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358

Have done the time 1 Your kindness better. Paui. You are one. Would have him wed

W

Dis. If you would no
You pity not the ftate,
Of his most fovereign na
What dangers, by his hi
May drop upon his kinge
Incertain lookers on.
Than to rejoice, the form
What holier, than for ro
For prefent comfort, and fo
To bless the bed of majefty
With a fweet fellow to 't?
Paul. There is none wor
Respecting her that's gone.
Will have fulfilled their fect t
For has not the divine Apolo

of his raci

Is 't not the tenour
That king Leontes thall no
'Till his lost child be foun
Is all as menstrous to our

hum-

As my Antigonus to break his
And come again to me;wh09
Did perish with the infant.

My lord should to the heavens
Oppose against their wills.

The crown will find an heir:

Left his to the worthieft

Was like to be the best.

Leo. Good Paulina,

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Care

Great

to his

Who haft the memory of Hermione, who haft the onour, 10, ther

Had

Iquar'd me to thy counsel

I might

have

look'd upon my queen

Have taken treasure from her lips

Paul, And left them

Morich, for what they yielded.

Leo. Thou speak

Nomore fuch

And betr

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K. Jobs Our strony noffeffion, and our right for E.s. Your strong poffeffion, much more than your Or else it must go wrong with you, and me: [right So much my confcience whispers in your ear: Which none but heaven, and you, and I, thall bear Enter the Sheriff of Northamptonfort, we

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Ex. My liere, here is the strangeft controverf

What doch sove PBeca

Your

PWe

RA

Come from the country to be judg'd by you,
That e er I heard: Shall I produce the men?
K. Jobe. Let them approach- [Exa SterYou
Our abbles, and our priories, shall pay
Re-enter Sheriff with Robert Faulanbridge, and Paco Germans

Lys ba bruber.

This expedition's charge-What men are you?
Ped. Your fathful fubject I, a gentleman,

Born in Northamptonshire; and eldest
As I fuppole, to Robert Faulconbridge;
A foldier, by the honour-giving hand
Of Crur-de-Lon knighted in the field.

Where how

Betwee As have

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K. Jobe. What art thou?

Rd. The fon and heir to that fame Faulconbridge.

K. Jobs. Is that the elder, and art thou the hear

You came not of one mother then, it seems.

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Phil Moft certain of one mother, mighty king, lin

L

That is well known; and, as I think, one tather But, for the certain knowledge of that truth,

I put you o'er to heaven, and to my mother; 3536 Of that I doubt, as all men's children may.

E... Out on thee, rude man! thou doit fhame
thy mother,

And wound her honour with this diffidence.
Pod. 1, madam? no, I have no reason for it; f
That is my brother's plea, and none of mine;
The which of he can prove, a pops me out
At leait trom fair five hundred pound avear:
Heaven guard my mother's honour, and my s

K. Juén. A good blunt fellow-why, benga

younger born,

Doth he lay claim to thine inheritance

Phil. I know not why, except to get the lمحد
But once he flander'd me with bastardy:
Bot whe'r I be as true berot, or mo

That full I lay upon my mother's head;
But that I am as weli begot, my liege,
(Fair fall the bonts that took the pains for me
Compare our faces, and be judge yourmed.
It old Sir Robert did beget us both

And were our father, and this fonike ba

* That is, condut, adminiftration.
thewn by the tightest outline.
aliudes to a coin not ftruck all the you
as well as the half groat, bare bet
indeed all their other couns of

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Thar

Apro

eur-de-lion,
and no land beside ?

-YERS/ brother had my thape,

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t's his, like him 2;
such riding-rods,

uft; my face so thin,
t stick a rose 3, [goes!
, where three-farthings
eir to all this land,

rom off this place,
re this face;

any cafe.

[tune,

t thou forfake thy for-
and follow me?

nd to France.

by land, I'll take my

C:٠٤ red pound a-year;
OPPAESIDI before me thither.
Later ive our betters way.

ice, and 'tis dear. -
the death.

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د

ない my name begun;

vife's eldest son.

