And stand securely on their battlements, Be friends a while, and both conjointly bend Even till unfenced desolation Leave them as naked as the vulgar air. To whom, in favour, she shall give the day, How like you this wild counsel, mighty states? Smacks it not something of the policy? K. John. Now, by the sky that hangs above our heads, I like it well;-France, shall we knit our powers, And lay this Angiers even with the ground; Then, after, fight who shall be king of it? - Bast. An if thou hast the mettle of a king,- As we will ours, against these saucy walls : Make work upon ourselves, for heaven, or hell. K. Phil. Let it be so :-Say, where will you assault 2 K. John. We from the west will send destruction Into this city's bosom. Aus. I from the north. K. Phil. Our thunder from the south, Shall rain their drift of bullets on this town. Bast. O prudent discipline! From north to south; Austria and France shoot in each other's mouth: [Aside. I'll stir them to it :-Come, away, away! 1 Cit. Hear us, great kings: vouchsafe a while to stay. And I shall show you peace, and fair-fac'd league ; 8 K. John. Speak on, with favour; we are bent to hear. And two such shores to two such streams made one, Lions more confident, mountains and rocks As we to keep this city. [8] Zealous seems here to signify pious, or influenced by motives of religion. JOHNSON. [9] Stay, I apprehend, here signifies a supporter of a cause. Here's an extraordinary partizan, that shakes, &c. It is observable, that partizan, in like manner, though now generally used to signify an adherent to a party, originally meant a pike or halberd. MALONE. Bast. Here's a stay,9 That shakes the rotten carcase of old death Out of his rags! Here's a large mouth, indeed, That spits forth death, and mountains, rocks, and seas; Talks as familiarly of roaring lions, As maids of thirteen do of puppy-dogs! What cannoneer begot this lusty blood? He speaks plain cannon, fire, and smoke, and bounce; Eli. Son, list to this conjunction, make this match; For by this knot thou shalt so surely tie I see a yielding in the looks of France; Mark, how they whisper: urge them, while their souls Lest zeal, now melted, by the windy breath Cool and congeal again to what it was.' 1 Cit. Why answer not the double majesties This friendly treaty of our threaten'd town? K. Phil. Speak England first, that hath been forward first To speak unto this city: What say you? K. John. If that the Dauphin there, thy princely son, Can in this book of beauty read, I love, Her dowry shall weigh equal with a queen : For Anjou, and fair Touraine, Maine, Poictiers, Shall gild her bridal bed; and make her rich [1] We have here a very unusual, and, I think, not very just image of zeal, which, in its highest degree, is represented by others as a flame, but by Shakespeare as a frost. To repress zeal, in the language of others, is to cool, in Shakespeare's to melt it; when it exerts its utmost power it is commonly said to flame but by Shakespeare to be congealed. JOHNSON. The poet means to compare seal to metal in a state of fusion, and not to dissolv. ing ice. STEEVENS. As she in beauty, education, blood, Holds hand with any princess of the world. K. Phil. What say'st thou, boy? look in the lady's face Lew. I do, my lord, and in her eye I find A wonder, or a wondrous miracle, The shadow of myself form'd in her eye; Till now infixed I beheld myself, Drawn in the flattering table of her eye. [Whispers with BLANCH. Bast. Drawn in the flattering table of her eye!Hang'd in the frowning wrinkle of her brow! And quarter'd in her heart!-he doth espy Himself love's traitor: This is pity now, That, hang'd, and drawn, and quarter'd, there should be, In such a love, so vile a lout as he. Blanch. My uncle's will, in this respect, is mine: That any thing he sees, which moves his liking, Or, if you will, (to speak more properly,) I will enforce it easily to my love. (Though churlish thoughts themselves should be your judge,) That I can find should merit any hate. K. John. What say these young ones? What say you, my niece? Blanch. That she is bound in honour still to do What you in wisdom shall vouchsafe to say. K. John. Speak then, prince Dauphin; can you love this lady? Lew. Nay, ask me if I can refrain from love; For I do love her most unfeignedly. K. John. Then do I give Volquessen, Touraine, Maine, Poictiers, and Anjou, these five provinces, With her to thee; and this addition more, Full thirty thousand marks of English coin. Philip of France, if thou be pleas'd withal, VOL. V. 3 B2 Command thy son and daughter to join hands. K. Phil. It likes us well;-Young princes, close your hands. Aust. And your lips too; for, I am well assur'd, K. Phil. Now, citizens of Angiers, ope your gates, Lew. She is sad and passionate at your highness' tent. K. Phil. And, by my faith, this league, that we have made, Will give her sadness very little cure.- K. John. We will heal up all For we'll create young Arthur duke of Bretagne, The Citizens retire from the walls. Bast. Mad world! mad kings! mad composition! John, to stop Arthur's title in the whole, Hath willingly departed with a part:2 And France, (whose armour conscience buckled on ; As God's own soldier,) rounded in the ear3 With that same purpose-changer, that sly devil; [2] To part and to depart were formerly synonymous. STEEVENS. [3] i. e. whispered in the ear. This phrase is frequently used by Chaucer, 24 well as later writers. STEEVENS. |