P R £Bfc| Class Book . Ar ^— t— Copyriglit^?_ CCEXRIGHT DEPOSffi TH E, Troublefome Raigne of John King of England y with the dit- couene of I\ing Richard Cordelions Bafe fonne (Vulgarly named, The Ba- ftardFawconbndge) • al/bthe death of King John at Smnjtead *s4bboy As it T»as (fundrytimes ) publicly aSted by the Queenes ^Maiesltes T layers^ in the ho- nourable Qtie of London. Imprinted at London for Sampfon Qarkfy andare to befolde at his /hop, on the backe- fide of (h*.RoyaU fxchattge. I S 9 i Title-Page of the Source-Quarto ~P7?2 Az Entered at Stationers' Hall Copyright, 18S0 By HENRY N. HUDSON Copyright, 1908 By KATE W. HUDSON Copyright, 1916 By GINN AND COMPANY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 716.7 SEP -7 1916 GINN AND COMPANY • PRO- PRIETORS • BOSTON • U.S.A. ©CU4:S7574 PREFACE The text of this edition of King John is based on a colla- tion of the seventeenth century Folios, the Globe edition, the Cambridge (W. A. Wright) edition of 1891, and that of Delius (1882). As compared with the text of the earlier editions of Hudson's Shakespeare, it is conservative. Ex- clusive of changes in spelling, punctuation, and stage direc- tions, very few emendations by eighteenth century and nineteenth century editors have been adopted; and these, with the more important variations from the First Folio, are indicated in the textual notes. These notes are printed immediately below the text, so that a reader or student may see at a glance the evidence in the case of a dis- puted reading, and have some definite understanding of the reasons for those differences in the text of Shakespeare which frequently surprise and very often annoy. Such an arrangement should be of special help in the case of plays so universally read and frequently acted, as actors and inter- preters seldom agree in adhering to one text. A considera- tion of the more poetical, or the more dramatically effective, of two variant readings will often lead to rich results in awakening a spirit of discriminating interpretation and in developing true creative criticism. In no sense is this a textual variorum edition. The variants given are only those of importance and high authority. vi THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE The spelling and the punctuation of the text are modern, except in the case of verb terminations in -ed, which, when the e is silent, are printed with the apostrophe in its place. This is the general usage in the First Folio. The important contractions in the First Folio which may indicate Elizabethan pronunciation (' i'th" for 'in the,' 'cank'red' for 'canker'd,' for example) are also followed. Modern spelling has to a cer- tain extent been adopted in the text variants, but the original spelling has been retained wherever its peculiarities have been the basis for important textual criticism and emendation. With the exception of the position of the textual variants, the plan of this edition is similar to that of the old Hudson Shakespeare. It is impossible to specify the various instances of revision and rearrangement in the matter of the Introduc- tion and the interpretative notes, but the endeavor has been to retain all that gave the old edition its unique place and to add the results of what seems vital and permanent in later inquiry and research. In this edition, as in the volumes of the series already published, the chapters entitled Sources, Date of Composition, Early Editions, Versification and Diction, Duration of Action, Dramatic Construction and Develop- ment with Analysis by Act and Scene, Historical Connec- tions with Genealogical Chart, and Stage History are wholly new. In this edition, too, is introduced a chronological chart, covering the important events of Shakespeare's life as man and as author, and indicating in parallel columns his relation to contemporary writers and events. As a guide to read- ing clubs and literary societies, there has been appended to the Introduction a table of the distribution of characters in the play, giving the acts and scenes in which each character appears and the number of lines spoken by each. The index PREFACE vii of words and phrases has been so arranged as to serve both as a glossary and as a guide to the more important gram- matical differences between Elizabethan and modern English. While it is important that the principle of suum cuique be attended to so far as is possible in matters of research and scholarship, it is becoming more and more difficult to give every man his own in Shakespearian annotation. The amount of material accumulated is so great that the identity-origin of much important comment and suggestion is either wholly lost or so crushed out of shape as to be beyond recognition. Instructive significance perhaps attaches to this in editing the works of one who quietly made so much of materials gath- ered by others. But the list of authorities given on page Ivii will indicate the chief source of much that has gone to enrich the value of this edition. Especial acknowledgment is here made of the obligations to Dr. William Aldis Wright, whose work in the collation of Quartos, Folios, and the more important English and American editions of Shakespeare has been of so great value to all subsequent editors and investigators. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Page I. Sources xi The Troublesome Raigne xii Holinshed's Chronicles xv Other Sources xvi II. Date of Composition xvi External Evidence xvi Internal Evidence xvii III. Early Editions xix Folios xix Rowe's Editions xix IV. Versification and Diction xx Blank Verse xx Alexandrines xxii Rhyme xxii Prose xxiii V. Duration of Action xxiii P. A. Daniel's Time Analysis xxiv VI. Dramatic Construction and Development . . . xxv Analysis by Act and Scene xxviii VII. Historical Connections xxxi English Genealogical Tables xxxiv French Genealogical Table xxxviii ix X THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE Page VIII. The Characters xl John xlii Constance xlvi Prince Arthur xlix Faulconbridge 1 IX. Stage History liv Authorities (with Abbreviations) lvii Chronological Chart Iviii Distribution of Characters lxii THE TEXT Act I 3 Act II 17 Act III 44 Act IV 71 Act V 96 Index of Words and Phrases 121 FACSIMILE Title-Page of the Source-Quarto Frontispiece INTRODUCTION Note. In citations from Shakespeare's plays and nondramatic poems the numbering has reference to the Globe edition, except in the case of this play, where the reference is to this edition. I. SOURCES The serious Elizabethan drama began in patriotism and had a high political motive. The perils and difficulties of a nation rent asunder by bitterly opposing factions confronted Elizabeth at the beginning of her reign, and when Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton wrote Goi'boduc, their main object was to warn the English people of the danger in a kingdom divided against itself and to show the maiden queen the perils involved in uncertainty as to legitimate succession to a throne. With that steady growth of national spirit which characterized the reign of Elizabeth, developed the taste for chronicle plays dealing with the history of the nation in its formative period. The national drama grew up with the increasing pride of nation. In the defeat of the Armada this pride of nation reached full tide, and the enthusiasm found immortal expression in Shakespeare's ten history plays. The reign of King John had a peculiar attraction for Elizabethan dramatists, for it was fruitful of events affecting the claims and usages of the mediaeval Church. This aptness of the matter caused it to be early and largely used in fur- thering the great ecclesiastical revolution of the sixteenth century. Some of the leading events of the reign — John's xii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE disputes with the pope, the sufferings of his kingdom under the interdict, the surrender of his crown to the legate, and his reputed death by poison — were used, or abused, in a way to suit the time and purpose of the writer, by John Bale, a Protestant bishop, in a peculiar fusion of Moral and Historical play called Kynge Johan, which was probably written in the time of Edward VI. The design of this singular performance was to promote the Reformation, of which Bale was a strenu- ous and unscrupulous supporter. The historical characters are the king himself, Pope Innocent the Third, Pandulf, Langton, Simon of Swinsett (Swinstead), and a monk called Raymundus. Mingled with these are various allegorical personages, — England, who is said to be a widow, Imperial Majesty, Nobility, Clergy, Civil Order, Treason, Dissimula- tion, Verity, and Sedition, the latter serving as the Jester of the piece. Thus we have the common material of the old Moral plays rudely combined with some elements of the Historical drama such as grew into use on the public stage forty or fifty years later. Kynge Johan, though written by a bishop, teems with the lowest ribaldry and vituperation, and is barren of any- thing that can pretend to the name of poetry or wit. It is im- probable that Shakespeare knew of this old play at first hand. There is no trace of its having been acted in Elizabeth's reign, and it remained in manuscript until the nineteenth century. 1 i . The Troublesome Raigne of John, King of England. The true literary source of Shakespeare's King John is a play of unknown authorship, usually called The Troublesome Raigne, first printed in 1591 with the title-page which is reproduced in facsimile on page ii. The Troublesome Raigne was printed 1 Kynge Johan was printed for the first time by the Camden Society in 1838. INTRODUCTION xiii again in 1611 with the following title-page: THE | First and second Part of | the troublesome Raigne of | John King of England. | With the discoverie of King Richard Cor-|delions Base sonne (vulgarly named, the Bastard | Fawconbridge :) Also, the death of King Ioh?i | at Swinstead Abbey. | As they were {sundry times) lately acted by \ the Queeiies Maiesties Players. | Written by W. Sh. | [printer's ornament] | Im- printed at London by Valentine Simmes for Iohn Helme, | and are to be sold at his Shop in Saint Dunstons | Church- yard in Fleete Street. | 1 6 1 1 . | The interesting fact brought out by these two title-pages is the anonymous character of the first edition and the strange claim made for the second by the words " written by W. Sh." A later edition (1622) boldly claims the play to be the work of William Shakespeare, the title-page reading as follows : THE | First and second Part of I the troublesome Raigne of | Iohn King of England. | With the discoverie of Ki?ig Richard Cor-|delions Base sonne (vulgarly named, the Bastard | Fauconbridge ;) Also the death of King | Iohn at Swinstead Abbey. | As they were {sundry times) lately acted. | Written by W. Shakespeare. | [Printer's Device] | London, | Printed by Aug : Mathewes for Thomas Dewe, and are to | be sold at his shop in St. Dunstones Church-yard in Fleet-street, 1622. | The attempt to palm off The Troublesome Raigne as Shake- speare's King fohn, of which no Quarto had appeared, seems now an obvious commercial trick, but some critics have upheld the Shakespearian authorship. Tieck declared not only that every line showed the master's hand, but that on the whole The Troublesome Raigne as a drama was superior to King fohn • and Coleridge pronounced it "not [Shakespeare's] but of him." Modern critics, with few xiv THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE exceptions, 1 are agreed that Shakespeare could have had no part in the writing of the older play. 2 This Source-Quarto bears strong internal marks of having been written when the enthusiasm of the nation was wrought up to an intense pitch over the Spanish Armada, and when Elizabeth and the papacy were actively hostile toward each other. Abounding in spoken and acted satire and invective, the play must have appealed strongly to that national feeling which issued in the Reformation, and which was strengthened afterwards by the means used to put the Reformation down. But, as the Cambridge editors point out, the author of the Source-Quarto " not only disregarded chronology, but invented, altered, or ignored the facts with the greatest freedom. Like Bale, though to a less degree, he gave his work an anti-papal bias. He invented the part played by the Bastard Faulcon- bridge ; he combined in one person the Archduke of Austria, who had imprisoned Richard I and was dead at the time of the play, with the Viscount of Limoges, before whose castle Cceur-de-lion had received his mortal wound ; he made Arthur younger than he was, and kept Constance a widow, for pur- poses of dramatic effectiveness ; and he omitted all mention of Magna Charta, and with it of the constitutional element in the quarrel between John and his barons. Such are only a few of the violations of historical accuracy which mark almost every scene." It is noteworthy that the spirit of religious controversy, which makes itself felt in both of the older pieces, finds no 1 Professor W.J. Courthope gives the authorship to Shakespeare. 2 The reference on the title-pages of The Troublesome Raigne to " the Queenes Maiesties Players " led Fleay to believe the play may have been the joint composition of Greene, Lodge, and Peele — the only dramatists known to have been connected with this company. INTRODUCTION xv place in Shakespeare's play. Shakespeare does not depict a Protestant spirit — only the natural feelings of a sound, honest English patriotism, resolute to withstand alike all foreign encroachments, whether from kings or emperors or popes. In justice to The Troublesome Raigne it should be pointed out that the patriotic tone of Shakespeare's play is hardly less strong than that of his original, as is illustrated by the closing passage, quoted below, which has been almost literally followed by Shakespeare : Thus England's peace begins in Henry's reign, And bloody wars are closed with happy league. Let England live but true within itself, And all the world can never wrong her state. Lewis, thou shalt be bravely shipt to France For never Frenchman got of English ground The twentieth part that thou hast conquered. If England's peers and people join in one, Nor Pope, nor France, nor Spain, can do them wrong. 2. Holinshed s Chronicles. In all his plays dealing with English history, Shakespeare either directly or indirectly derived the great body of his material from the Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, of Raphael Holinshed (Holynshed, Hollynshed, Hollingshead, etc.), first published in two folio volumes in 1577. A second edition appeared in 158 6- 1587, "newlie augmented and continued." 1 In most of the historical plays, Shakespeare's deviations from Holinshed have been chiefly in the interests of dramatic economy and artistic effectiveness, but in King John Holinshed has been 1 In W. G. Boswell-Stone's Shakspere's Holinshed are given all the portions of the Chronicles which are of special interest to the Shakespeare student. xvi THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE followed both in general plan and in details only so far as the unknown author of The Troublesome Raigne follows it. 3. Other Sources. Proof that Shakespeare made use of any source other than The Troublesome Raigne is lacking. Painstaking comparison of the various texts seems, how- ever, to indicate the possibility of Shakespeare's having gone for minor details to such works as Stow's Annals 1 (1580). Moore Smith points out that the scene of the poisoning of John, while correctly given by Holinshed as " Swineshead," appears as "Swinstead" in both Stow's Annals and Ras- tell's Chronicle} A large number of such instances might be regarded as constituting evidence, but little importance can attach to a few cases of this kind. II. DATE OF COMPOSITION The date of composition of King John falls within 1598, the later time limit {terminus ante quern), and 1591, the ear- lier time limit {terminus post quern). The weight of evidence is in favor of 1593-1594- External Evidence 1 . Negative. King John, like The Taming oj the Shrew, is missing from the list of plays given in The Stationers' 1 Annates, or a Generate Chronicle of England from Brute until the present yeare of Christ 1380. John Stow (Stowe) was one of the ear- liest and most diligent collectors of English antiquities. In addition to the preparation of several volumes of which the Annals was one, he assisted in the continuation of Holinshed's Chronicles. 2 The Pasty me of People ; The Chronycles of dy iters Realmys and most specyally of the Pealme of Englonde (1529). Of this work by John Rastell (Rastall), printer and author, the British Museum copy is the only perfect copy known. INTRODUCTION xvii Registers. Since all the other plays of Shakespeare have been discovered among the entries, this exception is of especial interest. 2. Positive. Francis Meres, however, mentions King John in the Palladis Tamia, Wits Treasury; being the Second Part oJWits Commonwealth, published in 1598, in which he gives a list of twelve noteworthy Shakespeare plays in existence at that time. He expressly refers to "Richard the 2, Richard the 3, Henry the 4, King John." This clearly establishes 1598 as the later time limit, although between this date and the publication of the First Folio, in 1623, no references to this play have come to light. Internal Evidence 1 . Allusions within the Play. Several allusions within the play are held by critics to throw light on the question of date of composition. The lines Have sold their fortunes at their native homes, Bearing their birthrights proudly on their backs. [II, i, 69-70] were believed by Malone to refer to the sailing in 1596 of the grand fleet against Spain, for, as he points out, " Many of our old historians speak of the splendour and magnificence displayed by the noble and gallant adventurers who served in this expedition ; and Ben Jonson has particularly alluded to it in his Silent Woman, written a few years afterwards." But this passage, like the lament of Constance (III, iv), which is held to reflect the grief of Shakespeare at the death of his son Hamnet in 1596, cannot be regarded as contributing trustworthy support for so late a date. xviii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE Marshall 1 refers to a passage in Kyd's Spanish Tragedy or The Second Part of feronimo, licensed in 1592, which seems to have reference to what has been partly reproduced in the speech of the Bastard (II, i, 137-138): You are the hare of whom the proverb goes, Whose valour plucks dead lions by the beard. In the tragedy here referred to, the passage runs : He hunted well, that was a lion's death ; Not he that in a garment wore his skin : So hares may pull dead lions by the beard. The close resemblance here found can scarcely be regarded as accidental. 