BEAUTIES OF SHAKSPEARE PART II. KING JOHN. ACT I. NEW TITLES. GOOD den,* sir Richard,-God-a-mercy, fellow; For your conversion. Now your traveller,— It draws towards supper in conclusion so. • Good evening. Change of condition. Catechism. + Respectable. § My travelled fop. And fits the mounting spirits, like myself: ACT II. DESCRIPTION OF ENGLAND. That pale, that white-fac'd shore, Whose foot spurns back the ocean's roaring tides, DESCRIPTION OF AN ENGLISH ARMY. His marches are expedient* to this town, With ladies' faces, and fierce dragons' spleens,— COURAGE. By how much unexpected, by so much We must awake endeavour for defence: For courage mounteth with occasion. Immediate, expeditious. †The Goddess of Revenge. + Mischief. A BOASTER. What cracker is this same, that deafs our ears With this abundance of superfluous breath? DESCRIPTION OF VICTORY BY THE FRENCH. You men of Angiers, open wide your gates, And let young Arthur, duke of Bretagne, in; Who, by the hand of France, this day hath made Much work for tears in many an English mother, Whose sons lie scatter'd on the bleeding ground. Many a widow's husband grovelling lies, Coldly embracing the discolour'd earth; And victory, with little loss, doth play Upon the dancing banners of the French; Which are at hand, triumphantly display'd To enter conquerors. VICTORY DESCRIBED BY THE ENGLISH. Rejoice, you men of Angiers, ring your bells; Their armours, that march'd hence so silver bright, That is removed by a staff of France; Our colours do return in those same hands A COMPLETE LADY If lusty love should go in quest of beauty, POWERFUL EFFECTS OF SELF-INTEREST. Rounded† in the ear With that same purpose-changer, that sly devil, That broker, that still breaks the pate of faith; But the word maid,-cheats the poor maid of that; ACT III. A WOMAN'S FEARS. Thou shalt be punish'd for thus frightening me, For I am sick, 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 confess, thou didst but jest, TOKENS OF GRIEF. What dost thou mean by shaking of thy head? Why dost thou look so sadly on my son? 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. * Interest. + Susceptible. † Poised, balanced. A MOTHER'S FONDNESS FOR A BEAUTIFUL CHILD. If thou, that bid'st me be content, wert grim, Ugly, and sland'rous to thy mother's womb, Full of unpleasing blots, and sightless* stains, Lame, foolish, crooked, swart, prodigious,f Patch'd with foul moles, and eye-offending marks, I would not care, I then wonld 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 boast, And with the half-blown rose. GRIEF. I will instruct my sorrows to be proud; COWARDICE AND PERJURY. O Lymoges! O Austria! thou dost shame That bloody spoil: Thou slave, thou wretch, thou coward: Thou little valiant, great in villany! Thou ever strong upon the stronger side! THE HORRORS OF A CONSPIRACY. I had a thing to say,-But let it go: The sun is in the heaven, and the proud day, • Unsightly. + Portentous. + Do off. |