Complete Works of Robert Browning Vol 02

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF ROBERTBROWNING

‘Unrinnt Qdings

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Jnnotations

E D I T O R I A LB O A R D

R O M AA . K I N G ,
MORSE

JR.,

PECKHAAT
PARK

GORDON

GeneralEditor


H O N A N

PI1’1’S

P

O H I OU N I V E R S I T YP R E S S
A T H E N S ,O H I O

1970

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Copyright o 1970 by Ohio University Press

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 68-18389
ISBN 82 14-74-6
All rights reserved

Printed in the United Statesof America

tion
Annotations

CONTENTS

Page Number
Preface

I
I1
111

Choice

IV

vii
vii

Contents
Principles
Textual
General
Specific
Problems
Editing
Browning’s
in
Works
ix
xii
of Text

Presentation of Variants
T a b l e of Signs

...

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...

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VI
VI1


xv

T a b l e of Abbreviations
Annotations
xvi
in
Used
VI11
T a b l e of xvii
Manuscripts
xix
Corrections
IX
for Request
xixX
Acknowledgments
?’able of EditionsReferredtoinVolumeTwoxx

3


STRAFFORD
Act
Act
Act
Act
Act

One
Two
Three
Four
Five

13
38
57
77

SORDELLO


Page Number
in Original
Edition

1

98

33
57
83
IO9

121
125
157
191
229
266
303


44
87
130
173
216

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Book O n e
Book
Book
Book
Book
Book
Editorial Notes

Two

Three
Four
Five
Six

st 1 c 1 f f O l - d

339
36 1

Sol-tlello

“Holy Roman Empire, 1 138-1254”
“Provine of Veneto”

362
363
V

1


This Page Intentionally Left Blank

PREFACE

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CONTENTS

This edition of the works of Robert Browning is intended to be
complete. It is expected to run to thirteen volumes and will contain:
1. T h e full contents of the first editions of Browning’s work, arranged in chronological order.
The poems included inDrarnnt ic Lyrics,
DramnIic Romunces ctncl Lyrics, and M e n n ~ IT,’omer1
d

appear in the
order of their first publication rather than the order in which Browning rearranged them for later publication.
2. All prefaces, dedications? and advertisements which Browning
wrote for his own works or for those of Elizabeth Barrett Browning
and others.
3. T h e two known prose essays which Browning published: the
review of a book on Tasso, generally referred to as “The Essay on
Chatterton,” and the preface for a collection of letters supposed to
havebeen written by PercyBysshe Shelley, generally referred to as
“The Essay on Shelley.’’
4. T h e front matter and the table of contents of each of the collected editions ( 1 849,1863,1868,1888-89aY
and 1889)whichBrowning himself saw through the press. T h e table of contents will include
both the paginationof the original volume and
of this edition.
5. Poems by Browning published during his lifetime but not collected by him.
6. Unpublished poems by Browning which havecome to light
since his death.
7. John Forster’s Thomas 11,’entZUOr/h, Earl ofSIy.ccfford to which
Browning contributedsignificantly? though to what precise extent cannot be determined.

11 GENERAL TEXTUAL PRINCIPLES
T h e assumptions on which we have preparedthetextare,
we
thirllr, reasonably straightforward, if not entirely conventional. Our
principal departure from current textualtheory is that we question the
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conventional meanings of text and author. For a work which varies
in a series of documents andeditions, there is no such empirical entity
as the lext. Consequently, the problem of the transmission of the text
is not a real one; rather, the real problem is to understand the character of the decisions which were responsible for the successive and
varying states of the work. Conventionally, it isassumed that only
those texts should be used for which evidence of authorial control can
be demonstrated, but, as with text, the author is a constructed entity;
not only is i t the fact that the author (conceived as a static entity) no
longer exists; it is equallythe case thatthe author (so conceived)
never did exist. Our focus, therefore, shifts from text and author conceived as static metaphysical entities to the dynamic process of creating and editing involved in the compilation of a series of documents.
Any writer’s work consists of two processes: he generates an utterance and he corrects that utterance by balancing his current conception of the coherence of what he has so far written, and his grasp
of the conventions applicable to thekind of discourse he is composing
as they then obtain andas he understands them. Thus, insteadof making a distinction between author and editor, we make a distinction
between authorial fknciion and editorial function. It appears to us
that in exercising his editorial functions the author’s basis for his activity is continually changing, andmay continue to change throughout
his life. His grasp of both the coherence of his work and of the conventions may improve or deteriorate; he
maycome to feel that the
conventions are either more
or less binding on him. Author refers,
then, not to a stable entity but to an unstable and continuously innovating continuum.
Furthermore, a writer’s attitude towards the exercise of the editorial function may vary from an insistence that he alone has the right
to exercise it to an acceptance of virtually any editorial decision made
by another. T h e explanation for this phenomenon is that the author,
asevery practicing author knows,is not necessarily theone best
equipped to balance the two demands at work in the editorialdecisionmaking process. If he is unusually intelligent and richly cultivated at
thehighcultural
level, however, theprobabilitythathe
is best
equipped increases, especially if his cultural situation is relatively limited and stable and imposes upon him a demanding notion of the editorial function. Consequently, there
is no logical difference between an
author’s exercise of the editorial function and an editor’s, who is also
an unstable and continuously innovating continuum, but
whose edi torial function is precisely the same as the author’s.
Other individuals also exercise the editorial function: the
compositor, the printer, and the copyreader. In the history of printing,
eachof these has been responsible for variants, and insofar as such
variants reflect a grasp of the coherence of the work and of current

