Lew. I muse, your majesty doth seem so cold,
When such profound respects do pull you on.
Pand. I will denounce a curse upon his head.
K. Phi. Thou shalt not need:-England, I'll fall
from thee.

Const. O fair return of banish'd majesty!
Eli. O foul revolt of French inconstancy!
K. John. France, thou shalt rue this hour within

this hour.

Bast. Old time the clock-setter, that bald sexton time,

Is it as he will? well, then, France shall rue. Blanch. The sun's o'ercast with blood: Fair day, adieu!

Which is the side that I must go withal?
I am with both: each army hath a hand;
And in their rage, I having hold of both,
They whirl asunder, and dismember me.
Husband, I cannot pray that thou may'st win;
Uncle, I needs must pray that thou may'st lose;
Father, I may now wish the fortune thine;
Grandam, I will not wish thy wishes thrive:
Whoever wins, on that side shall I lose;
Assured loss, before the match be play'd.

Lew. Lady, with me; with me thy fortune lies. Blanch. There where my fortune lives, there my life dies.

K. John. Cousin, go draw our puissance together,[Exit Bastard. France, I am burn'd up with inflaming wrath; A rage, whose heat hath this condition, That nothing can allay, nothing but blood, The blood, and dearest valued blood, of France. K. Phi. Thy rage shall burn thee up, and thou shalt turn

To ashes, ere our blood shall quench that fire:
Look to thyself, thou art in jeopardy.
K. John. No more than he that threats.
let's hie!

To arms [Exeunt. SCENE II. The same. Plains near Angiers. Alarums; Excursions. Enter the Bastard, with

AUSTRIA'S Head.

Some airy devil' hovers in the sky,
And pours down mischief. Austria's head, lie there,
While Philip breathes.

Enter KING JOHN, ARTHUR, and HUBERT.
K.John. Hubert,keep this boy:-Philip, make up:
My mother is assailed in our tent,
And ta'en, I fear.
Bast.
My lord, I rescu'd her;
Her highness is in safety, fear you not:
But on, my liege: for very little pains
Will bring this labour to a happy end.
SCENE III. The same. Alarums; Excursions;
Retreat. Enter KING JOHN, ELINOR, ARTHUR,
the Bastard, HUBERT, and LORDS.

[Exeunt.

K. John. So shall it be; your grace shall stay behind, [To ELINOR. So strongly guarded.-Cousin, look not sad: [To ARTHUR.

1 There is a minute description of numerous devils or spirits, and their different functions, in Nash's Pierce Pennilesse his Supplication, 1592, where we find the following passage:- The spirits of the aire will mixe themselves with thunder and lightning, and so infect the clyme where they raise any tempest, that sodainely great mortalitie shall ensue to the inhabitants. The spirits of fire have their mansions under the regions of the moone.'

Thy grandam loves thee, and thy uncle will As dear be to thee as thy father was.

Arth. O, this will make my mother die with grief.
K. John. Cousin, [To the Bastard,] away for
England; haste before:

And, ere our coming, see thou shake the bags
Of hoarding abbots: angels' imprisoned
Set thou at liberty; the fat ribs of peace
Must by the hungry now be fed upon :
Use our commission in his utmost force.

Bast. Bell, book, and candle shall not drive me back;

When gold and silver becks me to come on.
I leave your highness :-Grandam, I will pray
(If ever I remember to be holy)

For your fair safety: so I kiss your hand.
Eli. Farewell, my gentle cousin.
K. John.

Coz, farewell. [Exit Bastard. Eli. Come hither, little kinsman; hark, a word. [She takes ARTHUR aside. K. John. Come hither, Hubert. O my gentle Hubert,

We owe thee much; within this wall of flesh
There is a soul counts thee her creditor,
And with advantage means to pay thy love:
And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath
Lives in this bosom, dearly cherished.
Give me thy hand. I had a thing to say,-
But I will fit it with some better time.
By heaven, Hubert, I am almost asham'd
To say what good respect I have of thee.
Hub. I am much bounden to your majesty.
K. John. Good friend, thou hast no cause to say
so yet:

But thou shalt have; and creep time ne'er so slow,
Yet it shall come, for me to do thee good.
I had a thing to say,-But let it go:
The sun is in the heaven, and the proud day,
Attended with the pleasures of the world,
Is all too wanton, and too full of gawds,
To give me audience :-If the midnight bell
Did, with his iron tongue and brazen mouth,
Sound one unto the drowsy race of night;
If this same were a churchyard where we stand,
And thou possessed with a thousand wrongs;
Or if that surly spirit, melancholy,

