Aust. Aud your lips too; for, I am well
assured,

That I did so, when I was first assured.
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 ritesf marriage shall be solemnized.-
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
[ness' tent.
Lew. She is sad and passionate t at your high.
K. Phi. And, by my faith, this league, that
we have made,

knows.

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 turn'd another
To our own vantage ‡.

And France,(whose armour conscience buckled
Whom zeal and charity brought to the field, (ou;
As God's own soldier,) rounded § in the ear
With that same purpose-changer, that sly devil;
That broker, that still breaks the pate of faith;
That daily break-vow; be that wins of all,
Of kings, of beggars, old inen, young men,
maids ;-

Who having no external thing to lose
But the word maid,-cheats the poor maid of
that;
[modity-
That smooth-faced gentleman, tickling com
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 indiferency,
From all direction, purpose, course, intent:
And this same bias, this commodity,
[way,This bawd, this broker, this all-changing word,
Clapp'd on the outward eye of fickle France,
Hath drawn him from his own determined aid,
From a resolved and honourable war,
To a most base and vile-concluded peace.—
And why rail I on this commodity?
But for because he hath not woo'd ine yet:
Not that I have the power to clutch** my hand,
When his fair angels tt would salate my palin:
But for 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, iny virtue then shall be, i
To say,-there is no vice, but beggary:
Since kings break faith upon commodity,
Gain, be iny lord1 for I will worship thee!
[Zar'.

K. John. We will heal up all; [tagne,
For we'll create young Arthur duke of Bre-
And earl of Richmond; and this rich fair town
We make him lord of.-Call the lady Con-
Some speedy messenger bid her repair [stauce;
To our solemnity:-1 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 unlook'd for, unprepared pomp.
[Exeunt all but the Bastard.-The Citizens
retire from the walls,

Bast. Mad world! mad kings! mad com-
position!

John, to stop Arthur's title in the whole,
Hath willingly departed with a part:

ACT III.

SCENE I. The same. The French King's | But they will quake and tremble all this day.

Tent.

Enter CONSTANCE, ARTHUR, & SALISBURY.
Const. Gone to be married! gone to swear
a peace!
[friends!
False blood to false blood join'd! Gone to be
Shall Lewis have Blanch? and Blanch those
provinces?

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:
1 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 punish'd for thus frighting me,
For I am sick, and capable of fears; [fears;
Oppress'd with wrongs, and therefore full of
A widow, husbandless, subject to fears;
A woman, naturally born to fears; [jest,
And though thou now confess, thou didst but
With my vex'd spirits I cannot take a truce,

sorrow,

Teach thou this sorrow how to make me die;
And let belief and life encounter so,
As doth the fury of two desperate men,
Which, in the very meeting, fail, and die.---
Lewis marry Blanch! O, boy, then where art
thou?
[or me?--

France friend with England! what becomes
Fellow, be gone; I cannot brook thy sight;
This news hath made thee a most ugly m.in.
Advantag
** Clasp. tt Coin.

* Affianced. + Mournful. Poised, balanced.

Conspired.
Susceptible.

Interest. .§§ Appearing.

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

But spoke the harm that is by others done?
Const. Which harm within itself so heinous is,
As it makes harmful all that speak of it.
Arth. I do beseech you, madam, be content.
Const. If thou, that bidd'st me be content,
wert grim,

Ugly, and sland'rous to thy mother's womb,
Full of unpleasing blots, and sightless stains,
Lame, foolish, crooked, swart, prodigious †,
Patch'd with foul moles, and eye-offending
marks,

I would not care, I then would be content;
For then I should not love thee; no, nor thou
Become thy great birth, nor deserve 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'st with lilies boast,
And with the half-blown rose: but fortune, Q!
She is corrupted, changed, and won from thee;
She adulterates hourly with thine uncle John;
And with her golden hand hath pluck'd on
France

But on this day, let seamen fear no wreck;
No bargains break, that are not this day made:
This day, all things begun come to ill end;
Yea, faith itself to hollow falsehood change!
K. Phi. By heaven, lady, you shall have no

canse

terfeit,

To curse the fair proceedings of this day:
Have I not pawn'd to yon my majesty?
Const. You have beguiled me with a coun-
[and tried,
Resembling majesty; which, being touch'd,
Proves valueless: You are forsworn, forsworn;
You came in arms to spill mine enemies' blood,
But now in arms you strengthen it with yours:
The grappling vigour and rough frown of war,
Is cold in amity and painted peace,
And our oppression hath made up this league:-
Arm, arm, you heavens, against these perjured
kings!