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conventions, they cannot be classified as errors. An error is a variant
which self-evidently damages the coherence of the text and departs
from the conventions as the textual critic himself understands both
factors as they were at work in the historical situation from which the
work emerged. T h e history of printing has moved in the direction of
tryingtolimitthe
printer to errors, to trainthecompositorto
set
only what is before him, and to restrict the copyreader to the detection of errors by requiring him to refer questionable variants to the
editor and author. Actual practice varies from house to house, within
the history of each house, and according to thekind of discourse.
We also depart from one line of current textual theory by assuming that punctuation is not to be categorized as an accidental. An
accidental, we maintain, is a variant that cannot alter the semantic
function of the semiotic data. Spelling, for example, .caq &lay the
recognition of a semantic function, but if the current standard spelling can be unequivocally substituted, thenit is truly anaccidental, and
so with word divisions and the like. But whatever the semantic func-tion of punctuation may be-and
it is a matter which is little understood-everyone feels it, though some feel it more than others, and
this instability of semiotic response is also true of authors. Punctuation, under which we include paragraphing, does not merely affect
the semantic continuum; it is part of that continuum. Thus, thestudy
of a series of editorial decisions in a passage involving only punctuational variants can, and usually does, have both an interesting and an
important effect upon the interpretation of a passage. It seems to us,
therefore, that particularly in a nineteenth- or twentieth-century work,
punctuational variants must be considered as substantive changes and
so recorded.
T h e problem, then, is this. Given a work which varies in a series
of documents and editions, which document exhibits evidence of the
most adequate exercise of the editorial function, and on what grounds
is this decision to be made? Or, given a work which so varies but apparently has never had adequate editing, to what degree should the
textual editor carry out the task? T h e textual editor must recognize
that he is not restoring or establishing a text, but
is continuing the
editorialfunctioninitiated
by the author. When it
comes towhat
variants to record and what emendations to make, the textual critic
cannot console himself by falling back on a nonexistent metaphysical
entity, the author.

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111

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS IN EDITING BROWNING’SWORKS

T h e works of Browning offer few problems (though some are of
genuine interest) andprovide a great redundance of data. Aside from
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a handful of uncollected poems, all short, everything but A.~olmzdo
went through two or more editions during Browning's lifetime. Except for Pauline, Strufford, and Sordello, everything published before
1849was republishedin newly editedforminthe
1849 collection.
Strclfford and Sordello were newly edited for the collection of1863,
as were all other works in that edition. T h e 1868 collection added a
newly edited Puuline and Dramatis Personae to the other
works, which
were themselves re-edited. T h e 1888-89a collection in sixteen volumes
included everything so far published in volumes (certain poems published only in periodicals were not included; Asolando was added as
Volume XVII after Browning's death). T h e printing of this edition
was completed in J d y , 1889, and the exhaustion of some of the early
volumes led Browning to correct the first ten volumes before he left
for Italy in late August. T h e second edition of this sixteen volume
collection is dated 1889 on the title pages; the first eight volumes of
the first edition are dated 1888, the rest, 1889. We have designated
Volumes IX to XVI of the first edition 1889".
We have designated the existing manuscripts and editions either
as primary or secondary materials. T h e primary materials include:
1. T h e manuscript of each volume (when such exists; see table at
the endof preface);
2. T h e proof sheets (when such exist);
3. T h e original edition of each volume (and subsequent separate
editions when such exist);
4. T h e collected editions over which Browningexercised editorial
control:
184g-Poems by Robert Browning. Two Volumes. London:
Chapman and Hall.
I 863-The Poeticul W'orks. Three Volumes. London: Chapman
and Hall.
1868-The Poetical Works. Six Volumes. London: Smith,Elder
and Company.
1888-The Poeticul Wol-ks.Volumes 1-8. London: Smith,Elder
and Company.
188ga-The Poetical Works. Volumes 9-16. London: Smith, Elder
and Company.
1889-The Poetical Works. Volumes 1-1 6. London: Smith,Elder
and Company.(Vols. 1-10, a revision of 1888-1889a; Vols.
1 1-1 6, a reprint of 1889a).
All other relevant materials now known to exist or which may be
discovered while this edition is being prepared will be called secondary. Examples of such materials are: the copy of the first.edi tion of
PmJine which contains annotations by Browning and John Stuart
Mill; the copy of the first edition of Paracelsus which contains corX

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rections in Browning’s hand; Elizabeth Barrett’s suggestions for the
revision of A Soul’s Tragedy and certain of the short poemswhich
composed Dmmutic Romances a n d Lyrics (1845); and the edition of
Slrafford by Miss Emily Hickey for which Browning madesuggestions.
Given all these diverse materials, our first problem is to determine
the nature of the decisions for thevariants. We are concerned, of
course, with all kinds of substantive variants, not only of word and
linebut also of punctuation. That Browning was responsible for
changes of words and lines seems obvious. As far as our records indicate, no one other than
Elizabeth Barrett recommendedspecific changes
in the actual wording of Browning’s poems. Of the numerous suggestions which she made for changes in the poems which composed DmmaticRomances und Lyrics (1845), he acceptedsome and rejected
others. In the case of Pm.trceZsus, for example, there are no differences
in wording or lines between Browning’s corrected manuscript and the
printed first edition which suggest that an editor other thanBrowning
was responsible for word changes in the text. Here, then, we need ask
only if hewere also responsible for changes inpunctuation,or
if
these were imposed upon his poems by the publisher.
T o begin with available evidence, the practice of Tennyson and
of Swinburne, for example, suggests there was a strong tendency in
the nineteenth century to allow a poet general control over the punctuation of his own work. Byron (not very typically) sought editorial
help in punctuating; but, as a rule, English poets when their reputations had become established seem to have been able to insist that
even their eccentricities in pointing be followed by composi tors-both
before the 1840s, when punctuation practice tended to be more anarchic, as well as after the publication of John Wilson’s comprehensive,
systematic, and highly influential A Treatise on Grcrmrnaiicnl Pttnctuation (Manchester, 1844). Thus, the general practice today of publishers deferring to the editorial function of the author according to his
literary status seems already to have been in existence, and the similar
practice of ascribing high status to a poet, or at least higher than that
granted to a novelist, seems to have obtained.
We do know that for the final 1889 edition Browning had full
control over all variants, including punctuation. Indeed, the probabilities indicate that by at least 1863 Browning had principal control over
the editorial function. Moreover, in writing to Chapman in the 1850s
he shows concern for punctuation. (“I attach importance to the mere
stops . . . .” New Letters of Robert Brozoning, eds. William Clyde
DeVane and Kenneth Knickerbocker, New Haven, 1950, p. 83.)
Still earlier, the history of the Pm-aceZsus texts isof the highest
interest and importance. T h e manuscript of that poem exhibits either
an ignorance of punctuation conventions or a refusal toconsider them