2. Style and Diction. The diction of King John, the qual- ity of the blank verse, the use of rhyme, the absence of prose, the predominance of epic interest over dramatic, the complete freedom from the influence of Marlowe, the intro- duction of the comic element, and the general spirit of the play, all help to prove the contention that the date of com- position falls within the same general period of time (1593- 1594) to which King Richard the Seco?id belongs. It cannot be said with certainty which of the two plays is the earlier, but in spite of its close adherence to its * source,' King John bears many evidences of a somewhat less mature workman- ship than King Richard the Second. The evidence for the priority of King John is greatly strengthened by the quality of the characterization, which is everywhere less natural and less inevitable than that of King Richard the Second. 1 F. A. Marshall, in his Introduction to King John in the Henry- Irving Shakespeare. INTRODUCTION xix III. EARLY EDITIONS Folios King John was first printed, so far as is known, in the collected edition of Shakespeare's dramas published in 1623. This is the famous First Folio, designated in the textual notes of this edition as F v and is the most important single volume in the history of the texts of Shakespeare. King John occupies pages 1 to 22, inclusive, in the division of the book devoted to ' Histories,' the plays of which are arranged in chronological sequence from The life and death of King John, as it is called in the running title, to The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight. It is the only authen- tic play of Shakespeare that is not named in The Stationers' Registers. Even Blount and Jaggard fail to mention it in the long list of plays among "soe manie of the said copies as are not formerly ent'red to other men," given in the Regis- ters under date of November 8, 1623, when these publishers were preparing to issue their collective edition of the poet's works. The Second Folio, F 2 (1632), the Third Folio, F 3 (1663, 1664), and the Fourth Folio, F 4 (1685), show few variants in the text of King John, and none of importance. Rowe's Editions The first critical editor of Shakespeare's plays was Nicholas Rowe, poet laureate to George I. His first edition was issued in 1709 in six octavo volumes. In this edition Rowe, an ex- perienced playwright, marked the entrances and exits of the characters and introduced many stage directions. He also xx THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE introduced the list of dramatis personam which has been made the basis for all later lists. A second edition in eight volumes was published in 1 7 1 4. Rowe followed very closely the text of the Fourth Folio, but modernized spelling, punctuation, and occasionally grammar. IV. VERSIFICATION AND DICTION Blank Verse King John is written wholly in verse and for the most part in blank verse 1 — the unrhymed iambic five-stress (decasyl- labic) verse, or iambic pentameter, introduced into England from Italy by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, about 1540, and used by him in a translation of the second and fourth books of Vergil's AL?ieid. Nicholas Grimald (TottePs Mis- cellany, 1557) employed the measure for the first time in English original poetry, and its roots began to strike deep into British soil and absorb substance. It is peculiarly sig- nificant that Sackville and Norton should have used it as the measure of Gorboduc, the first English tragedy (performed by "the Gentlemen of the Inner Temple" on January 18, 1 56 1, and first printed in 1565). About the time when Shakespeare arrived in London the infinite possibilities of blank verse as a vehicle for dramatic poetry and passion were being shown by Kyd, and above all by Marlowe. Blank verse as used by Shakespeare is really an epitome of the 1 The term ' blank verse ' was just coming into use in Shakespeare's day. It seems to have been used for the first time in literature in Nash's Preface to Greene's Menaphon, where we find the expression, "the swelling bumbast of bragging blanke verse." Shakespeare uses the expression three times, always humorously or satirically (see Much Ado About Nothing, V, ii, 32). INTRODUCTION xxi development of the measure in connection with the English drama. In his earlier plays the blank verse is often similar to that of Gorboduc. The tendency is to adhere to the syllable- counting principle, to make the line the unit, the sentence and phrase coinciding with the line (end-stopped verse), and to use five perfect iambic feet to the line. In plays of the mid- dle period, such as The Merchant of Venice and As You Like It, written between 1596 and 1600, the blank verse is more like that of Kyd and Marlowe, with less monotonous regularity in the structure and an increasing tendency to carry on the sense from one line to another with a syntactical or rhetorical pause at the end of the line (run-on verse, enjambemenf). Redundant syllables now abound, and the melody is richer and fuller. In Shakespeare's later plays the blank verse breaks away from bondage to formal line limits, and sweeps all with it in freedom, power, and organic unity. The verse of King John is more monotonously regular than that of the later plays ; it is less flexible and varied, less musical and sonorous, and it lacks the superb movement of the verse in Othello, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest. End-stopped, normally regular iambic pentameter lines are abundant. Short lines are repeatedly used for interrupted and exclamatory remarks, as in I, i, 47 ; IV, i, 71 ; V, vi, 3. There are no weak endings and only seven light endings, 1 the play in this respect resembling the earlier plays. 1 Light endings, as defined by Ingram, are such words as am, can, do, has, I, thotc, etc., on which " the voice can to a certain small extent dwell"; weak endings are words like and, for, from, if, in, of or, which " are so essentially proclitic . . . that we are forced to run them, in pronunciation no less than in sense, into the closest connection with the opening words of the succeeding line." xxii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE Alexandrines While French prosodists apply the term ' Alexandrine ' only to a twelve-syllable line, with the pause after the sixth syllable, it is generally used in English to designate iambic six-stress verse, or iambic hexameter, of which we have examples in II, i, 177, and III, iii, 71. This was a favorite Elizabethan measure, and it was common in Moral plays and the earlier heroic drama. English literature has no finer examples of this verse than the last line of each stanza of The Faerie Queene. Rhyme In the history of the English drama, rhyme as a vehicle of expression precedes blank verse and prose. Miracle plays, Moral plays, and interludes are all in rhyming measures. In Shakespeare may be seen the same development. A progress from more to less rhyme is a sure index to his growth as a dramatist and a master of expression. In the early Love's Labour's Lost are more than 500 rhyming five-stress iambic couplets ; in Much Ado About Nothing are only 20 ; in the very late The Winter's Tale there is not one. 1 1. Couplets. In King John are about 150 lines of rhymed pentameter verse and most of these are * rhyme-tags ' at the end either of scenes, where their use is merely mechanical, or of speeches, where the couplet often has the effect of a clinching epigram. 2. A Popular Saying. Proverbs and bits of popular wis- dom are naturally either in rhyme or in alliterative rhythm, as in II, i, 145-146. 1 The Chorus speech introducing Act IV is excepted as not part of the regular dialogue. INTRODUCTION xxiii 3. Alternate Rhymes. Alternate rhymes in five-stress verse are found only in Shakespeare's plays written before 1600. They are common in Romeo and Juliet and occur occasionally in King John. Combinations of such rhymes will be found in perfect harmony with the spirit of the play, as in the quatrain which closes the first act, and in the six-line stanza, II, i, 504- 509, which is the sextet (rhyming a b a b c c) of Venus and Adonis} Prose Of recent years there have been interesting discussions of the question " whether we are justified in supposing that Shakespeare was guided by any fixed principle in his em- ployment of verse and prose, or whether he merely employed them, as fancy suggested, for the sake of variety and relief." 2 It is a significant fact that in both King Richard the Second and King John there is no prose, and in many of the other early plays there is very little, the proportion of prose to blank verse increasing with the decrease of rhyme. V. DURATION OF ACTION 1. Historic Time. A period of seventeen years is covered by the events of the play. In April, 1199, upon the death of Richard I, John is recognized as Richard's successor in 1 Lodge's Scillas Metamorphosis, 1589, from which Shakespeare plainly drew inspiration for Venus and Adonis, is written in this verse. 2 Professor J. Churton Collins, Shakespeare as a Prose Writer. See Delius, Die Prosa in Shakespeares Dramen {Shakespeare Jahr- buch, V, 227-273); Janssen, Die Prosa in Shakespeares Dramen; Professor Hiram Corson, An Introduction to the Study oj Shake- speare, pages 83-98. xxiv THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE Normandy, England, Poitou, and Aquitaine, while John's nephew Prince Arthur is acknowledged by Anjou, Touraine, and Maine. From this year until the death of John, October 19, 12 16, the dates which are specially significant in Shake- speare's play are — 1200, the end of war between John and Philip of France; 1202, the renewal of war which ends in the capture of Arthur and his imprisonment at Rouen; 1204, the fall of Chateau Gaillard ; 1207, John's refusal to accept Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury; 1208, the pope's interdict against England; 1209, the excommunication of John; 1 2 13, the bending of John to the will of the pope; 12 15, the signing of Magna Charta; 12 16, Louis of France urged to depose John. 2. Dramatic Time. "The historical drama," says Bulwer Lytton, " is the concentration of historical events." In Shake- speare's drama the events of seventeen years are represented as the occurrences of seven days, with intervals comprising in all not more than three or four months. P. A. Daniel's time analysis x is as follows : Day 1. — I, i. Interval (return of the French ambassador and arrival of John in France). Day 2. — II, i; III, i-iii. Interval. Day 3. — III, iv. Interval. (During this interval the deaths of Con- stance and Elinor must occur.) Day 4. — IV, i-iii. Interval. 1 New Shakspere Society Transactions, 1877-1879, pp. 257-264. INTRODUCTION XXV Day 5. — V, i. Interval (including at least Pandulph's return journey to the Dauphin, the Bastard's preparation for defense, and his and King John's journey, with their army, to Edmundsbury). Day 6. — V, ii-v. Day 7. — V, vi, vii. VI. DRAMATIC CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT In the right and full sense of the term, Shakespeare's history plays are dramatic revivifications of the past, wherein the shades of departed things are made to live their life over again under our eye, so that they have an interest for us such as no mere narrative of events can possess. The further we push our historical researches, the more we are brought to recognize the substantial justness of Shakespeare's rep- resentations. Even when he makes free with chronology, it is commonly in quest of something higher and better than chronological accuracy. The result is in most cases favorable to right conceptions ; the persons and events being thereby so knit together in a sort of vital harmony as to be better understood than if they were ordered with literal exactness of time and place. Kings and princes and the heads of the state figure prominently in his scenes, but in such a way as to set us face to face with the real spirit and sense of the people, whose claims are never sacrificed to make an imposing pageant or puppet-show of political automatons. If Shakespeare brings in fictitious persons and events, it is to set forth those aspects of life which lie without the range of common history. xxvi THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE The noteworthy point is that out of the materials of an entire age and nation, Shakespeare can so select and use a few as to give a just conception of the whole ; all the lines and features of its life and action, its piety, chivalry, wisdom, policy, wit, and profligacy, being gathered up and wrought out in fair proportion and clear expression. Where he devi- ates most from all the authorities known to have been con- sulted by him, there is a large, wise propriety in his devia- tions. Indeed, some of those deviations have been remarkably verified by the researches of later times, as if Shakespeare had exercised a sort of prophetic power in his dramatic retrospections. Shakespeare, in giving us what lies within the scope of his art, facilitates and furthers the understanding of that which is beyond it. This makes the historical drama what it should be — a " concentration of history," setting our thoughts at the point where the several lines of truth converge, whence we may survey the field of his subject both in its unity and in its variety. Especially noteworthy in Shakespeare's handling of his- torical material is his calmness and poise of judgment. In the bitter conflicts of factions and principles he allows the several persons to utter, in the extremest forms, their oppos- ing views without committing himself to any of them or betraying any disapproval of them. He holds the balance even between justice to the men and justice to the truth. The claims of legitimacy and of revolution, of divine right, 1 1 Schlegel characterizes Shakespeare's "dramas derived from the English history" thus: " This mirror of kings should be the manual of princes : from it" they may learn the intrinsic dignity of their hereditary vocation ; but they will also learn the difficulties of their INTRODUCTION xxvii personal merit, and public choice, the doctrines of the mo- narchical, the aristocratic, the popular origin of the state — all these are by turns urged in their most rational or most plausible aspects, but merely in the order and on the footing of dramatic propriety. At no time does Shakespeare play or affect to play the part of umpire between the wranglers : which of them has the truth, or the better cause — this he leaves to appear silently in the ultimate sum-total of results. And so imper- turbable is his fairness, so unswerving his impartiality, as almost to seem the offspring of a heartless and cynical indif- ference. Hence a French writer, Chasles, sets him down as " chiefly remarkable for a judgment so high, so firm, so un- compromising, that one is well-nigh tempted to impeach his coldness, and to find in this impassible observer something that may almost be called cruel towards the human race. In the historical pieces," he continues, " the picturesque, rapid, and vehement genius which produced them seems to bow before the higher law of a judgment almost ironical in its clear-sightedness. Sensibility to impressions, the ardent force of imagination, the eloquence of passion — these brilliant gifts of nature which would seem destined to draw a poet beyond all limits, are subordinated in that extraordinary intelligence to a calm and almost deriding sagacity, that pardons nothing and forgets nothing." Both tragedy and comedy deal with a conflict between an individual force (which may be centered either in one character situation, the dangers of usurpation, the inevitable fall of tyranny, which buries itself under its attempts to obtain a firmer foundation ; lastly, the ruinous consequences of the weaknesses, errors, and crimes of kings, for whole nations, and many subsequent generations." xxviii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE or in a group of characters acting as one) and environing cir- cumstances. In tragedy the individual (one person or a group) is overwhelmed; in comedy the individual triumphs. In both tragedy and comedy five stages may be noted in the plot development: (i) the exposition, or introduction; (2) the complication, rising action, or growth ; (3) the climax, crisis, or turning point ; (4) the resolution, falling action, or con- sequence ; and (5) the denouement, catastrophe, 1 or conclu- sion. Let it not be thought for a moment that each of these stages is clearly differentiated. As a rule they pass insensibly into each other, as they do in life. Analysis by Act and Scene 2 I. The Exposition, or Introduction (Tying of the Knot) Act I, Scene i. Without preface or prologue the action is begun by the claim of Philip of France to the dominions of King John. This claim is in behalf of Arthur, against whom John is accused by Philip's messenger of plotting. In the word " usurpingly " (line 13) and in John's reply " Here have we war for war, and blood for blood " (line 19) the keynote of the chief struggle is struck. The conflict both of conscience with ambition and of nation with nation is in these words begun. With line 44 a quick transition is made to introduce, in lively fashion the Bastard, who typifies English patriotism, courage, and keen wit, and who is to become the hero of the play. In this scene most of the chief actors of the drama are introduced. 1 " Catastrophe — the change or revolution which produces the conclusion or final event of a dramatic piece." — Johnson. 