Then, after, fight who shall be King of it?
Faulc. And if thou haft 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 faucy walls;
And when that we have dafh'd them to the ground,
Why, then defie each other; and, pell-mell,
Make work upon ourselves for heav'n or hell.
K. Philip. Let it be fo: fay, where will you affault?
K. John. We from the weft will fend destruction
Into this City's bofom.

Auft. I from the north.

K. Philip. Our thunder from the fouth Shall rain their drift of bullets on this town.

Faulc. O prudent difcipline! from North to South; Auftria and France shoot in each other's mouth. I'll stir them to it; come, away, away!

Cit. Hear us, great Kings; vouchfafe a while to

stay,

And I fhall fhew you peace, and fair-fac'd league;
Win you this city without ftroke or wound;
Refcue thofe breshing lives to die in beds,
That here come facrifices for the field;
Perfever not, but hear me, mighty Kings.

K. hn. Speak on, with favour; we are bent to

hear.

Cit. That daughter there of Spain, the lady Blanch, Is near to England; look upon the years Of Levis the Dauphin, and that lovely maid. If lufty ove fhould go in queft of beauty, Where fould he find it fairer than in Blanch? If zealou love fhould go in fearch of virtue, Where fhould he find it purer than in Blanch? If love, ambitivas, fought a match of Birth, Whose veins bound richer blood than lady Blanch? Such as fhe is, in beauty, virtue, birth, Is the young Dauphin every way compleat: If not compleat of -fay, he is not fhe; And he again wants nothing, (to name Want,) If Want it be not, that he is not he,

VOL. III.

He is the half part of a bleffed man, (8)
Left to be finished by fuch a She:
And she a fair divided Excellence,
Whofe fulness of perfection lies in him.
Oh! two fuch filver currents, when they join,
Do glorifie the banks that bound them in:

And two fuch shores, to two fuch streams made one,
Two fuch controlling bounds fhall you be, Kings,
To these two Princes, if you marry them.
This union fhall do more than battery can,
To our faft-clofed gates: for at this match,
With swifter Spleen than Powder can enforce,
The mouth of paffage fhall we fling wide ope,
And give you entrance; but without this match,
The fea enraged is not half so deaf,

Lions fo confident, mountains and rocks
So free from motion; no, not death himself
In mortal fury half so peremptory,

As we to keep this City.

Faule. Here's a stay,

That shakes the rotten carcats of old Death
Out of his rags. Here's a large month, indeed,
That fpits forth death, and mountains, rocks and feas ;
Talks as familiarly of roaring Lions,

As maids of thirteen do of puppy-dogs.

What Cannoneer begot this lufty blood?

He speaks plain cannon-fire, and fmoak and bounce,
He gives the baftinado with his tongue:
Our ears are cudgel'd; not a word of his,
But buffets better than a fist of France; ́
Zounds! I was never fo bethumpt with words,

Since I first call'd my brother's father dad.

Eli. Son, lift to this conjunction, make this match, Give with our Neice a dowry large enough;

For by this knot thou fhalt fo furely tie

(8) He is the balf Part of a biffed Man,

Left to be finished by fuch as She:] The ingenious Dr. Thirlby prefcrib'd that Reading, which I'have here restor'd to the Text; and which is abfolutely requifite to the Senfe of the Paffage,

Thy

Thy now unfur'd affurance to the Crown,
That yon green boy fhall have no Sun to ripe
The bloom, that promifeth a mighty fruit.
I fee a Yielding in the looks of France;

Mark, how they whifper; urge them while their fouls Are capable of this ambition;

Left zeal now melted by the windy breath

Of foft petitions, pity and remorse,

Cool and congeal again to what it was.

Cit. Why anfwer not the double Majesties This friendly Treaty of our threaten'd town?

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

To speak unto this City: what fay you?

K. John. If that the Dauphin there, thy Princely fon, Can in this book of beauty read, I love;

Her dowry fhall weigh equal with a Queen.
For Anjou, and fair Touraine, Maine, Poitiers, (9)
And all that we upon this fide the fea,
Except this City now by us befieg'd,
Find liable to our Crown and Dignity,

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

(9) For ANGIERS and fair Touraine, Maine, Poitiers,
And all that We upon this Side the Sea,

Except this City now by us befieg'd,

Find liable, &c.] This is a remarkable Inftance of Careleffnefs in a Point that stares common Senfe full in the Face: and yet thus all the Editors in their profound Sagacity. What was the City befieg'd, but Angiers? King John, confenting to match the Lady Blanch with the Dauphin, agrees, in Part of her Dowry, to give up all he held in France, except the City of Angiers, which he now befieg'd and laid Claim to. But could it be

thought, that he should at one and the fame time give up all except Angiers, and give up That too? Anjou was one of the Provinces, which the English held in France; and which the French King by Chatilion claim'd of K. John in Right of Duke Arthur, at the very Opening of the Play. Angiers, instead of Anjou, has been falfely printed in feveral other Paffages of this History.

As fhe in beauty, education, blood,

Holds hand with any Princess of the world.

K. Philip. What fay'ft thou, boy? look in the lady's

face.

Lewis. 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 fon,
Becomes a Sun, and makes your fon a fhadow.
I do proteft, I never lov'd myself,

'Till now, infixed, I beheld myfelf,

Drawn in the flatt'ring table of her eye.

[Whispering with Blanch. Faulc. Drawn in the flatt'ring table of her eye! Hang'd in the frowning wrinkle of her brow! And quarter'd in her heart! he doth espie Himself love's traitor: this is pity now,

That hang'd, and drawn, and quarter'd, there fhould be,
In fuch a love, fo vile a lout as he.

Blanch. My uncle's will in this respect is mine.
If he fee aught in you, that makes him like,
That any thing he fees, which moves his liking,
I can with ease translate it to my will :
Or if you will, to speak more properly,
I will inforce it easily to my love.
Further I will not flatter you, my lord,
That all I fee in you is worthy love,
Than this; that nothing do I fee in you,

(Though churlish thoughts themselves fhould be your judge)

That I can find should merit any hate.

K. John. What fay these young Ones? what say you, my Neice?

Blanch. That fhe is bound in Honour ftill to do What

you in wisdom still vouchsafe to say.

K. John. Speak then, Prince Dauphin, can you love

this lady?

Lewis. Nay, ask me, if I can refrain from love; For I do love her most unfeignedly.

K. John.

K. John. Then do I give Volqueffen, Touraine, Maine, Poitiers, 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 pleas'd withal, Command thy Son and Daughter to join hands.

K. Philip. It likes us well; young Princes, clofe your

hands.

Auft. And your lips too; for, I am well affur'd, That I did fo, when I was first affur'd.

K. Philip. Now, Citizens of Angiers, ope your gates,
Let in that amity which you have made:
For at Saint Mary's Chapel prefently
The Rites of Marriage fhall be folemniz'd.
Is not the lady Conftance in this troop?
I know, she is not; for this Match made up
Her prefence would have interrupted much."

Where is the and her fon, tell me, who knows?'
Lewis. She's fad and paffionate at your Highness'
Tent.

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

Will give her fadness 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,

For we'll create young Arthur Duke of Britain,
And Earl of Richmond; and this rich fair town
We make him lord of. Call the lady Conftance;
Some speedy Meffenger bid her repair
To our Solemnity: I truft, we fhall,
If not fill up the measure of her will,
Yet in fome measure satisfie her fo,
That we shall ftop her exclamation.
Go we, as well as hafte will fuffer us,
To this unlook'd-for, unprepared, Pomp.

[Ex. all but Faulconbr.

Faule. Mad world, mad Kings, mad composition!

Q 3

John,