A widow cries; be husband to me, heavens!
Let not the hours of this ungodly day
Wear out the day in peace; but, ere sunset,
Set armed discord 'twixt these perjured kings!
Hear me, O, hear me!
Aust.
Lady Constance, peace.
Const. War! war! no peace! peace is to me

a war.

Lymoges! O Austria! thou dost shame That bloody spoil: Thou slave, thou wretch, thou coward;

To tread down fair respect of sovereignty,
And made his majesty the bawd to theirs.
France is a bawd to fortune, and king John;
That strumpet fortune, that usurping John:-O
Tell me, thou fellow, is not France forsworn?
Envenom him with words; or get thee gone,
And leave those woes alone, which I alone
Am bound to under-bear.
Sal

Pardon me, madam,
I may not go without you to the kings.
Const. Thou may'st, thou shalt, I will not
with thee:

I will instruct my sorrows to be prond;
For grief is proud, and makes his owner stout.
To me, and to the state of my great grief,
Let kings assemble; for my grier's so great,
That no supporter but the huge firm earth.
Can hold it up: here I and sorrow sit;
Here is my throne, bid kings come bow to it.

Thou little valiant, great in villany!
Thou ever strong upon the stronger side!
Thon fortune's champion, that dost never fight
But when her humorous ladyship is by
goTo teach thee safety thou art perjured too,
And sooth'st up greatness. What a fool art thon,
A ramping fool; to brag, and stamp, and swear,
Upon my party! Thou cold-blooded slave,
Hast thou not spoke like thunder on my side?
Been sworn my soldier? bidding me depend
Upon thy stars, thy fortune, and thy strength?
And dost thou now fall over to my foes?
Thou wear a lion's hide! doff it for shame,
And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs.
Aust. O, that a man should speak those
(creant limbs.
Bast. And hang a calf's-skin on those re-
Aust. Thou darest not say so, villain, for
thy life.
[creant limbs.
Bast. And hang a calf's-skin on those re-
K. John. We like not this; thou dost forget
thyself.

[She throws herself on the ground. Enter King JOHN, King PHILIP, LEWIS, BLANCH, ELINOR, Bastard, AUSTRIA, and Attendants.

K. Phi. 'Tis true, fair daughter; and this
blessed day,

Ever in France shall be kept festival:
To solemnize this day, the glorious sun
Stays in his course, and plays the alchemist;
Turning, with splendour of his precious eye,
The meagre cloddy earth to glittering gold:
The yearly course, that brings this day about,
Shall never see it but a holyday.

words to me!

Enter PANDULPH.

K. Phi. Here comes the holy legate of the
pope.
[ven :-
Pand. Hail, you anointed deputies of hea-
To thee, king John, my holy errand is.
I, Pandulph, of fair Milan cardinal,
And from pope Innocent the legate here,
Do, in his name, religiously demand,
Why thou against the church, our holy mother,
So wilfully dost spurn; and, force perforce,
Keep Stephen Langton, chosen archbishop
Of Canterbury, from that holy see?
This, in our 'foresaid holy father's name,
Pope Innocent, 1 do demand of thee.
Seated in state.
Do off.

Const. A wicked day, and not a holyday!
[Rising.
What hath this day deserved? what hath it
That it in golden letters should be set, [done;
Among the high tides, in the kalendar?
Nay, rather, turn this day out of the week;
This day of shame, oppression, perjury:
Or, if it must stand still, let wives with child
Pray, that their burdens may not fall this day,
Lest that their hopes prodigiously be cross'd:
+ Portentous.

* Unsightly.