2 " It must be understood that a play can be analyzed into very different schemes of plot. It must not be thought that one of these schemes is right and the rest wrong; but the schemes will be better or worse in proportion as — while of course representing correctly the facts of the play — they bring out more or less of what ministers to our sense of design." — Moulton. INTRODUCTION xxix II. The Complication, Rising Action, or Growth (Tying of the Knot) Act II, Scene i. The dramatic complication becomes marked when the scene shifts to France, and the main action is rapidly advanced when, before Angiers, the conflicting claims to the English throne are shamefully settled for the moment, not by combat, but by the bartering of John's niece Blanch in marriage to Philip's son Lewis, with a dowry consisting of the French provinces and a sum of money. This action affords the opportunity to reintroduce the spirit of right and honour in the person of the Bastard, who, in the solilo- quy which closes the scene, resolves with waggish jest: Since kings break faith upon commodity, Gain, be my lord, for I will worship thee. The scene also serves to reveal the strong part that Constance is to take in the intrigue that is already developing. Both in the schem- ings of the Queen mother, who shows that the political ambitions of John are not greater than her own for him, and in the vehement wrath of Constance toward those who have betrayed Arthur's cause, the complication is forwarded. The action throughout is rapid and uninterrupted. Act III, Scene i. As is characteristic of the whole play, this act is opened without the aid of any of the usual dramatic devices for de- laying the complication. The center of the stage is still in France. By contrasting the positive Constance with the negative Blanch and the timid Arthur, Shakespeare has thus early accomplished his pur- pose so far as the part that Constance plays in the tangle of events is concerned. Succeeding events only serve to emphasize what is clearly shown here. In the introduction of the pope's legate, Pandulph, the curious cross-action of the play is begun. From this point John acts the double role of hero, as champion of England against the pope, and of villain, as the persecutor of an innocent boy. The keynote of "usurper " and "war for war, and blood for blood," struck in the first scene (lines 13 and 19), is again heard above the sound of many voices. John is excommunicated, Philip withdraws his friendship, and war is again begun. xxx THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE Act III, Scene ii. The ten lines of this scene intensify the compli- cation by revealing the death of Austria at the hand of the Bastard, and the capture of Arthur, who is a prisoner at the mercy of John. Act III, Scene Hi. To show that an actual conflict rages, seems to be the main purpose of this comparatively brief scene, but it is also made to reveal the full depth of the villainy of John, and the full force of the intrigue. The crisis is anticipated in the brief bits of dialogue (lines 65-66) which pass sentence of death on Arthur. The childish wail, w O, this will make my mother die with grief ! " (line 5), foreshadows the death of Constance in the fourth act and in some measure anticipates the questionings of the audience as to the disappearance from the stage of its most forceful dramatis persona. Act III, Scene iv. All the dramatic interest of the scene centers in the answer to the cry of Arthur just referred to. The grief of Constance suggests the furor of madness or despair. The main action is advanced in the general disconsolateness of the French combatants, and the cross-action is strengthened by the optimism of the pope's representative, Pandulph, who sees in the thickening complication the success of the cause which he represents. Act IV, Scene i. This is one of the great emotional scenes in Shakespeare. The dialogue between Arthur and Hubert rouses the audience to an intensity of feeling which gives peculiar dramatic interest to the closing scene of the complication. III. The Climax, Crisis, or Turning Point (the Knot Tied) Act IV, Scene ii, 1-248. The complication is at its height and the climax is reached. When John, who has been led to believe that Arthur's death is a reality, is confronted with the demand of the nobles that his nephew be given up to them, and with the news not only that his mother is dead and the Dauphin has landed an army in England, but that there is widespread popular unrest, the turning point has been reached. IV. The Resolution, Falling Action, or Consequence (the Untying of the Knot) Act IV, Scene ii, 24Q-26Q. When John learns from Hubert that Arthur still lives, the falling action of the drama begins. INTRODUCTION xxxi Act IV, Scene Hi. With almost unprecedented speed the complica- tion now moves rapidly toward the catastrophe. The defection of the nobles is complete — they believe in the guilt of both John and Hubert and hasten to join the Dauphin. The Bastard sees only woes to come. Act V, Scene i. By going through the form of yielding his crown to Pandulph and receiving it again from him, John hopes to stay the inevitable. But the news that Arthur's death is a reality causes him again to waver in his purpose. The Bastard, though indignant at the compromise made with the pope, still shows readiness to fight in behalf of the king. As the star of John wanes, that of the Bastard is in the ascendant. Act V, Scene ii. Pandulph vainly attempts to turn the Dauphin from his purpose to war on John, but the arrival of the Bastard to proclaim John's readiness to fight shows the weakening of the cross-action. Act V, Scene Hi. John, ill and discouraged, leaves the field, while his nobles, informed of contemplated treachery by the French, determine to return to their natural allegiance, thus hastening the solution of the complication. V. Denouement, Catastrophe, or Conclusion (the Knot Untied) Act V, Sceties vi-vii. In the death of John by poisoning, Shake- speare has created a catastrophe which is also the means of linking the action of King John with that of the great Shakespearian drama of English history. Prince Henry, unopposed, succeeds to the throne, and England is saved from foes within and foes without. VII. HISTORICAL CONNECTIONS Henry II, the first of the Plantagenet kings, had four sons, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, and John. Eleanor, 1 his queen, was first married to Louis VII of France, and some sixteen years after the marriage was divorced on suspicion of 1 ' Elinor ' is the form found everywhere in the text of the play. xxxii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE conjugal infidelity. Within six weeks after the divorce, she was married to Henry, then Earl of Anjou, who was much younger than she. Through her, Henry acquired large pos- sessions, but not enough to offset the trouble she caused in his family and kingdom. Unfaithful to her first husband, and jealous of the second, she instigated his sons to rebellion against him. In 1189, after a reign of thirty-five years, Henry died, invoking the vengeance of heaven on the in- gratitude of his children, and was succeeded by Richard, Henry and Geoffrey having died before him. Geoffrey, Duke of Bretagne in right of Constance his wife, left one son, Arthur. In 1190, when Arthur was a mere child, Richard contracted him in marriage with the daughter of Tancred, king of Sicily, at the same time owning him as " our most dear nephew, and heir, if by chance we should die without issue." At Richard's death in 1199, however, John pro- duced a testament of his brother's, giving him the crown. Anjou, Touraine, and Maine were the proper patrimony of the Plantagenets, and therefore devolved to Arthur as the acknowledged representative of that House, the rule of lineal succession being there fully established. To the ducal chair of Bretagne Arthur was the proper heir in right of his mother, who was then Duchess-regnant of that province. John claimed the dukedom of Normandy as the proper in- heritance from his ancestor, William the Conqueror, and his claim was there admitted. Poitou, Guienne, and five other French provinces were the inheritance of his mother Eleanor ; but she made over her title to him, and there also his claim was recognized. The English crown he claimed in virtue of his brother's will, but took care to strengthen that claim by a parliamentary election. In the strict order of inheritance, INTRODUCTION xxxiii all these possessions should fall to Arthur; but that order, it appears, was not then fully established, except in the provinces belonging to the House of Anjou. As Duke of Bretagne, Arthur was a vassal of France, and therefore bound to homage as the condition of his title. Constance, feeling his need of a protector, arranged with Philip Augustus, king of France, that he should do homage also for the other provinces, where his right was clogged with no such conditions. Philip accordingly met him at Mans, received his oath, gave him knighthood, and took him to Paris. Philip was cunning, ambitious, and unscrupulous, and his plan was to drive his own interests in Arthur's name. With Arthur entirely in his power, he could use him as an ally or a prisoner, whichever would best serve his turn ; and in effect "Arthur was a puppet in his hands, to be set up or knocked down, as he desired to bully or cajole John out of the territories he claimed in France." In the year 1200, Philip was at war with John in pretended maintenance of Arthur's rights ; but before the close of that year the war ended in a peace, by the terms of which John was to give his niece, Blanche of Castile, in marriage to Louis the Dauphin, with a dowry of several valuable fiefs ; and Arthur was to hold even his own Bretagne as a vassal of John. The genealogical tables given on the following pages in- dicate the inter-relation of the more important historical characters, English and French, in King John, and show in what other plays of Shakespeare they, their ancestors, or their descendant are mentioned or appear as dramatis personae. (See page xxxvi for the key.) HISTORICAL HENRY II JOHN LACKLAND 1199-1216 KJ Eleanor Alphonso III of Castile = (1) Avice of Gloster = (2) Geoffrey Fitz- Peter = (3) Hubert Blanche of Castile = (2) Isabella of de Burgh 1 187-1252 Angouleme KJ KJ Louis the Dauphin KJ I HENRY 111= Eleanor 1216-1272 KJ of Provence Eleanor = (1) William Marshal Earl of Pembroke KJ = (2) Simon de Montfort Earl of Leicester d. 1265 EDWARD I=(i) Eleanor of Castile 1272-1307 d. 1290 EDWARD II = Isabella 1307-1327 I of France d. 1357 Thomas Brotherton 1st Earl of Norfolk (2) Thomas Holland Earl of Kent EDWARD III = Philippa 1327-1377 of Hainault d. 1396 1 " Henry and the seven rulers who followed and were descended from him, reigning in all for nearly two hundred and fifty years, are known as the Angevin line of kings, the word Angevin being taken from Anjou in France, Henry's birthplace and paternal inheritance. They are also spoken of as the Plantagenet family ; Henry's father, Geoffrey of Anjou, having been given the nickname Geoffrey plante de genet, from the broom flower (planta genista), either because he wore a sprig of that plant for a badge or because he was so fond of hunting and riding over the broom-covered heaths." — Edward P. Cheyney. CONNECTIONS ENGLISH = ELEANOR 1 OF AQUITAINE d. 1203 KJ I Geoffrey = Duke of Brittany 2 d. 11S6 KJ I Constance of Brittany - d. 1201 (2) Ra"lph of Chester I Eleanora Damsel of Brittany 2 d. 1241 KJ Arthur Duke of Brittany : m. at Rouen KJ I Marie RICHARD I Philip the Bastard d. 1226 KJ : (2) Margaret of France d. 1317 Edmund Crouchback Earl of Lancaster (St.) Thomas Earl of Lancaster Edmund Earl of Kent = Joan of Kent = (1) William Montague Thomas II I John Duke of Eyster Henry Earl of Lancaster I Henry Duke of Lancaster Blanche John of Gaunt R2 1 The usual spelling of the name in the Folios is < Elinor' or ' Elianor.' Through his marriage with Eleanor Henry came into possession of her magnificent heritage of Poitou, Guienne, and Gascony. Having inherited Normandy and Maine as well as England from his mother, and claiming the sovereignty of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, he ruled over a vast realm extending from the Orkneys to the Pyrenees. 2 In the text of the play and elsewhere in this Introduction the French form Bretagne is used. HISTORICAL II. Edward III 1327-1377 H5 1 1 Edward Williarr 1 Lionel Philippa ~ (3) Catharine Swynford = the Black d. 1335 Duke of Clar- Roet (?) Prince ence d. 1369 Geoffrey Duke of 1 1 Aquitaine Chaucer (?) Thomas Ralph Joan Beaufort Neville = Beaufort d. 1376 (1) Elizabeth 1 H5 de Burgh Thomas Earl of Earl of I Chaucer Dorset West- Joan of Philippa = • Duke of more- Kent (I) the = Matilda Exeter LAND Fair Maid Edmund Burghersh d. 1425 d. 1425 | Mortimer Michael H5 H4 12 H5 RICHARD II Earl of de la Pole 1377-1399 March Earl of R2 I Suffolk — Anne Morti- d. 1415 (0 Anne of mer *! 5 Bohemia (See descend- 1 (2) Isabella ants of Ed- (3) William of France mund Langley de la Pole = Alice = (2) Thomas Montague R2 Duke of York) Earl of Suffolk exc. 1450 Earl of Salisbury d. 1428 H 5 H6 1 Signs and Abbreviations in the Tables Charles de la Bret Constable of Francs k.A. 1415 H5 1- | = direct descent from == married to 00 = brother or sister <*|v, = brother or sister of the half blood d. = died exc.= executed k.= killed k.A.= killed at Agincourt R2= one of the dramatis Dersonae in Richard IT R3 = do. Richard III H 4 1 = do. I Heiiry IV H 4 2 = - do. 2 Henry IV H6' = do. I Henry VI H6 2 = do. 2 Henry VI H63= do. 3 Henry VI H 5 = do. Henry V do. King John Italics indicate that the person is only mentioned in the play. Numerals in parentheses before a name indicate a first, second, or third marriage. Nu- merals after a king's reign indicate the dates of his reign. (2) Owen Tudor =s Edmund Tudor Henry Tudor Earl of Richmond HENRY VII TUDOR 1485-1509 H6 3 R 3 CONNECTIONS ENGLISH = Philippa of Hainault I d. 1369 John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster d. 1399 R2 (2) Constance of Castile (1) Blanche of Lancaster Chaucer's ' Duchesse '? d. 1369 Henry Bolingbroke Earl of Derby Duke of Hereford Duke of Lancaster HENRY IV LANCASTER 1399-1413 R2 H4 13 (2) Joan of Navarre d. 1437 (1) Mary de Bohun d. 1394 Edmund Langley = (2) Joan of Kent (II) Duke of York d. 1402 R2 ■ (1) Isabella of Castile, d. 1393 Duchess of York R2 (3) Henry, 3 Baron Scrope of Masham Lord Scroop exc. 1415 H 5 Thomas Duke of Gloucester d. 1397 Edward Earl of Rutland Duke of AUMERLE Duke of York k A. 1415 R2 H5 Richard Earl of Cambridge exc. 1415 HS Anne Mortimer Richard Plantagenet Duke of York d. 1460 H6 12 3 Constance Thomas Despenser d. 1400 Isabella Richard Beauchamp Earl of Warwick d. 1439 H 5 I EDWARD IV 1461-14S3 R 3 H6" Elisabeth T r Edmund Earl of Rutland H6 3 George Duke of Clarence d. 1479 H63R 3 RICHARD III 1483-1485 H6 2 3 R 3 Edward of Wales EDWARD V R3 Henry of Thomas Monmouth Dukeof 'Prince Hal Clarence Duke of Lancaster i c , .,. HENRY V H 4 2 fe 1413-1422 H4H5 KATHARINE OF FRANCE d.M„ HENRY VI 1422-1471 H6 12 3 John Duke of Bedford Regent of France d- 1435 H4 H5 H6 1 Richard Duke of York R3 1 Humphrey ' Good Duke Humphrey ' Duke of Gloucester d. 1447 H4 1 H5 H6 1 * Louis X 1314-1316 HISTORICAL III. Louis VIII 1223-1226 KJ Philip III = Isai I Philip IV The Fair I Isabella Edward II (of England) H 5 Edward III (first English claimant of French crown) Philip V 1316-1322 CHARLES VI = Isabella 1380-1422 H 5 of Bavaria ELLA OF ARAGON H 5 Charles IV 1322-1328 Charles V 1364-13S0 I Louis Isabella KATHARINE CHARLES VII the Dauphin = d- M37 1422-1461 d. 1415 (1) RICHARD II H S H6 l H S (of England) 1 R2 (1) HENRY V LOUIS XI (2) Charles of England (second English H6 3 Duke of Orleans H 5 claimant of French crown) H4 1 H4 2 H5 (2) Owen Tudor In discussing the liberties taken by Shakespeare with chronology and historical fact, Ivor B. John has pointed out that he was more than justified in so doing : "The alterations made were absolutely necessary in order to obtain sufficient dramatic concentration. ... As it is, the identification of CONNECTIONS FRENCH Blanche of Castile KJ (St.) Louis IX = Margaret of Provence H 5 | Charles of Valois i Duke of Alencon Philip VI 1328-1350 John II 1 3 50- 1 364 Charles II 2 Duke of Alencon r~ 1 Charles III Peter 3 Duke of Alencon 4 Duke of Alencon 1 I Philip J° HN Robert I. Louis (I) 1 Duke of Bourbon Peter 2 Duke of Bourbon Louis (II) 3 Duke of Bourbon I John 4 Dukeof Duke of Burgundy 5 Duke of Alencon Bourbon 1 I Louis John Duke of Orleans the Fearless Duke of Burgundy d H 4 5 ' 9 k.A. 1415 H5 Anthony Duke of Brabant k.A. 1415 (prisoner at Agin- court) H 5 Charles John the Poet Count of Dunois Duke of Orleans Bastard of Orleans (prisoner at Agincourt) Lymoges with Austria, the presence of Blanch in the inter- view between the kings, the sudden ' clapping up ' of her marriage, and, above all, the close weaving together of the papal interference, the death of Arthur, the baronial revolt as if brought about by Arthur's supposed murder, and the French invasion — all these are felt to be dramatic gains." xl THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE VIII. THE CHARACTERS The reign of King John saw the dawn of that genuine English nationality which has continued substantially to the present day. The faults and crimes of the sovereign seem to have had the effect of testing and toughening the national unity, just as certain diseases in infancy operate to strengthen the constitution of the man, and thus to prepare him for the struggles of life. England was then wrestled, as it were, into the beginnings of that indomitable self-reliance which she has since so gloriously maintained. Shakespeare's vigorous and healthy national spirit is strongly manifested in the workmanship of King John. Faul- conbridge serves as a chorus to give a right political inter- pretation of the events and action of the play. To him John impersonates the unity and majesty of the nation, so that defection from him tends to national dissolution. Whatever he may be as a man, as king, Patriotism must stand by him at all hazards, for the rights and interests of England are inseparably bound up with the reverence of his person and the maintenance of his title. Thus, in Faulconbridge's view, England can only rest true to herself by sticking to the king against all opposition. This principle is the moral backbone of the drama, however the poetry of it may turn upon other points. The characterization of King John corresponds very well, in the degree of excellence, with the period to which its writing has been assigned. The delineation of the English barons is made to reflect the tumultuous and distracted con- dition of the time, when the best men were inwardly divided INTRODUCTION xli and fluctuating between the claims of parliamentary election and actual possession on the one side, and the rights of lineal succession on the other. In such a conflict of duties and motives, the moral sense often sharply at odds with urgent political considerations, the clearest heads and most upright hearts are apt to lose their way ; nor perhaps is it much to be wondered at if in such a state of things self-interest, the one constant motive of human action, gain such headway at last as to swamp all other interests. The noble and virtuous Salisbury successfully resists this depraving tendency, yet the thorns and dangers of the time prove too much for his judgment. From