Give with our niece a dowry large enough;
For by this knot thou fhalt fo furely tie
Thy now-unfur'd affurance to the crown,
That yon green boy fhall have no fun to ripe
The bloom, that promiseth a mighty fruit.
I fee a yielding in the looks of France:
Mark, how they whisper; urge them, while their foul's 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 anfwer not the double majesties.
This friendly treaty of our threaten'd town?
K. Phil. Speak, England, firft, that hath been forward To speak unto this city: what fay you?
K. John. If that the Dauphin there, thy princely fon,,
Can in this book of beauty read, I love;
Her dowry fhall weigh equal with a Queen.
For Anjou, and fair Touraine, Maine, Poitiers, (12)}
And all that we upon this fide the sea,
Except this city now by us befieg'd,
Find liable to our crown and dignity,
Shall gild her bridal bed; and make her rich
In titles, honours, and promotions;
As the in beauty, education, blood,
(12) For ANGIER's and fair Touraine, Maine, Poitiers, And all that we upon this fide the fea,
Except this city now by us befieg'd,
Find liable, &c.] This is a remarkable inftance of careleffnes in a point that stares common fenfe full in the face: and yet thus all the Editors in their profound fagacity. What was the city behieg'd, but Angiers? King John, confenting to match the Lady Blanch with the Dauphin, agrees, in part of her dowry, to give up all he held in France, except the city of Angiers-which he now befieg'd and laid claim to. But could it be thought, that he should at one and the fame time give up all except Angers, and give up that too? I corrected this paffage in the appendix to my SHAKESPEARE. Refter d and Mr. Pope has embrac'd it in his last edition. Anjou was one of the provinces, (methinks, that gentleman might have remembered;} which the English held in France; and which the French King by Chatilion claim'd of King John in right of Duke Arthur, at the very open-ing of the play. Angiers, inftead of Anjou, has been falfaly printed. in feveral other paffages of this history.
Holds hand with any Princefs of the world.
K.Phil. What fay'it thou, boy? look in the Lady's face.
Lewis. I do, my Lord, and in her eye I find
A wonder, or a wond'rous miracle;
The fhadow 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 proteft, I never lov'd myself
Till now infixed I beheld myself,
Drawn in the flatt'ring table of her eye.
[Whispering with Blanch.. Faulc. Drawn in the flattering table of her eye! Hang'd in the frowning wrinkle of her brow! And quarter'd in her heart! he doth efpie Himfelf love's traitor; this is pity now,
That hang'd, and drawn, and quarter'd, there fhould 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 eafe tranflate it to my will:
Or if you will, to fpeak more properly,
1 will enforce it cafily 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,.
(Tho'churlish thoughts themfelves fhould be your judge);
That I can find fhould merit any hate.
K. John. What fay these young ones? what fay you,
Blanch. That he is bound in honour still to do What you in wifdom fill vouchfafe to fay.
K. John. Speak then, Prince Dauphin, can you love this Lady?
Levis, Nay, afk me, if I can refrain from love, For I do love her moft unfeignedly.
K. John. Then do I give Volqueffen, Touraine, Maine, Picturs, and Anjou, thefe five provinces, With her to thee; and this addition more, Full thirty thoufand marks of English coin
Philip of France, if thou be pleas'd withal,.
Command thy fon and daughter to join hands..
K.Phi. Itlikes us well; young Princes,clofe your hands.
Auft. And your lips too; for, I am well affur'd,
That I did fo, when I was first assur'd.
K. Philip. Now, citizens of Angiers, ope your gates,
Let in that amity which you have made:
For at St. Mary's chapel prefently
The rites of marriage fhall be folemniz'd.
Is not the Lady Conftance in this troop?
I know, he 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's fad and paffionate at your Highness' tent
K. Philip. And, by my faith, this league, that we have
Will give her fadness very little cure.
Brother of England, how may we content
This widow Lady? in her right we cames
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 Britain,
And Earl of Richmond; and this rich fair town
We make him Lord of,. Call the Lady Conftance -
Some speedy meffenger bid her repair
To our folemnity: I truft, we shall,
If not fill up the measure of her will,
Yet in fome meafure 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..
[Exeunt all but Faulconbridge..
Faulc. Mad world, mad Kings, mad compofition John, to top Arthur's title in the whole,
Hath willingly departed with a part:
And France, whofe armour Confcience buckled on,
Whom Zeal and Charity brought to the field,
As God's own foldier, rounded in the ear
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 lose
But the word maid, cheats the poor maid of that;:
That fmooth-fac'd gentleman, tickling commodity,
Commodity, the biafs of the world,
The world, which of itself is poifed well,
Made to run even, upon even ground;
Till this advantage, this vile-drawing biafs,
This fway of motion, this commodity,
Makes it take head from all indifferency,
From all direction, purpose, course, intent.
And this fame biafs, 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.-
And why rail I on this commodity?
But for because he hath not wooed me yet:
Not that I have the power to clutch my hand,
When his fair angels would falute my palm;
But that my hand, as unattempted yet,
Like a poor beggar, raileth on the rich.
Well, while I am a beggar, I will rail;
And fay, there is no fin but to be rich:
And being rich,, my virtue then fhall be,
To fay, there is no vice, but beggary.
Since Kings break faith upon commodity,
Gain, be my Lord; for I will worship thee!
ACT III.
SCENE, the French King's Pavilion
Enter Conftance, Arthur and Salisbury.
ONE to be marry'd gone to fwear a peace!
Falfe blood to falfe blood join'd! gone to be friends!
Shall Lewis have Blanch, and Blanch thofe provinces
It is not fo, thou haft mis-spoke, mif-heard.;
Be well advis'd, tell o'er thy tale again,
It cannot be; thou doft, but fay, 'tis fo.
I truft, I may not truft 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 punish'd for thus frighting me,
For I am fick, and capable of fears;
Oppreft with wrongs, and therefore full of fears
A widow, hufbandlefs, fubject to fears;
A woman, naturally born to fears,
And tho' thou now confefs thou didst but jeft,
With my vext spirits I cannot take a truce,
But they will quake and tremble all this day.
What doft thou mean by fhaking of thy head?
Why doft thou look fo fadly on my fon?
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 thefe fad figns confirmers of thy words?
Then fpeak 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 caufe to prove my faying true.
Conft. Oh, if thou teach me to believe this forrow,.
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