صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale,

Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man;

[ocr errors]

And bitter shame hath spoilt the sweet world's tafte,
That it yields nought but fhame and bitterness.
Pand. Before the curing of a strong. disease,
Even in the inftant of repair and health,
The fit is ftrongeft: evils that take leave,
On their departure moft of all fhew evil.
What have you loft by lofing of this day?
Lewis. All days of glory, joy, and happiness.
Pand. If you had won it, certainly, you had.
No, no: when fortune means to men moft good,
She looks upon them with a threatening eye.
'Tis ftrange to think how much king John hath loft
In this, which he accounts fo clearly won.
Are not you griev'd that Arthur is his prisoner?
Lewis. 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 fpirit;
For even the breath of what I mean to speak
Shall blow each duft, each ftraw, each little rub,
Out of the path which fhall directly lead

Thy foot to England's throne; and, therefore, mark.
John hath feiz'd Arthur; and it cannot be
That, whilft warm life plays in that infant's veins,
The misplac'd John fhould entertain an hour,
A minute, nay, one quiet breath of reft.
A fcepter, fnatch'd with an unruly hand,
Must be as boisterously maintain'd, as gain'd:
And he that stands upon a flippery place,
Makes nice of no vile hold to stay him up.
That John may ftand, then Arthur needs muft fall;
So be it, for it cannot be but fo.

Lewis. But what fhall 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.

Lewis. And lofe it, life and all, as Arthur did. Pand. How green you are, and fresh in this old

world!

John

John lays you plots; the times confpire with you :
For he that steeps his fafety in 2 true blood
Shall find but bloody fafety, and untrue.
This act, fo evilly born, fhall cool the hearts
Of all his people, and freeze up their zeal,
That none fo fmall advantage shall step forth
To check his reign, but they will cherish it:
No natural exhalation in the sky,
3 No 'scape of nature, no diftemper'd day,
No common wind, no customed event,
But they will pluck away its natural cause,
And call them meteors, prodigies, and figns,
Abortives, prefages, and tongues of heaven
Plainly denouncing vengeance upon John.
Lewis. May be, he will not touch young
life,

But hold himself safe in his prifonment.

Arthur's

Pand. O, Sir, when he fhall hear of your approach, If that young Arthur be not gone already,

Even at this news he dies; and then the hearts
Of all his people shall revolt from him,
And kifs the lips of unacquainted change;
And pick ftrong matter of revolt, and wrath,
Out of the bloody fingers' ends of John.
Methinks, I fee 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, ranfacking 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;

true blood] The blood of him that has the juft claim. JOHNSON.

3 No 'scape of nature,-] The author very finely calls a monftrous birth, an escape of nature. As if it were produced while the was bufy elsewhere, or intent on fome other thing. But the Oxford editor will have it, that Shakespeare wrote,

No fhape of nature.

E 3

WARBURTON.

Or,

4 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 fouls are top-full of offence,
For England go; I will whet on the king.

Lewis. Strong reafon makes strong actions: let us

go;

If you fay, ay, the king will not fay, no.

ACT IV.

[Exeunt.

SCENE I.

Changes to England.

A prifon.

H

Enter Hubert and executioners.

HUBERT.

EAT me these irons hot; and, look, thou ftand Within the arras: when I ftrike my foot Upon the bofom of the ground, rush forth; And bind the boy, which you fhall find with me, Faft to the chair. Be heedful: hence, and watch. Exec. I hope your warrant will bear out the deed. Hub. Uncleanly fcruples! fear not you; look to't. Young lad, come forth; I have to say with you. Enter Arthur.

Arth. Good morrow, Hubert.

Hub. Good morrow, little prince.

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

Or, as a little fnow,-] Bacon, in his hiftory of Henry VII. fpeaking of Perkin's march, obferves, that their snow-ball did not gather as it rolled. JOHNSON,

་མ་་

Arth.

Arth. Mercy on me!

Methinks, no body fhould be fad but I:
Yet I remember when I was in France,

$ Young gentlemen would be as fad as night,
Only for wantonnefs. By my chriftendom,
So were I out of prison, and kept sheep,
I should be as merry as the day is long:
And fo I would be here, but that, I doubt,
My uncle practifes more harm to me:
He is afraid of me, and I of him.

Is it my fault that I was Geffrey's fon?

No, indeed, is it not; and I would to heaven,
I were your fon, fo you would love me, Hubert.
Hub. If I talk to him, with his innocent prate
He will awake my mercy, which lies dead;
Therefore I will be fudden, and difpatch.

[Afide. Arth. Are you fick, Hubert? you look pale to-day: In footh, I would you were a little fick; That I might fit all night and watch with you. I warrant, I love you more than you do me. Hub. His words do take poffeffion of my bofom. Read here, young Arthur

How now, foolish rheum,

6

[Shewing a paper. [Afide.

Turning difpiteous torture out of door!

I must be brief; left resolution drop

Out at mine eyes, in tender womanifh tears.-
Can
you not read it? is it not fair writ?

Arth. Too fairly, Hubert, for so foul effect. Muft you with hot irons burn out both mine eyes? Hub. Young boy, I must.

Arth. And will you?

5 Young gentlemen, &c.] It fhould feem that this affectation had found its way to England, as it is ridiculed by Ben Jonion in the character of Master Stephen in Every Man in his Humour. So in Beaumont and Fletcher's Queen of Corinth, Onos fays, "Come let's be melancholy." STEEVENS.

Turning difpitecus torture out of door!] For torture Sir T. Hanmer reads nature, and is followed, I think, without neceffity, by Dr. Warburton. JOHNSON.

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

Hub. And I will.

Arth. Have you the heart? When your
but ake,

I knit my handkerchief about your brows,
(The beit I had, a princefs wrought it me)
And I did never afk it you again:

head did

And with my hand at midnight held your head;
And, like the watchful minutes to the hour,
Still and anon chear'd up the heavy time;
Saying, what lack you? and, where lies your grief?
Or, what good love may I perform for you?
Many a poor man's fon would have lain still,
And ne'er have spoke a loving word to you;
But you at your fick fervice had a prince.
Nay, you may think my love was crafty love,
And call it cunning. Do, an if you will:
If heaven be pleas'd that you must use me ill,
Why, then you muft.-Will you put out mine eyes?
These eyes, that never did, nor never fhall,
So much as frown on you ?

Hub. I have fworn to do it;

And with hot irons muft I burn them out.

Arth. Ah, none but in this iron age would do it! The iron of itself, tho' heat red-hot,

Approaching near thefe eyes, would drink my tears, And quench its fiery indignation,

Even in the matter of mine innocence:

Nay, after that, confume away in rust,
But for containing fire to harm mine eye.

Are you more ftubborn-hard, than hammer'd iron?
Oh! if an angel fhould have come to me,
And told me, Hubert fhould put out mine eyes,

7 I would not have believ'd him; no tongue, but Hu

bert's. [Hubert ftamps, and the men enter, Hub. Come forth; do, as I bid you do.

Arth.

7 I would not have believed a tongue BUT HUBERT's.] Thus Mr. Pope found the line in the old editions. According to this reading it is fuppofed that Hu ert had told him, he would not put out his eyes; for the angel who lays be would, is brought

« السابقةمتابعة »