Solemn seasons.

t

K. John. What earthly name to interroga-
tories,

Can task the free breath of a sacred king?**
Thon canst not, cardinal, devise a name
So slight, unworthy, and ridiculous,

To charge me to an answer, as the pope. [land,
Tell him this tale; and from the mouth of Eng-
Add thus much more,-That no Italian priest
Shall tithe or toll in our dominions;

But as we under heaven are supreme head,
So under him, that great supremacy,,
Where we do reign, we will alone uphold,
Without the assistance of a mortal hand:
So tell the pope: all reverence set apart,
To him and his usurp'd authority.
K. Phi. Brother of England, you blaspheme
in this.
[Christendom,
K. John. Though you, and all the kings of
Are led so grossly by this meddling priest,.
Dreading the curse that money may buy out;
And, by the merit of vile gold, dross, dust,
Purchase corrupted pardon of a inau,
Who, in that sale, sells pardon from himself:
Though you, and all the rest, so grossly led,
This juggling witchcraft with revenue cherish;
Yet 1, alone, alone do me oppose
Against the pope, and count his friends my foe
Pand.Then, by the lawful power that I ha
Thou shalt stand cursed, and excommuni.
And blessed shall he be, that doth reve
From his allegiance to an heretic;
And meritorious shall that hand be
Canonized, and worshipp'd as a s
That takes away by any secret
Thy hateful life.

Const.

Law can

O, la

it

call'd, int,

course

3.

.ve, cate:

wful let it be,
ne to curse a while!
y thou, amen,
r, without my wrong,
ath power to curse him

That I have room with Ro
Good father cardinal, cr
To my keen curses; fr
There is no tongue
right.
Pand. There's
law and warrant, lady, for
my curse
Const. And for mine too; when law can do
[no right,
Let it be lawful, that law bar no wrong:
ot give my child his kingdom here;
For heat holds his kingdom, holds the law:
Theref ore, since law itself is perfect wrong,
How can the law forbid my tongue to curse?
Fand. Philip of France, on peril of a curse,
Let go the hand of that arch-heretic;
And raise the power of France upon his head,
Unless he do submit himself to Rome.
Eli. Lookst thou pale, France? do not let
go thy hand.
[repent,
Const. Look to that, devil! lest that France
Aud, by disjoining hands, hell lose a soul.
Aust. King Philip, listen to the cardinal.
Bast. And hang a calf's-skin on his re-
creant limbs.
[wrongs,
Aust. Well, ruffian, I must pocket up these
Because--t

Bast. Your breeches best may carry them. K. John. Philip, what sayst thou to the cardinal?

{well. t. O, be removed from him, and answer st. Do so, king Philip; hang no more in doubt. [sweet lout. Bast. Hang nothing but a calf's-skin, most K. Phi. I am perplex'd, and know not what to say. [thee more, Pand. What canst thou say, but will perplex If thou stand excommunicate and cursed? K. Phi. Good reverend father, make my

person yours,

And tell me, how you would bestow yourself.
This royal hand and mine are newly knit
And the conjunction of our inward souls
Married in league, coupled and link'd together
With all religious strength of sacred vows;
The latest breath that gave the sound of words,
Was deep-sworn faith, peace,amity, true love,
And even before this truce, but new before
Between our kingdoms and our royal selves;
No longer than we well could wash our hands,
To clap this royal bargain up of peace
Heaven knows, they were besinear'dand over-
Ppaint
With slaughter's pencil; where revenge did.
The fearful difference of incensed kings:-
And shall these hands,so lately purged of blood,.
Unyoke this seizure, and this kind regreet't?
So newly join'd in love, so strong in both,
Play fast and loose with faith? so jest with

stain'd

Make such unconstant children of ourselves,
heaven,
Unswear faith sworn; and on the marriage beca
As now again to snatch our palm from pal.
Of smiling peace to march a bloody host,.
And make a riot on the gentle brow
Of true sincerity? O, holy sir,

Out of your grace, devise, ordain, in pose
My reverend father, let it not be so: e
Some gentle order; and then we shall be bless'd
To do your pleasure, and contine, friends.

Pand. All form is formless, order orderless
Save, what is opposite to England's love.
Therefore, to arms! be champion of our church!!
Orlet the church, our mother, breathe her curse,

"When unadorn'd adorn'd the most."-Thomson's Autumn, 200
+ Exchange of salutation,