By this brave duke came early to his grave : Of thy unnatural uncle, English John : Embrace him, love him, give him welcome hither. Lewis. A noble boy! Who would not do thee right ? That to my home I will no more return, Const. O, take his mother's thanks, a widow's thanks, Till your strong hand shall help to give him strength, To make a more requital to your love. Aust. The peace of heaven is theirs, that lift their swords In such a just and charitable war. K. Phil. Well then, to work; our cannon shall be bent Against the brows of this resisting town. Call for our chiefest men of discipline, To cull the plots of best advantages :* We'll lay before this town our royal bones, Wade to the market-place in Frenchmen's blood, Const. Stay for an answer to your embassy, [6] England is supposed to be called Albion from the white rocks facing France. JOHNSON. More signified, in our author's time, greater. STEEVENS. [8] i. e. to mark such stations as might most over-awe the town. HENLEY. Lest unadvis'd you stain your swords with blood: Enter CHATILlon. K. Phil. A wonder, lady!-lo, upon thy wish, What England says, say briefly, gentle lord, Chat. Then turn your forces from this paltry siege, And stir them up against a mightier task. England, impatient of your just demands, Hath put himself in arms; the adverse winds, [Drums beat. K. Phil. How much unlook'd for is this expedition ! Aus. By how much unexpected, by so much We must awake endeavour for defence e; For courage mounteth with occasion : Let them be welcome then, we are prepar'd. [9] Immediate, expeditious. [1] Scath-Destruction, harm. JOHNSON. Enter King JOHN, ELINOR, BLANCH, the Bastard, PEмBROKE, and Forces. K. John. Peace be to France; if France in peace permit Our just and lineal entrance to our own! If not; bleed France, and peace ascend to heaven! Their proud contempt that beat his peace to heaven. Outfaced infant state, and done a rape Look here upon thy brother Geffrey's face ;- K. John. From whom hast thou this great commission, To draw my answer from thy articles? K. Phil. From that supernal judge, that stirs good thoughts In any breast of strong authority, To look into the blots and stains of right. That judge hath made me guardian to this boy : K. John. Alack, thou dost usurp authority. [2] A brief is a short writing, abstract, or description. STEEVENS. Const. Let me make answer;-thy usurping son. Than thou and John in manners; being as like, It cannot be, an if thou wert his mother." Eli. There's a good mother, boy, that blots thy father. Con. There's a good grandam, boy, that would blot thee. Aust. Peace! Bast. Hear the crier. Aust. What the devil art thou? Bast. One that will play the devil, sir, with you, Blanch. O, well did he become that lion's robe, Bast. It lies as sightly on the back of him, But, ass, I'll take that burden from your back; Aust. What cracker is this same, that deafs our ears With this abundance of superfluous breath? K. Phil. Lewis, determine what we shall do straight. Lew. Women and fools, break off your conference.King John, this is the very sum of all,— [3] Constance alludes to Elinor's infidelity to her husband, Lewis the Seventh, when they were in the Holy Land; on account of which he was divorced from her She afterwards (1151) married our King Henry II. MALONE. [4] The ground of the quarrel of the Bastard to Austria is no where specified in the present play. But the story is, that Austria, who killed King Richard Cœurde-lion, wore, as the spoil of that prince, a lion's hide which had belonged to him. This circumstance renders the anger of the Bastard very natural, and ought not to have been omitted. POPE. The omission of this incident was natural. Shakespeare having familiarized the story to his own imagination, forgot that it was obscure to his audience; or, what is equally probable, the story was then so popular, that a hint was sufficient, at that time, to bring it to mind; and these plays were written with very little care for the approbation of posterity. JOHNSON. England, and Ireland, Anjou, Touraine, Maine, Wilt thou resign them, and lay down thy arms? K. John. My life as soon:-I do defy thee, France. And, out of my dear love, I'll give thee more Eli. Come to thy grandam, child. Const. Do, child, go it' grandam, child Arth. Good my mother, peace! I would, that I were low laid in my grave; Eli. His mother shames him so, poor boy, he weeps. Const. Now shame upon you, whe'r she does, or no! His grandam's wrongs, and not his mother's shames, Draw those heaven-moving pearls from his poor eyes, Which heaven shall take in nature of a fee; Ay, with these crystal beads heaven shall be brib'd Eli. Thou monstrous slanderer of heaven and earth! Const. Thou monstrous injurer of heaven and earth! Call not me slanderer; thou, and thine, usurp The dominations, royalties, and rights, Of this oppressed boy: This is thy eldest son's son, Thy sins are visited in this poor child ; On this removed issue, plagu'd for her, [5] Read whe'r he does, or no!-i. e. whether he weeps, or not. Constance, so far from admitting, expressly denies that she shames him. RITSON. [6] The key to these words is contained in the last speech of Constance, where she alludes to the denunciation of the second commandment, of "visiting the ini quities of the parents upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation," &c. HENLEY. |