That hang'd, and drawn, and quarter'd, there

should be,

In fuch a love, fo vile a lout as he.

BLANCH. My uncle's will, in this refpect, is

mine:

If he fee aught in you, that makes him like, That any thing he fees, which moves his liking, I can with eafe tranflate it to my will;

Or, if you will, (to speak more properly,) I will enforce it easily to my love. Further I will not flatter you, my lord, That all I fee in you is worthy love, Than this, that nothing do I fee in you, (Though churlish thoughts themselves fhould be your judge,)

That I can find fhould merit any hate.

K. JOHN. What say these young ones? What fay you, my niece?

BLANCH. That she is bound in honour ftill to do What you in wifdom fhall vouchfafe to say.

K. JOHN. Speak then, prince Dauphin; can you love this lady?

LEW. Nay, afk me if I can refrain from love; For I do love her most unfeignedly.

K. JOHN. Then do I give Volqueffen," Touraine,
Maine,

Poitiers, and Anjou, thefe five provinces,
With her to thee; and this addition more,
Full thirty thousand marks of English coin.--

7. Volqueen,] This is the ancient name for the country now called the Vexin; in Latin, Pagus Velocaffinus. That part of it called the Norman Vexin, was in difpute between Philip and John. STEEVENS.

This and the fubfequent line (except the words, " do I give") are taken from the old play. MALONE.

Philip of France, if thou be pleas'd withal,
Command thy fon and daughter to join hands.
K. PHI. It likes us well;-Young princes, clofe
your hands."

AUST. And your lips too; for, I am well affur'd, That I did fo, when I was first afsur'd.3

K. PHI. Now, citizens of Angiers, ope your gates,
Let in that amity which you have made;
For at faint Mary's chapel, presently,

The rites of marriage fhall be folemniz'd.-
Is not the lady Conftance in this troop?-
I know, fhe is not; for this match, made up,
Her presence would have interrupted much:-
Where is the and her fon? tell me, who knows.
LEW. She is fad and paffionate at your highness'

tent.9

K. PHI. And, by my faith, this league, that we
have made,

Will give her fadness very little cure.—
Brother of England, how may we content

7 Young princes, clofe your hands.] See The Winter's Tale, Vol. VII. p. 17, n. 9. MALONĖ.

8

I am well affur'd,

That I did fo, when I was firft affur'd.] Assur'd is here used both in its common fenfe, and in an uncommon one, where it fignifies affianced, contracted. So, in The Comedy of Errors: called me Dromio, fwore I was affur'd to her." STEEVENS.

66

9 She is fad and paffionate at your highness' tent.] Paffionate, in this inftance, does not fignify difpofed to anger, but a prey to mournful fenfations. So, in Beaumont and Fletcher's Wit without Money:

66

Thou art paffionate,

"Haft been brought up with girls." STEEVENS.

Again, in the old play entitled The True Tragedie of Richard duke of Yorke, 1600:

"Tell me, good madam,

"Why is your grace fo paffionate of late?" MALONE.

This widow lady? In her right we came;
Which we, God knows, have turn'd another way,
To our own vantage.

K. JOHN.

We will heal up all:

For we'll create young Arthur duke of Bretagne,
And earl of Richmond; and this rich fair town.
We make him lord of.-Call the lady Conftance;
Some speedy meffenger bid her repair
To our folemnity :-I trust we shall,
If not fill up the measure of her will,
Yet in fome measure fatisfy her so,
That we shall stop her exclamation.
Go we, as well as hafte will fuffer us,
To this unlook'd for unprepared pomp.

[Exeunt all but the Baftard.-The Citizens retire
from the walls.

BAST. Mad world! mad kings! mad compofition!

John, to ftop Arthur's title in the whole,
Hath willingly departed with a part: 2

And France, (whofe armour confcience buckled on;
Whom zeal and charity brought to the field,
As God's own foldier,) rounded in the ear3

'-departed with a part:] To part and to depart were formerly fynonymous. So, in Every Man in his Humour: "Faith, fir, I can hardly depart with ready money." Again, in Every Woman in her Humour, 1609: "She'll ferve under him till death us depart." STEEVENS.

3

-rounded in the ear-] i. e. whispered in the ear. This phrafe is frequently used by Chaucer, as well as later writers. So, in Lingua, or A Combat of the Tongue, &c. 1607: "I help'd Herodotus to pen fome part of his Mufes; lent Pliny ink to write his hiftory, and rounded Rabelais in the ear when he hiftorified Pantagruel." Again, in The Spanish Tragedy:

"Forthwith Revenge the rounded me i' th' ear."

VOL. VIII.

F

STEEVENS.

With that fame purpofe-changer, that fly devil;
That broker, that still breaks the pate of faith;
That daily break-vow; he that wins of all,
Of kings, of beggars, old men, young men, maids;-
Who having no external thing to lose

But the word maid,-cheats the poor maid of that;^ That smooth-faced gentleman, tickling commodity,

Commodity, the bias of the world; '
The world, who of itself is peised well,
Made to run even, upon even ground;
Till this advantage, this vile drawing bias,

4 Who having no external thing to lofe

But the word maid,-cheats the poor maid of that;] The conAtruction here appears extremely harsh to our ears, yet I do not believe there is any corruption; for I have obferved a fimilar phrafeology in other places in these plays. The conftruction is,— Commodity, he that wins of all, he that cheats the poor maid of that only external thing fhe has to lofe, namely the word maid, i. e. her chastity. Who having is used as the abfolute cafe, in the fenfe of "they having-;" and the words "who having no external thing to lose but the word maid," are in fome measure parenthetical; yet they cannot with propriety be included in a parenthefis, because then there would remain nothing to which the relative that at the end of the line could be referred. In The Winter's Tale, are the following lines, in which we find a fimilar phrafeology:

This

your

fon-in-law,

"And fon unto the king (whom heavens directing,)

"Is troth-plight to your daughter."

Here the pronoun whom is ufed for him, as who, in the paffage before us, is used for they. MALONE.

s Commodity, the bias of the world;] Commodity is intereft. So, in Damon and Pithias, 1582:

Again:

for vertue's fake only,

They would honour friendship, and not for commoditie."

"I will use his friendship to mine own commoditie."

So, in Cupid's Whirligig, 1607:

STEEVENS.

O the world is like a byas bowle, and it runs all on the rich mens fides." HENDERSON.

This fway of motion, this commodity,
Makes it take head from all indifferency,
From all direction, purpose, courfe, intent:
And this fame 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 refolv'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 falute 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 fin, but to be rich;
And being rich, my virtue then shall be,
To fay, there is no vice, but beggary:

6

this broker,] A broker in old language meant a pimp or procurefs. See a note on Hamlet, Act II.

7

"Do not believe his vows, for they are brokers," &c.

MALONE.

-from his own determin'd aid,] The word eye, in the line preceding, and the word own, which can ill agree with aid, induces me to think that we ought to read-" his own determined aim," inftead of aid. His own aid is little better than nonsense.

M. MASON.

clutch my hand,] To clutch my hand, is to clasp it close. So, in Measure for Meafure: "-putting the hand into the pocket, and extracting it clutched." Again, in Antonio's Revenge, 1602: "The fift of ftrenuous vengeance is clutch'd."

See also note on Macbeth, A&t II. fc. i. STEEVENS.

9 But for, &c.] i. e. because. So, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona : "I curfe myself, for they are fent by me." REED. Again, in Othello:

—or for I am declin'd

"Into the vale of years." MALONE.