Had bak'd thy blood, and made it heavy, thick,
(Which, else, runs tickling up and down the veins,
Making that idiot, laughter, keep men's eyes,
And strain their cheeks to idle merriment,
A passion hateful to my purposes;)

Or if that thou could'st see me without eyes,
Hear me without thine ears, and make reply
Without a tongue, using conceit alone,
Without eyes, ears, and harmful sound of words;
I would into thy bosom pour my thoughts:
Then, in despite of brooded watchful day,
But ah, I will not :-Yet, I love thee well;
And, by my troth, I think, thou lov'st me well.
Hub. So well, that what you bid me undertake,
Though that my death were adjunct to my act,
By heaven, I'd do't.

6 The old copy reads into, the emendation is Theo. bald's. 7 Conception.

discontenting, in other places of these plays. To sit on brood, or abrood, is the old term applied to birds during All the metaphorical uses of the period of incubation. the verb to brood are cominon to the Latin incubo

Are we not beaten? Is not Angiers lost?
Arthur ta'en prisoner? divers dear friends slain?
And bloody England into England gone,
O'erbearing interruption, spite of France?

Lew. What he hath won, that hath he fortified:
So hot a speed with such advice dispos'd,
Such temperate order in so fierce a cause,
Doth want example; Who hath read, or heard,
Of any kindred action like to this?

K. Phi. Well could I bear that England had this praise,

So we could find some pattern of our shame.
Enter CONSTANCE.

Look, who comes here! a grave unto a soul;
Holding the eternal spirit, against her will,
In the vile prison of afflicted breath :—
I pr'ythee, lady, go away with me.

Const. Lo, now! now see the issue of your peace!

K. Phi. Patience, good lady! comfort, gentle Constance!

Const. No, I defy all counsel, all redress, But that which ends all counsel, true redress, Death, death:-O amiable lovely death! Thou odoriferous stench! sound rottenness! Arise forth from the couch of lasting night, Thou hate and terror to prosperity, And I will kiss thy detestable bones; And put my eyeballs in thy vaulty brows; And ring these fingers with thy household worms; And stop this gap of breath' with fulsome dust,

1 King John, after he had taken Arthur prisoner, sent him to the town of Falaise, in Normandy, under the care of Hubert, his chamberlain, from whence he was afterwards removed to Rouen, and delivered to the custody of Robert de Veypont. Here he was secretly put to death. 'This is one of those scenes (says Steevens) to which may be promised a lasting commendation. Art could add little to its perfection; no change in dramatic | taste can injure it; and time itself can subtract nothing from its beauties."

2 Armado is a fleet of war; the word is adopted from the Spanish, and the recent defeat of the Spanish arma. do had made it familiar.

3 Convicted is vanquished, overcome. To convince and convict were synonymous.

4 A fierce cause is a cause conducted with precipita'ion. Fierce wretchedness in Timon of Athens is has ty, sudden misery.

And be a carrion monster like thyself:
Come, grin on me; and I will think thou smil'st.
And buss thee as thy wife! Misery's love,
O, come to me!
K. Phi. O fair affliction, peace.

Const. No, no, I will not, having breath to cry :-
O, that my tongue were in the thunder's mouth
Then with a passion would I shake the world;
And rouse from sleep that fell anatomy,
Which cannot hear a lady's feeble voice,
Which scorns a modern invocation.

Pand. Lady, you utter madness, and not sorro▾
Const. Thou art not holy to belie me so;

I am not mad: this hair I tear is mine;
My name is Constance: I was Geffrey's wife;
Young Arthur is my son, and he is lost:
I am not mad:-I would to heaven, I were !
For then, 'tis like I should forget myself:
O, if I could, what grief should I forget!-
Preach some philosophy to make me mad,
And thou shalt be canoniz'd, cardinal:
For, being not mad, but sensible of grief,
My reasonable part produces reason
How I may be deliver'd of these woes,
And teaches me to kill or hang myself:
If I were mad, I should forget my son
Or madly think, a babe of clouts were he
I am not mad; too well, too well I feel
The different plague of each calamity.

