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Of soft petitions, pity, and remorse,

Cool and congeal again to what it was.

1 Cit. Why answer not the double majesties This friendly treaty of our threatened town?

K. Phi. Speak England first, that hath been forward first

To speak unto this city. What say you?

K. John. If that the dauphin there, thy princely

son,

Can in this book of beauty read, I love,

Her dowry shall weigh equal with a queen;

For Anjou, and fair Touraine, Maine, Poictiers,
And all that we upon this side the sea
(Except this city now by us besieged)
Find liable to our crown and dignity,

Shall gild her bridal bed, and make her rich
In titles, honors, and promotions,

As she in beauty, education, blood,

Holds hand with any princess of the world.

K. Phi. What say'st thou, boy? Look in the lady's

face.

Lew. I do, my lord, and in her eye I find

A wonder, or a wondrous miracle,

The shadow of myself formed in her eye;
Which, being but the shadow of your son,
Becomes a sun, and makes your son a shadow.
I do protest, I never loved myself,

Till now infixed I beheld myself

Drawn in the flattering table1 of her eye.

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[Whispers with BLANCH.

· Bast. Drawn in the flattering table of her eye!— Hanged in the frowning wrinkle of her brow!

And quartered in her heart!-He doth espy

Himself love's traitor. This is pity now,

That hanged, and drawn, and quartered, there should

be,

In such a love, so vile a lout as he.

1 The table is the plain surface on which any thing is depicted or written (tablette, Fr.).

Blanch. My uncle's will, in this respect, is mine. If he see aught in you, that makes him like,

That any thing he sees, 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 see in you is worthy love,
Than this, that nothing do I see in you,

(Though churlish thoughts themselves should be your judge,)

That I can find should merit any hate.

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

Blanch. That she is bound in honor still to do What you in wisdom shall vouchsafe to say.

K. John. Speak, then, prince Dauphin; can you love this lady?

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

K. John. Then do I give Volquessen,1 Touraine,
Maine,

Poictiers, 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 pleased withal,
Command thy son and daughter to join hands.

K. Phi. It likes us well.-Young princes, close your hands.

Aust. And your lips, too; for I am well assured That I did so, when I was first assured.2

K. Phi. Now, citizens of Angiers, ope your gates; Let in that amity which you have made; For, at Saint Mary's chapel, presently, The rites of marriage shall be solemnized.

1 This is the ancient name for the country now called the Vexin, in Latin, Pagus Velocassinus. That part of it called the Norman Vexin was in dispute between Philip and John. This and the subsequent line (except the words "do I give ") are taken from the old play.

cept

2 Affianced, contracted.

Is not the lady Constance in this troop?

I know she is not; for this match, made up,
Her presence would have interrupted much.-
Where is she and her son? Tell me, who knows.
Lew. She is sad and passionate1 at your highness'

tent.

K. Phi. And, by my faith, this league, that we have made,

Will give her sadness very little cure.—
Brother of England, how may we content
This widow lady? In her right we came;

Which we, God knows, have turned another way,
To our own vantage.

We will heal up all;

K. John.
For we'll create young Arthur duke of Bretagne,
And earl of Richmond; and this rich, fair town
We make him lord of.-Call the lady Constance;
Some speedy messenger bid her repair
To our solemnity.—I trust we shall,
If not fill up the measure of her will,
Yet in some measure satisfy her so,
That we shall stop her exclamation.
Go we, as well as haste will suffer us,

To this unlooked-for, unprepared pomp.

[Exeunt all but the Bastard.-The Citizens retire from the walls.

Bast. Mad world! mad kings! mad composition! John, to stop Arthur's title in the whole,

Hath willingly departed 2 with a part;

And France, (whose armor conscience buckled on ;
Whom zeal and charity brought to the field,

3

As God's own soldier,) rounded 3 in the ear

1 Passionate here means agitated, perturbed, a prey to mournful sensations, not moved or disposed to anger. Thus in the old play, entitled, The true Tragedie of Richard, Duke of York, 1600 :—

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Tell me, good madam,

Why is your grace so passionate of late?"

2 To part and depart were formerly synonymous.

3 To round or rown in the ear is to whisper; from the Saxon runian, susurrare. The word and its etymology is fully illustrated by Casaubon, in his Treatise de Ling. Saxonica, and in a Letter by Sir H. Spelman, published in Wormius, Literatura Runica. Hafniæ, 1651, p. 4.

With that same purpose-changer, that sly devil;
That broker, that still 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 lose

;

But the word maid,-cheats the poor maid of that
That smooth-faced gentleman, tickling commodity,'-
Commodity, the bias of the world;

The world, who of itself is peised well,
Made to run even, upon even ground;
Till this advantage, this vile drawing bias,
This sway of motion, this commodity,
Makes it take head from all indifferency,
From all direction, purpose, course, intent;-
And this same bias, this commodity,

This bawd, this broker, this all-changing word,
Clapped on the outward eye of fickle France,
Hath drawn him from his own determined aid,
From a resolved and honorable war,
To a most base and vile-concluded peace.-
And why rail I on this commodity?

2

But for because he hath not wooed me yet.
Not that I have the power to clutch my hand,
When his fair angels would salute my palm;
But for3 my hand, as unattempted yet,
Like a poor beggar, raileth on the rich.
Well, whiles I am a beggar, I will rail,
And say, there is no sin, but to be rich;
And being rich, my virtue then shall be,
To say, there is no vice, but beggary.
Since kings break faith upon commodity,
Gain, be my lord! for I will worship thee!

[Exit.

1 Commodity is interest, advantage. So Baret :-"What fruite or commoditie had he by this his friendship?"

2 Coin.

3 i. e. but cause.

4 In the old copy, the Second Act extends to the end of the speech of lady Constance, in the next scene, at the conclusion of which, she throws herself on the ground. The present division, which was made by Theobald, is certainly right.

ACT III.

SCENE I. The same. The French King's Tent.

Enter CONSTANCE, ARTHUR, and Salisbury.

Const. Gone to be married! gone to swear a peace!

False blood to false blood joined! gone to be friends! Shall Lewis have Blanch? and Blanch those prov

inces?

It is not so; thou hast misspoke, misheard;
Be well advised, tell o'er thy tale again.
It cannot be; thou dost but say, 'tis so.
I trust I may not trust thee; for thy word
Is but the vain breath of a common man ;
Believe me, I do not believe thee, man;
I have a king's oath to the contrary.
Thou shalt be punished for thus frighting me,
For I am sick, and capable of fears;

1

Oppressed with wrongs, and therefore full of fears;
A widow, husbandless, subject to fears;

A woman, naturally born to fears;

And though thou now confess, thou didst but jest,
With my vexed spirits I cannot take a truce,
But they will quake and tremble all this day.
What dost thou mean by shaking of thy head?
Why dost thou look so sadly on my son?

What means that hand upon that breast of thine ?
Why holds thine eye that lamentable rheum,
Like a proud river peering o'er his bounds?
Be these sad signs confirmers of thy words?
Then speak again; not all thy former tale,
But this one word, whether thy tale be true.

Sal. As true, as, I believe, you think them false,
That give you cause to prove my saying true.
Corst. O, if thou teach me to believe this sorrow,

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