'Tis too respective and too sociable
For your conversion. Now your traveller,
He and his toothpick at my worship's mess,
And when my knightly stomach is sufficed,
Why then I suck my teeth and catechize
My picked man of countries: 'My dear sir,'
Thus, leaning on mine elbow, I begin,
'I shall beseech you'—that is question now;
And then comes answer like an Absey book :
'O sir,' says answer, 'at your best command;
At your employment; at your service, sir:
'No, sir,' says question, 'I, sweet sir, at yours :'
And so, ere answer knows what question would,
Saving in dialogue of compliment,

And talking of the Alps and Apennines,
The Pyrenean and the river Po,

It draws toward supper in conclusion so.
But this is worshipful society

And fits the mounting spirit like myself,
For he is but a bastard to the time
That doth not smack of observation ;
And so am I, whether I smack or no;
And not alone in habit and device,
Exterior form, outward accoutrement,
But from the inward motion to deliver
Sweet, sweet, sweet poison for the age's tooth:
Which, though I will not practise to deceive,
Yet, to avoid deceit, I mean to learn;

188. 'Tis too respective, etc.; (to remember men's names) shows too much deference and familiarity to be becoming in your new circumstances.

193. picked, choice, refined. 196. Absey book, a sort of catechism (A B C'), with alternate question and answer, used in learning to read.

190

200

210

201. Except in exchange of compliments' (and in talking, etc.).

203. The Pyrenean, the Pyrenees.

208. observation, deference.

courtly

210. device, cut and adornment of the dress.

212. motion, mental activity.

For it shall strew the footsteps of my rising.
But who comes in such haste in riding-robes ?
What woman-post is this? hath she no husband
That will take pains to blow a horn before her?

Enter LADY FAULCONBRIDGE and JAMES
GURNEY.

O me! it is my mother. How now, good lady!
What brings you here to court so hastily?

Lady F. Where is that slave, thy brother?
where is he,

That holds in chase mine honour up and down?
Bast. My brother Robert? old sir Robert's son?
Colbrand the giant, that same mighty man?
Is it sir Robert's son that you seek so?

Lady F. Sir Robert's son! Ay, thou un-
reverend boy,

Sir Robert's son: why scorn'st thou at sir Robert?
He is sir Robert's son, and so art thou.

Bast. James Gurney, wilt thou give us leave
awhile?

Gur. Good leave, good Philip.

Bast.
Philip! sparrow: James,
There's toys abroad: anon, I'll tell thee more.

[Exit Gurney.

Madam, I was not old sir Robert's son:

Sir Robert might have eat his part in me
Upon Good-Friday and ne'er broke his fast:
Sir Robert could do well: marry, to confess,

216. strew the footsteps, etc., i.e. make my footing surer.

225. Colbrand, a Danish giant proverbial for his strength, one of the victims of the champion Guy of Warwick.

227. unreverend, disrespectful; reverend' and 'reverent

were used indiscriminately.

220

2.30

231. Philip! sparrow; Philip was an early name for the sparrow, derived probably from its twittering note, and rendered classical by Shelton's Boke of Phyllip Sparowe.

232. toys, idle rumours.

Could he get me? Sir Robert could not do it:
We know his handiwork: therefore, good mother,
To whom am I beholding for these limbs ?
Sir Robert never holp to make this leg.

Lady F. Hast thou conspired with thy brother
too,

That for thine own gain shouldst defend mine honour?

What means this scorn, thou most untoward knave?

Bast. Knight, knight, good mother, Basilisco-
like.

What! I am dubb'd! I have it on my shoulder.
But, mother, I am not sir Robert's son;

I have disclaim'd sir Robert and my land;
Legitimation, name and all is gone:

Then, good my mother, let me know my father;
Some proper man, I hope: who was it, mother?
Lady F. Hast thou denied thyself a Faulcon-
bridge?

Bast. As faithfully as I deny the devil.

Lady F. King Richard Cordelion was thy father: By long and vehement suit I was seduced To make room for him in my husband's bed: Heaven lay not my transgression to my charge! Thou art the issue of my dear offence,

Which was so strongly urged past my defence.

239. beholding, indebted. 244. Knight, knight Basilisco-like; an allusion, as Theobald pointed out, to the play of Soliman and Perseda (c. 1590). Basilisco is a coward and braggart, whom Piston, the clown, forces to take an oath upon his dagger (Hazlitt-Dodsley, Old Plays, v. 271, 272):

Bas. I swear, I swear.

240

250

Pist. By the contents of this
blade-
Bas.

By the contents of this blade,

Pist. I, the aforesaid Basilisco,--Bas. I, the aforesaid Basilisco,knight, good fellow, knight, knight,

Pist. Knave, good fellow, knave, knave.

250. proper, comely.
257. dear, grievous.

Bast. Now, by this light, were I to get again,
Madam, I would not wish a better father.
Some sins do bear their privilege on earth,

And so doth yours; your fault was not your
folly :

Needs must you lay your heart at his dispose,
Subjected tribute to commanding love,
Against whose fury and unmatched force
The aweless lion could not wage the fight,
Nor keep his princely heart from Richard's hand.
He that perforce robs lions of their hearts.
May easily win a woman's. Ay, my mother,
With all my heart I thank thee for my father!
Who lives and dares but say thou didst not well
When I was got, I'll send his soul to hell.
Come, lady, I will show thee to my kin;

And they shall say, when Richard me begot,
If thou hadst said him nay, it had been sin :
Who says it was, he lies; I say 'twas not.

[Exeunt.

260

270

ACT II.

SCENE I. France. Before Angiers.

Enter AUSTRIA and forces, drums, etc. on one side: on the other KING PHILIP of France and his power; LEWIS, ARTHUR, CONSTANCE and attendants.

Lew. Before Angiers well met, brave Austria.

264. Subjected tribute, tribute

subjected, paid, (to).

266. The aweless Richard's slaying of the lion,

lion.

whose heart he took, was told, with other fabulous exploits, in the Middle English romance of Richard Caur-de-lion.

Arthur, that great forerunner of thy blood,
Richard, that robb'd the lion of his heart
And fought the holy wars in Palestine,
By this brave duke came early to his grave:
And for amends to his posterity,

At our importance hither is he come,
To spread his colours, boy, in thy behalf,
And to rebuke the usurpation

Of thy unnatural uncle, English John:
Embrace him, love him, give him welcome hither.
Arth. God shall forgive you Cordelion's death
The rather that you give his offspring life,
Shadowing their right under your wings of war:
I give you welcome with a powerless hand,
But with a heart full of unstained love:
Welcome before the gates of Angiers, duke.

Lew. A noble boy! Who would not do thee right?

Aust. Upon thy cheek lay I this zealous kiss,
As seal to this indenture of my love,
That to my home I will no more return,
Till Angiers and the right thou hast in France,
Together with that pale, that white-faced shore,
Whose foot spurns back the ocean's roaring tides
And coops from other lands her islanders,
Even till that England, hedged in with the main,
That water-walled bulwark, still secure
And confident from foreign purposes,

2. that great forerunner of thy blood, predecessor by right of blood to his title. So in vv. 6, 13, 96 below.

5. By this brave duke, etc. The archduke Leopold of Austria, who imprisoned Richard, is here, as in the old play, identified with Widomar,

ΙΟ

20

Viscount of Limoges, before whose castle of Chaluz Chabrol Richard was slain. Austria had died in 1195, four years before John's accession.

7. importance, urgent request. 27. secure and confident from foreign purposes, fearless of invasion.