Auft. The peace of heaven is theirs, that lift In fuch a juft and charitable war. [their fwords K. Philip. Well then, to work; our cannon shall be bent

:

Against the brows of this refifting town.-
Call for our chiefeft men of difcipline,
To cull the plots of best advantages:
We'll lay before this town our royal bones,
Wade to the market-place in Frenchmen's blood,
But we will make it subject to this boy.

Conft. Stay for an answer to your embassy,
Left unadvis'd you stain your fwords with blood:
My lord Chatillon may from England bring
That right in peace, which here we urge in war;
And then we shall repent each drop of blood,
That hot rash hafte fo indirectly fned.

Enter Chatillon.

K. Philip. A wonder, lady!—lo, upon thy wish,
Our messenger Chatillon is arriv'd.-
What England fays, fay briefly, gentle lord,
We coldly paufe for thee; Chatillon, speak. [fiege,
Chat. Then turn your forces from this paltry
And stir them up against a mightier task.
England, impatient of your just demands,
Hath put himself in arms; the adverse winds,
Whofe leisure I have ftaid, have given him time
To land his legions all as foon as I:

His marches are expedient to this town,
His forces ftrong, his foldiers confident.
With him along is come the mother-queen,
An Ate, ftirring him to blood and ftrife;
With her, her niece, the lady Blanch of Spain;
With them a bastard of the king deceas'd:
And all the unfettled humours of the land,-
Rath, inconfiderate, fiery voluntaries,
With ladies' faces, and fierce dragons' spleens,-
Have fold their fortunes at their native homes,
Bearing their birthrights proudly on their backs,
To make a hazard of new fortunes here.
In brief, a braver choice of dauntless fpirits,
Than now the English bettoms have waft o'er,
Did never float upon the fwelling tide,
To do offence and fcath 2 in Chriftendum.
The interruption of their churlish drums

England we love; and for that England's fake,
With burthen of our armour here we fweat:
This toil of ours fhould be a work of thine;
But thou from loving England art so far,
5 That thou haft under-wrought 3 its lawful king,
Cut off the fequence of posterity,

Out-faced infant ftate, and done a rape

Upon the maiden virtue of the crown.

Look here upon thy brother Geffrey's face ;--
10 Thefe eyes, thefe brows, were moulded out of his :
This little abftract doth contain that large,
Which dy'd in Geffrey; and the hand of time
Shall draw this brief into as huge a volume.
That Geffrey was thy elder brother born,
15 And this his fon; England was Geffrey's right,
And this is Geffrey's: In the name of God,
How comes it then, that thou art call'd a king,
When living blood doth in thefe temples beat,
Which owe the crown that thou o'er-masterest?
K. Jebn. From whom haft thou this great com-
miffion, France,

20

To draw my anfwer from thy articles? [thoughts
K. Phil. From that fupernal judge, that sters good
In any breaft of strong authority,

25 To look into the blots and stains of right.
That judge hath made me guardian to this boy:
Under whofe warrant, I impeach thy wrong;
And by whofe help, I mean to chastise it.

30

35

K. John. Alack, thou dost usurp authority.
K. Phil. Excufe it; 'tis to beat ufurping down.
Eli. Who is it, thou doft call ufurper, France?
Conft. Let me make answer;---thy ufurping fon.
Eli. Out, infolent! thy baftard fhall be king;
That thou may'it be a queen, and check the world!
Conft. My bed was ever to thy fon as true,
As thine was to thy husband: and this boy
Liker in feature to his father Geffrey,

Than thou and John in manners; being as like,
As rain to water, or devil to his dam.
40 My boy a baftard!.By my foul, I think,
His father never was fo true begot;

[Drums beat. 45

Cuts off more circumftance: They are at hand,
To parley, or to fight; therefore, prepare.
K. Philip. How inuch unlook'd for is this ex-
pedition!

Auft. By how much unexpected, by fo much
We must awake endeavour for defence;
For courage mounteth with occafion :

Let them be welcome then, we are prepar'd.

Enter King John, Faulconbridge, Elinor, Blanch,
Pembroke, and others.

K. John. Peace be to France; if France in peace
Our juft and lineal entrance to our own! [permit
If not; bleed France, and peace afcend to heaven!
Whiles we, God's wrathful agent, do correct
Their proud contempt that beat his peace to heaven.
K. Philip. Peace be to England; if that war return
From France to England, there to live in peace!

