Hath willingly departed with a part. And France, whofe armour confcience buckled on, Of kings, of beggars, old men, young men, maids, But the word maid, cheats the poor maid of that; "The world, which of itself is poised well, This bawd, this broker, this all-changing word, [Exit. ACT ACT III. H SCENE I. A The French King's pavilion. Enter Conftance, Arthur, and Salisbury. Conf. Falfe blood to falfe blood join'd! gone to G One to be marry'd! gone to fwear a peace! be friends! Shall Lewis have Blanch, and Blanch those provinces ? Opprefs'd with wrongs, and therefore full of fears; And though thou now confefs thou didst but jest, Sal. As true as, I believe, you think them false, As doth the fury of two defp'rate men, Lewis wed Blanch! O boy, then where art thou? Fellow, Fellow, be gone, I cannot brook thy fight *. Conft. "If thou that bid'ft me be content, wert grim, Ugly, and fland'rous to thy mother's womb, "Full of unpleafing blots, and fightless stains, Lame, foulith, crooked, fwart, prodigious, "Patch'd with foul moles, and eye-offending marks; "I would not care; I then would be content. "For then I fhould not love thee: no, nor thou "Become thy great birth, nor deferve 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'ft with lilies boast, "And with the half-blown rofe." But Fortune, oh! She is corrupted, change'd, and, won from thee, Adulterates hourly with thine uncle John; And with her golden hand hath pluck'd on France To tread down fair refpect of fovereignty, And made his Majesty the bawd to theirs. France is a bawd to Fortune, and to John: That ftrumpet Fortune, that ufurping John! Tell me, thou fellow, is not France forfworn? Invenom him with words; or get thee gone, And leave thefe woes alone, which I alone Am bound to underbear. Sal. Pardon me, Madam, I may not go without you to the Kings. Conft. Thou may'ft, thou fhalt, I will not go with I will inftruct my forrows to be proud: For grief is proud, and makes his owner ftout. ** -brook thy fight. This news hath made thee a moft ugly man. But fpoke the harm that is by others done? [thee. Can 1 Can hold it up. Here I and forrow fit. Here is my throne, bid Kings come bow to it. [Sits down on the floor. SCENE II. Enter King John, King Philip, Lewis, Blanch, Elinor, Faulconbridge, and Auftria. [day K. Phil. 'Tis true, fair daughter, and this blessed Ever in France fhall be kept festival. To folemnize this day, the glorious fun Stays in his course, and plays the alchymist; Turning with fplendor of his precious eye The meagre cloudy earth to glitt'ring gold. The yearly course that brings this day about, Shall never fee it but a holiday. Conft. A wicked day, and not an holiday.- [Rifing. Conft. You have beguil'd me with a counterfeit And our oppreffion hath made up this league. A A widow cries, be husband to me, heav'n! Wear out the day in peace; but ere fun-fet,. Auft. Lady Conftance, peace. Conft. War, war, no peace; peace is to me a war. O Lymoges, O Auftria! thou doft fhame That bloody fpoil: thou flave, thou wretch, thou cowThou little valiant, great in villany! Thou ever ftrong upon the ftronger fide; [ard, Thou Fortune's champion, that doft never fight Auft. Ŏ that a man would speak those words to me! Faulc. And hang a calve's-skin on thofe recreant limbs. Auft. Thou dar'ft not fay fo, villain, for thy life. Faulc. And hang a calve's-skin on those recreant limbs. Auft. * Methinks that Richard's pride, and Richard's fall Should be a precedent to fright you, Sir. What was the ground of this quarrel of the bastard to Auftria, is no where specified in the prefent play: nor is there in this place, or the fcene where it is first hinted at (namely the fecond of act 2.) the leaft mention of any reafon for it. But the ftory is, that Auftria, who kill'd King Richard Coeur-de lion, wore, as the spoil of that Prince, a lion's hide which had belonged to him. This circumftance renders the anger of the baftard very natural, and ought not to have been omitted. In the first sketch of this play, (which Shakespeare is faid to have had a hand in, jointly with Wm. Rowley), we accordingly find this infifted upon, and I have ventured to place a few of thofe verfes here. Mr. Pope. |