the. outset he is divided between allegiance to John and to Arthur, till the crimes and cruelties of the former throw him quite over to the side of the latter. Hu- manity outwrestles nationality, and this even to the sacrifice of humanity itself, as matters turn. His scrupulous regard for moral rather than prudential motives draws him into serious error, which, to be sure, his rectitude of purpose is prompt to retrace, but not till the mistake has nearly crippled his power for good. His course well illustrates the peril to which goodness, more sensitive than far-sighted, is exposed in such a hard conflict of antagonist principles. In the practical exigencies of life, doing the best we can for those who stand nearest us is often nobler than living up to our own ideal. So there are times when men must " set up their rest " to stand by their country, right or wrong, and not allow any faults of her rulers to alienate them from her cause. Some- times the highest sacrifice which is required of us is that of our finer moral feelings, nay, even of our sense of duty itself, to the rough occasions of patriotism. All this has been rarely exemplified in Salisbury, who was the famous xlii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE William Longsword, natural son to Henry II, and half- brother to John. It means much that our better feelings stay with him even when the more reckless spirit and coarse nature of Faulconbridge carry off our judgment. John John, as he stands in history, was such a piece of irredeem- able depravity, so thoroughly weak-headed and bloody-handed, that to set him forth truly without seeming to be dealing in caricature or lampoon required no little art. In his dying agony he truthfully pictured himself : I am a scribbled form, drawn with a pen Upon a parchment, and against this fire Do I shrink up. [V, vii, 32-34] Shakespeare was under the necessity of leaving his qualities to be inferred, in some measure, instead of showing them directly. The point was to disguise his meannesses, and yet so to order the disguise as to suggest that it covered some- thing too vile to be seen. What could better infer his slinking, cowardly, malignant spirit than his two scenes with Hubert ? Here he has neither the boldness to look his purpose in the face nor the rectitude to dismiss it. He has no way but to " dodge and palter in the shifts of lowness." He tries by hints and fawning innuendoes to secure the passage of his thought into effect, without committing himself to any responsibility for it ; and wants another to be the agent of his will, and yet bear the blame as if acting of his own accord. Afterwards, when the consequences begin to press upon him, he accuses the aptness of the instrument as the cause of his suggestion ; and the only sagacity he displays is in shirking the respon- sibility of his own guilty purpose, his sneaking, selfish fear INTRODUCTION xliii inspiring him with a quickness and fertility of thought far beyond his capacity under nobler influences. The chief trouble with John in the play is, that he conceives himself in a false position, and so becomes himself false to his position in the hope of thereby rendering it secure. He has indeed far better reasons for holding the throne than he is himself aware of, and the utter selfishness of his aims is what keeps him from seeing them. His soul is so bemired in personal regards that he cannot rise to any considerations of patriotism or public spirit. The idea of wearing the crown as a sacred trust from the nation never enters his head. This is because he lacks the nobleness to rest his title on national grounds, or because he is himself too lawless of spirit to feel the majesty with which the national law has invested him. As the interest and honour of England have no place in his thoughts, so he feels as if he had stolen the throne, and appropriated it to his own private use. This consciousness of dishonourable motives naturally fills him with dark suspicions and sinister designs. As he is without the inward strength of noble aims, so he does not feel out- wardly strong ; his evil motives suggest using evil means for securing himself. Thus his sense of inherent baseness has the effect of urging him into disgraces and crimes, his very stings of self-reproach driving him on from bad to worse. If he had the manhood to trust his cause frankly with the nation, as rightly comprehending his trust, he would be strong in the nation's support, but this he cannot see. John is not less wanting in manly fortitude than in moral principle; he has not the courage even to be daringly and resolutely wicked. There is no backbone of truth in him either for good or for evil. Insolent, self-confident, defiant xliv THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE under success, he becomes utterly abject and cringing in disaster or reverse. When his wishes are crowned, he struts and talks big ; but a slight whirl in the wind of chance at once lays him sprawling in the mud. We may almost apply to him what Ulysses says of Achilles in Troilns and Cressida : Possess'd he is with greatness, And speaks not to himself but with a pride That quarrels at self-breath : imagined worth Holds in his blood such swoln and hot discourse That 'twixt his mental and his active parts Kingdom'd Achilles in commotion rages And batters down himself. [II, iii, 180-186] Just as, in his craven-hearted selfishness, John cares nothing for England's honour, nor even for his own as king, but only to retain the spoil of his self-imputed trespass, so he will at any time trade that honour away, and will not mind cringing to the king of France or to the pope, so long as he may keep his place. All this was no doubt partly owing to the demoralizing influences of the time. How deeply those influences worked is well shown in the hoary-headed fraud and heartlessness of Pandulf, who makes it his special business to abuse the highest faculties to the most refined ill purposes, with subtle and tortuous casuistry explaining away perfidy, treachery, and murder. The arts of deceit could hardly have come to be used with such complete self-approval, but from a long discipline of civilized selfishness in endeavoring to prevent or to parry the assaults of violence and barbarism. For, in a state of continual danger and insecurity, cultivated intelligence is naturally drawn to defend itself by subtlety and craft. The ethereal weapons of reason and sanctity are powerless INTRODUCTION xlv upon men stupefied by brutal passions ; and this is too apt to generate even in the best characters a habit of seeking safety by " bowing their gray dissimulation " into whatever enterprises they undertake. This would go far to explain the alleged system of " pious frauds " once so little scrupled in the walks of religion and learning. Be this as it may, there was, it seems, virtue enough in the England of King John to bring her safe and sound through the vast perils and corrup- tions of the time. That reign was in truth the seed-bed of those forces which have since made England so great and wise and free. All through the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII, the horrors of the civil slaughter of the York and Lancaster wars made the English people nervously apprehensive as to the consequences of a disputed title to the throne. This apprehension had by no means worn off in Shakespeare's time. The nation was still extremely tenacious of the lineal succession as the only practicable safeguard against the danger of rival claimants. The dogma of the divine right, which then got such headway, was probably more or less the offspring of this sentiment. Shakespeare, in his sympathy with this strong national feeling, was swayed somewhat from the strict line of historic truth and reason in ascribing John's crimes and follies, and the evils of his reign, so much to a public distrust of his title. It is questionable whether such distrust really had any considerable part in those evils. The king's title was generally held at the time to be sound, the nervous dread of a disputed succession being mainly the growth of later experience. The anxiety to fence off the evils so dreaded naturally caused the powers of the crown to be strained up to a pitch hardly compatible with any xlvi THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE degree of freedom. Thus at length another civil war became necessary to keep the liberties of England from being swallowed up in the Serbonian bog of royal prerogative. In the apprehension of an experienced danger on one side, men lost sight of an equal danger on the other side. Coxstance The genius and art of Mrs. Siddons in all likelihood caused the critics of her time and their immediate successors to set a higher estimate upon the delineation of Constance than is fully justified by the play. The part seems indeed to have been peculiarly suited to the powers of that remarkable actress, the wide range of moods and the tugging conflicts of passion, through which Constance passes, affording scope enough for the most versatile gifts of delivery. Shakespeare's conception of the character is far from displaying his full strength. There is in many of the speeches of Constance a redundancy of rhetoric and verbal ingenuity which gives them a too theatrical relish. The style thus falls under a reproof well expressed in this very play : When workmen strive to do better than well, They do confound their skill in covetousness. [IV, ii, 28-29] In pursuance of the same thought, Bacon remarks the great practical difference between the love of excellence and the love of excelling. So here we seem to have rather too much of that elaborate artificiality which springs more from am- bition than from inspiration. The fault, however, is among those which mark the workmanship of Shakespeare's earlier period. INTRODUCTION xlvii The idea pervading the delineation is well stated by Haz- Iitt 1 as " the excess of maternal tenderness, rendered desper- ate by the fickleness of friends and the injustice of fortune, and made stronger in will, in proportion to the want of all other power." In the judgment of Gervinus, " ambition spurred by maternal love, maternal love fired by ambition and womanly vanity, form the distinguishing features" of Constance ; and he further describes her as " a woman whose weakness amounts to grandeur, and whose virtues sink into weakness." Gervinus is apt to be substantially right in such matters, but the character, though drawn in the best of situations for its amiability to appear, is not a very amiable one. Herein the play is perhaps the truer to history, for the chroniclers make Constance rather selfish and weak, and not so religious in motherhood but that, she be- trayed a somewhat un venerable impatience of widowhood. Nevertheless it must be owned that the soul of maternal grief and affection speaks from her lips with not a little majesty of pathos, and occasionally flows in strains of the most melting tenderness. A mother's sorrow could not express itself more eloquently than in these lines: Grief fills the room up of my absent child, Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me, Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words, Remembers me of all his gracious parts, Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form ; Then, have I reason to be fond of grief? [Ill, iv, 93-98] There is no overstraining of nature in the imagery here used, for the speaker's passion is of just the right kind and degree to kindle the imagination into the richest and finest utterance. 1 William Hazlitt, Characters of Shakespeare's Plays. xlviii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE On the other hand, the general effect of her sorrow is marred by too great an infusion of anger, and she shows too much pride, self-will, and volubility of scorn, to have the full touch of our sympathies. Thus, when Elinor coarsely provokes her, she retorts in a strain of still coarser railing ; and the bandying of taunts and slurs between them, each not caring what she says, so her speech bites the other, is about equally damaging to them both. It is true, she meets with sore trials of patience, but these can hardly be said to open any springs of sweetness or beauty within her. When she finds that her heart's dearest cause is sacrificed to the schemes of politicians ; when it turns out that the king of France and the Archduke of Austria are driving their own ends in her name, and only pretending conscientious pur- pose and pity for her, to cover their selfish projects, the heart-wringing disappointment inflames her into outbursts of sarcastic bitterness and scorn. Her speech sounds little like the sorrowing and disconsolate mother. The impression of her behavior in these points is well described by Gervinus : "What a variety of feeling is expressed in those twenty lines where she inquires anxiously after the truth of that which shocks her to hear ! How her grief, so long as she is alone, restrains itself in calmer anguish in the vestibule of despair ! how it first bursts forth in the presence of others in power- less revenge, rising to a curse which brings no blessing to herself ! and how atoningly behind all this unwomanly rage lies the foil of maternal love ! We should be moved with too violent a pity for this love, if it did not weaken our in- terest by its want of moderation; we should turn away from the violence of the woman, if the strength of her maternal affection did not irresistibly enchain us." INTRODUCTION xlix Prince Arthur As Shakespeare used the license of art in stretching the life of Constance beyond its actual date so that he might enrich his work with the eloquence of a mother's love, he took a like freedom in making Arthur younger than the facts prescribed so that he might in larger measure pour in the sweetness of childish innocence and wit. Both of these departures from strict historic truth are highly judicious ; at least they are amply redeemed by the dramatic wealth which comes in fitly through them. In the case of Arthur there is the further gain that the sparing of his eyes is because of his potency of tongue and the piercing touch of gentleness ; whereas in history he is indebted for this to his strength of arm. The Arthur of the play is an artless, gentle, natural- hearted, but high-spirited, eloquent boy, in whom we have the voice of nature pleading for nature's rights, unrestrained by pride of character or place ; who at first braves his uncle, because set on to do so by his mother, and afterwards fears him, yet knows not why, because his heart is too full of "the holiness of youth" to conceive how anything so treacherous and unnatural can be, as that which he fears. He not only has a most tender and loving disposition, such as cruelty itself can hardly resist, but is also persuasive and wise far beyond his years, though his power of thought and magic of speech are so managed as rather to aid the impression of his childish age. Observe how in the scene with Hubert his very terror creates in him a sort of preternatural illumina- tion, and inspires him to a course of innocent and uncon- scious cunning — the perfect art of perfect artlessness. Of the scene in question Hazlitt justly says, " If anything ever xlviii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE On the other hand, the general effect of her sorrow is marred by too great an infusion of anger, and she shows too much pride, self-will, and volubility of scorn, to have the full touch of our sympathies. Thus, when Elinor coarsely provokes her, she retorts in a strain of still coarser railing ; and the bandying of taunts and slurs between them, each not caring what she says, so her speech bites the other, is about equally damaging to them both. It is true, she meets with sore trials of patience, but these can hardly be said to open any springs of sweetness or beauty within her. When she finds that her heart's dearest cause is sacrificed to the schemes of politicians ; when it turns out that the king of France and the Archduke of Austria are driving their own ends in her name, and only pretending conscientious pur- pose and pity for her, to cover their selfish projects, the heart-wringing disappointment inflames her into outbursts of sarcastic bitterness and scorn. Her speech sounds little like the sorrowing and disconsolate mother. The impression of her behavior in these points is well described by Gervinus : "What a variety of feeling is expressed in those twenty lines where she inquires anxiously after the truth of that which shocks her to hear ! How her grief, so long as she is alone, restrains itself in calmer anguish in the vestibule of despair ! how it first bursts forth in the presence of others in power- less revenge, rising to a curse which brings no blessing to herself ! and how atoningly behind all this unwomanly rage lies the foil of maternal love ! We should be moved with too violent a pity for this love, if it did not weaken our in- terest by its want of moderation; we should turn away from the violence of the woman, if the strength of her maternal affection did not irresistibly enchain us." INTRODUCTION xlix Prince Arthur As Shakespeare used the license of art in stretching the life of Constance beyond its actual date so that he might enrich his work with the eloquence of a mother's love, he took a like freedom in making Arthur younger than the facts prescribed so that he might in larger measure pour in the sweetness of childish innocence and wit. Both of these departures from strict historic truth are highly judicious ; at least they are amply redeemed by the dramatic wealth which comes in fitly through them. In the case of Arthur there is the further gain that the sparing of his eyes is because of his potency of tongue and the piercing touch of gentleness ; whereas in history he is indebted for this to his strength of arm. The Arthur of the play is an artless, gentle, natural- hearted, but high-spirited, eloquent boy, in whom we have the voice of nature pleading for nature's rights, unrestrained by pride of character or place ; who at first braves his uncle, because set on to do so by his mother, and afterwards fears him, yet knows not why, because his heart is too full of "the holiness of youth" to conceive how anything so treacherous and unnatural can be, as that which he fears. He not only has a most tender and loving disposition, such as cruelty itself can hardly resist, but is also persuasive and wise far beyond his years, though his power of thought and magic of speech are so managed as rather to aid the impression of his childish age. Observe how in the scene