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very seriously. For whatever reason, Browning exhibits in this manuscript a wide latitude of innovation even from a variety of conflicting
current punctuational conventions. T h e manuscript shows, however,
housestyling, orthe exercise of theeditorialfunction
by someone
other than Browning for one leaf in Act I and all but the first and
last pages of Act 111. Several other pages show editorial changes in
punctuation which may be Browning’s. What precisely happened to
the styling of some of the manuscript before it was finally printed is
uncertain. Either a new manuscript was prepared, or proof was set up
from the manuscript as it stood after partial editing and
was then
thoroughly revised. T h e manuscript shows signs of heavy use, indications for the signatures (corrected for one signature), and what are
evidently compositors’ names. T h e second possibility, then, seems the
more likely. T h e results are significant. First, although the printed
punctuation of the edited portions of the manuscript does not correspond with that editing, itis in the same style as that editing. Second,
the printed punctuation of the unedited portions is in the same style
as the printed versions of the edited portions, and thus of the editing
in the manuscript. Third, subsequent published works for which no
manuscript exists are in the same style as the printed 1835 Pnrucelszcs.
Finally, the next available manuscript of major significance, that for
Christmas-Eve and Easter-Day, prepared for the printer by Elizabeth
and Robert, shows virtually no variation from thefirst edition of 1850.
Everything leads to the probability that Browningexercised final control of the punctuation from the printed 1835 Prrrucelsus through the
rest of his career. Indeed, we are aware of Mrs. Sutherland Orr’s statement ( L f e and Letters of Robert Browning, London, 1891, p. 265)
that Browning invariably sent proof sheets of his work to his French
friend Joseph Milsand for corrections. There is no indication, however, that, in seeking such help, Browning relinquished his own final
editorial function.
All evidence,then,indicates that from 1835 onwardBrowning
was responsible for all substantive variants to be found in the several
editions of his works over which he had nominal supervision. (There
were indeed during his lifetime a number of editions and selections
over which he exercised no control and which, as a result, we have
eliminated from consideration here.)

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Iv

CHOICE OF TEXT

By 1889, Browning was the most experienced editor of his own
poetic discourse. It seems to us, therefore, that the 1889 edition of his
works provides the most satisfactory basic text, not just because it is
xii

chronologically the last one he worked on. Rather, the probability is
that in 1888 and 1889 he had a better grasp of the coherence of individual works and of this particular style of the conventions, including
the conventions of punctuation, than anyone else. T h e text we have
presented is the 1889 text for the contents of the first ten volumes,
emended only to correct a few obvious compositor’s or printer’s errors; the 1888 text for the contents of the last six volumes, emended
inthe sameway; and the 1889first edition of AsoZando, similarly
emended for the con tents of that volume. T h e text for the uncollected
material is based on the original publication. Compared with the textual critic of an Elizabethan play, the textual criticof Browning has on
the whole an easy decision to make about what edition to select as the
basis for his own text and what further editorial functions are to be
exercised.

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PRESENTATION OF VARIANTS

T h e presentation of thevariants is not conventional. Indeed,
there is no standard way to offer variants. Initially, we attempted to
follow a system sometimes adhered to but, because of the nature of
the materials, found it inadequate. We were forced therefore to improvise. We believe that the style we have adopted, which is explained
in detail below,has the advantage of presenting the history of the
variantsintheorderinwhich
they appeared,fromthe
first form
through the final one, and in a way in which the full text of each line
of each editionis most accurately and readily reconstructed.
In presenting the variants from the 1889 text we print at the bottomof the page variants found in the manuscripts, when available,
and in thefirst and subsequent editions-that is, variants found in the
primary materials. It seems to us that we can give a clearer, more concise notion of Browning’s editorial function ifwe separate primary
materials from secondary materials. Moreover, we must assume that
additional manuscripts may become available between now and the
time the last volume of this edition is published, making a supplemental volume of variants necessary. We have decided, therefore, that
i t would be logical to place all variants derived from secondary materials together in a final volume. This final volume will also include
Thomas Wentworth, E d of Stmaffod by John Forster,to which
Browning’s contribution was considerable but indeterminable.

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TABLE OF SIGNS

All signs used by Browning himself have been avoided. T h e symbols essential to an understanding of the variant notes are set out in
the following table of signs:

...

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0-8



I
11,l11,

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*

Editor’s
note
Words
omitted
Line break
Linebreakplus
oneor more
lines without internalvariants

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All variants are placed at the bottom of the page of text to which
they refer. A variant is generally preceded and followed by a pickup
and a drop word ( ( 1 ) . No note terminates with a punctuation mark unless the punctuation mark comes at the end of a line. If a variant
drops or adds a punctuation mark, the next word is added ( b ) . If the
normal pickup word has appeared previously in the same line, the
note begins with the word preceding it. If the normal drop word appears subsequently in the line, the next
word is added (c). A single
capitalized pickup word indicates the beginning of a line of poetry.
When a capitalized pickup word occurs within the line, it is accompanied by the preceding word. A single variant in the capitalization
of a word, however, is considered an internal change and does not
require a pickup and dropword ( d ) .
No pickup or drop word, however, is used for any variant consisting of an internal change, for example, a hyphen in a compounded
word, an apostrophe, a tense change, or a spelling change. Nor is a
drop word used when the variant comes at the end of a line ( e ) . 11lustrations from Sordello:
a 61 1
1840: but that appeared
1863: but thisappeared
b 1. at end of line:
1°9/
1840: it, “taken intrigue:” 1863: it,taken
intrigue.
2. 821 18$0: forests like 1863: forests, like
c 1831
1840: afterclue and 1863: after clue, and
1840: Who managed < > that night by 1863: She
managed < > that, night by night, 1888: by night
d 1 . a single capitalized pickup word:
6 1 ( 1840: Now-nor,
this 1863: Now-not this
2. a single capitalized pickup word within line:
2951 1840: at Padua to repulse 1863: at Padua who
repulsed
3. a capitalized internal change:
1840: Hell 1863: hell
e 1 . 2 8 5 ) 1840: shall 1863: should
2. at end of line:
B61
1840: sky: 1863: sky.
Each recorded variant will be assumed to be incorporated in the
next edition if there is no indication otherwise.