It cannot be, an if thou wert his mother. [father.
Eli. There's a good mother, boy, that blots thy
Conft. There's a good grandam, boy, that would

blot thee.

Auft. Peace!

Faulc. Hear the crier.

Auft. What the devil art thou?

Faule. One that will play the devil, fir, with you, 50 An a' may catch your hide and you alone.

55

You are the hare of whom the proverb goes,
Whofe valour plucks dead lions by the beard;
Pll fioak your skin-coat, an I catch you right;
Sirrah, look to't; i'faith, I will, i'faith.

Blanch. O, well did he become that lion's robe,
That did difrobe the lion of that robe!

Faulc. It lies as fightly on the back of him,
As great Alcides' fhoes upon an afs:---
But, afs, I'll take that burden from your back;
6cOr lay on that, shall make your fhoulders crack.

Auft. What cracker is this fame, that deafs our
With this abundance of foper Auous breath? [ears
King Lewis, determine what we shall do ftrait.

That is, expeditious. 2. e. deftruction, harm. 3 i. e. undermined.

Cc4

K. Philip.

K. Philip. Women, and fools, break off your

conference.

King John, this is the very fum of all,-
England, and Ireland, Anjou, Touraine, Maine,
In right of Arthur do I claim of thee:
Wilt thou refign them, and lay down thy arms?

K.Job. My life as foon :-I do defy thee, France.
Arthur of Bretagne, yield thee to my hand;
And, out of my dear love, I'll give thee more
Than e'er the coward hand of France can win :
Submit thee, boy.

Eli. Come to thy grandam, child.

Conft. Do, child, go to it' grandam, child:
Give grandam kingdom, and it' grandam will
Give it a plum, a cherry, and a fig:
There's a good grandam.

Arth. Good my mother, peace!

15

I would, that I were low laid in my grave;
I am not worth this coil, that's made for me.
Eli. His mother shames him fo, poor boy, he 20

weeps.

Cenft. Now fhame upon you, whe'r she does, or no!
His grandam's wrongs,and not his mother's fhames,
Draw thofe heaven-moving pearls from his poor
Which heaven shall take in nature of a fee; [eyes, 25
Ay, with thefe crystal beads heaven shall be brib'd
To do him justice, and revenge on you.

Eli.Thou monstrous flanderer of heaven and earth!
Conft. Thou monftrous injurer of heaven and earth!
Call not me flanderer; thou, and thine, ufurp
The dominations, royalties, and rights,
Of this oppreffed boy: This is the eldest son's fon,
Infortunate in nothing but in thee;
Thy fins are visited in this poor child;
The canon of the law is laid on him,
Being but the fecond generation
Removed from thy fin-conceiving womb.
K. John. Bedlam, have done.
Conft. I have but this to say,

That he's not only plagued for her fin,
But God hath made her fin and her the plague
On this removed iffue, plagu'd for her,
And with her.-Plague her fon; his injury,
Her injury, the beadle to her fin,

30

K. John. For our advantage ;-Therefore, hear
us firft.--

These flags of France, that are advanced here
Before the eye and prospect of your town,
Have hither march'd to your endamagement :
The cannons have their bowels full of wrath;
And ready mounted are they, to spit forth
Their iron indignation 'gainst your walls:
All preparation for a bloody siege,

And merciless proceeding by these French,
Confronts your city's eyes, your winking gates;
And, but for our approach, those fleeping stones,
That as a waift do girdle you about,
By the compulfion of their ordinance
By this time from their fixed beds of lime
Had been dishabited, and wide havock made
For bloody power to rush upon your peace.
But, on the fight of us, your lawful king,-
Who, painfully, with much expedient march,
Have brought a countercheck before your gates,
To fave unfcratch'd your city's threaten'd cheeks,
Behold, the French, amaz'd, vouchsafe a parle;
And now, instead of bullets wrap'd in fire,
To make a fhaking fever in your walls,

35 They fhoot but calm words, folded up in smoke,
To make a faithlefs error in your ears:
Which truft accordingly, kind citizens,

And let us in, your king; whofe labour'd spirits,
Forweary'd in this action of swift speed,

40 Crave harbourage within your city walls.

K. Phil. When I have said, make answer to us Lo, in this right hand, whose protection [both. Is moft divinely vow'd upon the right