K. Phi. Bind up those tresses; Ó, what lovel

note

In the fair multitude of those her hairs!
Even to that drop ten thousand wiry friends
Where but by chance a silver drop hath fallen,
Do glew themselves in sociable grief;
Like true, inseparable, faithful loves,
Sticking together in calamity.
Const. To England, if you will."
K. Phi.
Bind up your hairs.
Const. Yes, that I will; and wherefore will I do
it ?

I tore them from their bonds; and cried aloud,
O that these hands could so redeem my son
As they have given these hairs their liberty!
envy at their liberty,
And will again commit them to their bonds,
Because my poor child is a prisoner.

But now I

And, father cardinal, I have heard you say,
That we shall see and know our friends in heaven -
If that be true, I shall see my boy again;
For, since the birth of Cain, the first male child,
To him that did but yesterday suspire,10
There was not such a gracious11 creature born,
But now will canker sorrow eat my bud,
And chase the native beauty from his cheek,
And he will look as hollow as a ghost;
As dim and meagre as an ague's fit;
And so he'll die; and, rising so again,
When I shall meet him in the court of heaven
I shall not know him: therefore never, never
Must I behold my pretty Arthur more.

Pand. You hold too heinous a respect of grief. Const. He talks to me, that never had a son.' 12 K. Phi. You are as fond of grief, as of your child. Const. Grief fills the room up of my absent child,13

5 the vile prison of afflicted breath' is the body: the same vile prison in which the breath is confined 6 To defy formerly signified to refuse, to reject. I do defy thy commiseration.'-Romeo and Juliet. 7 i. e. this mouth. 8 i. e. common.

9 Probably Constance in despair means to apostro phize the absent King John-Take my son to Eng land if you will.'

10 To suspire Shakspeare uses for to breathe.

11 Gracious is used by Shakspeare often in the sense of beautiful, comely, graceful. Florio, in his Italian Dictionary, shows that this was no uncommon signifi. cation; he explains gratioso, graceful, gracious, also comely, fine, well-favoured, gentle.

12 To the same purpose Macduff observes :He has no children.

13 'Perfruitur lachrymis, et amat pro conjuge luctum. Lucan, I ix

Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me;
Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words,
Remembers me of all his gracious parts,
Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form;
Then, have I reason to be fond of grief.
Fare you well: had you such a loss as I,
I could give better comfort than you do.→
I will not keep this form upon my head,

[Tearing off her head-dress. When there is such disorder in my wit. O lord, my boy, my Arthur, my fair son! My life, my joy, my food, my all the world! My widow-comfort, and my sorrow's cure! [Exit. K. Phi. I fear some outrage, and I'll follow her. [Exit. Lew. There's nothing in this world can make me joy į.

Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale,1
Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man;

And bitter shame hath spoil'd the sweet world's2 taste,

That it yields nought, but shame, and bitterness,
Pand. Before the curing of a strong disease,
Even in the instant of repair and health,
The fit is strongest; evils, that take leave,
On their departure most of all show evil :
What have you lost by losing of this day?

Lew. All days of glory, joy, and happiness.
Pand. If you had won it, certainly, you had.
No, no: when fortune means to men most good,
She looks upon them with a threatening eye.
"Tis strange to think how much King John hath lost
In this which he accounts so clearly won:
Are not you griev'd, that Arthur is his prisoner?
Lew. As heartily, as he is glad he hath him.
Pand. Your mind is all as youthful as your blood.
Now hear me speak, with a prophetic spirit;
For even the breath of what I mean to speak
Shall blow each dust, each straw, each little rub,
Out of the path which shall directly lead
Thy foot to England's throne; and, therefore, mark.
John hath seiz'd Arthur; and it cannot be,
That, whiles warm life plays in that infant's veins,
The misplac'd John should entertain an hour,
One minute, nay, one quiet breath of rest:
A sceptre, snatch'd with an unruly hand,
Must be as boisterously maintain'd as gain'd:
And he, that stands upon a slippery place,
Makes nice of no vile hold to stay him up:
That John may stand, then Arthur needs must fall;
So be it, for it cannot be but so.

Lew. But what shall I gain by young Arthur's fall?

Pand. You, in the right of Lady Blanch your wife,

May then make all the claim that Arthur did.
Lew. And lose it, life and all, as Arthur did.
Pand. How green are you, and fresh in this old

world!

