| Original text | Modern text | Key line |
| This once again (but that your Highnes pleas'd) | This ‘ once again,’ but that your highness pleased, | KJ IV.ii.3 |
| Was once superfluous: you were Crown'd before, | Was once superfluous. You were crowned before, | KJ IV.ii.4 |
| And that high Royalty was nere pluck'd off: | And that high royalty was ne'er plucked off, | KJ IV.ii.5 |
| The faiths of men, nere stained with reuolt: | The faiths of men ne'er stained with revolt; | KJ IV.ii.6 |
| Fresh expectation troubled not the Land | Fresh expectation troubled not the land | KJ IV.ii.7 |
| With any long'd-for-change, or better State. | With any longed-for change or better state. | KJ IV.ii.8 |
| | | |
| But that your Royall pleasure must be done, | But that your royal pleasure must be done, | KJ IV.ii.17 |
| This acte, is as an ancient tale new told, | This act is as an ancient tale new told, | KJ IV.ii.18 |
| And, in the last repeating, troublesome, | And in the last repeating troublesome, | KJ IV.ii.19 |
| Being vrged at a time vnseasonable. | Being urged at a time unseasonable. | KJ IV.ii.20 |
| | | |
| When Workemen striue to do better then wel, | When workmen strive to do better than well, | KJ IV.ii.28 |
| They do confound their skill in couetousnesse, | They do confound their skill in covetousness; | KJ IV.ii.29 |
| And oftentimes excusing of a fault, | And oftentimes excusing of a fault | KJ IV.ii.30 |
| Doth make the fault the worse by th'excuse: | Doth make the fault the worse by th' excuse, | KJ IV.ii.31 |
| As patches set vpon a little breach, | As patches set upon a little breach | KJ IV.ii.32 |
| Discredite more in hiding of the fault, | Discredit more in hiding of the fault | KJ IV.ii.33 |
| Then did the fault before it was so patch'd. | Than did the fault before it was so patched. | KJ IV.ii.34 |
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| Then I, as one that am the tongue of these | Then I, as one that am the tongue of these | KJ IV.ii.47 |
| To sound the purposes of all their hearts, | To sound the purposes of all their hearts, | KJ IV.ii.48 |
| Both for my selfe, and them: but chiefe of all | Both for myself and them – but, chief of all, | KJ IV.ii.49 |
| Your safety: for the which, my selfe and them | Your safety, for the which myself and them | KJ IV.ii.50 |
| Bend their best studies, heartily request | Bend their best studies – heartily request | KJ IV.ii.51 |
| Th'infranchisement of Arthur, whose restraint | Th' enfranchisement of Arthur, whose restraint | KJ IV.ii.52 |
| Doth moue the murmuring lips of discontent | Doth move the murmuring lips of discontent | KJ IV.ii.53 |
| To breake into this dangerous argument. | To break into this dangerous argument: | KJ IV.ii.54 |
| If what in rest you haue, in right you hold, | If what in rest you have in right you hold, | KJ IV.ii.55 |
| Why then your feares, which (as they say) attend | Why then your fears, which, as they say, attend | KJ IV.ii.56 |
| The steppes of wrong, should moue you to mew vp | The steps of wrong, should move you to mew up | KJ IV.ii.57 |
| Your tender kinsman, and to choake his dayes | Your tender kinsman, and to choke his days | KJ IV.ii.58 |
| With barbarous ignorance, and deny his youth | With barbarous ignorance, and deny his youth | KJ IV.ii.59 |
| The rich aduantage of good exercise, | The rich advantage of good exercise. | KJ IV.ii.60 |
| That the times enemies may not haue this | That the time's enemies may not have this | KJ IV.ii.61 |
| To grace occasions: let it be our suite, | To grace occasions, let it be our suit, | KJ IV.ii.62 |
| That you haue bid vs aske his libertie, | That you have bid us ask, his liberty; | KJ IV.ii.63 |
| Which for our goods, we do no further aske, | Which for our goods we do no further ask | KJ IV.ii.64 |
| Then, whereupon our weale on you depending, | Than whereupon our weal, on you depending, | KJ IV.ii.65 |
| Counts it your weale: he haue his liberty. | Counts it your weal he have his liberty. | KJ IV.ii.66 |
| | | |
| This is the man should do the bloody deed: | This is the man should do the bloody deed; | KJ IV.ii.69 |
| He shew'd his warrant to a friend of mine, | He showed his warrant to a friend of mine. | KJ IV.ii.70 |
| The image of a wicked heynous fault | The image of a wicked heinous fault | KJ IV.ii.71 |
| Liues in his eye: that close aspect of his, | Lives in his eye; that close aspect of his | KJ IV.ii.72 |
| Do shew the mood of a much troubled brest, | Does show the mood of a much troubled breast, | KJ IV.ii.73 |