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3671

x iv

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Genuine accidentals which occur in the plays in the presentation
of the cast of characters, place locations, stage directions, and character designations are not listed. Specifically we do not record: I accidentals for stage directions which involve only change in manner of statement such as Enfel- Hnmpden instead of Htrmpden enlrrs (Such
accidentals are standardized to the 1889 text when they are used as
pickupordrop
words.); 2 accidentals for stage directionssuch as
Aside instead of aside, [Aside] instead of [Aside.] , [S trafford.] instead of [Strafford!] ; 3 accidentals for character designations such as
Lctcly Carlisle instead of Corlisle or Cor. All characterdesignations
which appear in variant entries will conform to the 1889 text as it
appears in this edition. In typing variants we ignore character designations unless the designation comes within a numbered line, in
which
case we treat it as any other word. In such cases, therefore, i t is used
as pickup or drop word. When it is used as a pickup word, however,
the general rule regarding pickup words which begin with a capital
letter does not apply.
Two kinds of variants which we regard as genuine accidentals
have been emended and not recorded. For a time during Browning’s
career it was the practice, as every student of Victorian literature is
aware, to precede every line of a quotation with a quotation mark.
We have eliminated all but the first and last quotation mark, in accordance with modern practice and with the practice of some of the
originalBrowningeditions.
Secondly, during most of his career,a
spacewas left in contractions of twowords; thus “it’s’’was printed
“it ’s.” These we have closed up, in accordance with modern practice.

VI

COLLATION

Finally, there remains the questionof collation within an edition.
In the first place all printings of the 1868 edition except the first have
been eliminated. Those volumeswere evidently sold separately, for
some of them were reprinted, according to the dateson the title pages,
a number of times. There is also evidence that, though the edition
may have been stereotyped, there was some resetting. Since there is no
indication that Browning had anything to do with the resetting and
since, for the reasons given above, we have decided that his editorial
decisions are to be preferred when known, we have disregarded these
versions. I n anycase, it would beimpossible to be sure that all of
them had been discovered, even a representative sampling. As for the
other editions, Browning was not a popular author and the editions
were small. A sampling of various exemplars of several editions has
not revealed a significant yield among them. However, in case of doubt
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about incomplete inking and dropped endline punctuation and
letters,
a sample collation with other exemplars of the same edition has been
undertaken.

VI1

ANNOTATIONS

Browning scholarship is not yet fully mature. T h e notes we have
presented, therefore, are not intended to be exhaustive or final. T h e
format of the edition has been planned to allow for revision of the
notes without disturbing thetext. If the text proves satisfactory, i t can
be reprinted indefinitely withnew sets ofnotes.
As a general principle, we have annotated proper names, phrases
that function as proper names, and words or groups of words the full
meaning of which requires factual, historical, or literary background.
Thus, we have attempted to hold interpretation to
a minimum, although we realize that the act of selection itself is to some extent
interpretative.
Specifically, we have annotated the following: ( 1 ) proper names;
(2) geographical locations; (3) allusions to Biblical and other literature; (4) words not included in Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Seventh Edition (since some limits must be imposed upon our work and
because this dictionary is generally accepted and readily available, We
annotate words used by Browning in a sense other than that given in
thisdictionary.Foramoreaccurateunderstanding
we have relied
heavily upon Samuel Johnson’s dictionary); and (5) other items requiring factual information which is not of current common knowledge or easily available. All passages in a language other than English
are translated into English.
Occasional quotations fromBrowning’s
sources are included whensuch source quotations seem especially pertinent and areof difficult access.
For notes, particularly on historical figures and events, we have
tended to prefer fullness and even to risk the tangential and unessential. As a result, some of the information provided maybe perhaps
unnecessary for the mature scholar. On the other hand, it is impossible to assume that all who use this edition-the ordinary reader and
the undergraduate and graduate student, for example-will be
fully
equipped to assimilate unaided all of Browning’s copious literary, historical, and mythological allusions. Thus we have directed our efforts
toward an audienceconceived as a continuum from the relatively uninformed to the trained.

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TABLE OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SHORT TITLES USED IN ANNOTATIONS

Browning

B
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A n Exposition of Browning’s Sordello, With Historical and Other Notes. David Duff. London, 1906.
Griffin and TheLife of RobertBrowning.
W. H. Griffin and
Minchin
H. C. Minchin. New York, 1910.
Holmes
“The Sources of Browning’s Sordello,”
SP
xxxiv
(‘937h 467-496,
Hood Llrs Letters of Robert Browning Collectedby Thomas J .
Wise. Thurman L. Hood. New Haven, 1933.
Orr H b k
Handbook to The
Works of RobertBrowning. Mrs.
Sutherland Orr. London,1885.
P-c
The Complete Works of Robert Browning. Eds. CharlottePorterandHelen
A. Clarke. 1 2 Volumes.New
York, 1900.
Why te
Sordello. Ed. The Rev. Arthur J. Whyte. London, 1913.
Duff

