Two such controlling bounds shall you be, kings, To these two princes, if you marry them. As we to keep this city. BAST. Here's a stay," That shakes the rotten carcase of old death Out of his rags! Here's a large mouth, indeed, That spits forth death, and mountains, rocks, and seas, Talks as familiarly of roaring lions, As maids of thirteen do of puppy-dogs! He speaks plain cannon-fire, and smoke, and bounce; He gives the bastinado with his tongue; ELI. Son, list to this conjunction, make this Give with our niece a dowry large enough: Mark, how they whisper: urge them, while their souls a Here's a stay,-] Stay, if that be the poet's word, is used, we suppose, in the sense of a sudden check or obstacle. It may not be the most suitable expression to introduce the following line; but it appears at least as good as flaw or say, which have been proposed to supersede it. b Are capable of this ambition;] Capable is impressible, susceptible. So, in the next Act, Constance says, "▬▬▬▬▬▬ I am sick and capable of fears." Her dowry shall weigh equal with a queen: * For Anjou, and fair Touraine, Maine, Poictiers, Shall gild her bridal bed; and make her rich In titles, honours, and promotions, As she in beauty, education, blood, Holds hand with any princess of the world. K. PHI. What sayst thou, boy? look in the lady's face. LEW. I do, my lord, and in her eye I find The shadow of myself form'd in her eye; [Whispers with BLANCH. BAST. Drawn in the flattering table of her eye! Hang'd in the frowning wrinkle of her brow!And quarter'd in her heart!—he doth espy Himself love's traitor: this is pity now, That hang'd, and drawn, and quarter'd, there should be, In such a love, so vile a lout as he. [Aside. BLANCH. My uncle's will, in this respect, is mine. and "Hamlet," Act III. Sc. 4, "His form and cause conjoin'd, preaching to stones, e The flattering table-] Table the expositors define to mean picture, or the board or canvas on which any object is painted. AUST. And your lips too; for I am well assur'd That I did so, when I was first assur'd." K. PHI. Now, citizens of Angiers, ope your gates; Let in that amity which you have made, ness' tent. C For we'll create young Arthur duke of Bretagne, [Exeunt all but the Bastard.-The a Volquessen,-] The ancient name of that part of France now called Le Vexin; in Latin, Pagus Velocassinus. Thus, in the old play, "And here in marriage I do give with her, b When I was first assur'd.] In the previous line assured is used in its ordinary sense; here it means affianced or contracted. The kiss was a part of the ceremony of betrothing. "Twelfth Night," Act V. Sc. 1,— "A contract of eternal bond of love So, in e Sad and passionate-] Passionate in this place signifies perturbed, agitated, not irascible. d Willingly departed with-] That is, parted with. Depart and part were used of old synonymously. See note (a), page 62, of the present volume. That smooth-fac'd gentleman, tickling commodity, Commodity, the bias of the world; k 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 indifferency, From all direction, purpose, course, intent: And this same 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 resolv'd 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 me yet: Not that I have the power to clutch my hand, When his fair angels would salute 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, Gain, be my lord! for I will worship thee! [Exit. e Rounded in the ear-] Insinuated, whispered in the ear. Thus, in the "Spanish Tragedy," Act I.→ "Forthwith Revenge she rounded thee in th' ear." f That broker,-] Broker in old language usually meant a pander, or procuress; but sometimes also, as in this passage, a dissembler, or cheat. g Tickling commodity,-] Commodity is advantage, self-interest. So, in "Barnaby Riche's Farewell to Militarie Profession:""In the whiche Fineo, to his greate contentment, had the comoditie daiely to see his Fiamma," &c. h Peised-] That is, balanced, poised. i On the outward eye-] A continuation of the well-sustained metaphor derived from the game of bowls. The aperture on one side which contains the bias or weight that inclines the bowl, in running, from a direct course, was sometimes called the eye. k His own determin'd aid,-] Mason suggested, and perhaps rightly, that we should read aim, instead of aid. a Act III.] In the old copy the Second Act extended to the conclusion of the speech of Lady Constance, when she throws herself upon the ground. The division now always adopted was made by Theobald. Shall Lewis have Blanch? and Blanch those provinces ? It is not so; thou hast mis-spoke, misheard; b Be well advis'd,-] Be thoroughly assured. Advised, in this sense, is common both in Shakespeare and the books of his time. A widow, husbandless, subject to fears; And though thou now confess thou didst but jest, SAL. As true as, I believe, you think them false, That give you cause to prove my saying true. CONST. O, if thou teach me to believe this sorrow, Teach thou this sorrow how to make me die ; Fellow, be gone: I cannot brook thy sight; 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 bid'st me be content, wert grim, d Ugly, and slanderous to thy mother's womb, a Capable of fears,-] See note (b), page 297. b I cannot take a truce,-] To take truce, in the language of our author, meant to make peace. Thus, in "Romeo and Juliet," Act III. Sc. 1, "Romeo Could not take truce with the unruly spleen Of Tybalt deaf to peace.” Of Nature's gifts thou mayst with lilies boast, Pardon me, madam, I may not go without you to the kings. I will instruct my sorrows to be proud, 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: CONST. A wicked day, and not a holy day!— 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 cause To curse the fair proceedings of this day. CONST. You have beguil'd me with a counterfeit, Resembling majesty; which, being touch'd, and tried, Proves valueless. You are forsworn, forsworn; O Lymoges! O Austria !(2) thou dost shame That bloody spoil: thou slave, thou wretch, thou coward, Thou little valiant, great in villainy! A ramping fool; to brag, and stamp, and swear, BAST. And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs. AUST. Thou dar'st not say so, villain, for thy life. BAST. And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs. K. JOHN. We like not this; thou dost forget thyself. (*) Old copies, days. a The grappling vigour, and rough frown of war, Is cold in amity, and painted peace,-] The ingenious annotator of Mr. Collier's folio would read "faint in peace;" but if any alteration be required, of which I am by no Enter PANDULPH. K. PHI. Here comes the holy legate of the pope. PAND. Hail, you anointed deputies of heaven!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, I do demand of thee. K. JOHN. What earthly* name to interro- Can task the free breath of a sacred king? So slight, unworthy, and ridiculous, To charge me to an answer, as the pope. K. PHI. Brother of England, you blaspheme in this. K. JOHN. Though you, and all the kings of Are led so grossly by this meddling priest, PAND. Then, by the lawful power that I have, O, lawful let it be, That I have room with Rome to curse a while! |