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. And fought the holy wars in Palestine, By this brave Duke came early to his grave: 5 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. Act II. Scene 1.] This is the second scene of Act 1. in the Folios. 2. great forerunner] Shakespeare is here in error if "forerunner" is taken to mean direct ancestor. Coeurde-lion and King John were both uncles of Arthur. 7. At our importance] upon our importuning him. Compare Twelfth Night, v. i. 371 :— "Maria writ ΙΟ The letter at Sir Toby's great importance." 13. The rather that] all the more because. Compare Hamlet, IV. vii. 70: "My lord, I will be ruled; The rather, if you could devise it SO That I might be the organ." 20 Shadowing their right under your wings of war: I give you welcome with a powerless hand, Lew. A noble boy! Who would not do thee right? As seal to this indenture of my love, And confident from foreign purposes, 15 20 25 Even till that utmost corner of the west 30 Salute thee for her king: till then, fair boy, Will I not think of home, but follow arms. Const. O, take his mother's thanks, a widow's thanks, Till your strong hand shall help to give him strength To make a more requital to your love! 29. utmost] Ff 1, 2, 3; outmost F 4. 18. do thee right] take thy part. A common Shakespearian usage. 25. coops] protects by shutting in. So 3 Henry VI. v. I. 109: "Alas! I am not coop'd here for defence." This speech recalls Gaunt's dying words in Richard II., and may have some bearing on the question of the dating of King John and Richard II. See Introduction. 26. main] Hakluyt generally used this word for mainland. We have "a main of waters" in The Mer Aust. The peace of heaven is theirs that lift their swords In such a just and charitable war. K. Phi. Well then, to work: our cannon shall be bent We'll lay before this town our royal bones, Const. Stay for an answer to your embassy, 36 40 Lest unadvised you stain your swords with blood: 45 Enter CHATILLON. K. Phi. A wonder, lady! lo, upon thy wish, 50 37. work: our] work, our F 4; work our F 3; worke our Ff 1, 2. 37. cannon] To avoid the anach- Compare The Merchant of Venice, ronism Pope substituted "engines IV. i. 359:for 66 'cannon," with needless pre cision. 40. To cull, etc.] "either to select positions which will be most favour. able to us" (Steevens, Mr. Wright), or to take counsel together, to discuss the most profitable plans. The latter explanation seems to fall in more with calling upon the "chiefest men of discipline." 45. unadvised] unadvisedly, hastily. 49. indirectly] generally means underhandedly in Shakespeare. 'Indirectly and directly too Thou hast contrived against the very life." The meaning here is nearer to "indiscreetly" than to "underhandedly," although precipitating a fight before the return of a possibly peaceful answer from the opponent might be called "indirection" by an honourable soldier. Cotgrave has "Indirectement: in-directly, .. by unfit means." 53. coldly] dispassionately. ན ན རཿ ས ན Chat. Then turn your forces from this paltry siege 55 Hath put himself in arms: the adverse winds, Whose leisure I have stay'd, have given him time 60 His marches are expedient to this town, His forces strong, his soldiers confident. With her her niece, the Lady Blanch of Spain; 65 And all the unsettled humours of the land, Rash, inconsiderate, fiery voluntaries, With ladies' faces and fierce dragons' spleens, 60. His marches town] he is Have brought a countercheck "to my closet bring 63. Ate] Rowe's famous emendation "Fond Atæ, doomer of bad boad- That wrappes proud fortune in 65. a bastard deceased] We should now say "a bastard of the deceased king's." This inversion was common in Elizabethan writings, yet it was apparently corrected in Folios 2-4, which read "King." The line is almost verbally the same in Troublesome Raigne: "Next them a bastard of the King's deceast." 67. voluntaries] volunteers. pare Cotgrave, "volontaire : a voluntarie, one that serves or does anything without pay or compulsion." Com 68. dragons' spleens] Compare Richard III. v. iii. 350: "Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons." The dragon was the most fearful wild fowl of Bartholomew and the Hortus Sanitatis of Topsell. 70. Bearing their birthrights, etc.] Compare Henry VIII. 1. i. 84 : To make a hazard of new fortunes here: In brief, a braver choice of dauntless spirits 75 [Drum beats. The interruption of their churlish drums K. Phi. How much unlook'd for is this expedition! We must awake endeavour for defence; For courage mounteth with occasion: Let them be welcome then; we are prepared. Enter KING JOHN, ELINOR, BLANCH, the BASTARD, Lords, and Forces. K. John. Peace be to France, if France in peace permit Our just and lineal entrance to our own; 80 85 If not, bleed France, and peace ascend to heaven, Whiles we, God's wrathful agent, do correct Their proud contempt that beats His peace to heaven. K. Phi. Peace be to England, if that war return From France to England, there to live in peace. 90 "O, many Have broke their backs with laying manors on them." 73. bottoms] vessels. Used technically in this sense at the present day. 77. circumstance] detailed description, attendant detail. Compare Othello, III. iii. 355: "Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war." 82. with occasion] when the emergency demands. 87. Whiles] the genitive form of while (A.S. hwil) used adverbially. Common in Shakespeare. Rowe reads Whilst. 88. beats] Hanmer reads beat, making that refer to the plural pronoun contained in their and not to contempt -a needless alteration. |