ヤハear his name whose

A

rife more great;

net. [hand;

Phil. Brother, adieu; Good fortune come to thee,

For thou wast got i' the way of honesty!

[Exeunt all but Philip.

A foot of honour better than I was ;
5 But many a many foot of land the worse.
Well, now can I make any Joan a Lady :
Good den, Sir Richard, God-a-mercy, fellow 7;-
And if his name be George, I'll call him Peter:
For new-made honour doth forget men's names;
10 'Tis too respective, and too sociable,

For your conversing. Now your traveller,
He and his tooth-pick 9 at my worship's mess;
And when my knightly stomach is suffic'd,
Why then I fuck my teeth, and catechise
15 My piked 10 man of countries:- My dear fir,
(Thus, leaning on my elbow, I begin)
I shall beseech you-That is question now;
And then comes answer like an ABC-book":

O fir, says answer, at your best command;
20 At your employment; at your ferpice, fir:

No, fir, says question; I, frweet fir, at yours:
And fo, e'er answer knows what question would,
(Saving in dialogue of compliment;

And talking of the Alps, and Apennines,

25 The Pyrenean, and the river Po)

It draws toward supper in conclusion so.
But this is worshipful society,

And fits the mounting spirit, like myself:
For he is but a bastard to the time,

ide, give me your 30 That doth not smack of observation;

ht or day,

1.TEJs gave land :

I away.
UTI-net!-

Il me

fo.

not by truth:

まど・he hatch 5:

15.right,

(And so am I, whether I smack, or no)
And not alone in habit and device,
Exterior form, outward accoutrement;
But from the inward motion to deliver

35 Sweet, sweet, sweet poison for the age's tooth:
Which 12 though I will not practise to deceive,
Yet, to avoid deceit, I mean to learn;
For it shall strew the footsteps of my rifing.-
But who comes in such haste, in riding robes ?

٤٠٠٠٦alk by night; 40 What woman-post is this? hath the no husband,

do catch:
ll shot;

Ow haft thou

ed 'squire.-
e must specd

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45 Lady. Where is that slave, thy brother? where is That holds in chase mine honour up and down? Phil. My brother Robert? old Sir Robert's fon? e than need. Colbrand the giant, that fame mighty man?

e and dignified appearance.

2 The meaning is, " If I had his is agreeable to the practice of that was believed, I think erroneously, to be a contraction of

デニング Robert bis, for Sir Robert's,

Poss mhative

D

a full-blown rofe.

We must observe,

By obfcure paffage our poet is anticipating the date of another
Bar, eclipsed, as it were, by

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abeth was the first, and indeed the only prince, who coined in
thing pieces. She at one and the same time coined shillings, fix-

L٤٠٣yes, three-half-pence, pence, three-farthings, and half-pence;
khalf-penny had it not:

vere alternately with the rose behind, and without the rofe. The
the other intermediate coins, viz. the

and three-farthings had the refe. But Dr. Warburton ob

And when was then all the court-fashion. 4 What then? 5 These ex

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!

Not that I have the power to clutch my hand,
When his fair angels would falute my palm;
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, my virtue then shall be,
To say, there is no vice, but beggary:
Since kings break faith upon commodity,

5 Gain, be my lord; for I will worship thee! [Exit

SCENE

ACT

I.

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be marry'd! gone to swear a peace! False blood to false blood join'd! Gone to be friends!

Shall Lewis have Blanch? and Blanch those pro-20

vinces ?

It is not fo; thou hast mif-spoke, mif-heard;

Be well advis'd, 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 comman 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;
Oppress'd with wrongs, and therefore full of fears;
A widow, husbandless, subject to fears;
A woman, naturally born to fears:

And though thou now confefs, thou didst but jest,
With my vext 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 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 sad signs confirmers of thy words?
Then speak again; not all thy former tale,
But this one word, whether thy tale be true.

III.