VI11

TABLE OF MANUSCRIPTS

The following manuscripts are known to exist in the locations
indicated:
Paracelsus
Forster and Dyce Collection,
Victoria and Albert Museum, Kensington
Christmas-Eve and Easter-Day
Forster and Dyce Collection,
Victoria and Albert Museum, Kensington
Dramatis Personae
Pierpont Morgan Library,New York
T h e R i n gand the Book
British Museum
Balaustion’s Adventure
Balliol College Library, Oxford
Prince Hohenstiel-Schwangau
Balliol College Library, Oxford
Ftjine nt the Fair
Balliol College Library, Oxford
Red Cotton Night-Cup Country
Balliol College Library, Oxford
Aristophnnes’ Apology
Balliol College Library, Oxford
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The Inn Album
Balliol College Library, Oxford
Of Pctcchinrotio nrld HOWH e Il/’orked i n Dislempe?.
Balliol College Library, Oxford
T h e Agnmemnon of Aeschylfts
Balliol College Library, Oxford
Lu Suisnix c l n d T h e T w o Poeis of Cyoisic
Balliol College Library, Oxford
DrnmnlicIdyls First Series
Balliol College Library, Oxford
Drnmcttic Idyls Second Series
Balliol College Library, Oxford
Jocoserio
Balliol College Library, Oxford
Ferlshtah’s Fancies
Balliol College Library, Oxford
P(tr1eyitlg.s IVith Certai?)People of Importonce in Their Dtry
Balliol College Library, Oxford
Asolando
Pierpont Morgan Library,New York

Each manuscript is fully described in this edition in the section
given to annotations on the corresponding text.

T h e following manuscripts are not known to be extant:
Pctltline
st?-ciflool-c1

Dmmntic
Sodello
Pippet Pusses
KingVictor and KingCharles
“The Essay onChatterton”“The
Dramatic
Lyrics
T h e R e l u r nof the Druses

A Blot iT1 the ’Scutcheon
Colornbe’s Birthdcty
Romcrnces a n d Lyrics
Lurin
A Soul’s T m g e d y
Essay on Shelley”
M e n u n d Women

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We should like to request that anyone with information about
any of the manuscripts which are presently unknown to the scholarly
world communicate with the Director
of the Ohio University Press,
Athens, Ohio.
sviii

F

Ix

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REQUESTFORCORRECTIONS

We have tried to make this edition free from error, but we know
that the history of printing proves that such an ambition is impossible of fulfillment. We urgently request that whoever discovers errors
will report them to the Ohio University Press, Athens, Ohio, where a
fileof such errors will be kept so that any future printings can take
advantage of such reports.

x

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We express our appreciation especially to the following: the Ohio
University Press, the Ohio University Library, and the Ohio University English Department for providing money and services which have
made it possible for us to assemble the vast materialsrequired for
preparation of this edition; T h e Armstrong-Browning Library, BaylorUniversity, Waco, Texas, and its director, Professor Jack Herring for
various favors.
T h e frontispiece, a pencil drawing by Count Ripert Monclar in
1837, represents Robert Browning ashe appeared to a veryclose
friend at the time he was writing the contents which
compose this
volume. Browning became intimate with Monclar, a young French
Royalist,in 1834 and in 1835 he dedicated Pclrclcelszls to him. T h e
drawing is here reproduced by the kind permission of the ArmstrongBrowning Library.

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xix

1837

I 840

1863
1868
1888

188ga
1889

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TABLE OF EDITIONS REFERRED TO IN VOLUME I1

Siroflord: A n Historical Tragedy.
London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, &
Longman.
Sordello.
London: Edward Moxon.
T h e Poetical Works.
Three Volumes. London: Chapman and Hall.
T h e Poetical Works.
Six Volumes. London: Smith, Elder, and Company.
T h e Poetical Works.
Volumes 1-8. London: Smith,Elder, and Company.
T h e Poetical Works.
Volumes 9-16. London: Smith, Elder, and Company.
T h e Poetical Works.
Sixteen Volumes. London: Smith, Elder, and Company.

A description of each of these maybe found in Section A, pp.
1-60 of Robert Browning: A Bibliography, 1830-1950. Compiled by
Leslie Nathan Broughton, Clark Sutherland Northrup, and Robert
Pearsall. Cornel1 University Press, 1953.

STRAFFORD
Edited by Gordon Pitts

SORDELLO
Text Edited by John Berkey
Annotations by Roma A. King, Jr.

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STRAFFORD
Edited by Gordon Pitts

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STRAFFORD
ANHISTORICALTRAGEDY

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DEDICATED, IN ALL AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATIONy

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TO

WILLIAM C. MACREADY

LONDON:
April

23, 1837.

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1837: MACREADY, ESQ. / BY / H I S MOST GRATEFUL
23, 1837.

AND

/ DEVOTED FRIEND, / R.B. / April

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PREFACE

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I had for some time been engaged in a Poem of a very different
nature, when induced to make the present attempt; and am not without apprehension thatmy eagerness to freshen a jaded mindby diverting it to the healthy natures of a grand epoch, may have operated
unfavorably on the represented play, which is one of Action in Character rather than Character inAction. To remedy this, in some degree,
considerable curtailment will be necessary, and, in a few instances, the
supplying details not required,I suppose, by the mere reader. While a
trifling success would much gratify, failure will not wholly discourage
me from another effort: experience is to come, and earnest endeavor
may yet remove many disadvantages.
The portraits are, I think, faithful; and I am exceedingly fortunate in being able, in proof of this, to refer to the subtle and eloquent
exposition of thecharacters of Eliot and Strafford,inthe
Lives of
Eminent British Statesmen now in the course of publication in Lardner’s Cyclopaedia, by a writer whom I am proud to call my friend;
and whose biographies of Hampden, Pym, and Vane, will, I am sure,
fitly illustrate the presentyear-the Second Centenary of the Trialconcerning Ship-Money. My Carlisle, however, is purely imaginary: I at
first sketched her singular likeness roughly in, as suggested by Matthew and the memoir-wri ters-but
it was too artificial, and the substi tuted outlineis exclusively from Voiture and
Waller.
T h e Italian boat-song inthe last scene is from Redi’s Bacco,
long since naturalizedinthe
joyous and delicate version of Leigh
Hunt.