[rate:

Conft. Ay, who doubts that? a will! a wicked
A woman's will; a cankred grandam's will!
K. Philip. Peace lady; pause, or be more tempe-
It ill befeems this prefence, to cry aim3
To thefe ill-tuned repetitions.-
Some trumpet summon hither to the walls
These men of Angiers; let us hear them speak,

45

Of him it holds, stands young Plantagenet ;
Son to the elder brother of this man,

And king o'er him, and all that he enjoys:
For this down-trodden equity, we tread

In warlike march these greens before your town;
Being no further enemy to you,

50 Than the conftraint of hospitable zeal,
In the relief of this oppressed child,
Religiously provokes. Be pleafed then
To pay that duty, which you truly owe,

To him that owes 4 it; namely, this young prince: |55|And then our arms, like to a muzzled bear,

* Dr. Johnson thus explains this very obfcure paffage: "He is not only made miferable by vengeance for her fin or crime; but her fin, her offspring, and she, are made the instruments of that vengeance, on this defcendant; who, though of the fecond generation, is plagued for ber and with ber; to whom she is not only the cause but the inftrument of evil.” 2 The fame able and judicious commentator affigns the following meaning to this perplexed sentence: " Instead of inflicting vengeance on this innocent and remote defcendant, punish her fen, her immediate offspring: then the affliction will fall where it is deserved; bis injury will be ber injury, and the mifery of her fin; her fon will be a beadle, or chaftifer, to her crimes, which are now all punished in the perfon of this child." 3. c. to encourage. See note 3, p. 57. 4 i. e. owns it.

¡Much work for tears in many an English mother,
Whofe fons lye scatter'd on the bleeding ground:
Many a widow's husband groveling lies,
Coldly embracing the difcolour'd earth;
5 And victory, with little lofs, doth play
Upon the dancing banners of the French;
Who are at hand, triumphantly display'd
To enter conquerors, and to proclaim
Arthur of Bretagne, England's king and yours.
Enter English Herald, with trumpets.

25

K. Jobn. To verify our title with their lives.
K. Philip. As many, and as well-born bloods as 30
Faulc. Some baftards too.
[thofe,-

K. Pbil.-Stand in his face, to contradi&t his
claim.

55

F. Her. You men of Angiers, open wide your 60 And let young Arthur, duke of Bretagne, in; [gates Who, by the hand of France, this day hath made

1i. e. the circle. 2 i. e. command flaughter to proceed. 3 Potentates.

K. John. Whofe party do the townsmen yet ad-
mit?
[your king?
K. Phil. Speak, citizens, for England; who's
Cit. he king of England, when we know the
king.

[his right.
K. Phil. Know him in us, that here hold up
K. n. In us, that are our own great deputy,
And bear poffeffion of our perfon here;
Lord of our prefence, Angiers, and of you.

Cit. A greater power, than ye, denies all this;
And, 'till it be undoubted, we do lock

Our former fcruple in our streng-barr'd gates:
Kings of our fears; until our fears, refolv'd,
Be by fome certain king purg'd and depos'd.

5

10

Cit. Hear us, great kings: vouchsafe a while
to stay,

And I fhall fhew you peace, and fair-fac'd league;
Win you this city without ftroke, or wound;

Rescue those breathing lives to die in beds,
That here come facrifices for the field:
Perfever not, but hear me, mighty kings.

K. John. Speak on, with favour; we are bent
to hear.
[Blanch 2,
Cit. That daughter there of Spain, the lady
Is near to England: Look upon the years
Of Lewis the Dauphin, and that lovely maid:
If lufty love fhould go in queft of beauty,
Where should he find it fairer than in Blanch?

Faulc. By heaven, thefe fcroyles of Angiers 15 If zealous 3 love should go in search of virtue,

fout you, kings;

And fland fecurely on their battlements,

As in a theatre, whence they gape and point
At your induftrious fcenes and acts of death.
Your royal prefences be rul'd by me;
Do like the mutinies of Jerufalem,

Be friends a while, and both conjointly bend
Your fharpeft deeds of malice on this town:
By eaft and weft let France and England mount
Their battering cannon, charged to the mouths;
'Till their foul-tearing clamours have brawl'd down
The flinty ribs of this contemptuous city:
I'd play inceffiantly upon thele jades,
Even 'till unfenced defolation
Leave them as naked as the vulgar air.
That done, diffever your united strengths,
And part your mingled colours once again;
Turn face to face, and bloody point to point:
Then, in a moment, fortune shall cull forth
Out of one fide her happy minion;

To whom in favour the shall give the day,
And kifs him with a glorious victory.
How like you this wild counfel, mighty states?
Smacks it not fomething of the policy?