John lays you plots; the time conspires with you:
For he, that steeps his safety in true blood,
Shall find but bloody safety, and untrue.
This act, so evilly born, shall cool the hearts
Of all his people, and freeze up their zeal;
That none so small advantage shall step forth,

1 For when thou art angry, all our days are gone, we bring our years to an end, as it were a tale that is told. Psalm xc.

2 The old copy reads word's. The alteration was made by Pope, Malone thinks that it is unnecessary; and that by the sweet word, life is met. Steevens prefers Pope's emendation, which is countenanced by Hamlet's

To check his reign, but they will cherish it:
No natural exhalation in the sky,
No scape of nature, no distemper'd day,
No common wind, no customed event,
But they will pluck away his natural cause,
And call them meteors, prodigies, and signs,
Abortives, presages, and tongues of heaven,
Plainly denouncing vengeance upon John.

Lew. May be, he will not touch young Arthur's life,

But hold himself safe in his prisonment.

Pand. O, sir, when he shall hear of your approach, If that young Arthur be not gone already, Even at that news he dies: and then the hearts Of all his people shall revolt from him, And kiss the lips of unacquainted change; And pick strong matter of revolt, and wrath, Out of the bloody fingers' ends of John. Methinks, I see this hurly all on foot; And, O, what better matter breeds for you, Than I have nam'd!-The bastard Faulconbridge Is now in England, ransacking the church, Offending charity: If but a dozen French Were there in arms, they would be as a call To train ten thousand English to their side; Or, as a little snow,' tumbled about, Anon becomes a mountain. O noble Dauphin, Go with me to the king: 'Tis wonderful, What may be wrought out of their discontent. Now that their souls are topfull of offence, For England go; I will whet on the king.

Lew. Strong reasons make strong actions: Let us go;

If you say, ay, the king will not say, no. [Exeunt.

Enter ARTHur,

Arth. Good morrow, Hubert.

Hub. Good morrow, little prince Arth. As little prince (having so great a title To be more prince,) as may be.-You are sad. Hub. Indeed, I have been merrier.

Arth.

Methinks nobody should be sad but I: Mercy on me! Yet, I remember, when I was in France, Young gentlemen would be as sad as night, Only for wantonness. By my christendom," are sometimes caught; one being placed for the purpose of drawing others to the net by his note or call.

7 Bacon, in his History of Henry VII. speaking of Simnel's march, observes that their snowball did not gather as it went.

8 The first folio reads strange; the second folio strong.

9 There is no circumstance, either in the original play or in this of Shakspeare, to point out the particu lar castle in which Arthur is supposed to be confined. The castle of Northampton has been mentioned merely because, in the first act, King John seems to have been in that town. It has already been stated that Arthur was in fact confined at Falaise, and afterwards at Rouen,

'He writes me here.'

4 The old copy reads scope. The emendation is Pope's. Shakspeare finely calls a monstrous birth an escape of nature, as if it were produced while she was busy elsewhere, or intent upon some other thing. 5 Hurly is tumult.

6 The image is taken from the manner in which birds

10 Tapestry.

11 This is a satirical glance at the fashionable affec tation of his time by Shakspeare: which Lyly also ridi cules in his Midas-Now every base companion, being in his muble-fubles, says he is melancholy.' Again: Melancholy is the crest of courtiers, and now every base companion says he is melancholy'

12 i. e. by my baptism. The use of this word for

pleas'd,

Was once superfluous: you were crown'd before,
And that high royalty was ne'er pluck'd off;
The faiths of men ne'er stained with revolt;
Fresh expectation troubled not the land,
With any long'd-for change, or better state.

Sal. Therefore, to be possess'd with double pomp,
To guard2 a title that was rich before,
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
To throw a perfume on the violet,
To smooth the ice, or add another hue
Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light

To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish,
Is wasteful, and ridiculous excess.

Pem. But that your royal pleasure must be done,

This act is as an ancient tale new told ;3
And, in the last repeating, troublesome
Being urged at a time unseasonable.

Sal. In this, the antique and well-noted face
Of plain old form is much disfigured:
And, like a shifted wind unto a sail,

It makes the course of thoughts to fetch about:
Startles and frights consideration;

Makes sound opinion sick, and truth suspected,
For putting on so new a fashion'd robe.