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~~~~

9 Preface in

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1837 only

0

9

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DRAMATIS PERSONA.

(Theall-e-Roy1Coven1 Gol-den, May 1, 1837.)

First

the

Charles
Earl of Holland
Lord Savile
Sir Henry Vane
Wentworth, Viscount Wentworth, Earl
of S trafford

THOMPSON.
MACREADY.

John Pym
John Hampden

VANDENHOFF.
HARRIS.
J. WEBSTER.

T h e younger Vane
Denzil Hollis
Benjamin Rudyard
Nathaniel Fiennes
Earl of Loudon

MR. DALE.
HUCKEL.
TILBURY.

G . BENNET.
PRITCHARD.
WORREL.
BENDER.

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Maxwell, Ushel- of ilze Block Rod

RANSFORD.

Balfour, Constnble of the Tower
A Puritan

COLLETT.
WEBSTER.

Queen Henrietta
Lucy Percy, Countess of Carlisle

MISSVINCENT.
HELEN FAUCIT.

Pl-esbyterlans, Scots Commissionen, Adherents of Sirufford,
Secretcrries, Officers of the Caul-i clrc. T w o of Stroflod's
Children.

8 In

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1837 only

8

10

"

h

/

. _
.

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PERSONS.

CHARLES
I.

Earl of HOLLAND.
Lord SAVILE.

Sir HENRY VANE.
WENTWORTH, Viscount
WENTWORTH,
Earl of
STRAFFORD.
JOHN

PYM.

JOHN

HAMPDEN.

The younger VANE.
DENZIL HOLLIS.
BENJ A M I N RUDYARD.
NATHANIEL FIENNES.
Earl of LOUDON.
MAXWELL,
Usher of the Black Rod.
BALFOUR,
Constable of the Tower.
A Puritan.

Queen HENRIETTA.
1mcY PERCY,
Countess of Carlisle.
Presbyterians, Scots Commissioners, Aherents of Strafford, Secretaries,
Officers of the Court,Qc. T w o oj Strafford’s children.

This Page Intentionally Left Blank

STRAFFORD

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ACT I

S c E N E 1 - 4 House near Whitehall. HAMPDEN, HOLLIS,
the younger VANE,
RUDYARD, FIENNES
and many of the Presbyterian Pnrty: LOUDON
and
other Scots Commissioners.
VANE

I say, if he be here-

he (And
is here!)“
For England’s sake let every man be still
Nor speak of him, so much as say his name,
Till Pym rejoin us! Rudyard! HenryVane!
One rash conclusion may decide our course
And with it England’s fate-think-England’s
fate!
Hampden, for England’s sake they should be still!
V A N E You say so, Hollis? Well, I must be still.
I t is indeed too bitter that one man,
Any one man’s mere presence, should suspend
England’s combined endeavour: little
need
T o name him!
RUDYARD For you are his brother, Hollis!
HAMPDEN Shame onyou, Rudyard! time to tell him that,
When he forgets the Motherof us all.
RUDY ARD Do I forget her?
You talk idle hate
HAMPDEN
Against her foe: is that so strange a thing?
Is hating Wentworth all the help
she needs?
A PURITAN The Philistine strode, cursingas he went:
RUDYARD

HOLLIS

5

10

15

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8 Ed. 1837,1863,1868, 1888. No MS extant. 8 8 Stage Directions 8 1837: Commissioners:
some seated, somestanding beside a table strewn over with papers, kc. 1863:
Commissioners.
1837: here. . TI RUDYARD And here! 1863: here“ ll RUDYARD
(And here!)41 1837: us! Rudyard-Van-remember
1863: us! Rudyard!
Henry Vane!
2837: well still! 1863: Well 1868: still. 1888: still 1889:
still.
91 1837: man- 1863: man,
l0-l21
1837: man . . .ll RUDYARD You are
1863: man’s mere presenceshould suspend / England’s combined endeavour: littleneed / To
namehim! ll RUDYARD For you 1888: presence, should
151
1837: her? . . I f

.

13

20

25

30

35

40

45

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But David-five smooth pebbles from the brook
Within his scrip . . .
RUDYARD
you
as
Be
still as David!
FIENNES Here's Rudyard not ashamedto wag a tongue
Stiff with tenyears' disuse of Parliaments;
Why, when the last sat, Wentworthsat with us!
RUDYARD Let's hope for news of them now he returnsHe that was safe in Ireland, as we thought!
-But I'll abide Pym's coming.
VANE
Now, by Heaven
Then may be cool who can, silentwho willSome have a gift that way! Wentworth is here,
Here, and the King's safe closeted with him
Ere this. And when I think on all that's past
Since that man left us, how his single arm
Rolled the advancinggood of England back
And set the woeful past up in its place,
Exalting Dagon where the Ark should
be,How that man has made firm the fickle King
(Hampden, I will speak out!)"in aught hefeared
T o venture on before; taught tyranny
Her dismal trade, theuse of all her tools,
T o ply the scourge yet screw the gag so close
That strangled agony bleeds mute to death;
How he turns Ireland to a private stage
For training infant villanies, new ways
Of wringing treasure out of tears and blood,
Unheard oppressions nourished in the dark
To try how much man's nature can endure

