a tone of political passion in the play which, particularly in one place, breaks out in an expression which the hearers must have applied to their own country.  There is no doubt that the audience wandered away in their thoughts from Sir John Van Olden Barnavelt, the saviour of his country from the Spanish yoke, as he professed himself in his defence on his trial, and Spain’s determined enemy, to Sir Walter Raleigh, whose head had just fallen on the block, the victim of a perfidious foe and of a mean, shuffling king.  The following is the passage:—­

    Octavius, when he did affect the Empire,
    And strove to tread upon the neck of Rome
    And all her ancient freedoms, took that course
    That now is practised on you; for the Catos,
    And all free spirits slain or else proscribed,
    That durst have stirred against him, he then seized
    The Absolute rule of all. You can apply this. p. 292.

In a note Mr. Bullen informs us, that “You can apply this” is crossed through.  He does not state whether there is anything to show that this was done by Sir George Buck, Master of the Revels, and consequently Censor for the Stage.  But this would appear to be the case, the more so as the present play seems to have raised scruples in many places in the mind of the dramatic Cerberus.  It is hardly possible to imagine that the spectators did not apply the “free spirits” to Raleigh, and the “Catos” to those members who were shortly after to be imprisoned on account of a memorable protest entered in the journals of the House, which Octavius, who was trying to seize the absolute rule of all, tore out with his own royal hands.  There is a peculiar fitness in this hit at James as Octavius which probably did not escape the audience.  There is another passage, on p. 253, which, singular to say, seems to have escaped the notice of the Censor:—­

    Such mild proceedings in a Government
    New settled, whose main power had its dependence
    Upon the power of some particular men,
    Might be given way to, but in ours it were
    Unsafe and scandalous.

Vandort, the speaker here, is opposing the idea of mercy to Barnavelt.  The language is very mild, but receives a peculiar shade of meaning when read in connexion with the following passage by Massinger from the Virgin Martyr, I. 1, 236:—­

                   In all growing empires
    Even cruelty is useful; some must suffer
    And be set up examples to strike terror
    In others, though far off:  but when a state
    Is raised to her perfection, and her bases
    Too firm to shrink, or yield, we may use mercy
    And do’t with safety.