The deed, which both our tongues held vile to name.
Out of my sight, and never see me more!
My nobles leave me; and my state is brav'd,
Even at my gates, with ranks of foreign powers;
Nay, in the body of this fleshly land,

This kingdom, this confine of blood and breath,
Hostility and civil tumult reigns

Between my conscience and my cousin's death.
Hub. Arm you against your other enemies:
I'll make a peace between your soul and you.
Young Arthur is alive: this hand of mine
Is yet a maiden and an innocent hand,
Not painted with the crimson spots of blood.
Within this bosom never enter'd yet
The dreadful motion of a murd'rous thought,
And you have slander'd Nature in my form;
Which, howsoever rude exteriorly,

Is yet the cover of a fairer mind

Than to be butcher of an innocent child.

[1826.

KING JOHN. ACT 3. Sc. 3.

KING JOHN. HUBERT.

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

ἐμή τε γλῶσσα, σή θ ̓ ὁμῶς, ᾐσχύνετο. ἔῤῥ ̓, αἰσχροποιὲ, μηδὲ προσβλέψῃς μ ̓ ἔτι· πρόμων λέλειμμαι, τῇ πόλει τ ̓ ἐπεγγελᾷ, 30 πύλαις ἐν αὐταῖς, πολέμια στρατεύματα· καὶ μὴν ἐν αὐτῇ σαρκὶ τοῦδε σώματος, ἔντοσθε τούτων αἵματός τε καὶ πνοῆς ὅρων, ταράσσει πάντ' Ἄρης ἐμφύλιος, ἐμοῦ μεταξὺ ξυγγενοῦς τ ̓ ἀλαστόρων. ΟΥΒ. Ἄλλοισιν ἐχθροῖς ἀνθοπλίζεσθαι χρεών, ἔστω δὲ σὺν σοὶ σαῖσιν εἰρήνη φρεσίν· ὁ παῖς ἔτι ζῇ· παρθένος γὰρ ἥδε χεὶρ ἔτ ̓ ἐστὶν, οὐδὲν, ὧν λέγεις, πράξασά πω, οὐδ ̓ ἡμάτωται φοινίοις σταλαγμασιν· ἥ τ' αἰσχρόμητις θανασίμων βουλευμάτων ὁρμὴ κέαρ τόδ' οὐδαμῶς ὑπῆλθεν, οὔ. σὺ δ ̓ ἠδίκηκας, τῷδ ̓ ἐν ἀνδρὶ, τὴν φύσιν, ὃς ἀγριωπός είμι, τὴν ἔξω φυὴν, τρέφω δ ̓ ἔσωθεν ἡμερωτέραν φρέν ̓ ἢ ὠμαῖσι χερσὶ παῖδα νήπιον κτανεῖν.

1826.]

ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ. ΟΥΒΕΡΤΟΣ.

ΒΑΣ. ΔΕΥΡ ̓ ἔλθὲ, δεῦρ ̓, Οὔβερτε, γενναῖον κάρα·

ὀφείλομέν σοι, φίλτατ', οὐ σμικρόν χρέος,
ψυχὴ δὲ τῆσδε σαρκὸς ἐν περιπτυχαῖς
ἔνεστιν, ἥτις σῆς ὑπ ̓ εὐνοίας πάλαι
ξύνοιδεν εὖ παθοῦσα, καὶ μέλλει ποτε

εὖ σ ̓ ἀντιδρῶσα δὶς τόσην θέσθαι χάριν.
κοὐ σῶν ποθ ̓ ὅρκων ὧν ἑκὼν κατώμοσας

40

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 ashamed
To say what good respect I have of thee.

Hub. I am much bounden to your majesty.

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 baked 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;

μνήμη τέθνηκε, φίλτατ', ἐν δέλτοις δ ̓ ἐμῶν φρενῶν ἐσαεὶ ζῶσιν, εὖ γεγραμμένοι. ἄγ ̓ οὖν, πρότεινε δεξίαν ἐμοὶ χέρα. ἦν μέν τι λέξων· ἀλλὰ ταῦτ ̓ ἀμείνονι καιρῷ προσάψας ἐξερῶ· σχεδόν τι γὰρ αἰδὼς ἀπείργει μ', οὐρανὸν μαρτύρομαι, εἰπεῖν ὅσην, Οὔβερτε, σοὶ τιμὴν νέμω. ΟΥΒ. ἄναξ, ὀφείλω τῶνδέ σοι πολλὴν χάριν. ΒΑΣ. οὔπω τόδ ̓, ὦ φίλ', ἐνδίκως ἔχεις φράσαι,

10

20

σάφ ̓ ἴσθι δ ̓, ἕξεις· κἂν βράδισθ ̓ ἕρπῃ χρόνος,
ἥξει ποθ', ἥξει καιρὸς εὖ δρᾶσαί σ ̓ ὅμως.
ἦν μέν τι λέξων· ταῦτα δ ̓ οὖν προχαιρέτω
ἤδη γὰρ οἱπίσημος ἡλίου κύκλος
φλέγει δι' αἴθραν, ἡ χλιδῶσά θ ̓ ἡμέρα,
κενῶν ἄγουσα τερψέων ὁμήγυριν,
τρυφῶν τε πληρὴς κἀγλαϊσμάτων, ἔπη
ἀποστυγεῖ τἄμ'· εἰ δέ μοι χαλκόστομος
κώδων σιδηρόγλωσσον ἐκκλάζων ὄπα
τοῦ νυκτίου δίαυλον ἀγγέλλοι δρόμου,
εἰ χῶρος οὗτος, οὗ καθέσταμεν, τάφων
εἴη τι χῶμα, καὶ παρασταίης σύ μοι
κέντροισι δηχθεὶς μυρίων ὑβρισμάτων,
εἰ δ ̓ ἡ μελαγχολώσα δυσφιλής θεὸς
σὸν αἷμ ̓ ἐπήγνυ, κἀτίθει νωθὲς, παχύ,
ὁ νῦν ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω σκιρτῶν ἀεὶ
κνίζει βροτείου σώματος διαῤῥοὰς,

μωρόν τ' ἐς ἀνδρῶν ὄμματ ̓ ἐμβάλλει γέλων,
χαύνοις τ ̓ ἐπαίρει χάρμασιν παρηΐδας,

ἐνάντιόν τι τοῖς ἐμοῖς βουλεύμασιν·

30

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;
Then, in despite of brooded watchful day,
I would into thy bosom pour my thoughts:
But, ah, I will not-yet I love thee well;
And, by my troth, I think, thou lov'st me well.

KING JOHN. ACT 3. Sc. 3.*

KING JOHN. HUBERT.

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 ashamed To say what good respect I have of thee.

Hub. I am much bounden to your majesty.

John. Good friend, thou hast no cause to say so yet: But thou shalt have; and creep time ne'er so slow,

*To these Iambics was adjudged the second Porson Prize in 1826. The writer considers himself bound to state, that alterations have been made in them since the prizes were awarded.