ACT II

Sc. I

We make him lord of. Call the Lady Constance;
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 armour Conscience buckled on,
Whom Zeal and Charity brought to the field

As God's own soldier, rounded2 in the ear

3

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
But the word maid, cheats the poor maid of that);
That smooth-fac'd gentleman, tickling Commodity —
Commodity, the bias of the World:

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;
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 determin'd aid;
From a resolv'd and honourable 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;

1 parted.

2 whispered. 3 pimp, go-between.

4 greed, self-interest.

5 (bowlers') the leaden insertion which makes a bowl swerve from the straight.

570

580

590

26

6 poised. 7 deviate, wander.

8 impartiality.

But that 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.

ACT II

Sc. I

ACT III

SCENE I. The French KING'S Tent.

Enter CONSTANCE, ARTHUR, and SALISBURY. CONST. Gone to be marry'd! 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 advis'd, 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;

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,

10

But they will quake and tremble all this day.

What dost thou mean by shaking of thy head?
Why dost thou look so sadly on my son?
What means that hand upon that breast of thine?
Why holds thine eye that lamentable rheum,
Like a proud river peering o'er his bounds?

20

ACT III
Sc. I

Be these sad signs confirmers of thy words?
Then speak again; not all thy former tale,
But this one word: whether thy tale be true.
SAL. As true as I believe you think them false,
That give you cause to prove my saying true.
CONST. O, if thou teach me to believe this sorrow,
Teach thou this sorrow how to make me die;
And let Belief and Life encounter so

As doth the fury of two desperate men,

Which in the very meeting fall and die!

Lewis marry Blanch! O Boy, then where art thou?
France friend with England! what becomes of me?
Fellow, be gone: I cannot brook thy sight;
This news hath made thee a most ugly man.
SAL. What other harm have I, good Lady, done
But spoke the harm that is by others done?
CONST. Which harm within itself so heinous is
As it makes harmful all that speak of it.
ARTH. I do beseech you, Madam, be content.
CONST. If thou, that bidd'st me be content, wert grim,
Ugly, and slanderous to thy mother's womb,
Full of unpleasing blots and sightless1 stains,

Lame, foolish, crooked, swart, prodigious,2
Patch'd with foul moles and eye-offending marks,

I would not care, I then would be content;
For then I should not love thee; no; nor thou
Become thy great birth, nor deserve a crown.
But thou art fair; and at thy birth, dear Boy,
Nature and Fortune join'd to make thee great :
Of Nature's gifts thou may'st with lilies boast,
And with the half-blown rose: but Fortune, O,
She is corrupted, chang'd, and won from thee!
She adulterates3 hourly with thine uncle John ;
And with her golden hand hath pluck'd on France
To tread down fair respect of sovereignty,
And made his majesty the bawd to their's.
France is a bawd to Fortune and King John,
That strumpet Fortune, that usurping John!
Tell me, thou Fellow, is not France forsworn?
Envenom him with words; or get thee gone,

30

40

50

60

And leave those woes alone which I alone

Am bound to under-bear.

SAL.

ACT III

Sc. I

Pardon me, Madam,

I may not go

without you to the Kings.

CONST. Thou may'st, thou shalt; I will not go with thee:
I will instruct my sorrows to be proud;

For Grief is proud, and makes his owner stoop.
To me, and to the state of my great grief,
Let Kings assemble; for my grief's so great
That no supporter but the huge firm Earth
Can hold it up: here I and Sorrow sit;
Here is my throne, bid Kings come bow to it.

70

[sits on the ground.

Enter KING JOHN, KING PHILIP, LEWIS, BLANCH,
ELINOR, the Bastard, AUSTRIA, and Attendants.
K. PHI. 'Tis true, fair Daughter; and this blessed day
Ever in France shall be kept festival :

To solemnize this day the glorious Sun
Stays in his course, and plays the alchemist,
Turning with splendour of his precious eye
The meagre cloddy Earth to glittering gold:
The yearly course that brings this day about
Shall never see it but a holiday.

CONST. [rising.] A wicked day, and not a holy day!
What hath this day deserv'd? what hath it done
That it in golden letters should be set

Among the high tides1 in the calendar?
Nay; rather turn this day out of the week,
This day of shame, oppression, perjury :
Or, if it must stand still, let wives with child
Pray that their burthens may not fall this day,
Lest that their hopes prodigiously be cross'd:2
But on this day let seamen fear no wrack;
No bargains break that are not this day made;
This day all things begun come to ill end;
Yea; Faith itself to hollow Falsehood change!
K. PHI. By Heaven, Lady, you shall have no cause
To curse the fair proceedings of this day:

Have I not pawn'd to you my majesty?

80

90

1 festivals.

2 i.e. lest they bring forth monsters.

3 unless.

ACT III CONST. You have beguil'd me with a counterfeit
Sc. I Resembling majesty; which, being touch'd and tried,1
Proves valueless: you are forsworn, forsworn ;
You came in arms to spill mine enemies' blood,
But now in arms2 you strengthen it with your's:
The grappling vigour and rough frown of War
Is clos'd in amity and painted peace,

And our oppression hath made up this league.
Arm, arm, you Heavens, against these perjur'd
Kings!

A widow cries; be husband to me, Heavens !
Let not the hours of this ungodly day
Wear out the day in peace; but, ere Sun set,
Set armed discord 'twixt these perjur'd Kings!
Hear me, O, hear me !

AUST.

Lady Constance, peace!
CONST. War! war! no peace! peace is to me a war.

O Lymoges! O Austria! thou dost shame

That bloody spoil: thou Slave, thou Wretch, thou
Coward!

Thou little Valiant, great in villainy!

Thou Ever-Strong upon the stronger side!

Thou Fortune's champion, that dost never fight
But when her humorous Ladyship is by
To teach thee safety! thou art perjur'd too,
And sooth'st up greatness. What a fool art thou,
A ramping fool, to brag, and stamp, and swear
Upon my party !5 Thou cold-blooded Slave,
Hast thou not spoke like thunder on my side?
Been sworn my soldier? bidding me depend
Upon thy Stars, thy fortune, and thy strength?
And dost thou now fall over to my foes?
Thou wear a lion's hide! doff it for shame,

And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs.

ΙΟΙ

120

AUST. O, that a man should speak those words to me! 130

BAST. And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs.

AUST. Thou dar'st not say so, Villain, for thy life.
BAST. And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs.

K. JOHN. We like not this; thou dost forget thyself.
K. PHI. Here comes the holy Legate of the Pope.

1 i.e. tested with the touch-stone; to which base metal discovered itself on the instant.
2 embracing. 8 i.e. the stolen lion-skin of Cordelion. 4 whimsical.
80

5 side.