with Hubert his very terror creates in him a sort of preternatural illumina- tion, and inspires him to a course of innocent and uncon- scious cunning — the perfect art of perfect artlessness. Of the scene in question Hazlitt justly says, " If anything ever 1 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE were penned, heart-piercing, mixing the extremes of terror and pity, of that which shocks and that which soothes the mind, it is this scene." Yet even here the tender pathos of the boy is marred with some "quirks of wit," such as Shake- speare would not have allowed in his best days. In Arthur's dying speech — "O me ! my uncle's spirit is in these stones" (IV, iii, 9) — our distrust of John is most artfully heightened ; all his foregoing inhumanity being, as it were, gathered and concentrated into an echo. Shakespeare has several times thrown the witchery of his genius into pictures of nursery life, as in the case of Mamil- lius in The Winter's Tale, and of Lady Macduff and her son in Macbeth, bringing children upon the scene and delighting us with their innocent archness and sweet-witted prattle, but Arthur is his most powerful and charming piece of this kind. That he loved to play with childhood is not the least of Shakespeare's claims to our reverence. Faulcoxbridge The reign of King John furnished no characters fully answering the conditions of high dramatic interest. To meet this want there was need of one or more representa- tive characters, — persons in whom should be centered and consolidated various elements of national character, which were in history dispersed through many individuals. Such a representative character is Faulconbridge, with his fiery flood of Norman vigor bounding through his veins, his irrepressible dance of animal spirits, his athletic and frolic- some wit, his big, brave, manly heart, his biting sword, and his tongue equally biting; his soul proof-armored against all fear save that of doing what is wrong or mean. INTRODUCTION li The Troublesome Raigne supplied the name, and also a slight hint towards the character: Next them a bastard of the King deceased, A hardy wild-head, rough and venturous. But Faulconbridge is thoroughly Shakespearian, brimful of Shakespeare's most peculiar mental life ; he is as different as can well be conceived from anything ever dreamed of in the Source-Quarto. It is specially worth noting that Shake- speare clearly embodies in him his own sentiment of nation- ality ; he pours his hearty, full-souled English spirit into him and through him, so that the character is, at least in the political sense, truly representative of the author. All this is accomplished without the slightest tincture of egotism or self-obtrusion. To Faulconbridge the king, as before re- marked, is truly the impersonation of the State ; all those nobilities of thought and all those ideas of majesty and rev- erence which are wanting in John himself, he supplies in thought. He is fully alive to the moral baseness of the king, but the office is to him so sacred, as the palladium of national unity and life, that he will allow neither himself nor others in his presence to speak disrespectfully of the man. Faulconbridge is strangely reckless of appearances, but his heart is evidently much better than his tongue. From his speech one might suppose gain to be his god, but a far truer language, which he uses without knowing it, tells us that gain is nothing to him. He talks as if he cared only for self-interest, while his works proclaim a spirit framed of dis- interestedness, his action thus quietly giving the lie to his words. His course in this respect springs partly from an im- pulse of antagonism to the prevailing spirit about him, which lii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE makes great pretense to virtue without a particle of the thing itself. What he most abominates is the pursuit of selfish and sinister ends under the garb of religion. Piety on the tongue with covetousness in the heart fills him with intense disgust : and his repugnance is so strong that it sets him sponta- neously upon assuming a garb of selfishness to cover his real conscientiousness of mind and purpose. Secretly he is as generous as the sun, but his generosity puts on an affecta- tion of rudeness or something worse : he will storm at you, to bluff you off from seeing the kindness he is doing you. Of the same kind is his hatred of cruelty and meanness. While these are rife about him, he never gets angry or makes any quarrel with them. On the contrary, he laughs and breaks sinewy jests over them, as if he thought them witty and smart. Upon witnessing the heartless and unprin- cipled bargaining of the kings, he passes it off jocosely as a freak of the "mad world," and verbally frames for him- self a plan that " smacks somewhat of the policy." Then, instead of acting out what he thus seems to relish as a capital thing, he goes on to shame down, as far as may be, all such baseness by an example of straightforward noble- ness and magnanimity. Then too, with all his laughing roughness of speech and iron sternness of act, so blunt, bold, and downright, he is nevertheless full of humane and gentle feeling. With what burning eloquence of indignation does he denounce the supposed murder of Arthur ! though he has no thought of abetting his claims to the throne against the present occu- pant. He abhors the deed as a crime, but to his keen, honest eye it is also a stupendous blunder. He deplores it as such, because its huge offensiveness to England's heart is what INTRODUCTION liii makes it a blunder, and because he is himself in full sympathy with the national conscience, which cannot but be shocked at its hideous criminality. So it may be doubted whether he more resents the wickedness or the stupidity of the act : From forth this morsel of dead royalty, The life, the right and truth of all this realm Is fled to heaven ; and England now is left To tug and scamble and to part by the teeth The unowed interest of proud-swelling state. [iv, hi, 143-147] Shakespeare manages with great art that Faulconbridge be held to John throughout the play by ties which he is too clear of head and too upright of heart to think of renouncing. In the first place, he has been highly trusted and honoured by the king, and he cannot be ungrateful. Then again, in his clear-sighted and comprehensive public spirit, the diverse interests that split others into factions, and plunge them into deadly strife, are smoothly reconciled. Political regards work even more than personal gratitude, to keep him steadfast to the king, and he is ready with tongue and sword to beat down whatsoever obstructs a broad and generous nationality. His plain, frank nature either scorns the refinements of po- litical diplomacy or is insensible to them, but his patriotism is thoroughly sound and true, and knows no fear. As a representative character, Faulconbridge stands next to Falstaff. Thoroughly Gothic in features and proportions, and as thoroughly English in temper and spirit, his presence infuses life and true manliness into every part of the drama. He can well be described in the words with which he strove to rouse John to kingliness — " Be great in act, as you have been in thought" (V, 1, 45). liv THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE IX. STAGE HISTORY It is a curious fact that from the time of Shakespeare to the year 1737 there is no record of a performance of King John, and we have only the testimony of the First Folio 1 that it had been staged before 1623. Since neither the voluble Pepys nor the painstaking Downes even mentions King John, it would seem to have remained for Colley Gibber, poet- laureate and theatrical manager, to revive the play. This he was the means of doing through a mangled version called Papal Tyranny in the Reign of King John, which he originally prepared about 1736. It is not certain whether this was actually produced in 1737 or was simply in process of re- hearsal, but this much seems clear : the critics so bitterly pro- tested against such tampering with Shakespeare that Cibber withdrew his play, the withdrawal being for a time the talk of London, even Pope immortalizing the event in The Dunciad. 2 It is interesting to note that political and ecclesiastical condi- tions similar to those which helped to create and shape Kynge Johan and The Troublesome Raigne in the sixteenth century were responsible for the revival of Cibber's version of Shake- speare's play in 1745, when the aged actor-author himself took the part of Pandulph. The theatrical manager, Rich, noting that the critics, while railing against Cibber, had much to say in praise of Shake- speare, took the hint and resolved to revive the original. This 1 " . . . these Playes have had their triall alreadie, and stood out all Appeales ; and do now come forth quitted rather by a Decree of Court, then any purchas'd Letters of commendation." — To the great Variety of Readers. 2 " King John in silence modestly expires." — I, 251. INTRODUCTION lv revival in 1737 and 1738 at Covent Garden was eminently successful, and the Faulconbridge of Walker established a tradition for well sustained power that influenced the judg- ment on all subsequent interpretations of the part. On February 15, 1745, at Drury Lane, Garrick for the first time appeared as King John, with Mrs. Cibber as Constance, Delane as the Bastard, and M acklin as Pandulph. The critics were loud in their praise of Mrs. Cibber's Constance, which came to be known as her greatest role. Garrick was espe- cially strong in the second scene of the fourth act. " His transitions from one passion to another were quick and ani- mated : when Hubert showed him the warrant, he snatched it from his hand, and grasping it hard in an agony of despair and horror, he threw his eyes to heaven as if self-convicted of murder ; in the dying scene likewise he was excellent." 1 The years from 175 1 to 1783 saw a number of creditable performances both at Drury Lane and at Covent Garden, notably that of Sheridan and Garrick, in which Sheridan took the part of John and Garrick that of the Bastard. " But in the Bastard," says Davies, " all his spirit and art could not make amends for his deficiency in figure." The revival of the play in 1783 was made notable by the Kembles, especially Mrs. Siddons. Although the performances of Mrs. Siddons as Constance (see page xlvi), John Kemble as King John, and Charles as Faulconbridge, were given popular approval, the inherent dramatic weaknesses of the play and the absence of those social and political conditions which gave popular interest to the earlier revivals prevented it from gaining a permanent hold on the theater-going public. 1 Thomas Davies, Dramatic Miscellanies. lvi THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE In the early years of the nineteenth century the Keans and Macready attempted to revive the tragedy, Charles Kean producing it in both England and America. Miss Ellen Terry, then only ten years old, who appeared as Arthur in Kean's last production, gives in her autobiographic sketches 1 a fascinating description of her preparation for the part. Mr. Beerbohm Tree's revival in 1899 was an ambitious undertaking which held the boards longer than any of the earlier productions. He revised the play, dividing it into three acts, introduced two tableaux — one of the battle be- fore Angiers, the other of the signing of Magna Charta — and devised much new stage business. Due in no small degree to the brilliant criticism of Tieck and the excellence of the Schlegel-Tieck version, King John has been a favorite Shakespeare play in Germany ; and from 1 80 1, when an adaptation called Arthur, Prinz von E?igland, was acted at Altona, it has had a firm hold on the modern German stage. Especially notable, because of a stage-setting which reproduced in a remarkable way the Elizabethan sim- plicity and imaginative appeal, was a revival in 1908 under the direction of Eugene Kilian at the Munich Hoftheater. 1 The Story of my Life, pages 29-31. AUTHORITIES (With the more important abbreviations used in the notes) Fi = First Folio, 1623. F 2 = Second Folio, 1632. F 3 = Third Folio, 1663, 1664. F 4 = Fourth Folio, 16S5. Ff = all the seventeenth century Folios. Rowe = Rowe's editions, 1709, 17 14. Pope = Pope's editions, 1723, 172S. Theobald = Theobald's editions, 1733, 1740. Hanmer = Hanmer's edition, 1744. Johnson = Johnson's edition, 1765. Capell = Capell's edition, 1768. Malone = Malone's edition, 1790. Steevens = Steevens's edition, 1793. Staunton = Harvard Staunton's edition, 1S57-1860. Globe = Globe edition (Clark and Wright), 1864. Dyce = Dyce's (third) edition, 1S75. Delius = Delius's (fifth) edition, 1882. Camb = Cambridge (third) edition (W.A.Wright), 1891. Clar = Clarendon Press edition (W.A.Wright). Herford = C. H. Herford's Eversley edition. Abbott = E. A. Abbott's A Shakespearian Grammar. Bradley = A. C. Bradley's Shakespearean Tragedy, 1904. Cotgrave = Cotgrave's Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues, 161 1. Schmidt = Schmidt's Shakespeare Lexicon. Skeat = Skeat's An Etymological Dictionary. Murray = A JVezo English Dictionary {The Oxford Dictionary). 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Twelfth Night, III, iv, 265. 37. manage: management, administration. Cf. The Merchant of Venice, III, iv, 25. From O. Fr. manege, Latin managium (manus). scene i KING JOHN 5 King John. Our strong possession and our right for us. Elinor. Your strong possession much more than your right, 40 Or else it must go wrong with you and me. So much my conscience whispers in your ear, Which none but heaven and you and I shall hear. Enter a Sheriff Essex. My liege, here is the strangest controversy Come from the country to be judg'd by you 45 That e'er I heard : shall I produce the men ? King John. Let them approach : Our abbeys and our priories shall pay This expedition's charge. Enter Robert Faulconbridge, and Philip What men are you ? Bastard. Your faithful subject, I a gentleman 50 Born in Northamptonshire, and eldest son, As I suppose, to Robert Faulconbridge, A soldier by the honour-giving hand Of Cceur-de-lion, knighted in the field. King John. What art thou ? 55 Robert. The son and heir to that same Faulconbridge. King John. Is that the elder, and art thou the heir ? You came not of one mother then, it seems. Bastard. Most certain of one mother, mighty king, That is well known, and, as I think, one father : 60 But for the certain knowledge of that truth, 50. Bastard | Philip Ff. 54. Cceur-de-lion | Cordelion Ff. 6 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act i I put you o'er to heaven and to my mother. Of that I doubt, as all men's children may. Elinor. Out on thee, rude man ! thou dost shame thy mother And wound her honour with this diffidence. 65 Bastard. I, madam ? No, I have no reason for it. That is my brother's plea ; and none of mine The which if he can prove, a pops me out At least from fair five hundred pound a year : Heaven guard my mother's honour and my land ! 70 King John. A good blunt fellow. Why, being younger born, Doth he lay claim to thine inheritance ? Bastard. I know not why, except to get the land : But once he slander'd me with bastardy : But whe'er I be as true begot or no, 75 That still I lay upon my mother's head ; But that I am as well begot, my liege, — Fair fall the bones that took the pains for me ! — Compare our faces and be judge yourself. If old sir Robert did beget us both 80 And were our father, and this son like him ; old sir Robert, father, on my knee 1 give heaven thanks I was not like to thee. King John. Why, what a madcap hath heaven lent us here ! Elinor. He hath a trick of Cceur-de-lion's face, 85 68. a : he. A dialectic form often written 'a or a'. 75. whe'er: whether. So in II, i, 167. See Abbott, § 466. 78. fair fall : may luck prosperously befall. 85. trick : characteristic peculiarity. The expression is from heraldry. Cf. King Lear, IV, vi, 108 : "the trick of that voice." scene i KING JOHN 7 The accent of his tongue affecteth him : Do you not read some tokens of my son In the large composition of this man ? King John. Mine eye hath well examined his parts And finds them perfect Richard. Sirrah, speak 90 What doth move you to claim your brother's land ? Bastard. Because he hath a half-face like my father. With half that face would he have all my land, A half-fac'd groat, five hundred pound a year ! Robert. My gracious liege, when that my father liv'd, 95 Your brother did employ my father much. Bastard. Well, sir, by this you cannot get my land : Your tale must be how he employ'd my mother. Robert. And once dispatch'd him in an embassy To Germany, there with the emperor 100 To treat of high affairs touching that time. Th' advantage of his absence took the king And in the mean time sojourn'd at my father's ; Where how he did prevail, I shame to speak, But truth is truth, large lengths of seas and shores 105 Between my father and my mother lay, As I have heard my father speak himself 86. affecteth : resembles, takes after. A rare use of the word. 88. large composition: big build. Cf. / Henry VI, II, iii, 75. 92. half-face : profile. Some editors interpret it as ' thin, narrow face.' 93. half that face. Theobald proposed to read ' that half face.' 94. half-fac'd groat. The groats of Henry VII had the royal face in profile. Hence the phrase * half-faced groat ' came to be used contemptuously of a meager visage. Cf. 2 Henry IV, III, ii, 283 : " this same half-fac'd fellow, Shallow." The groat was first coined in the reign of Edward III, a century after the time of King John. 8 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act i When this same lusty gentleman was got : Upon his death-bed he by will bequeath'd His lands to me, and took it on his death no That this my mother's son was none of his ; And if he were, he came into the world Full fourteen weeks before the course of time : Then, good my liege, let me have what is mine, My father's land, as was my father's will. 115 King John. Sirrah, your brother is legitimate. Your father's wife did after wedlock bear him, And if she did play false, the fault was hers ; Which fault lies on the hazards of all husbands That marry wives : tell me, how if my brother, * 120 Who, as you say, took pains to get this son, Had of your father claim'd this son for his : In sooth, good friend, your father might have kept This calf bred from his cow from all the world : In sooth he might: then, if he were my brother's, 125 My brother might not claim him, nor your father, Being none of his, refuse him. This concludes My mother's son did get your father's heir ; Your father's heir must have your father's land. Robert. Shall then my father's will be of no force 13c no. took it: affirmed it. Cf. / Henry IV, V, iv, 154-155: "I'll take it upon my death I gave him this wound in the thigh." 