| And I do fearefully beleeue 'tis done, | And I do fearfully believe 'tis done, | KJ IV.ii.74 |
| What we so fear'd he had a charge to do. | What we so feared he had a charge to do. | KJ IV.ii.75 |
| | | |
| And when it breakes, I feare will issue thence | And when it breaks, I fear will issue thence | KJ IV.ii.80 |
| The foule corruption of a sweet childes death. | The foul corruption of a sweet child's death. | KJ IV.ii.81 |
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| Indeed we heard how neere his death he was, | Indeed we heard how near his death he was, | KJ IV.ii.87 |
| Before the childe himselfe felt he was sicke: | Before the child himself felt he was sick. | KJ IV.ii.88 |
| This must be answer'd either heere, or hence. | This must be answered – either here or hence. | KJ IV.ii.89 |
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| Stay yet (Lord Salisbury) Ile go with thee, | Stay yet, Lord Salisbury. I'll go with thee, | KJ IV.ii.96 |
| And finde th'inheritance of this poore childe, | And find th' inheritance of this poor child, | KJ IV.ii.97 |
| His little kingdome of a forced graue. | His little kingdom of a forced grave. | KJ IV.ii.98 |
| That blood which ow'd the bredth of all this Ile, | That blood which owed the breadth of all this isle, | KJ IV.ii.99 |
| Three foot of it doth hold; bad world the while: | Three foot of it doth hold – bad world the while! | KJ IV.ii.100 |
| This must not be thus borne, this will breake out | This must not be thus borne; this will break out | KJ IV.ii.101 |
| To all our sorrowes,and ere long I doubt. | To all our sorrows, and ere long, I doubt. | KJ IV.ii.102 |
| | | |
| Who brought that Letter from the Cardinall? | Who brought that letter from the Cardinal? | KJ IV.iii.14 |
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| Sir, sir, impatience hath his priuiledge. | Sir, sir, impatience hath his privilege. | KJ IV.iii.32 |
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| Oh death, made proud with pure & princely beuty, | O death, made proud with pure and princely beauty! | KJ IV.iii.35 |
| The earth had not a hole to hide this deede. | The earth had not a hole to hide this deed. | KJ IV.iii.36 |
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| All murthers past, do stand excus'd in this: | All murders past do stand excused in this. | KJ IV.iii.51 |
| And this so sole, and so vnmatcheable, | And this, so sole and so unmatchable, | KJ IV.iii.52 |
| Shall giue a holinesse, a puritie, | Shall give a holiness, a purity, | KJ IV.iii.53 |
| To the yet vnbegotten sinne of times; | To the yet-unbegotten sin of times, | KJ IV.iii.54 |
| And proue a deadly blood-shed, but a iest, | And prove a deadly bloodshed but a jest, | KJ IV.iii.55 |
| Exampled by this heynous spectacle. | Exampled by this heinous spectacle. | KJ IV.iii.56 |
| | | |
| Pem. Big. | PEMBROKE and BIGOT | |
| Our soules religiously confirme thy words. | Our souls religiously confirm thy words. | KJ IV.iii.73 |
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| Cut him to peeces. | Cut him to pieces! | KJ IV.iii.93.1 |
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| There tel the king, he may inquire vs out. | There tell the King he may inquire us out. | KJ IV.iii.115 |
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| Vp once againe: put spirit in the French, | Up once again! Put spirit in the French; | KJ V.iv.2 |
| If they miscarry: we miscarry too. | If they miscarry, we miscarry too. | KJ V.iv.3 |
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| They say King Iohn sore sick, hath left the field. | They say King John, sore sick, hath left the field. | KJ V.iv.6 |
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| It is the Count Meloone. | It is the Count Melun. | KJ V.iv.9.1 |
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| His Highnesse yet doth speak, & holds beleefe, | His highness yet doth speak, and holds belief | KJ V.vii.6 |
| That being brought into the open ayre, | That, being brought into the open air, | KJ V.vii.7 |
| It would allay the burning qualitie | It would allay the burning quality | KJ V.vii.8 |
| Of that fell poison which assayleth him. | Of that fell poison which assaileth him. | KJ V.vii.9 |
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| He is more patient | He is more patient | KJ V.vii.11.2 |
| Then when you left him; euen now he sung. | Than when you left him. Even now he sung. | KJ V.vii.12 |