Sound but another, and another fhall, As loud as thine, rattle the welkin's ear, And mock the deep-mouth'd thunder. For at hand. (Not trufting to this halting Legate here, Whom he hath us'd rather for fport, than need) K.Jn. Alarms. Enter King John and Hubert. Ow goes the day with us? oh, tell me, Hubert. H Hub. Badly, I fear; how fares your Majefty? K. John. This fever, that hath troubled me fo long, Lies heavy on me: oh, my heart is frck! Enter a Messenger. Mf. My Lord, your valiant kinfman, Faulconbridge, Defires your Majesty to leave the field; And fend him word by me which way you go. K.Joh. Tell him, tow'rd Swinftead, to the abbey there. Mef. Be of good comfort: for the great fupply, That was expected by the Dauphin here,. Are wreck'd three nights ago on Godwin-fands. This news was brought to Richard but ev'n now; The French fight coldly, and retire themselves. K. John. Ah me! this tyrant fever burns me up, And will not let me welcome this good news. Set on tow'rd Swinftead; to my litter ftrait; Weakness poffeffeth me, and I am faint. Sal. [Exeunt. SCENE changes to the French Camp. I Did not think the King fo ftor'd with friends. Pemb. Up once again; put fpirit in the French: If they mifcarry, we mifcarry too.. Sal Sal. That mif-begotten devil, Faulconbridge, In spite of fpite, alone upholds the day. Pemb. They fay, King John, fore fick, hath left the field. Enter Melun, wounded. Melun. Lead me to the revolts of England here. Sal. Wounded to death. Melun. Fly, noble English, you are bought and fold;; Ev'n on that altar, where we fwore to you (29) Unthread the rude eye of rebellion,] Tho' all the copies con-cur in this reading, how poor is the metaphor, of unthreading the eye of a needle? And, befides, as there is no mention made of a needle, how remote and obfcure is the allufion without it? The text, as I have reftor'd it, is eafy and natural; and it is the mode of expreffion, which our Author is every where fond of, to tread and untread,, the way, path, steps, &c. So Salisbury fays afterwards in this scene ;, We will untread the fteps of damned flight. Henry VIII. Say, Wolfey, that once trod the ways of glory. Richard II. But tread the ftranger paths of banishment. Richard III. Go, tread the path that thou falt ne'er return Merchant of Venice. Hamlet. Where is the horse, that doth untread again- Whilft, like a puft and carelefs libertine, She reads the paths, that she untreads again. Dear Dear amity and everlasting love.. Sal. May this be poffible! may this be true! Melun. Have I not hideous death within my view? Retaining but a quantity of life. Which bleeds away, ev'n as a form of wax Refolveth from its figure 'gainst the fire? What in the world fhould make me now deceive, Since I muft lofe the ufe of all deceit ? Why should I then be falfe, fince it is true, That I muft die here, and live hence by truth? He is forfworn, if e'er those But ev'n this night, whofe black contagious breath Of the old, feeble, and day-wearied fun, Ev'n with a treacherous fine of all your lives, Sal. We do believe thee, and beshrew my Leaving our ranknefs and irregular course, foul Stoop low within those bounds, we have o'er-look'd; Ev'n to our ocean, to our great King John. For For I do fee the cruel pangs of death Right in thine eye. Away, my friends; new flight; [Exeunt, leading off Melun. SCENE changes to a different part of the Lew. French Camp. Enter Lewis, and his Train. But faid, and made the western welkin blush; HE fun of heav'n, methought, was loth to fet, When th' English meafur'd backward their own ground Enter a Mefenger. Mef. Where is my Prince, the Dauphin ? Mef. The Count Melun is flain; the English Lords And your fupply, which you have wifh'd fo long, Lewis. Ah foul, fhrewd, news! Befhrew thy very heart, I did not think to be fo fad to-night,. As this hath made me. Who was he, that said, King John did fly, an hour or two before The ftumbling night did part our weary powers. Lew. Well; keep good quarter, and good care to-night;: To try the fair adventure of to-morrow. [Exeunt... SCENE J SCENE, an open Place in the Neighbourhood of Swinftead Abbey. Hu. Enter Faulconbridge, and Hubert, feverally. Ho's there? speak, ho! fpeak quickly,or.Ifhoot. Hub. Of the part of England. Faule. And whither doft thou go? Why may not I demand of thine affairs, Hab. Thou haft a perfect thought: I will upon all hazards well believe Thou art my friend, that know'ft my tongue fo well: Who art thou? Faulc. Who thou wilt? and, if thou please, Thou may'ft be-friend me fo much, as to think, I come one way of the Plantagenets! Hub.Unkind remembrance! thou and eyelefs night (30) Have done me fhame; brave foldier, pardon me, That any accent, breaking from thy tongue, Should 'fcape the true acquaintance of mine ear. Faulc. Come, come; fans complement, what news abroad? Hub. Why here walk I, in the black brow of night,. To find you out. Faulc. Brief then and what's the news? Hub, O my fweet Sir, news fitting to the night; Black, fearful, comfortlefs, and horrible. Faulc. Shew me the very wound of this ill news, I am no woman, I'll not fwoon at it. Hub. The King, I fear, is poison'd by a Monk: (30) Urkind remembrance; thou and endless night. Have done me fname: ] Why, endifs night? Hubert means no more, than that the dulnefs of his recollection, and the darkness of the night, had disgraced him in, his not knowing Faulconbridge by the tone of his voice. Our Author certainly wrote, eye lefs. Mr. Warburton likewise concurr'd in starting this emendation. |