114. good my liege : my good liege. See Abbott, § 13. 119. on the hazards : among the ventures. Cf. V, vi, 7. ' Hazard' was originally a game of chance with dice. Cf. Richard III, V, iv, 10. 123-124. kept . . . from all the world : retained against the claims of all the world. Steevens points out that according to Hindu law calves belonged solely to the proprietors of the cows. 127. Being none of his : although he was none of his. scene i KING JOHN 9 To dispossess that child which is not his ? Bastard. Of no more force to dispossess me, sir, Than was his will to get me, as I think. Elinor. Whether hadst thou rather be a Faulconbridge, And, like thy brother, to enjoy thy land, 135 Or the reputed son of Cceur-de-lion, Lord of thy presence and no land beside ? Bastard. Madam, and if my brother had my shape And I had his, Sir Robert's his, like him ; And if my legs were two such riding-rods, 140 My arms such eel-skins stuff'd, my face so thin That in mine ear I durst not stick a rose Lest men should say ' Look, where three-farthings goes ! ' And, to his shape, were heir to all this land, — Would I might never stir from off this place ! — 145 138. and if Ff | an if Hanmer Globe. 137. presence : (objective) personality, outward appearance. Cf. Romeo and Jtcliet, I, v, 75 : " Show a fair presence and put off these frowns " ; Troihcs and Cressida, III, iii, 272-273 : " I will put on his presence." Halliwell-Phillips quotes Sir Henry Wotton (156S-1639), " Character of a Happy Life " : Lord of himself, though not of lands, And having nothing, yet hath all. 139. The general meaning is obvious : " if my brother had my shape and I had his." With each ' his ' he points at Robert's figure ; with ' him ' he points at Robert's face. The second r his' repeats the first, with dramatic effect. 140. riding-rods : rods or switches used in riding. 142-143. Elizabeth coined three-farthing pieces of silver. These bore the queen's profile with a rose behind her ear. Being of silver, they were very thin. A thin-faced beau wearing the customary rose in his earlock might well be compared to them. 144. to : in addition to. Frequently so. Cf. Macbeth, III, i, 52. IO THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act i I would give it every foot to have this face ; I would not be Sir Nob in any case. Elinor. I like thee well : wilt thou forsake thy fortune, Bequeath thy land to him, and follow me ? I am a soldier, and now bound to France. 150 Bastard. Brother, take you my land, I '11 take my chance. Your face hath got five hundred pound a year, Yet sell your face for five pence and 't is dear. Madam, I '11 follow you unto the death. Elinor. Nay, I would have you go before me thither. 155 Bastard. Our country manners give our betters way. King John. What is thy name ? Bastard. Philip, my liege, so is my name begun; Philip, good old Sir Robert's wife's eldest son. King John. From henceforth bear his name whose form thou bear'st : 160 Kneel thou down Philip, but rise more great, Arise Sir Richard and Plantagenet. Bastard. Brother by th' mother's side, give me your hand ; My father gave me honour, yours gave land. Now blessed be the hour, by night or day, 165 When I was got, Sir Robert was away ! Elinor. The very spirit of Plantagenet ! I am thy grandam, Richard ; call me so. Bastard. Madam, by chance but not by truth ; what though ? 147. I F2F3F4 I It Fi. 147. Nob : Robert. A familiar name, used here contemptuously. 162. Plantagenet. Originally a nickname given to the first Earl of Anjou, who wore a twig of broom {planta genista) in his bonnet. 169. by truth : honestly. Cf. ' true,' Much Ado About Nothing, III, iii, 1. — what though: what of it? Cf. Henry V, II, i, 9. scene i KING JOHN II Something about, a little from the right, 170 In at the window, or else o'er the hatch : Who dares not stir by day must walk by night, And have is have, however men do catch : Near or far off, well won is still well shot, And I am I, howe'er I was begot. 175 King John. Go, Faulconbridge : now hast thou thy desire; A landless knight makes thee a landed squire. Come, madam, and come, Richard, we must speed For France, for France, for it is more than need. Bastard. Brother, adieu : good fortune come to thee ! For thou wast got i' th' way of honesty. 181 Exeunt all but Bastard A foot of honour better than I was ; But many a many foot of land the worse. Well, now can I make any Joan a lady. * Good den, Sir Richard ! ' — * God-a-mercy, fellow ! ' — 185 And if his name be George, I '11 call him Peter ; For new-made honour doth forget men's names ; 170. Somewhat about, a little out of the beaten path. 171. hatch : the lower half of a divided door. The upper half could be open while the lower half was closed. Cf. King Lear, III, vi, 76 : " Dogs leap the hatch, and all are fled." 174. Near or far off : close to or wide of the mark. 177. A landless knight. Philip had given his land to his brother. 185. Philip gives an example of the salutation of a vassal, and his reply to it. — Good den: good evening. A salutation after noon. Mutilated from ' God give you good even.' Cf. Romeo and Juliet, II, iv, 116. — God-a-mercy: God have mercy, God reward you. The phrase came to be a mere expression of thanks. Cf. Hamlet, IV, v, 199 ; II, ii, 171-172 : Polonius. How does my good Lord Hamlet? Hamlet. Well, God-a-mercy, 12 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act I 'T is too respective and too sociable For your conversion. Now your traveller, He and his toothpick at my worship's mess, 190 And when my knightly stomach is suffic'd, Why then I suck my teeth and catechize My picked man of countries : * My dear sir,' Thus, leaning on mine elbow, I begin, 1 1 shall beseech you ' — that is question now ; 195 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, f I, sweet sir, at yours ' : And so ere answer knows what question would, 200 Saving in dialogue of compliment, And talking of the Alps and Apennines, The Pyrenean and the river Po, 188-189. 'T is . . . conversion : remembering men's names implies too much thought of others, and too much community of feeling, for one that has just been lifted into nobility of rank. He thus ridicules the affectations of aristocratic greenhorns. — respective : considerate. Cf. The Merchant of Venice, V, i, 1 56. 189. traveller. In Shakespeare's time, which was an age of newly awakened curiosity, with but small means of gratifying it, travelers were much welcomed to the tables of the rich and noble. This naturally brought about a good deal of imposture from such as were more willing to wag their tongues than to work with their hands. 190. toothpick. The traveler uses the foreign custom of picking his teeth, while the host sucks his (line 192). 193. picked : fastidious. With a play on 'toothpick' (line 190). Cf. Love's Labour's Lost, V, i, 14-16: "He is too picked, too spruce, too affected, too odd, as it were, too peregrinate, as I may call it." 196. Absey book : ABC book, primer (often with catechism ; suggested here by 'catechize,' line 192). 203. Pyrenean : Pyrenees. It represents the Latin Mons Pyrenceus, scene I KING JOHN 13 It draws toward supper in conclusion so. But this is worshipful society, 205 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, 210 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 ; 215 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 ? 207. a bastard to the time : no true child of the age. 208. observation. A play on the two meanings of the word, ' see- ing the world ' and ' obsequiousness.' He has neither the outward show (lines 210, 211) of the fastidious traveler (line 193), nor the inner impulse to be a flatterer (lines 212, 213). 212. motion: impulse. Cf. IV, ii, 255. 214-215. Though I will not practice administering the poison of flattery for the sake of deceiving, yet to avoid being deceived I mean to learn its use. The Bastard intends to study the arts of popularity, not to deceive the people, but to overmatch the cheats and demagogues about him. Shakespeare here prepares us for the honest and noble part which Faulconbridge takes in the play. 216. Ci. Julius Ccesar, I, i, 55-56 : "And do you now strew flowers in his way, That comes in triumph"; Antony and Cleopatra, I, iii, 1 00-101 : " and smooth success Be strew'd before your feet " ; Matthew, xxi, 8. 219. horn. A double allusion. A post carried a horn (cf. The Merchant of Venice, V, i, 47), and a man deceived by his wife was said to wear horns (cf. Muck Ado About Nothing, I, i, 266). 14 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act i Enter Lady Faulconbridge and James Gurney Ome! 't is my mother. How now, good lady ? 220 What brings you here to court so hastily ? Lady Faulconbridge. Where is that slave, thy brother ? where is he, That holds in chase mine honour up and down ? Bastard. My brother Robert ? old Sir Robert's son ? Colbrand the giant, that same mighty man? 225 Is it Sir Robert's son that you seek so ? Lady Faulconbridge. 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. 229 Bastard. James Gurney, wilt thou give us leave awhile ? Gurney. Good leave, good Philip. Bastard. Philip ! sparrow : James, There 's toys abroad : anon I '11 tell thee more. Exit Gurney 225. Colbrand. The Danish giant whom Guy of Warwick van- quished in the presence of King Athelstan. Cf. Henry VIII, V, iv, 22. 231. Good leave, good Philip. Gurney's only speech. Coleridge says, " How individual and comical he is with the four words allowed to his dramatic life!" — Philip ! sparrow. Gurney's use of the old name enables Philip to make a pun. The sparrow was called Philip (or Phip), because its note resembles that name. Cf. Lyly, Mother Bombie : " Phip, phip, the sparrowes as they flye." So also in Skelton, Dirge for Phyllip Sparowe : And whan I sayd, ' Phyp ! Phyp ! ' Than wold he lepe and skyp, And take me by the lyp. Catullus, in his elegy on Lesbia's sparrow, coined the verb pipilabat, to express the note of that bird. 232. toys : odd stories. Cf . A Midsummer Night's Dream, V, i, 3 : " These antique fables, nor these fairy toys." scene i KING JOHN 15 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 : 235 Sir Robert could do well : marry, to confess, 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. 240 Lady Faulconbridge. Hast thou conspired with thy brother too, That for thine own gain shouldst defend mine honour ? What means this scorn, thou most untoward knave ? Bastard. Knight, knight, good mother, Basilisco-like : What ! I am dubb'd ! I have it on my shoulder. 245 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? 250 Lady Faulconbridge. Hast thou denied thyself a Faul- conbridge ? Bastard. As faithfully as I deny the devil. 239. beholding: beholden, indebted. See Abbott, § 372. 244. Knight . . . Basilisco-like. Like Basilisco, he would be called 'knight,' not 'knave' (line 243). The allusion is to Kyd's Solivian and Perseda, I, iii, 169-17 1 : *Piston. I, the aforesaid Basilisco, — Basilisco. I, the aforesaid Basilisco — Knight, good fellow, Knight, Knight — Piston. Knave, good fellow, Knave, Knave .... 249. good my mother: my good mother. See note, line 114. 250. proper : comely. Often so in sixteenth century literature. l6 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act i Lady Faulconbridge. King Richard Cceur-de-lion was thy father : By long and vehement suit I was seduc'd To make room for him in my husband's bed : 255 Heaven lay not my transgression to my charge ! Thou art the issue of my dear offence, Which was so strongly urg'd past my defence. Bastard. Now, by this light, were I to get again, Madam, I would not wish a better father. 260 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 265 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 ! 270 Who lives and dares but say thou didst not well When I was got, I '11 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 ; 275 Who says it was, he lies : I say 't was not. Exeimt 257. Thou F4 I That F1F2F3 Delius. 257. dear: grievous. 'Dear' is used in Elizabethan literature to describe anything that affects us deeply, for joy or pain. 266. aweless : not to be awed, dauntless. The allusion is to the legend that Richard derived his name of Lion-heart from having torn out and eaten the heart of a lion, to which he had been exposed by the Duke of Austria. Cf. II, i, 3. ACT II Scene I. [France] Before Anglers Enter Austria [and forces, drums, etc. on one side : on the other] King Philip of France [and his power] ; Lewis, Arthur, Constance [and Attendants] Lewis. Before Angiers well met, brave Austria. 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 : 5 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 : 10 Embrace him, love him, give him welcome hither. Arthur. God shall forgive you Cceur-de-lion'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, 15 Act II. Scene I Rowe | Scaena Secunda Ff. 1. Austria. Leopold, Duke of Austria, who imprisoned Richard. 2. Arthur was Richard's nephew. The terms 'forerunner,' 'pos- terity' (lines 6, 96), 'offspring' (line 13), are used very loosely. 7. importance: importunity. Cf. Twelfth Night, V, i, 371. 9. rebuke : check, repress. Cf. Macbeth, III, i, 56. 17 18 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act ii But with a heart full of unstained love : Welcome before the gates of Angiers, duke. Lewis. A noble boy ! who would not do thee right ? Austria. Upon thy cheek lay I this zealous kiss, As seal to this indenture of my love, 20 That to my home I will no more return, Till Angiers and the right thou hast in France, Together with that pale, that white-fac'd shore, Whose foot spurns back the ocean's roaring tides, And coops from other lands her islanders, 25 Even till that England, hedg'd in with the main, That water-walled bulwark, still secure And confident from foreign purposes, Even till that utmost corner of the west Salute thee for her king : till then, fair boy, 30 Will I not think of home, but follow arms. Constance. 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 ! Austria. The peace of heaven is theirs that lift their swords In such a just and charitable war. 36 29. utmost F1F2F3 I outmost F4. 35- that F1F2F3 I who F4. 16. unstained. Cf. V, vii, 106-107 ; Pericles, I, i, 53. 18. do thee right : take thy part. Often so, 20. indenture : contract. For the history of the word see Murray. 23. The chalk cliffs at Dover, visible from the opposite shore. 'Albion' (Latin a/bus, 'white') is an ancient name of Britain. Cf. Henry V, III, v, 14: " In that nook-shotten isla of Albion." 27. water-walled bulwark. Cf. Richard II, II, i, 43-48. — still: always. Often so. Cf. Coriolanus, II, i, 262. — secure: free from care, untroubled. The original (Latin) meaning. So in IV, i, 130. 34. more : greater. Cf. ' a more contempt,' The Comedy of Errors, II, ii, 174 ; " The more and less," 1 Henry IV, IV, iii, 68. scene I KING JOHN 19 King Philip. Well then, to work : our cannon shall be bent Against the brows of this resisting town. Call for our chiefest men of discipline, To cull the plots of best advantages : 40 We '11 lay before this town our royal bones, Wade to the market-place in Frenchmen's blood, But we will make it subject to this boy. Constance. Stay for an answer to your embassy, Lest unadvis'd you stain your swords with blood : 45 My Lord Chatillon may from England bring That right in peace which here we urge in war, And then we shall repent each drop of blood That hot rash haste so indirectly shed. Enter Chatillon King Philip. A wonder, lady ! lo, upon thy wish 50 Our messenger Chatillon is arriv'd ! What England says, say briefly, gentle lord ; We coldly pause for thee ; Chatillon, speak. Chatillon. Then turn your forces from this paltry siege And stir them up against a mightier task. 55 England, impatient of your just demands, 37. cannon. To avoid the anachronism Pope substituted ' engines.' 39. discipline: military science. So in lines 261, 413. 40. To select the most advantageous places for assault. 43. But we will : if we do not. Cf. The Taming of the Shrew, IV, iv, 2-3 : " and but I be deceived, Signior Baptista may remember me." See Abbott, § 120. 45. unadvis'd : without due consideration, inconsiderate. As in line 191 ; V, ii, 132. Cf. Romeo and Juliet, II, ii, 118. 49. indirectly : not with a straight course, wrongfully- Cf. ' in- direct,' 'indirection,' III, i, 275, 276. Cf. Henry V, II, iv, 94. 53. coldly : coolly, calmly. Cf. Much Ado About Nothing, III, ii, 134. 20 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act ii Hath put himself in arms : the adverse winds, Whose leisure I have stay'd, have given him time To land his legions all as soon as I ; His marches are expedient to this town, 60 His forces strong, his soldiers confident. W T ith him along is come the mother-queen, An Ate, stirring him to blood and strife ; With her her niece, the Lady Blanch of Spain ; With them a bastard of the king's deceas'd, 65 And all th' unsettled humours of the land, Rash, inconsiderate, fiery voluntaries, With ladies' faces and fierce dragons' spleens, Have sold their fortunes at their native homes, Bearing their birthrights proudly on their backs, 70 To make a hazard of new fortunes here : In brief, a braver choice of dauntless spirits Than now the English bottoms have waft o'er Did never float upon the swelling tide, To do offence and scath in Christendom : 75 63. Ate Rowe | Ace Ff. 65. king's Fi | king F2F3F4. 58. stay'd : stayed for, waited for. Cf. Richard II, I, iii, 4. 59. all as soon: quite as soon. Cf. Ill, iv, 125. See Abbott, § 28. 60. expedient: expeditious. Cf. line 223; IV, ii, 268. 63. Ate : the goddess of infatuation. Pronounced a'te. 64. niece. Here used vaguely for ' granddaughter.' 65. the king's deceas'd : the deceased king's. 66. humours : men of humour. Cf. ' affliction,' III, iv, 36 ; 'horror,' V, i, 50. The abstract has more point than the concrete. 67. voluntaries : volunteers. Cf. Troilus and Cressida, II, i, 106. 73. bottoms: ships. Cf. Twelfth Night, V, i, 60. —waft: wafted. Such forms are common. See Abbott, § 342. 75. scath: harm. Cf. Titus Andronicus, V, i, 7. Cf. 