But, ah, I will not-yet I love thee well; K. John. Do not I know, thou wouldst? And, wheresoe'er this foot of mine doth tread, Thou art his keeper. Hub. And I will keep him so, That he shall not offend your majesty. K. John. Death. Enough. I could be merry now. Hubert, I love thee; K. John. For England, cousin ; Hubert shall be your man, attend on you With all true duty.-On toward Calais, ho!" [Exeunt. 1 King John, after he had taken Arthur prisoner, sent him to the town of Falaise, in Normandy, under the care of Hubert, his chamberlain, from whence he was afterwards removed to Rouen, and delivered to the custody of Robert de Veypont. Here he was secretly put to death. "This is one of those scenes (says Steevens) to which may be promised a lasting commendation. Art could add little to its perfection; no change in dramatic taste can injure it; and time itself can subtract nothing from its beauties." SCENE IV. The same. The French King's Tent. Enter KING PHILIP, LEWIS, PANDULPH, and Attendants. K. Phi. So, by a roaring tempest on the flood, A whole armado1 of convicted 2 sail Is scattered and disjoined from fellowship. Pand. Courage and comfort! all shall yet go well. K. Phi. What can go well, when we have run so ill? Are we not beaten? Is not Angiers lost? 3 K. Phi. Well could I bear that England had this praise, So we could find some pattern of our shame. Enter CONSTANCE. Look, who comes here! a grave unto a soul; I pr'ythee, lady, go away with me. Const. Lo, now! now see the issue of your peace! K. Phi. Patience, good lady! comfort, gentle Con stance! 1 Armado is a fleet of war; the word is adopted from the Spanish, and the recent defeat of the Spanish armado had made it familiar. 2 Convicted is vanquished, overcome. To convince and convict were synonymous. 3 A fierce cause is a cause conducted with precipitation. 4 66 the vile prison of afflicted breath” is the body; the same vile prison in which the breath is confined. Const. No, I defy1 all counsel, all redress, But that which ends all counsel, true redress, Death, death.-O amiable, lovely death! Thou odoriferous stench! sound rottenness! Arise forth from the couch of lasting night, Thou hate and terror to prosperity, And I will kiss thy détestable bones; And put my eyeballs in thy vaulty brows; And ring these fingers with thy household worms; And stop this gap of breath with fulsome dust, And be a carrion monster like thyself. 2 Come, grin on me; and I will think thou smil'st, O, come to me! K. Phi. O, fair affliction, peace. Const. No, no, I will not, having breath to cry.— O that my tongue were in the thunder's mouth! Then with a passion would I shake the world And rouse from sleep that fell anatomy, Which cannot hear a lady's feeble voice, Which scorns a modern 3 invocation. Pand. Lady, you utter madness, and not sorrow. I am not mad;-I would to Heaven I were! 1 To defy formerly signified to refuse, to reject. VOL. III. 40 Or madly think a babe of clouts were he. K. Phi. Bind up those tresses; Ó, what love I note In the fair multitude of those her hairs! Where but by chance a silver drop hath fallen, Even to that drop ten thousand wiry friends Like true, inseparable, faithful loves, 1 Const. To England, if you will.1 Bind up your hairs. Const. Yes, that I will; and wherefore will I do it? I tore them from their bonds; and cried aloud, O that these hands could so redeem my son, And, father cardinal, I have heard you say, That we shall see and know our friends in heaven. If that be true, I shall see my boy again; For, since the birth of Cain, the first male child, 3 There was not such a gracious creature born. Pand. You hold too heinous a respect of grief. 1 Probably Constance, in despair, means to apostrophize the absent king John:-"Take my son to England if you will.” 2 To suspire, Shakspeare uses for to breathe. 3 Gracious is used by Shakspeare often in the sense of beautiful, comely, graceful. K. Phi. You are as fond of grief, as of your child. Const. Grief fills the room up of my absent child, Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me; Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words, Remembers me of all his gracious parts, Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form; Then, have I reason to be fond of grief. Fare you well; had you such a loss as I, I could give better comfort than you do.I will not keep this form upon my head, [Tearing off her head-dress. When there is such disorder in my wit. [Exit. K. Phi. I fear some outrage, and I'll follow her. [Exit. Lew. There's nothing in this world can make me joy; Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale, Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man ; And bitter shame hath spoiled the sweet world's1 taste, Even in the instant of repair and health, Lew. All days of glory, joy, and happiness. Are not you grieved that Arthur is his prisoner? 1 The old copy reads word's. The alteration was made by Pope. Malone thinks that it is unnecessary; and that by the sweet word, life is meant. Steevens prefers Pope's emendation. |