Full of unpleasing blots, and fightless 2 stains, Lame, foolish, crooked, swart 3, prodigious 4, 15 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 boaft, And with the half-blown rose: but fortune, oh! She is corrupted, chang'd, and won from thee; She adulterates hourly with thine uncle John, 25 And with her golden hand hath pluck'd on France 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 ufurping John:30 Tell me, thou fellow, is not France forfworn? 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,

35 I may not go without you to the kings.

Conft. Thou may'st, thou shalt, I will not go
with thee:

I will instruct my forrows to be proud;
For grief is proud, and makes his owner stout.

40 To me, and to the state of my great grief,
Let kings affemble; for my grief's so great,
That no supporter but the huge firm earth
Can hold it up: here I and forrows fit;
Here is my throne, bid kings come bow to it.
[Throws berjelf on the ground.
Enter King John, King Philip, Lewis, Blanch, Eliner,
Faulconbridge, and Austria.

Sal. As true, as, I believe, you think them false, 45
That give you cause to prove my saying true.

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 so,
As doth the fury of two desperate men,
Which, in the very meeting, fall, and die.
Lewis marry Blanch! Oh boy, then where art thou?
France friend withEngland! what becomes of me?--
Fellow, be gone; I cannot brook thy fight;
This news hath made thee a most ugly man.

Sal. What other harm have I, good lady, done,
But spoke the harm that is by others done?
Conft. Which harm within itself so heinous is,
As it makes harmful all that speak of it.
Arth. I do beseech you, madam, be content.
Conft. If thou, that bidst me be content, wert grim,
Ugly, and fsland'rous to thy mother's womb,

K. Phil. 'Tis true, fair daughter; and this blessed Ever in France shall be kept festival: [day 50 To folemnize this day, the glorious fun Stays in his course, and plays the alchymist; Turning, with splendor of his precious eye, The meagre cloddy earth to glittering gold: The yearly course, that brings this day about, 55 Shall never fee it but a holy-day.

Conft. A wicked day, and not a holy-day! [Rifing What hath this day deserv'd? what hath it done; That it in golden letters should be fet, 60 Among the high tides', in the kalendar? Nay, rather, turn this day out of the week; This day of shame, oppreffion, perjury:

To clutch the hand, is to clasp it clofe. 2 Sightless here means disagreeable to the fight. black, tawny. 4 i. e. portentous, fuch as may seem a prodigy. 5 i. e, folemn seasons.

31. c.

Or,

i

:

Or, if it must stand still, let wives with child
Pray, that their burdens may not fall this day,
Left that their hopes prodigiously be crost:
But on this day, let seamen fear no wreck;
No bargains break, that are on this day made:
This day, all things begun come to ill end:
Yea, faith itself to hollow falshood change!

K. Phil. By heaven, lady, you shall have no caufe
To curse the fair proceedings of this day:
Have I not pawn'd to you my majesty?

Conft. You have beguil'd me with a counterfeit, Resembling majesty; which, being touch'd, and try'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,

Keep Stephen Langton, chosen archbishop
Of Canterbury, from that holy fee?
This, in our 'foresaid holy father's name,
Pope Innocent, I do demand of thee...

5 K. Jobn. What earthly name to interrogatories
Can task the free breath of a facred king?
Thou canst not, cardinal, devise a name
So flight, unworthy, and ridiculous,

To charge me to an answer, as the pope.

10 Tell him this tale; and, from the mouth of England,
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 fupremacy,

15 Where we do reign, we will alone uphold,
Without the affistance of a mortal hand:
So tell the pope; all reverence set apart,
To him, and his ufurp'd authority.

And our oppreffion hath made up this league:-
Arm, arm, you heavens, against these perjur'd kings! 20
A widow cries; be husband to me, heavens!
Let not the hours of this ungodly day

Wear out the day in peace; but, ere fun-fet,
Set armed difcord 'twixt these perjur'd kings!
Hear me, oh, hear me!

Auft. Lady Constance, peace.

Conft. War! war! no peace! peace is to me a war.
O Lymoges! O Austria! thou dost shame
That bloody spoil: Thou slave, thou wretch, thou

coward;

Thou little valiant, great in villainy!
Thou ever strong upon the stronger fide!
Thou fortune's champion, that dost never fight
But when her humorous ladyship is by
To teach thee safety! thou art perjur'd too,
And footh'ft up greatness. What a fool art thou,
A ramping fool; to brag, and stamp, and swear,
Upon my party! Thou cold-blooded flave,
Haft thou not spoke like thunder on my fide?
Been sworn my foldier? 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 3 for shame,
And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs 4.