Pem. When workmen strive to do better than well,

They do confound their skill in covetousness: 4
And, oftentimes, excusing of a fault,

Doth make the fault the worse by the excuse;
As patches, set upon a little breach,
Discredit more in hiding of the fault,"
Than did the fault before it was so patch'd.
We breath'd our counsel: but it pleas'd your high-
Sal. To this effect, before you were new-crown'd,

ness

To overbear it; and we are all well pleas'd;
Since all and every part of what we would,
Doth make a stand at what your highness will.
K. John. Some reasons of this double coronation
I have possess'd you with, and think them strong;
And more, more strong (when lesser is my fear,)
I shall indue you with: Mean time, but ask
What you would have reform'd, that is not well;
And well shall you perceive, how willingly
I will both hear and grant you your requests.
Pem. Then I (as one that am the tongue of these,
To sound" the purposes of all their hearts,)
Both for myself and them (but, chief of all,
Your safety, for the which myself and them
Bend their best studies), heartily request

The enfranchisement of Arthur; whose restraint
Doth move the murmuring lips of discontent
To break into this dangerous argument,
If, what in rest you have, in right you hold,
Why then your fears (which, as they say, attend
The steps of wrong), should move you to mew up
Your tender kinsman, and to choke his days
With barbarous ignorance, and deny his youth
The rich advantage of good exercise?10
That the time's enemies may not have this
To grace occasions, let it be our suit,
That you have bid us ask his liberty;
Which for our goods we do no further ask,

Counts it your weal, he have his liberty.
K. John. Let it be so; I do commit his youth
Enter HUBERT.

To your direction.-Hubert, what news with you? Pem. This is the man should do the bloody deed; He show'd his warrant to a friend of mine:

The image of a wicked heinous fault

Lives in his eye, that close aspect of his
Does show the mood of a much troubled breast;
And I do fearfully believe, 'tis done,
What we so fear'd he had a charge to do.

Sal. The colour of the king doth come and go,
Between his purpose and his conscience,11
Like heralds 'twixt two dreadful battles set:

His passion is so ripe it needs must break.

Pem. And when it breaks, I fear, will issue thence The foul corruption of a sweet child's death.

K. John. We cannot hold mortality's strong hand:

Good lords, although my will to give is living,
The suit which you demand is gone and dead:
He tells us, Arthur is deceas'd to-night.

Sal. Indeed, we fear'd his sickness was past cure. Pem. Indeed, we heard how near his death he was, Before the child himself felt he was sick:

This must be answer'd, either here, or hence.

K. John. Why do you bend such solemn brows on me?

Think you, I bear the shears of destiny?
Have I commandment on the pulse of life?

Sal. It is apparent foul-play; and 'tis shame,
That greatness should so grossly offer it:
And find the inheritance of this poor child,
So thrive it in your game! and so farewell.
Pem. Stay yet, Lord Salisbury, I'll go with thee
His little kingdom of a forced grave.

That blood, which ow'd'2 the breadth of all this isle, Three foot of it doth hold; Bad world the while! This must not be thus borne: this will break out To all our sorrows, and ere long, I doubt.

[Exeunt Lords.
K. John. They burn in indignation; I repent.
There is no sure foundation set on blood;
No certain life achiev'd by others' death
Enter a Messenger.

A fearful eye thou hast; Where is that blood,
That I have seen inhabit in those cheeks?
So foul a sky clears not without a storm:
Pour down thy weather:-How goes all in France?
Mess. From France to England.13-Never such
a power

For any foreign preparation,

Was levied in the body of a land!

The copy of your speed is learn'd by them;
For, when you should be told they do prepare,
The tidings come that they are all arriv'd.

K. John. O, where hath our intelligence been

drunk?

Where hath it slept ?14 Where is my mother's care?
That such an army could be drawn in France,
And she not hear of it?

Mess.
My liege, her ear
Is stopp'd with dust; the first of April, died

10 In the middle ages, the whole education of princes and noble youths consisted in martial exercises, &c. Mental improvement might have been had in a prison as well as any where else.

11 The purpose of the king, to which Salisbury alludes, is that of putting Arthur to death, which he considers as not yet accomplished, and therefore supposes that there might be still a conflict in the king's mind

'Between his purpose and his conscience.'

12 i. e. 'own'd the breadth of all this isle.' The two last variorum editions erroneously read breath for breadth,' which is found in the old copy.

13 The king asks how all goes in France; the mes senger catches the word goes, and answers, that whatever is in France goes now into England. 14 So in Macbeth :-

Was the hope drunk

Wherein you drest yourself? hath it slept since?'