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~~~

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~~

HAMPDEN-YOU
1863: her? HAMPDEN You
201 1837: Scrip.. .n HAMPDEN-Be
1863: Scrip. . . fl HAMPDEN Be
1837: sate sate 1863: sat sat
24-261
1837: returns: /-But Now by
1863: returns"/ He that was safe in Ireland, as
we thought! / -But Now, by
271 1837: They may be cool thatcan,silent
1863: cool whocan,silentwho
will1888: Then may
281 1837: way:
thatcan,
Wentworth hereis
1863: way! Wentworth is here,
291 1837: Here-and
1863:
Here,
and
1837: this! and 1863: this. And
1837: us-how
1863: us,
how
32( 1837: Roll'd back the good of England,roll'dit
back 1863: Rolledthe
advancinggood of England back
1837: Past place. . . 1863: place,1868: past place,
341 0 This linegivento
A PUKITAN in 1837 0
1837: be! 1863:
be1868: be,351 1837:. . . How 1863: How
1837: "Hampden
out!-in
1863: (Hampden out!)-in
371 1837: Tyranny
1868:
tyranny
40(
1837: death: 1863: death1889: death;
41(
1837:"How
1863: How
431 1837: and gore, 1863: and blood,
451 1837: Man's 1863:

231

301

31

31

361

14

50

55

60

65

70

“ I f he dies under it, what harm?
if not,
Why, one moretrick is added to the rest
Worth a king’s knowing, and what Ireland bears
England may learn to bear:-how all this while
That man has set himself to one deartask,
T h e bringing Charlesto relish more and more
Power, power without law, power and blood too
-Can I be still?
HAMPDEN
For that you should be still.
V A N E Oh Hampden, then andnow! T h e year he left us,
The People in full Parliament couldwrest
T h e Bill of Rights from the reluctantKing;
And now, he’ll find in an obscuresmall room
A stealthy gatheringof great-hearted men
That take up England’s cause: England is here!
HAMPDEN And who despairs of England?
RUDYARD
That do I,
If Wentworth comes to rule her. Iam sick
T o think her wretched masters, Hamilton,
T h e muckworm Cottington, the maniac Laud,
May yet be longed-for back again. I say,
I do despair.
VANE
And,
Rudyard,
I’ll
say this“
Which all truemen say after me, not loud
But solemnly and as you’d say a prayer!
This King, who treads our England underfoot,
Has justso much . . . it may be fear or craft,
As bids him pause at each fresh outrage; friends,
He needs some sterner hand to grasp his own,

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man’s
461 1837: n o t . . . 1863: not,
47-491
0 In 1837 these lines are
distributed among different speakers 0 1837: FIENNES Why knowing RUDYARD-And
bear. 7 V A N E . . . How 1863: bear: how
52-531
0 In 1837 these lines are
distributed among different speakers § 1837: Power. . . 7 RUDYARD Power law. . . l l
FIENNES Power too. . . / V A N E . . . Can
1863: Power, power law, power too-/
“Can
1868: too, 1888: too
541
1837: Oh,
Hampden us 1863: us, 1868:
OhHampden
551 1837: T h e People by its Parliament 1863: T h e Peopleinfull
Parliament
5 6 ) 1837: reluctant King:
1863: reluctant King;
5 7 ] 1837:
now,-he’ll
1863: now,
he’ll
591 1837: is-here!
1863: is here!
601 1837: do
I 1863: do I ,
61 1837: If Wentworth is to 1863: If Wentworth comes to
6 4 ( 1837: longed for say
1863: longed-for say,
66( 1837: And, [turning t o
the rest] all me! not loud1863: Whichall me, notloud
671 1837:
prayer: 1863: prayer!
6 8 ) 1837: This Charles, who < > under foot,
1863: This
King, who < > underfoot,
691 1837: much-it craft- 1868: m u c h . . . it

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15

75

80

85

90

95

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Some voice to ask, “Why shrink?Am I not by?”
Now, one whom England loved for serving her,
Found in his heart to say, “I know where best
The iron heel shall bruise her, forshe leans
Upon me when you trample.” Witness, you!
So Wentworth heartened Charles,so England fell.
But inasmuch as life is hard to take
From England . . .
M A N Y VOICES Go on, Vane! ’Tis well said, Vane!
V A N E Who has not so forgotten Runnymead!VOICES ’Tis well and bravely spoken, Vane! Go on!
VANE -There are some little signs of late she knows
The ground no place for her. She glances round,
Wentworth has dropped the hand, is gone his way
On other service: what if she arise?
No! the King beckons, and beside him stands
T h e same bad man once more, with the same smile
And the same gesture. Now shall England crouch,
Or catch at us and rise?
VOICES
The Renegade!
Haman! Ahithophel!
HAMPDEN
Gentlemen of the North,
It was not thus the nightyour claims were urged,
And we pronounced the League and Covenant,
T h e cause of Scotland, England’s cause as well:
Vane there, sat motionless the whole night through.
VANE Hampden!

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craft,
721 1837: shrink?-am 1868: shrink? Am
1837:”A man
that
England 1863: Now, one whom England
76-78(
1837: you! / But 1863: you! / So
Wentworthheartened Charles, so Englandfell. / But
801 1837: . . . Who
Runnymead . . . I863:-Who Runnymead!821 1837: . . There 1863:
There 1868:“There
83-86) 1837: her! no place for her! /Whenthe King
beckons-and
1863: her! She glances round, / Wentworth has dropped the hand, is gone
his way / On otherservice: what if she arise? / No! the King beckons, and 1868: her.
She
871 1837: smile, 1863: smile
8 -901
1837: same savage gesture! Now let
England / Make proof of us. fl VOICES Strike him-the Renegade- / Haman-Ahithophel!fl HAMPDEN / [ To the Scots] Gentlemen 1863: same gesture. Now shall England crouch, / Or
catch at us and rise? fl VOICES T h e Renegade! / Haman! Ahithophel! II HAMPDEN
Gentlemen 1868: crouch.
91)
1863: thus,
the
1868: thus
the
9 2 ) 1837: the
League andCovenant
1868: the League and Covenant,
1837: Of Scotlandto be
England’s well! 1863: T h e cause of Scotland, England’s 1868: well:
941 Vane,there,sate
1863: Vanethere,sat
951 1837: Hampden . . . fl FIENNES Stay

