And lay this Angiers even with the ground;
Then after fight who shall be king of it?

Bast. An if thou hast the mettle of a king,
Being wrong'd as we are by this peevish town,
Turn thou the mouth of thy artillery,

As we will ours, against these saucy walls;
And when that we have dash'd them to the ground,
Why then defy each other, and pell-mell

Make work upon ourselves, for heaven or hell.
K. Phi. Let it be so.

assault?

Say, where will you

K. John. We from the west will send de

struction

Into this city's bosom.

Aust. I from the north.

K. Phi.

Our thunder from the south

Shall rain their drift of bullets on this town.

Bast. O prudent discipline! From north to
south:

Austria and France shoot in each other's mouth :
I'll stir them to it. Come, away, away!

First Cit. Hear us, great kings: vouchsafe

awhile to stay,

And I shall show you peace and fair-faced league ;
Win you this city without stroke or wound;

Rescue those breathing lives to die in beds,
That here come sacrifices for the field:
Perséver not, but hear me, mighty kings.

K. John. Speak on with favour; we are bent to hear.

First Cit. That daughter there of Spain, the Lady Blanch,

Is niece to England: look upon the years

402. peevish, wayward.

412. drift (concrete noun from

drive'), driving shower.

400

410

420

424. niece; Singer's certain emendation for Ff 'neere,' 'near.'

Of Lewis the Dauphin and that lovely maid:
If lusty love should go in quest of beauty,
Where should he find it fairer than in Blanch?
If zealous love should go in search of virtue,
Where should he find it purer than in Blanch?
If love ambitious sought a match of birth,
Whose veins bound richer blood than Lady Blanch?
Such as she is, in beauty, virtue, birth,

Is the young Dauphin every way complete :
If not complete of, say he is not she;
And she again wants nothing, to name want,
If want it be not that she is not he:
He is the half part of a blessed man,
Left to be finished by such a she;
And she a fair divided excellence,
Whose fulness of perfection lies in him.

430

440

O, two such silver currents, when they join,
Do glorify the banks that bound them in;
And two such shores to two such streams made

one,

Two such controlling bounds shall you be, kings,
To these two princes, if you marry them.
This union shall do more than battery can
To our fast-closed gates; for at this match,
With swifter spleen than powder can enforce,
The mouth of passage shall we fling wide ope,
And give you entrance: but without this match,
The sea enraged is not half so deaf,
Lions more confident, mountains and rocks
More free from motion, no, not Death himself
In mortal fury half so peremptory,

As we to keep this city.

425. Dauphin. The Ff have, throughout, the then current form Dolphin.'

428. zealous, holy, devout. 434 complete of, full of, com

plete in (these qualities).

450

438. a she; Theobald's emendation for Ff 'as she.'

448. spleen, eager impetuosity.

Bast.

Here's a stay

That shakes the rotten carcass of old Death

Out of his rags! Here's a large mouth, indeed, That spits forth death and mountains, rocks and

seas,

Talks as familiarly of roaring lions

As maids of thirteen do of puppy-dogs!
What cannoneer begot this lusty blood?

He speaks plain cannon fire, and smoke and

bounce;

He gives the bastinado with his tongue :
Our ears are cudgell'd; not a word of his
But buffets better than a fist of France:
Zounds! I was never so bethump'd with words
Since I first call'd my brother's father dad.

Eli. Son, list to this conjunction, make this match;

Give with our niece a dowry large enough:

For by this knot thou shalt so surely tie

Thy now unsured assurance to the crown,
That yon green boy shall have no sun to ripe
The bloom that promiseth a mighty fruit.

I see a yielding in the looks of France;

Mark, how they whisper: urge them while their souls

Are capable of this ambition,

Lest zeal, now melted by the windy breath

Of soft petitions, pity and remorse,

Cool and congeal again to what it was.

460

470

First Cit. Why answer not the double majesties 480

This friendly treaty of our threaten'd town?

K. Phi. Speak England first, that hath been forward first

455. stay, check, obstacle; opponent; the citizen's proposal

running counter to the previous

determination of the kings.

476. capable of, susceptible to. 478. remorse, compassion.

To speak unto this city: what say you?

K. John. If that the Dauphin there, thy princely

son,

Can in this book of beauty read 'I love,'

Her dowry shall weigh equal with a queen:
For Anjou and fair Touraine, Maine, Poictiers,
And all that we upon this side the sea,
Except this city now by us besieged,
Find liable to our crown and dignity,

Shall gild her bridal bed and make her rich
In titles, honours and promotions,

As she in beauty, education, blood,

Holds hand with any princess of the world.

K. Phi. What say'st thou, boy? look in the lady's face.

Lew. I do, my lord; and in her eye I find

A wonder, or a wondrous miracle,

The shadow of myself form'd in her eye;
Which, being but the shadow of your son,

Becomes a sun and makes your son a shadow :
I do protest I never loved myself

Till now infixed I beheld myself

Drawn in the flattering table of her eye.

[Whispers with Blanch.
Bast. Drawn in the flattering table of her eye!
Hang'd in the frowning wrinkle of her brow!
And quarter'd in her heart! he doth espy
Himself love's traitor: this is pity now,

That, hang'd and drawn and quarter'd, there
should be.

In such a love so vile a lout as he.

490

500

Blanch. My uncle's will in this respect is mine: 510

If he see aught in you that makes him like,

490. liable, subject.

494. Holds hand with, is a match for.

498. shadow, image.

503. table, the ground on which a picture is painted.

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.

K. John. What say these young ones?

say you, my niece?

What

Blanch. That she is bound in honour 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.
Philip of France, if thou be pleased withal,
Command thy son and daughter to join hands.
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

512. That any thing, whatever thing.

527. Volquessen, Vexin, the

520

530

district round Rouen (occupied by the Velocasses in ancient Gaul). 535. assured, engaged.