Where fhould he find it purer than in Blanch?
If love ambitious fought a match of birth,
Whofe veins bound richer blood than lady Blanch?
Such as the is, in beauty, virtue, birth,
2cIs the young Dauphin every way complete :
if not complete, oh fay, he is not the;
And the again wants nothing, to name want,
If want it be not, that she is not he:
He is the half part of a blessed man,
25 Left to be finished by fuch a she;

And the a fair divided excellence,
Whofe fulness of perfection lies in him.
Oh, two fuch filver currents, when they join,
Do glorify the banks that bound them in:

30 And two fuch fhores to two fuch treams made one,
Two fuch controlling bounds fhall you be, kings,
To thefe two princes, if you marry them.
This union fhall do more than battery can,
To our faft-clofed gates; for, at this match,
35 With fwifter fpieen + than powder can enforce,
The mouth of pallage hall we fling wide opc,
And give you entrance: but, without this match,
The fea enraged is not half fo deaf,

4

Lions more confident, mountains and rocks

K. Jcbn. Now, by the sky that hangs above our 4 More free from motion; no, not death himself

heads,

I like it well :-France, fhall we knit our powers,

And lay this Angiers even with the ground;
Then, alter, fight who shall be king of it?

Faule. An if thou haft the mettle of a king,-
Being wrong'd, as we are, by this peevish town,
Turn thou the mouth of thy artillery,
As we will ours, against thefe faucy walls:
And when that we have dafh'd them to the ground,
Why, then defy each other; and, pell-mell,
Make work upon ourselves, for heaven or hell.
K. Philip. Let it be fo: Say, where will you
affault?

K. Jobn. We from the weft will send destruction
Into the city's bofom.

Auft. I from the north.

K. Phil. Our thunder from the fouth
Shall rain their drift of bullets on this town.
Faulc. O prudent difcipline! From north to
fouth;

Auftria and France shoot in each other's mouth:

I'll ftir them to it: Come, away! away!

In mortal fury half so peremptory,

As we to keep this city.

Faule. Here's a stay,

That thakes the rotten carcafe of old death

45 Out of his rags! Here's a large mouth, indeed,
That fpits forth death, and mountains, rocks, and
Talks as familiarly of roaring lions, [feas;

As maids of thirteen do of puppy-dogs!
What cannoneer begot this lufty blood?
5cHe speaks plain cannon,fire,and smoak,and bounce;
He gives the baftinado with his tongue;
Our ears are cudgel'd; not a word of his,
But buffets better than a fift of France:
Zounds! I was never fo bethumpt with words,
55 Since I first call'd my brother's father, dad.

Eli. Son, lift to this conjunction,make this match;
Give with our niece a dowry large enough:
For by this knot thou shalt so surely tie
Thy now unfur'd affurance to the crown,
6c That yon green boy shall have no fun to ripe
The bloom that promiseth a mighty fruit.

2 The Lady Blanch was niece to king John by his fifter * Our author ufes filen for any violent hurry, or tumultuous speed.

Are

1 i. e. fcabby, fcrophulous fellows. Elanor.

3 i. c. pious.

Are capable of this ambition;

Left zeal, now melted: by the windy breath
Of foft petitions, pity, and remorse,
Cool and congeal again to what it was.

Cit. Why answer not the double majesties
This friendly treaty of our threaten'd town?

Command thy fon and daughter to join hands.
K. Phil. It likes us well;-Young princes,
close your hands.

Auft. And your lips too; for, I am well affur'd, 5 That I did fo, when I was firft affur'd2.