'unscathed.' scene i KING JOHN 21 The interruption of their churlish drums Cuts off more circumstance : they are at hand, Drum beats To parley or to fight ; therefore prepare. King Philip. How much unlook'd for is this expedition. Austria. By how much unexpected, by so much 80 We must awake endeavour for defence ; For courage mounteth with occasion : Let them be welcome then ; we are prepar'd. Enter King John, Elinor, Blanch, the Bastard, Lords, a?id others King John. Peace be to France, if France in peace permit Our just and lineal entrance to our own ; 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. King Philip. Peace be to England, if that war return From France to England, there to live in peace. 90 England we love, and for that England's sake With burden of our armour here we sweat. 84. Scene II Pope. 77. more circumstance: further details. Cf. Hamlet, I, v, 127. 79. expedition : speed. Cf. ' expedient,' line 60. 82. with occasion : when the emergency demands. 85. just and lineal : by hereditary right. 87. correct : punish. Cf. Henry VIII, III, ii, 335. 88. Their . . . beats : the proud contempt of them that beat. ' Their,' retaining its face as the genitive of ' they,' is the antecedent of the relative 'that.' Cf. All's Well that Ends Well, III, iv, 27: "her prayers, whom heaven delights to hear." See Abbott, § 218. 89. if that: if. So in III, iii, 48; III, iv, 163; IV, iii, 59. See Abbott, § 287. 22 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act ii This toil of ours should be a work of thine ; But thou from loving England art so far, That thou hast under-wrought his lawful king, 95 Cut off the sequence of posterity, Out-faced infant state, and done a rape Upon the maiden virtue of the crown. Look here upon thy brother Geffrey's face ; These eyes, these brows, were moulded out of his ; 100 This little abstract doth contain that large Which died in Geffrey, and the hand of time Shall draw this brief into as huge a volume : That Geffrey was thy elder brother born, And this his son : England was Geffrey's right, 105 And this is Geffrey's : in the name of God How comes it then that thou art call'd a king, When living blood doth in these temples beat Which owe the crown that thou o'ermasterest ? King John. From whom hast thou this great commis- sion, France, no To draw my answer from thy articles ? 95 under-wrought : undermined. — his : its. ' Its ' was just coming into use in Shakespeare's day. Cf. line 202 ; V, vii, 114. Cf. ' her,' line 255 V, vii, 115. In line 56 ' England ' means the king of England, and hence is masculine ('himself,' line 57). Cf. 'France,' line no. 96-98. Interrupted the hereditary succession, boldly looked infant majesty out of countenance, and shamefully taken his crown. 99. thy brother Geffrey's face. He points to Arthur. 101. abstract. Geffrey is a book, of which Arthur is the epitome. 106. this: Arthur. As in line 105. 109. owe: own. As in line 248 ; IV, i, 123. Often so. in. draw: frame. — from: out of. — articles: indictment (drawn up in articles). Cf. Richard II, IV, i, 243. ' Draw ' and ' articles ' are legal terms, suggested by the expressions in line 103. scene i KING JOHN 23 King Philip. From that supernal judge that stirs good thoughts In any breast of strong authority, To look into the blots and stains of right : That judge hath made me guardian to this boy, 115 Under whose warrant I impeach thy wrong, And by whose help I mean to chastise it. King John. Alack, thou dost usurp authority. King Philip. Excuse ; it is to beat usurping down. Elinor. Who is it thou dost call usurper, France ? 1 20 Constance. Let me make answer : thy usurping son. Elinor. Out, insolent ! thy bastard shall be king, That thou mayst be a queen, and check the world. Constance. My bed was ever to thy son as true As thine was to thy husband, and this boy 125 Liker in feature to his father Geffrey Than thou and John in manners ; being as like As rain to water, or devil to his dam. My boy a bastard ! By my soul, I think His father never was so true begot : 130 It cannot be, and if thou wert his mother. Elinor. There 's a good mother, boy, that blots thy father. Constance. There 's a good grandam, boy, that would blot thee. 131, 139. and Ff | an Theobald. 119. Excuse : pardon me. The Folios have no stop after ' Excuse,' and the passage may mean : That we do it to beat down usurpation is excuse enough for our action. 123. Perhaps a metaphor taken from chess. 126. feature : form, fashion. As in IV, ii, 264. Cf. Hamlet, III, i, 167. Shakespeare does not use the word in reference to the parts of the face. 24 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act n Austria. Peace ! Bastard. Hear the crier. Austria. What the devil art thou ? Bastard. One that will play the devil, sir, with you, 135 And a may catch your hide and you alone : You are the hare of whom the proverb goes, Whose valour plucks dead lions by the beard • I '11 smoke your skin-coat and I catch you right : Sirrah, look to 't ; i' faith I will, i' faith. 140 Blanch. O well did he become that lion's robe That did disrobe the lion of that robe. Bastard. It lies as sightly on the back of him As great Alcides' shows upon an ass : But, ass, I '11 take that burden from your back, 145 Or lay on that shall make your shoulders crack. Austria. What cracker is this same that deafs our ears With this abundance of superfluous breath ? King Philip, determine what we shall do straight. King Philip. Women and fools, break off your conference. 144. shows Theobald | shooes Ff. 134. crier. A sarcastic reply to Austria's ' Peace.' Courts of justice had criers to proclaim silence. 136. a : he. Cf. I, i, 68, and see note. — hide. What most of all kindles the wrath of Faulconbridge against Austria is that the latter, after having caused the death of King Richard, now wears the lion's hide which had belonged to that prince. W-^ 8 - Malone quotes Erasmus {Adagio) : " Mortuo leoni et lepores insultant." Steevens quotes The Spanish Tragedy. "So hares may pull dead lions by the beard." 144. Alcides' shows : the skin of the Nemean lion worn by Hercules. 147. cracker: boaster. With wordplay on ' crack,' line 146. 149. King Philip. The Folios read ' King Lewis ' and give the following speech to Lewis. Theobald made the emendation. scene I KING JOHN 25 King John, this is the very sum of all ; 151 England and Ireland, Anjou, Touraine, Maine, In right of Arthur do I claim of thee : Wilt thou resign them and lay down thy arms ? King John. My life as soon : I do defy thee, France : 155 Arthur of Bretagne, yield thee to my hand ; And out of my dear love I '11 give thee more Than e'er the coward hand of France can win ; Submit thee, boy. Elinor. Come to thy grandam, child. Constance. Do, child, go to it grandam, child; 160 Give grandam kingdom, and it grandam will Give it a plum, a cherry, and a fig : There 's a good grandam. Arthur. Good my mother, peace ! I would that I were low laid in my grave : I am not worth this coil that 's made for me. 165 Elinor. His mother shames him so, poor boy, he weeps. Constance. Now shame upon you, whe'er she does or no ! His grandam's wrongs, and not his mother's shames Draws those heaven-moving pearls from his poor eyes, Which heaven shall take in nature of a fee : 170 Ay, with these crystal beads heaven shall be brib'd To do him justice, and revenge on you. 156. Bretagne Hanmer | Britaine F1F2 i Britain F3. 160. it : its. Shakespeare has many instances of ' it ' used posses- sively, for ' its,' which was not then an accepted word. In such cases modern editors generally, and justly, print ' its ' instead of ' it.' The text, however, should probably pass as an exception to the rule, since, as Lettsom remarks, " Constance here is evidently mimicking the imperfect babble of the nursery." 165. coil : bustle, tumult, fuss. Frequently so. 26 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act ii Elinor. Thou monstrous slanderer of heaven and earth ! Constance. Thou monstrous injurer of heaven and earth ! Call not me slanderer; thou and thine usurp 175 The dominations, royalties, and rights Of this oppressed boy ; this is thy eldest son's son, Infortunate in nothing but in thee : Thy sins are visited in this poor child ; The canon of the law is laid on him, 180 Being but the second generation Removed from thy sin-conceiving womb. King John. Bedlam, have done. Constance. I have but this to say, That he is not only plagued for her sin, But God hath made her sin and her the plague 1S5 On this removed issue, plagued for her And with her plague ; her sin his injury, Her injury the beadle to her sin, All punish'd in the person of this child, And all for her : a plague upon her ! 190 178. infortunate. This form of the word with the Latin prefix is found also in 2 Henry VI, IV, ix, 18. 187-189. The Folios read and punctuate thus : And with her plague her sinne ; his iniury Her iniurie the Beadle to her sinne, All punish'd . . . Constance still has in mind the words of the Mosaic law (line 180) : "visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation." And she means that Arthur not only suffers in consequence of Elinor's crime, or on her account, but is also plagued by her, as the direct agent or instrument of his sufferings. 188. beadle : the officer who executes the sentence of the court upon persons condemned. The meaning is that Elinor's sin draws evil upon Arthur, and that her sin is moreover the executioner of that evil. scene I KING JOHN 27 Elinor. Thou unadvised scold, I can produce A will that bars the title of thy son. Constance. Ay, who doubts that ? a will ! a wicked will ; A woman's will ; a cank'red grandam's will ! 194 King Philip. Peace, lady ! pause, or be more temperate: It ill beseems this presence to cry aim To these ill-tuned repetitions : Some trumpet summon hither to the walls These men of Angiers : let us hear them speak Whose title they admit, Arthur's or John's. 200 7) mmpet sounds. Enter a Citizen upon the walls Citizen. Who is it that hath warn'd us to the walls ? King Philip. 'Tis France, for England. King John. England, for itself. You men of Angiers, and my loving subjects, — King Philip. You loving men of Angiers, Arthur's subjects, Our trumpet call'd you to this gentle parle, — 205 King John. For our advantage ; therefore hear us first. These flags of France, that are advanced here Before the eye and prospect of your town, Have hither march'd to your endamagement. The cannons have their bowels full of wrath, 210 And ready mounted are they to spit forth 191. unadvised: inconsiderate, reckless, rash. So Shakespeare often has 'advised' for 'considerate,' or 'careful.' So 'unadvis'd' in line 45 : " Lest unadvis'd you stain your swords with blood." 194. cank'red: corrupted. Cf. 'canker,' III, iv, 82; V, ii, 14. 196. to cry aim : encourage, instigate. A term in archery. Cf. Merry Wives of Windsor, III, ii, 45. 28 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act ii Their iron indignation 'gainst your walls : All preparation for a bloody siege And merciless proceeding by these French Confronts your city's eyes, your winking gates ; 215 And but for our approach those sleeping stones, That as a waist doth girdle you about, By the compulsion of their ordinance By this time from their fixed beds of lime Had been dishabited, and wide havoc made 220 For bloody power to rush upon your peace. But on the sight of us your lawful king, Who painfully with much expedient march Have brought a countercheck before your gates, To save unscratch'd your city's threat'ned cheeks, 225 Behold, the French amaz'd vouchsafe a parle ; And now instead of bullets wrapp'd in fire, To make a shaking fever in your walls, They shoot but calm words folded up in smoke, To make a faithless error in your ears ; 230 Which trust accordingly, kind citizens, And let us in, your king, whose labour'd spirits, Forwearied in this action of swift speed, Craves harbourage within your city walls. King Philip. When I have said, make answer to us both. 235 Lo, in this right hand, whose protection Is most divinely vow'd upon the right Of him it holds, stands young Plantagenet, 215. Confronts | Comfort Ff. 218. ordinance: ordnance. So in Jfetuy V, II, iv, 126. 220. dishabited : dislodged. The verb is found nowhere else. scene i KING JOHN 29 Son to the elder brother of this man, And king o'er him, and all that he enjoys : 240 For this down-trodden equity, we tread In warlike march these greens before your town, Being no further enemy to you Than the constraint of hospitable zeal In the relief of this oppressed child 245 Religiously provokes. Be pleased then To pay that duty which you truly owe To him that owes it, namely, this young prince ; And then our arms, like to a muzzled bear, Save in aspect, hath all offence seal'd up : 250 Our cannons' malice vainly shall be spent Against th' invulnerable clouds of heaven, And with a blessed and unvex'd retire, With unhack'd swords, and helmets all unbruis'd, We will bear home that lusty blood again 255 Which here we came to spout against your town, And leave your children, wives, and you in peace. But if you fondly pass our proffer'd offer, 'T is not the roundure of your old-fac'd walls Can hide you from our messengers of war, 260 Though all these English and their discipline Were harbour'd in their rude circumference. Then tell us, shall your city call us lord, In that behalf which we have challeng'd it ? 248. owes: owns. So in line 109, where Pope changed 'owe' to ' own.' ' Owe ' in line 247 has the present meaning. 258. fondly : foolishly. — offer. In earlier editions of Hudson's Shakespeare ' peace ' was substituted to avoid the seeming cacophony. 259. roundure : circle, girdle. From the French rondeur. 30 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act ii Or shall we give the signal to our rage 265 And stalk in blood to our possession ? Citizen. In brief, we are the king of England's subjects : For him, and in his right, we hold this town. King John. Acknowledge then the king, and let me in. Citizen. That can we not ; but he that proves the king, To him will we prove loyal : till that time 271 Have we ramm'd up our gates against the world. King John. Doth not the crown of England prove the king? And if not that, I bring you witnesses, Twice fifteen thousand hearts of England's breed, — 275 Bastard. Bastards, and else. King John. To verify our title with their lives. King Philip. As many and as well-born bloods as those — Bastard. Some bastards too. King Philip. Stand in his face to contradict his claim. 280 Citizen. Till you compound whose right is worthiest, We for the worthiest hold the right from both. King John. Then God forgive the sin of all those souls That to their everlasting residence, Before the dew of evening fall, shall fleet 285 In dreadful trial of our kingdom's king. King Philip. Amen, amen. Mount, chevaliers ! to arms ! Bastard. Saint George, that swing'd the dragon, and e'er since Sits on his horse back at mine hostess' door, 288-289. Pictures of Saint George armed and mounted were used for innkeepers' signs. — swing'd : whipped. The Folios have ' swindg'd,' which represents a pronunciation still heard in dialect. scene I KING JOHN 31 Teach us some fence ! [To Austria] Sirrah, were I at home, At your den, sirrah, with your lioness, 291 I would set an ox-head to your lion's hide, And make a monster of you. Austria. Peace ! no more. Bastard. O, tremble : for you hear the lion roar. King John. Up higher to the plain, where we '11 set forth In best appointment all our regiments. 296 Bastard. Speed then, to take advantage of the field. King Philip. It shall be so ; and at the other hill Command the rest to stand. God and our right ! Exeunt Here after excursions, enter the Herald of France, with trumpets, to the gates French Herald. You men of Angiers, open wide your gates, 300 And let young Arthur, Duke of Bretagne, in, Who by the hand of France this day hath made Much work for tears in many an English mother, Whose sons lie scattered on the bleeding ground : Many a widow's husband grovelling lies, 305 Coldly embracing the discoloured earth, And victory with little loss doth play Upon the dancing banners of the French, Who are at hand, triumphantly displayed, To enter conquerors, and to proclaim 310 Arthur of Bretagne England's king and yours. Enter English Herald, with trumpet English Herald. Rejoice, you men of Angiers, ring your bells, 32 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act n King John, your king and England's, doth approach, Commander of this hot malicious day, Their armours, that march'd hence so silver-bright, 315 Hither return all gilt with Frenchmen's blood. There stuck no plume in any English crest That is removed by a staff of France : Our colours do return in those same hands That did display them when we first march'd forth ; 320 And, like a jolly troop of huntsmen, come Our lusty English, all with purpled hands, Dyed in the dying slaughter of their foes : Open your gates, and give the victors way. Citizen. Heralds, from off our towers we might behold, From first to last the onset and retire 326 Of both your armies, whose equality By our best eyes cannot be censured : Blood hath bought blood, and blows have answer'd blows : Strength match 'd with strength, and power confronted power : Both are alike, and both alike we like : 33 1 One must prove greatest. While they weigh so even, We hold our town for neither ; yet for both. Re-enter the two Kings, with their powers ; at several doors King John. France, hast thou yet more blood to cast away ? 325. Citizen Rowe | Hubert Ff (and elsewhere in this scene). 316. gilt. Cf. Macbeth, II, ii, 56 : " I '11 gild the faces of the grooms withal" (i.e. with blood); also II, iii, 117-118: "Here lay Duncan, His silver skin lac'd with his golden blood." 321-323. After a deer hunt the huntsmen used to stain their hands with the blood of the deer as a trophy. scene I KING JOHN 33 Say, shall the current of our right run on ? 335 Whose passage, vex'd with thy impediment, Shall leave his native channel and o'erswell With course disturb'd even thy confining shores, Unless thou let his silver water keep A peaceful progress to the ocean. 340 King Philip. England, thou hast not sav'd one drop of blood, In this hot trial, more than we of France ; Rather, lost more. And by this hand I swear, That sways the earth this climate overlooks, Before we will lay down our just-borne arms, 345 We '11 put thee down, 'gainst whom these arms we bear, Or add a royal number to the dead, Gracing the scroll that tells of this war's loss With slaughter coupled to the name of kings. Bastard. Ha, majesty ! how high thy glory towers, 350 When the rich blood of kings is set on fire ! O, now doth Death line his dead chaps with steel ; The swords of soldiers are his teeth, his fangs ; And now he feasts, mousing the flesh of men, In undetermin'd differences of kings. 