Lew. Women and fools, break off your conference.King John, this is the very sum of all : 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.— Arthur of Bretagne, yield thee to my hand, And out of my dear love I'll give thee more, Than e'er the coward hand of France can win: Eli. Come to thy grandam, child. Const. Do, child, go to it' grandam, child: Give grandam kingdom, and it' grandam will Give it a plum, a cherry, and a fig: There's a good grandam. Arth. Good my mother, peace! I would that I were low laid in my grave; 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; printing King in Italic, as the prefix of the speech, which seems clearly to belong to King Philip. 9_ Anjou,] In all the old copies, Angiers is misprinted for Anjou. 10 Now shame upon you, WHE'R she does, or no!] Another instance in which whether is printed where in the old copies. The usual course is to leave these dissyllables to be pronounced in the time of a monosyllable. The canon of the law is laid on him, I have but this to say,— That he is not only plagued for her sin, But God hath made her sin and her, the plague And with her plague her sin: his injury Her injury the beadle to her sin, All punish'd in the person of this child, Eli. Thou unadvised scold, I can produce A will, that bars the title of thy son. Const. Ay, who doubts that? a will! a wicked will; A woman's will: a canker'd grandam's will! K. Phi. Peace, lady! pause, or be more temperate. It ill beseems this presence, to cry aim3 To these ill-tuned repetitions. Some trumpet summon hither to the walls Trumpets sound. Enter Citizens upon the walls*. 1 And all for her a plague upon her!] This speech is given in our text exactly as it stands in the old copies: it has been the source of some contention among the commentators; but the meaning, though involved, seems sufficiently clear. Malone "suspected that two half lines had been lost." 2 A woman's will:] So in the old "King John," Elinor says, "I can infer a will, That bars the way he urgeth by descent." And Constance replies, "A will indeed! a crabbed woman's will," &c. 3 to cry AIM] . e. to give the word for taking aim; a phrase derived from archery. 4 Enter CITIZENS upon the walls.] The economy of our old stage could only allow one citizen to make his appearance. "Enter a Citizen upon the walls" is the direction in the folios. K. John. England, for itself. You men of Angiers, and my loving subjects, K. Phi. You loving men of Angiers, Arthur's subjects, Our trumpet call'd you to this gentle parle. K. John. For our advantage; therefore, hear us first. These flags of France, that are advanced here And merciless proceeding by these French, By the compulsion of their ordnance They shoot but calm words, folded up in smoke, Which trust accordingly, kind citizens, And let us in, your king; whose labour'd spirits, 5 COMFORT your city's eyes,] So all the old copies: King John is evidently speaking ironically. Rowe altered "comfort" to confront, and such has since been the received reading. Crave harbourage within your city walls. K. Phi. When I have said, make answer to us both. And king o'er him, and all that he enjoys. In warlike march these greens before your town; Than the constraint of hospitable zeal, To pay that duty, which you truly owE, To him that OWES it ;] This passage affords an instance of the use of the verb "owe" in its two senses; to owe, as we now ordinarily employ it, and to own, which it formerly signified, and of which sense examples in Shakespeare and his contemporaries are endless. See Vol. ii. pp. 45. 136. 297. 416. Vol. iii. pp. 254. 348, &c. And stalk in blood to our possession? Cit. In brief, we are the king of England's subjects: For him, and in his right, we hold this town'. K. John. Acknowledge then the king, and let me in. Cit. That can we not; but he that proves the king, To him will we prove loyal: till that time, Have we ramm'd up our gates against the world. K. John. Doth not the crown of England prove the king? And, if not that, I bring you witnesses, Twice fifteen thousand hearts of England's breed,- K. John. To verify our title with their lives. K. Phi. As many, and as well-born bloods as those,— Bast. Some bastards, too. K. Phi. Stand in his face to contradict his claim. Cit. Till you compound whose right is worthiest, We for the worthiest hold the right from both. K. John. Then God forgive the sin of all those souls, That to their everlasting residence Before the dew of evening fall shall fleet, In dreadful trial of our kingdom's king! K. Phi. Amen, Amen. - Mount, chevaliers ! to arms! Bast. St. George, that swing'd the dragon, and e'er since, Sits on his horseback at mine hostess' door, Teach us some fence! [To AUSTRIA.] Sirrah, were I at home, At your den, sirrah, with your lioness, I would set an ox-head to your lion's hide, And make a monster of you. Aust. Peace! no more. Bast. O! tremble, for you hear the lion roar. 7 For him, and in his right, we hold this town.] So in the old "King John," the citizen on the wall replies, "For him, and in his right, we hold our town.” |