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: 510
If he see aught in you that makes him like,
That any thing he sees, which moves his liking,
I can with ease translate it to my will;
Or if you will, to speak more properly,
I will enforce it easily to my love.
Further I will not flatter you, my lord,
That all I see in you is worthy love,
Than this; that nothing do I see in you,
Though churlish thoughts themselves should be
your judge,

That I can find should merit any hate.

520

K. John. What say these young ones? What say you, my niece?

Blanch. That she is bound in honor still to do

What you in wisdom still 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. 530 Philip of France, if thou be pleased withal, Command thy son and daughter to join hands. 527. "Volquessen," Vexin, the district round Rouen (occupied by the Velocasses in ancient Gaul).-C. H. H.

K. Phi. It likes us well; young princes, close your

hands.

Aust. And your lips too; for I am well assured

That I did so when I was first assured.

K. Phi. Now, citizens of Angiers, ope your gates,
Let in that amity which you have made;
For at Saint Mary's chapel presently
The rites of marriage shall be solemnized.
Is not the Lady Constance in this troop? 540
I know she is not, for this match made up
Her presence would have interrupted much:
Where is she and her son? tell me, who knows.
Lew. She is sad and passionate at your highness'

tent.

K. Phi. And, by my faith, this league that we have made

Will give her sadness very little cure.

Brother of England, how may we content
This widow lady? In her right we came;
Which we, God knows, have turn'd another way,
To our own vantage.

K. John.

We will heal up all;

550

533. "Close your hands"; this marriage treaty is thus narrated by Holinshed: "So King John returned from York, and sailed again into Normandy, because the variance still depended between him and the King of France. Finally, upon the Ascension-day in this second year of his reign, they came eftsoons to a communication betwixt the towns of Vernon and Lisle Dandelie, where they concluded an agreement, with marriage to be had betwixt Lewis, the son of King Philip, and the lady Blanch, daughter to Alfonso King of Castile, the eighth of that name, and niece to King John by his sister Eleanor." It was further stipulated that "the foresaid Blanch should be conveyed into France to her husband, with all speed"; which infers that she was not personally consenting to the treaty.H. N. K

For we'll create young Arthur Duke of Bre

tagne

And Earl of Richmond; and this rich fair town
We make him lord of. Call the Lady Con-
stance;

Some speedy messenger bid her repair
To our solemnity: I trust we shall,
If not fill up the measure of her will,
Yet in some measure satisfy her so
That we shall stop her exclamation.
Go we, as well as haste will suffer us,
To this unlook'd for, unprepared pomp.

560

[Exeunt all but the Bastard. Bast. Mad world! mad kings! mad composition! John, to stop Arthur's title in the whole, Hath willingly departed with a part:

And France, whose armor conscience buckled

on,

Whom zeal and charity brought to the field
As God's own soldier, rounded in the ear
With that same purpose-changer, that sly devil,
That broker, that still breaks the pate of faith,
That daily break-vow, he that wins of all,
Of kings, of beggars, old men, young men,
maids,

Who, having no external thing to lose

571

But the word 'maid,' cheats the poor maid of that,

That smooth-faced gentleman, tickling Commodity,

Commodity, the bias of the world,

4. "the bias of the world"; the influence which causes all mer

The world, who of itself is peised well.
Made to run even upon even ground,
Till this advantage, this vile-drawing bias,
This sway of motion, this Commodity,
Makes it take head from all indifferency,
From all direction, purpose, course, intent: 580
And this same bias, this Commodity,

This bawd, this broker, this all-changing word,
Clapp'd on the outward eye of fickle France,
Hath drawn him from his own determined aid,
From a resolved and honorable war,

To a most base and vile-concluded peace.
And why rail I on this Commodity?
But for because he hath not woo'd me yet:
Not that I have the power to clutch my hand,
When his fair angels would salute my palm; 590
But for my hand, as unattempted yet,
Like a poor beggar, raileth on the rich.
Well, whiles I am a beggar, I will rail
And say there is no sin but to be rich;
And being rich, my virtue then shall be
To say there is no vice but beggary.
Since kings break faith upon commodity,

Gain, be my lord, for I will worship thee. [Exit.

to swerve from their normal course. Technically the bias was, in the game of bowls, a piece of lead introduced into one side of the bowl, causing it to swerve from the direct line. The globe of the earth is here conceived as a bowl thus "biassed."-C. H. H.

583. "Clapp'd on the outward eye." The figure of the biassed bowl is still kept up. The "eye" of a bowl was “the aperture on one side which contained the bias."-C. H. H.

584. "aid"; Collier (ed. 2, Mason's conjecture) “aim.”—I. G.

ACT THIRD

SCENE I

The French King's Pavilion.

Enter Constance, Arthur, and Salisbury.

Const. Gone to be married! gone to swear a peace! False blood to false blood join'd! gone to be friends!

Shall Lewis have Blanch, and Blanch those
provinces?

It is not so; thou hast misspoke, misheard;
Be well advised, tell o'er thy tale again:
It cannot be; thou dost but say 'tis so:

I trust I may not trust thee; for thy word
Is but the vain breath of a common man:
Believe me, I do not believe thee, man;
I have a king's oath to the contrary.
Thou shalt be punish'd for thus frighting me,
For I am sick and capable of fears,

10

Oppress'd with wrongs and therefore full of fears,

A widow, husbandless, subject to fears,

A woman, naturally born to fears;

And though thou now confess thou didst but jest,

With my vex'd spirits I cannot take a truce,

16-17. “thou didst but jest, With my vex'd spirits," etc.; Rowe's