[252] Ben Jonson opens his “Catiline” with the ghost of Sylla “ranging for revenge,” and he was only thirteen years old, when “The Misfortunes of Arthur” was performed at Greenwich before the Queen. Hughes, doubtless, had the commencement of Seneca’s “Thyestes” in his mind, and throughout he has been indebted more or less to that and other classical authorities. The ghost of Polydorus opens the “Hecuba” of Euripides. The ghost of Gorlois in this instance speaks the prologue to the tragedy. [253] _Pheer_ is companion, and is most ordinarily applied to the male sex: Gorlois, however, refers to the infidelity of his wife. [254] Unwieldy or _unmanageable_ of herself--not having any control over her actions. The sense is a little constrained. [255] These lines as they stand in the original are nonsense-- “Whether to dround or stifll up _his_ breath, _On sorcing_ blood to dye with dint of knife.” [256] Milton has this thought, almost in the same words, allowing for the difference of an interrogation. “For where no hope is left, is left no fear.” --_Par. Reg. III. 206._ [257] The word _should_ is accidentally repeated in this line in the old copy. [258] “But yet I’ll hope the best” is by mistake given to Conan in the old copy. [259] In the old copy Mordred’s reply is made a part of Conan’s observation. [260] By an apparent error in the original the five preceding lines are given to Mordred. [261] Arthur’s name is misprinted for that of Mordred in this place in the original. [262] It stands _rooms_ in the old copy, but to make sense of the line we must read _grooms_. [Grooms is here and afterwards used in the sense of _man_.] [263] This reply, which belongs to Mordred, is given to Conan in the old copy. [264] Instead of the words “commons grudge,” “realm envies” has been substituted and wafered over the text. The alteration, like some others, seems to have been originally pasted upon the objectionable passage. [265] The following were substituted for the four preceding lines. “The first art in a kingdom is to scorn The envy of the realm. He cannot rule That fears to be envi’d. What can divorce Envy from sovereignty? Must my deserts!” [266] It does not appear whether Conan goes out, or stands by, listening to the dialogue between Mordred and Gawin in the following scene. [267] _Pejor est bello timor ipse belli_-- Seneca, Thyestes, A. III. Chor. Jasper Heywood (“Thyestes Faithfully Englished.” 1560) thus translates this passage-- “Worse is then warre it selfe the feare of fyght.” [268] [_Dulce bellum inexpertis._] [269] _i.e._, Gawin: the Herald went out before.