K. Phil. Brother of England, you blafpheme in this.

K. Jobn. Though you, and all the kings of
Christendom,

Are led so grossly by this meddling priest,
Dreading the curse that money may buy out;
And, by the merit of vile gold, dross, duft,

25 Purchase corrupted pardon of a man,

Who, in that fale, sells pardon from himself:
Though you, and all the rest, so grossly led,
This juggling witchcraft with revenue cherish,
Yet I, alone, alone do me oppose

30 Against the pope, and count his friends my foes.
Pand. Then, by the lawful power that I have,
Thou shalt stand curst, and excommunicate :
And blessed shall he be, that doth revolt

From his allegiance to an heretic;

35 And meritorious shall that hand be call'd,
Canonized, and worship'd as a faint,
That takes away by any fecret course
Thy hateful life.

Conft. O, lawful let it be,

40 That I have room with Rome to curse a while!
Good father cardinal, cry thou, Amen,
To my keen curses: for, without my wrong,
There is no tongue hath power to curse him right.
Pand. There's law and warrant, lady, for my curse.

Auft. O, that a man would speak those words to me! 45 Conft. And for mine too; when law can do no right,
Faulc. And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant 5

limbs.

Auft. Thou dar'st not say so, villain, for thy life. Faulc. And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant

limbs.

K. Jobn. We like not this; thou dost forget thyself. Enter Pandulph.

K. Phil. Here comes the holy legate of the pope.

Let it be lawful, that law bar no wrong: Law cannot give my child his kingdom here; For he, that holds his kingdom, holds the law: Therefore, fince law itself is perfect wrong, 50 How can the law forbid my tongue to curse? Pand. 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.

Pand. Hail, you anointed deputies of heaven! - 55 Eli. Look'ft thou pale, France? do not let go

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,

thy hand.

Conft. Look to that, devil! lest that France repent,

And, by disjoining hands, hell lofe a foul.
Auft. King Philip, listen to the cardinal.

60 Faule. And hang a calf's-skin on his recreant

limbs.

3 i. e.

i. e. be disappointed by the production of a prodigy, or monster. 2 But here fignifies except. put it off. 4 When fools were kept for amusement in great families, they were diftinguished by a calf-skin coat, which had the buttons down the back. This circumstance will explain the sarcasm of Constance and Faulconbridge, who mean to call Austria a fool. 5 i. e. cowardly.

Aust.

i

1

Auft. Well, ruffian, I must pocket up these wrongs,
Because

Faulc. Your breeches best may carry them.
K. Jobn. Philip, what say'st thou to the cardinal?
Conft. What should he say, but as the cardinal? 5
Lewis. Bethink you, father; for the difference

Is, purchase of a heavy curse from Rome,
Or the light lofs of England for a friend :
Forego the easier.

France, thou may'st hold a ferpent by the tongue,
A cafed3 lion by the mortal paw,
A fasting tyger safer by the tooth,

Than keep in peace that hand which thou dost hold.
K. Phil. I may disjoin my hand, but not my faith..
Pand. So mak'st thou faith an enemy to faith;
And, like a civil war, set'st oath to oath,
Thy tongue against thy tongue. O, let thy vow
First made to heaven, first be to heaven perform'd;

Blanch. That's the curse of Rome. [here to That is, to be the champion of our church!
Conft. O Lewis, stand fast; the devil tempts thee

In likeness of a new untrimmed bride. [faith,
Blanch. The lady Constance speaks not from her
But from her need.

Conft. O, if thou grant my need,
Which only lives but by the death of faith,
That need must needs infer this principle,
That faith will live again by death of need:
O, then, tread down my need, and faith mounts up;

What fince thou swor'st, is sworn against thyself,
And may not be performed by thyself:

For that, which thou hast sworn to do amiss,
Is 't not amiss, when it is truly done?

