in reading 'The bottom of my conscience."" Theobald does not adopt the conjecture in his text. His

note is as follows: "Tho this reading be sense, and therefore I have not ventur'd to displace it; yet, I verily believe, the poet wrote; 'The bottom of my conscience,-' My reason is this. Shakespeare in all his historical plays was a most diligent observer of Hollingshead's Chronicle; and had him always in eye, wherever he thought fit to borrow any matter from him. Now Hollingshead, in the speech which he has given to King Henry upon this subject, makes him deliver himself thus. 'Which words, once conceived within the secret bottom of my conscience, ingendred such a scrupulous doubt, that my conscience was incontinently accombred, vex'd, and disquieted."" Theobald appears to have forgotten that the emendation was suggested to him by Dr Thirlby. See Nichols' Illustrations, II. P. 461.

NOTE VIII.

III. 2. 192. The first and second folios, which in so doubtful a case we have followed, read:

'that am, have, and will be (Though...horrid) yet my duty, &c.'

The third and fourth extend the parenthesis so as to include line 198, (Though...break).'

Rowe reads: 'that am I, have been, and will be: Though...horrid; yet, my duty, &c.'

Pope: 'that am I, have been, will be:' pointing the rest with Rowe. Capell, reading as the folios, puts a full stop at 'be,' line 192, and a semicolon at 'horrid,' line 196.

Mason proposes to omit the words 'that am, have, and will be,' because he can find no meaning in them.

Malone supposes that a line following 192 has been lost.

Seymour proposes to read:

'that I am, have been, and shall be

And throw it from their soul (most firm and loyal)
Though perils &c.'

Jackson conjectures: 'that aim, has and will be, Though, &c.' or, 'that aim has, and will be To you, though...duty, And throw, &c.'

Mr Knight conjectures: 'that aim I have and will, Though, &c.,' 'will' being here a noun.

Mr Collier adopts this reading, but takes 'will' to be a verb, for 'will have.'