Page images
PDF
EPUB

As fhe in beauty, education, blood,

Holds hand with any Princess of the world.

K. Phil. What fay'ft 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 *.
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 flatt'ring table of her eye! Hang'd in the frowning wrinkle of her brow! And quarter'd in her heart! he doth efpy

Himself 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 respect is mine.
If he see aught 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 fpeak more properly,
I will inforce 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 themselves fhould be your That I can find should merit any hate.

[judge) K. John. What fay these young ones? what fay you, my niece?

Blanch. That fhe is bound in honour ftill to do What you in wifdom ftill vouchfafe to say.

K. John. Speak then, Prince Dauphin, can you love this Lady?

Lewis. 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, Poitiers, and Anjou, these five provinces,

--wondrous miracle;

The fhadow of myself form'd in her eye;
Which being but the fhadow of your fon,
Becomes a fun, and makes your son a shadow.
I do proteft, &c.

With her to thee; and this addition more,
Full thirty thousand marks of English coin.
Philip of France, if thou be pleas'd withal,
Command thy fon and daughter to join hands.
K.bil. It likes us well; young princes, clofe your
hands*

Now, citizens of Angiers, ope your gates,
Let in that amity which you have made;
For at Saint Mary's chapel prefently
The rites of marriage fhall be folemniz'd.
Is not the Lady Conftance in this troop?
I know she is not; for this match made up
Her prefence would have interrupted much.
Where is she and her son, tell me, who knows?
Lewis. She's fad and paffionate at your Highness'

tent.

[made,

K.Phil. And, by my faith, this league that we have
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
We make him Lord of. Call the Lady Conftance;
Some fpeedy meffenger bid her repair
To our folemnity. I truft 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 suffer us,
To this unlook'd for, unprepared pomp.

S C

[Exeunt all but Faulconbridge.

[blocks in formation]

Faulc. Mad world, mad Kings, mad compofition! John, to ftop Arthur's title in the whole,

-clofe your hands.

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

K. Phil. Now, citizens, c.

Dda

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 soldier, 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 lofe

But the word maid, cheats the poor maid of that;
That fmooth-fac'd gentleman, tickling Commodity,-
Commodity, the bias of the world,

"The world, which of itself is poised well,
"Made to run even upon even ground;
"Till this advantage, this vile-drawing bias,
"This fway of motion, this Commodity,
"Makes it take head from all indifferency,
"From all direction, purpofe, course, intent.
And this fame bias, this Commodity,

This bawd, this broker, this all-changing word,
Clapp'd 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 shall be,
To fay, there is no vice but beggary.
Since Kings break faith upon commodity,

Gain, be my Lord; for I will worship thee! [Exit.

ACT III.

Conft.

SCENE I.

The French King's pavilion.

Enter Conftance, Arthur, and Salisbury.

G

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 those provinces ?
It is not fo; thou haft mif-fpoke, 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;
Opprefs'd with wrongs, and therefore full of fears;
A widow, husbandlefs, fubject to fears;
A woman, naturally born to fears :

And though thou now confefs thou didft but jeft,
With my vex'd fpirits I cannot take a truce;
But they will quake and tremble all this day.
What doft thou mean by shaking 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 these fad fighs 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 falfe,
caufe to prove my saying true.

That gave you

Conft. Oh, if thou teach me to believe this forrow, Teach thou this forrow how to make me die;

And let belief and life encounter fo,

As doth the fury of two defp'rate men,

Which in the very meeting fall- and die.

Lewis wed Blanch! O boy, then where art thou? France friend with England! what becomes of me?

Fellow, be gone, I cannot brook thy fight*.

[ocr errors]

Arth. I do befeech you, mother, be content.

Conft. "If thou that bidd'ft me be content, wert grim,

Ugly, and fland'rous to thy mother's womb, "Full of unpleafing blots, and fightless stains, "Lame, foolish, crooked, fwart, prodigious, "Patch'd with foul moles, and eye-offending marks; "I would not care; I then would be content,

For then I fhould not love thee: no, nor thou "Become thy great birth, nor deferve a crown. "But thou art fair, and at thy birth, dear boy! "Nature and Fortune join'd to make thee great. "Of nature's gifts thou may'ft with lilies boast, "And with the half-blown rofe." But Fortune, oh ! She is corrupted, chang'd, and, won from thee, Adulterates hourly with thine uncle John; And with her golden hand hath pluck'd on France To tread down fair refpect of fovereignty, And made his Majefty the bawd to theirs. France is a bawd to Fortune, and to John : That ftrumpet Fortune, that ufurping John! Tell me, thou fellow, is not France forfworn? Invenom him with words; or get thee gone, And leave thefe woes alone, which I alone Am bound to underbear.

Sal. Pardon me, Madam,

I may not go without you to the Kings.

Conft. Thou may'ft, thou fhalt, I will not go

I will inftruct my forrows to be proud:
For grief is proud, and makes his owner ftout.
To me, and to the state of my great grief,
Let Kings affemble: for my grief's fo great,
That no fupporter but the huge firm earth

brook thy fight.

This news hath made thee a moft ugly man.

Sal. What other harm have I, good Lady, done,

But fpoke the harm that is by others done?
Conft. Which harm within itself fo heinous is,

As it makes harmful all that fpeak of it.
Arth. I do befecch you, &e.

with

[thee.

« PreviousContinue »