K. Phil. Now, citizens of Ang ers, ope your gates,
Let in that amity which you have made;
For at St. Mary's chapel, presently,
The rites of marriage fhall be folemniz'd.-

K. Phil. Speak England first, that hath been for-
To speak unto this city: What say you? [ward first
K. John. If that the Dauphin there, thy princely
Can in this book of beauty read, I love, [fon, ro Is not the lady Constance in this troop?-

Her dowry shall weigh equal with a queen:
For Anjou, and fair Touraine, Maine, Poitiers,
And all that we upon this fide the fea

(Except this city now by us befieg'd)

Find liable to our crown and dignity,

15

Shall gild her bridal bed; and make her rich
In titles, honours, and promotions,
As the in beauty, education, blood,
Holds hand with any princess of the world. [face.
K. Phil. What say'st thou, boy? look in the lady's 20
Lewis. I do, my lord; and in her eye I find
A wonder, or a wondrous miracle,
The shadow of myself form'd in her eye;
Which, being but the fhadow of your fon,
Becomes a fun, and makes your fon a fhadow:
I do protest, I never lov'd myself,
'Till now infixed I beheld myself,
Drawn in the flattering table of her eye.

I know, fhe is not; for this match, made up,
Her prefence would have interrupted much:
Where is the and her fon; tell me, who knows?
Lewis. She is fad and paffionate at your high-
nefs' tent.
[have made,
K. Pbil. And, by my faith, this league, that we
Will give her fadnefs very little cure.-
Brother of England, how may we content
This widow lady? In her right we came;
Which we, God knows, have turn'd another way,
To our own vantage.

K. John. We will heal up all:

For we'll create young Arthur duke of Bretagne,
And earl of Richmond; and this rich fair town
25 We make him lord of.-Call the lady Conftance;
Some speedy meffenger bid her repair
To our folemnity :-I trust we shall,
If not fill up the measure of her will,
Yet in fome measure fatisfy her fo,
That we shall stop her exclamation.
Go we, as well as hafte will fuffer us,
To this unlook'd for unprepared pomp.

[Whispers with Blanch. Faulc. Drawn in the flattering table of her eye!-30 Hang'd in the frowning wrinkle of her brow!And quarter'd in her heart!-he doth espy Himfelf love's traitor: This is pity now, That hang'd, and drawn, and quarter'd, there should be,

In fuch a love, fo vile a lout as he.

Blanch. My uncle's will, in this refpect, is mine:
If he fee ought in you, that makes him like,
That any thing he fees, which moves his liking,
I can with ease translate it to my will;
Or, if you will, (to speak more properly)

I will enforce it easily to my love.
Further I will not flatter you, my lord,

That all I fee in you is worthy love,

Than this, that nothing do I fee in you,
(Though churlish thoughts themfelves fhould be
your judge)

That I can find should merit any hate.

K. John. What say these young ones? What
fay you, my niece?

Blanch. That the is bound in honour still to do
What you in wisdom ftill vouchfafe to fay.
K. John. Speak then, prince Dauphin; can you
love this lady?

Lewis. Nay, ask me if I can refrain from love;
For I do love her most unfeignedly. [Maine,

K. John. Then do I give Volqueffen ', Touraine,
Poitiers, and Anjou, these five provinces,
With her to thee; and this addition more,
Full thirty thousand marks of English coin.-
Philip of France, if thou be pleas'd withal,

[Exeunt all but Faulconbridge. Faule. Mad world! mad kings! mad compofi35 John, to ftop Arthur's title in the whole, [tion! Hath willingly departed 3 with a part:

And France, (whose armour confcience buckled on;
Whom zeal and charity brought to the field,
As God's own foldier) rounded in the ear
40 With that fame purpofe-changer, that fly devil;
That broker, that ftill breaks the pate of faith;
That daily break-vow; he that wins of all,
Of kings, of beggars, old men, young men, maids,
(Who having no external thing to lofe

45 But the word maid, cheats the poor maid of that)
That fmooth-fac'd gentleman, tickling commo-
Commodity 5, the bias of the world; [dity,-
The world, who of itself is peifed well,
Made to run even, upon even ground;
50'Till this advantage, this vile drawing bias,
This fway of motion, this commodity,
Makes it take head from all indifferency,
From all direction, purpose, course, intent:
And this fame bias, this commodity,
This bawd, this broker, this all-changing word,
Clapt on the outward eye of fickle France,
Hath drawn him from his own determin'd aid,
From a refolv'd and honourable war,
To a moft bafe and vile-concluded peace.--

55

60 And why rail I on this commodity?
But for because he hath not woo'd me yet:
2. e. affianced, contraFed,
4 i. e. whispered in the ear. si. c. intereft.

This is the ancient name for the country now called the Vexin. 3 To part and to depart were formerly fynonymous.

No