15 And being not done, where doing tends to ill,
The truth is then most done not doing it:
The better act of purposes mistook
Is, to mistake again; though indirect,
Yet indirection thereby grows direct,

Keep my need up, and faith is trodden down. [this. 20 And falfhood falfhood cures; as fire cools fire,

K. John. The king is mov'd, and answers not to
Conft. O, be remov'd from him, and answer well.
Auft. Do fo, King Philip; hang no more in doubt.
Faule. Hang nothing but a calf's-skin, most sweet
lout.

K. Phil. I am perplex'd, and know not what to
Pand. What can'st thou say, but will perplex
thee more,

Within the scorched veins of one new burn'd.
It is religion, that doth make vows kept;
But thou hast sworn against religion:
[swear'ft;
By which thou swear'st against the thing thou

[fay. 25 And mak'st an oath the furety for thy truth
Against an oath: The truth thou art unfure
To swear, swear only not to be forsworn;
Elfe, what a mockery should it be to swear ?
But thou doft swear only to be forfworn;

If thou stand excommunicate, and curst? [yours,

K. Phil. Good reverend father, make my person 3 And most forsworn to keep what thou dost swear.

And tell me, how you would bestow yourself.
This royal hand and mine are newly knit;
And the conjunction of our inward souls
Marry'd in league, coupled and link'd together
With all religious strength of sacred vows;
The latest breath, that gave the found of words,
Was deep-fworn faith, peace, amity, true love,
Between our kingdoms, and our royal selves;
And even before this truce, but new before,-
No longer than we well could wash our hands,
To clap this royal bargain up of peace,-
Heaven knows, they were besmear'd and over-stain'd
With flaughter's pencil; where revenge did paint
The fearful difference of incensed kings:
And shall these hands, so lately purg'd of blood,
So newly join'd in love, so strong in both,
Unyoke this seizure, and this kind regreet ??
Play fast and loofe with faith? 'so jest with heaven,
Make fuch unconftant children of ourselves,
As now again to snatch our palm from palm;
Unswear faith sworn; and on the marriage bed
Of smiling peace to march a bloody hoft,
And make a riot on the gentle brow
Of true fincerity? O holy fir,
My reverend father, let it not be fo:
Out of your grace, devife, ordain, impose
Some gentle order; and then we shall be blest
To do your pleasure, and continue friends.

Pand. All form is formless, order orderless,
Save what is oppofite to England's love.
Therefore, to arms! be champion of our church!
Or let the church, our mother, breathe her curse,
A mother's curse, on her revolting fon.

Therefore, thy latter vows, against thy first,
Is in thyself rebellion to thyself:
And better conquest never canst thou make,
Than arm thy conftant and thy nobler parts

35 Against these giddy loose suggestions :
Upon which better part our prayers come in,
If thou vouchsafe them: but, if not, then know,
The peril of our curses light on thee;

So heavy, as thou shalt not shake them off,
40 But, in despair, die under their black weight.
Auft. Rebellion, flat rebellion!
Faule. Wil't not be?

Will not a calf's-skin stop that mouth of thine?
Lewis. Father, to arms!

45 Blanch. Upon thy wedding-day?

Against the blood that thou hast married?
What, shall our feaft be kept with slaughter'd men?
Shall braying trumpets, and loud churlish drums,-
Clamours of hell, be measures to our pomp?

500 husband, hear me!-aye, alack, how new
Is husband in my mouth!-even for that name,
Which 'till this time my tongue did ne'er pronounce,
Upon my knee I beg, go not to arms
Againft mine uncle.

55 Conft. O, upon my knee,

Made hard with kneeling, I do pray to thee,
Thou virtuous Dauphin, alter not the doom
Fore-thought by heaven.

[may

Blanch. Now shall I fee thy love; what motive

60 Be stronger with thee than the name of wife?

Conft. That which upholdeth him that thee up[nour!

holds,

His honour: Oh, thine honour, Lewis, thine ho

i. e. undroffed. 2 A regreet is an exchange of falutation.

Some editions read chased.

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