731

931

16

I

t

100

105

110

115

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Stay, Vane!
patient,
and
Be just
Vane!
VANE Mind how you counsel patience, Loudonl you
Have still a Parliament, andthis your League
T o back it; you are free in Scotland still:
While we are brothers, hope’s for England yet.
But know you wherefore Wentworth comes? to quench
This last of hopes? that he brings war with him?
Know you the man’s self? what he dares?
LOUDON
We know,
All know-’tis nothing new.
VANE
And what’s new, then,
In calling for his life? Why, Pym himselfYou must have heard-ere Wentworth dropped our cause
He would see Pym first; there were many more
Strong on thepeople’s side and friends of his,
Eliot that’s dead, Rudyard andHampden here,
But for these Wentworth cared not; only, Pym
He would see-Pym and he were sworn, ’tis said,
To live and die together; so, they met
At Greenwich. Wentworth, you are sure,was long,
Specious enough, the devil’s argument
Lost nothing onhis lips; he’d have Pym own
A patriot could not play a purer part
Than follow in his track; they two combined
Might put down England. Well,Pym heard him out;
One glance-you know Pym’s eye-one word was all:
FIENNES

LOUDON

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Vane! 7 Be patient, gallantVane! 1863: Hampden! 7 FIENNES Stay.Vanel7 Be just
andpatient, Vane!
”1 1837: anda braveLeague 1863: andthis yourLeague
1837: still1863: still:
99-100)
1837: brothers(asthesehandsareknit
/ So let
our hearts bel)-hope’s
yet! / you why this Wentworth 1863: brothers, hope’s
yet. / you wherefore Wentworth
1837: This faintest
hope
1863: This last
of hopes
lo2/ 1837: you thisWentworth?What fl LOUDEN DearVane,
1863: you
the man’s self? what 7 LOUDEN Weknow,
lo31 18?7: Weknow new . . . 7
VANE
1863: All know new. 7 V A N E
IO4/ 1837: life? WhyPym himself. . .
1863: life? Why,Pym himselflo5( 1837: ereWentworth left our
1863: ere
Wentworthdroppedour
lo7( 1837: People’s his,1863: people’s
his,
log) 1837: ButWentworth cared not for them;only
1863: But forthese
Wentworth cared not;only
1101 1837: sworn,theysay,
1863: sworn, ’tis said,
1837: together-so they 1863: together; so, they
112) 1837: At
Greenwich:
Wentworth 1863: At Greenwich. Wentworth
Ii41 1837: nothing
in his 1863:
nothing onhis
115) 1837: A Patriot notdoapurerthing
1863: patriot not
playa purerpart
li71 1837: Couldput out1863: Might put out;

17

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“You leave us, Wentworth! while your head is on,
I’ll notleave you.”
HAMPDEN
Has
he
left Wentworth,
then?
Has England lost him? Willyou let him speak,
Or putyour crude surmises in his mouth?
Away with this! Will you have Pym or Vane?
VOICES Wait Pym’s arrival! Pym shall speak.
HAMPDEN
Meanwhile
Let Loudon read the Parliament’s report
From Edinburgh: ourlast hope, as Vane says,
Is in the stand it makes. Loudon!
VANE
No, no!
Silent I can be: not indifferent!
HAMPDEN Then each keep silence, praying God to spare
His anger, cast not England quiteaway
In this her visitation!
A PURITAN
Seven
years
long
The Midianite drove Israel into dens
And caves. Till God sent fortha mighty man,

120

125

130

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PYMenters.

Even Gideon!

Wentworth’s come: nor sickness, care,
The ravaged body nor the ruined soul,
More than the winds and waves that beat his ship,
Could keep him from the
King. He has not reached
Whitehall: they’ve hurried up a Councilthere
T o lose no time andfind him work enough.
Where’s Loudon? your Scots’ Parliament . . .
PYM

135

140

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1837: us, Wentworth: while on 1863: us, Wentworth! while
on,
1837: Has‘Pym left 1863: Hashe left
1837: this! [ T o the rest] Will
1863: this! Will
124)
1837: speak! ll HAMPDEN
1863: speak. HAMPDEN
12’1
1837: VANE [ A s LOUDON is about to red]-No-no1863: VANE No, no!
1837: prayingGodaspace
1863: prayingGodtospare
1301 1837: That he will
not castEngland
1863: Hisanger,castnotEngland
1311
1837: visitation! [ A l l
assume a posture of reverence] ll APURITAN
1863: visitation! ll A PURITAN
1837: caves. ll Till
1863: caves. Till
134-1371
1837: Even Gideon! [ A l l start
up] PYM Wentworth’s come: he has 1863: Even Gideon! 7 PYM Wentworth’s come: nor
li91

1201

1291

1231

13 1

sickness, care,/ T h e ravaged body northe ruined soul,/ More than thewinds and waves that
beat his ship, / Could keep him from the King. He has
1401 1837: LOUDON Is firm:

18

LOUDON

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The King
Has justdissolved your Parliament.
LOUDON
AND
0 l H E R SCOTS
Great
God!
An oath-breaker! Standby us, England, then!
P Y M The King’s too sanguine; doubtless Wentworth’s here;
But still some little form might be kept up.
HAMPDEN Now speak, Vane! Rudyard, you had much to say!
HOLLIS T h e rumour’s false, then . . .
PYM
Ay, the Court gives out
His own concerns have brought him back: I know
’Tis theKing calls him. Wentworthsupersedes
T h e tribe of Cottingtons and Hamiltons
Whose part is played; there’s talk enough, by this,Merciful talk, the King thinks: timeis now
T o turn the record’s last and bloody leaf
Which, chronicling a nation’s great despair,
Tells they were long rebellious, and their lord
Indulgent, till, all kind expedients tried,
He drew the sword on them and reigned in peace.
Laud’s layinghis religion on the Scots
Was the last gentle entry: thenew page
Shall run, the King thinks, “Wentworth thrust it down
At the sword’s point.’’
A PURIlAN
I’ll do your bidding, Pym,
England’s and God’s-oneb