355 Why stand these royal fronts amazed thus ? Cry, havoc ! kings : back to the stained field, 350. glory : glorying, vaunting. One meaning of the Latin gloria. A frequent usage. — towers : soars. A hawking term. 354. mousing : tearing, as a cat tears a mouse. So in Dekker's Wonderful Year, 1603 : "Whilst Troy was swilling sack and sugar, and mousing fat venison, the mad Greeks made bonfires of their houses." Some interpret, ' nibbling as a mouse does.' 357- Cr Y» havoc ! A signal for indiscriminate massacre, or for giving no quarter. Cf. Julius Ccesar, III, i, 273. 34 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act ii You equal potents, fiery kindled spirits ! Then let confusion of one part confirm The other's peace ; till then, blows, blood, and death ; 360 King John. Whose party do the townsmen yet admit ? King Philip. Speak, citizens, for England : who 's your king? Citizen. The king of England, when we know the king. King Philip. Know him in us, that here hold up his right. King John. In us, that are our own great deputy, 365 And bear possession of our person here, Lord of our presence, Angiers, and of you. Citizen. A greater power than we denies all this ; And till it be undoubted, we do lock Our former scrapie in our strong-barr'd gates : 370 Kings of our fear, until our fears resolv'd Be by some certain king purg'd and depos'd. Bastard. By heaven, these scroyles of Angiers flout you, kings, And stand securely on their battlements As in a theatre, whence they gape and point 375 At your industrious scenes and acts of death. Your royal presences be rul'd by me : 358. equal potents : equally matched powers. 371. Kings of our fear : controlling our fear. Tyrwhitt's conjecture that the reading should be ' King'd of our fears,' i.e. ruled by them, is adopted by many modern editors. — resolv'd. Sometimes the word, in Shakespeare, means to ' inform,' ' assure,' or ' satisfy ' ; sometimes to 'melt' or 'dissolve.' The latter seems to accord best with the sense of ' purg'd ' and ' depos'd.' 373. scroyles : scurvy rogues. From the Old Fr. escroelles (M. Latin scrofellcz, 'the scurvy'). 376. At the scenes and acts of death which you industriously perform. scene I KING JOHN 35 Do like the mutines of Jerusalem, Be friends awhile and both conjointly bend Your sharpest deeds of malice on this town : 380 By east and west let France and England mount Their battering cannon charged to the mouths, Till their soul-fearing clamours have brawl'd down The flinty ribs of this contemptuous city : I 'd play incessantly upon these jades, 385 Even till unfenced desolation Leave them as naked as the vulgar air. That done, dissever your united strengths, And part your mingled colours once again ; Turn face to face and bloody point to point ; 390 Then, in a moment, Fortune shall cull forth Out of one side her happy minion, To whom in favour she shall give the day, And kiss him with a glorious victory. How like you this wild counsel, mighty states ? 395 Smacks it not something of the policy ? King John. Now by the sky that hangs above our heads, I like it well. France, shall we knit our powers 378. mutines : mutineers. Cf. Hamlet, V, ii, 5-6 : " Methought I lay Worse than the mutines in the bilboes." The allusion is probably to the combination of the civil factions in Jerusalem when the city was threatened by Titus. 383. soul-fearing : soul-appalling. Shakespeare often uses the verb ' fear ' in the sense of ' making afraid,' or ' scaring.' 392. minion : darling, favorite. See Murray. 395. states : persons in high position. Cf. Troilus and Cressida, IV, v, 65 : " Hail, all you state of Greece " ; Cymbeline, III, iv, 39 : " Kings, queens and states." 396. Smacks . . . policy : is there not some smack of policy, or of politic shrewdness, in this counsel ? 36 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act ii And lay this Angiers even with the ground ; Then after fight who shall be king of it ? 400 Bastard. And 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, 405 Why then defy each other, and pell-mell Make work upon ourselves, for heaven or hell. King Philip. Let it be so : say, where will you assault ? King John. We from the west will send destruction Into this city's bosom. 410 Austria. I from the north. King Philip. Our thunder from the south Shall rain their drift of bullets on this town. Bastard. O prudent discipline ! From north to south : Austria and France shoot in each other's mouth. I '11 stir them to it : come, away, away ! 415 Citizen. Hear us, great kings : vouchsafe awhile to stay, And I shall show you peace and fair-fac'd league : Win you this city without stroke or wound ; Rescue those breathing lives to die in beds, That here come sacrifices for the field. 420 Persever not, but hear me, mighty kings. King John. Speak on with favour, we are bent to hear. Citizen. That daughter there of Spain, the Lady Blanch, Is niece to England : look upon the years Of Lewis the Dauphin and that lovely maid. 425 If lusty love should go in quest of beauty, Where should he find it fairer than in Blanch ? 401. And Ff I An Capell. 424. niece Singer | neere F1F2. scene i KING JOHN U 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, 430 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, 435 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 as she, And she a fair divided excellence, Whose fulness of perfection lies in him. 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 : 445 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, 450 The sea enraged is not half so deaf, Lions more confident, mountains and rocks More free from motion, no, not Death himself 431. Lady Blanch. Blanch was daughter to Alphonso IX, King of Castle, and niece to King John by his sister Eleanor (Elinor). 435-436. she ... he : and she, again, wants nothing, but that she is not he ; if there be anything wanting in her, and if it be right to speak of want in connection with her. 452-453. Lions . . . motion. Lions are not more confident, nor mountains and rocks more free from motion. 38 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act n In mortal fury half so peremptory, As we to keep this city. Bastard. Here 's a stay, 455 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 ! 460 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 : 465 Zounds, I was never so bethump'd with words Since I first call'd my brother's father dad. Elinor. 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 470 Thy now unsur'd assurance to the crown, That yon green boy shall have no sun to ripe The bloom that promiseth a mighty fruit. 1 see a yielding in the looks of France ; 455. stay: obstacle, hindrance. The word suggests something thrown in the way, producing a sudden shock. In earlier editions of Hudson's Shakespeare Johnson's suggested emendation 'flaw' was adopted. Other suggestions are ' storm,' ' bray,' ' style,' ' sway,' ' slave.' 462. bounce : bang. The old word for the report of a gun. Cf. 2 Henry IV, III, ii, 301-306 : "there was a. little quiver fellow, and a would manage you his piece thus . . . ' rah, tah, tab.,' would a say ; ' bounce ' would a say ; and away again would a go." 463. gives the bastinado : beats with a cudgel, bastes, gives a basting. scene i KING JOHN 39 Mark how they whisper, urge them while their souls 475 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. Citizen. Why answer not the double majesties 480 This friendly treaty of our threat'ned town ? King Philip. Speak England first, that hath been for- ward first To speak unto this city : what say you ? King John. If that the Dauphin there, thy princely son, Can in this book of beauty read ' I love,' 485 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 besieg'd, Find liable to our crown and dignity, 490 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. King Philip. What say'st thou, boy ? look in the lady's face. Lewis. I do, my lord, and in her eye I find 496 A wonder, or a wondrous miracle, The shadow of myself form'd in her eye, W T hich, being but the shadow of your son, Becomes a sun and makes your son a shadow : 500 I do protest I never lov'd myself Till now infixed I beheld myself, Drawn in the flattering table of her eye. Whispers with Blanch 503. table : panel on which a picture is painted. 40 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act ii Bastard. Drawn in the flattering table of her eye ! Hang'd in the frowning wrinkle of her brow ! 505 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. Blanch. My uncle's will in this respect is mine, 510 If he see aught in you that makes him like, 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. 515 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. 520 King John. What say these young ones ? What say you, my niece ? Blanch. That she is bound in honour still to do What you in wisdom still vouchsafe to say. King John. Speak then, prince Dauphin : can you love this lady ? Lewis. Nay, ask me if I can refrain from love, 525 For I do love her most unfeignedly. King 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 : 530 Philip of France, if thou be pleas'd withal, Command thy son and daughter to join hands. scene i KING JOHN 41 King Philip. It likes us well; young princes, close your hands. Austria. And your lips too ; for I am well assur'd That I did so when I was first assur'd. 535 King Philip. Now, citizens of Angiers, ope your gates, Let in that amity which you have made, For at Saint Mary's chapel presently The rites of marriage shall be solemniz'd. Is not the Lady Constance in this troop ? 540 I know she is not, for this match made up Her presence would have interrupted much. Where is she and her son ? tell me, who knows. Lewis. She is sad and passionate at your highness' tent. King Philip. And, by my faith, this league that we have made 545 Will give her sadness 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. King John. We will heal up all, 550 For we '11 create young Arthur Duke of Bretagne And Earl of Richmond ; and this rich fair town We make him lord of. Call the Lady Constance ; Some speedy messenger bid her repair To our solemnity : I trust we shall, 555 539. rites F4 I rights F1F2F3. 533- likes : suits, pleases. The old impersonal construction. 535. assur'd : betrothed, affianced. Cf. The Comedy of Errors, III, ii, 146. 544. passionate : perturbed. The word denotes violence of feeling. 42 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act ii 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] Bastard. Mad world ! mad kings ! mad composition I 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 565 As God's own soldier, rounded in the ear 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, 570 Who, having no external thing to lose, But the word f 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, 575 Made to run even upon even ground, 561. Scene VI Pope. 563. departed : parted. In the Marriage Service " till death us do part" is a popular corruption of " till death us depart." 566. rounded : whispered. The proper form is ' rouned.' Cf. The Examination of William Thorpe, 1407 : "And the archbishop called then to him a clerke, and rowned with him : and that clerke went forth, and soone brought in the constable of Saltwood castle, and the archbishop rowned a good while with him." 573. tickling Commodity : flattering Expediency (or Self-interest). 575. peised : balanced, poised. To ' peise ' is, properly, to ' weigh.' scene i KING JOHN 43 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, 580 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, 585 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 ; 590 But for 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 595 To say there is no vice but beggary. Since kings break faith upon commodity, Gain, be my lord, for I will worship thee. Exit 579. indifferency : impartiality. The world, swayed by interest, is compared to a biased bowl, which is deflected from an impartial course by the load in one side. 583. eye. " The aperture on one side which contains the bias or weight that inclines the bowl, in running, from the direct course, was sometimes 'called the eye." — Staunton. 587-592. I rail at bribery, not because I have the virtue to keep my hand closed when a bribe tempts me to open it, but because I am as yet untempted. 590. angels. The ' angel ' was a gold coin worth about ten shillings, so called from its bearing an effigy of the Archangel Michael. ACT III Scene I. [The French King's pavilion] Enter Constance, Arthur, and Salisbury Constance. Gone to be married ! gone to swear a peace I 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. 5 It cannot be ; thou dost but say 't is 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. 10 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 5 1 5 And though thou now confess thou didst but jest, With my vex'd spirits I cannot take a truce, But they will quake and tremble all this day. What dost thou mean by shaking of thy head ? Act III. Actus Secundus in the Folios, ending at line 74. 17. take a truce: make peace. Cf. Romeo and Juliet, III, i, 162 : " Could not take truce with the unruly spleen Of Tybalt deaf to peace." 44 scene i KING JOHN 45 Why dost thou look so sadly on my son ? 20 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 ? Be these sad signs confirmers of thy words ? Then speak again ; not all thy former tale, 25 But this one word, whether thy tale be true. Salisbury. As true as I believe you think them false That give you cause to prove my saying true. Constance. O if thou teach me to believe this sorrow, Teach thou this sorrow how to make me die, 30 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 ? 35 Fellow, be gone ! I cannot brook thy sight. This news hath made thee a most ugly man. Salisbury. What other harm have I, good lady, done, But spoke the harm that is by others done ? Constance. Which harm within itself so heinous is 40 As it makes harmful all that speak of it. Arthur. I do beseech you, madam, be content. Constance. If thou that bid'st me be content wert grim, Ugly, and sland'rous to thy mother's womb, Full of unpleasing blots, and sightless stains, 45 Lame, foolish, crooked, swart, prodigious, 22, that lamentable rheum : those tears of sorrow. ' Rheum ' is often used of tears. Cf. IV, i, 33 ; IV, iii, 108. 45. sightless : unsightly, what one cannot bear to see. 46. prodigious: monstrous. Cf. Richard III, I, ii, 22. 46 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act hi 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. 50 But thou art fair, and at thy birth, dear boy, Nature and Fortune join'd to make thee great : Of Nature's gifts thou mayst with lilies boast And with the half-blown rose. But Fortune, O, She is corrupted, chang'd and won from thee ; 55 She adulterates hourly with thine uncle John, And with her golden hancl hath pluck'd on France To tread down fair respect of sovereignty, . And made his majesty the bawd to theirs. France is a bawd to Fortune and King John, 60 That strumpet Fortune, that usurping John ! Tell me, thou fellow, is not France forsworn ? Envenom him with words, or get thee gone, And leave those woes alone which I alone Am bound to under-bear. Salisbury. Pardon me, madam, 65 I may not go without you to the kings. Constance. Thou mayst, 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 70 69. stoop. In earlier editions of Hudson's Shakespeare Hanmer's reading ' stout ' was adopted. " Distress, while there remains any pros- pect of relief, is weak and flexible ; but, when no succour remains, is fearless and stubborn : angry alike at those that injure, and at those that do not help ; careless to please . . . fearless to offend when there is nothing further to be dreaded." — Johnson. scene i KING JOHN 47 Let kings assemble ; for my grief 's so great That no supporter but the huge firm earth Can hold it up : here I and sorrows sit ; Here is my throne, bid kings come bow to it. [Seats herself on the ground\ Enter King John, King Philip, Lewis, Blanch, Elinor, the Bastard, Austria [and Attendants] King Philip. 'T is true, fair daughter ; and this blessed day 75 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 : 80 The yearly course that brings this day about Shall never see it but a holiday. Constance. A wicked day, and not a holy day ! [Rising] What hath this day deserv'd ? what hath it done, That it in golden letters should be set 85 Among the high tides 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 burdens may not fall this day, 90 Lest that their hopes prodigiously be cross'd : But on this day let seamen fear no wreck ; 86. high tides in the calendar : times set down in the almanac to be specially observed ; days marked for public honour and celebration. 91. prodigiously be cross'd : be frustrated by monstrous births. 92. But: except. — wreck. The Folios have ' wrack.' 48 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act hi 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 ! 95 King Philip. 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 ? Constance. You have beguiFd me with a counterfeit Resembling majesty, which, being touch'd and tried, 100 Proves valueless : you are forsworn, forsworn ; You came in arms to spill mine enemies' blood, But now in arms you strengthen it with yours : The grappling vigour and rough frown of war Is cold in amity and painted peace, 105 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 sunset, 110 Set armed discord 'twixt these perjur'd kings ! Hear me, O, hear me ! Austria. Lady Constance, peace ! Constance. 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 ! 1 1 5 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 perjured too, 120 And soothest up greatness. What a fool art thou, no. day Theobald | daies Ff. scene i KING JOHN 49 A ramping fool, to brag and stamp and swear Upon my party ! Thou cold-blooded slave, Hast thou not spoke like thunder on my side, Been sworn my soldier, bidding me depend 125 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. Austria. O, that a man should speak those words to me ! 130 Bastard. And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs. Austria. Thou dar'st not say so, villain, for thy life. Bastard. And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs. King John. We like not this ; thou dost forget thyself. Enter Pandulph King Philip. Here comes the holy legate of the pope. 135 Pandulph. Hail, you anointed deputies of heaven ! To thee, King John, my holy errand is. I Pandulph, of fair Milan cardinal, And from Pope Innocent the legate here, Do in his name religiously demand 140 Why thou against the church, our holy mother, So wilfully dost spurn ; and force perforce Keep Stephen Langton, chosen archbishop 123. Upon my party : on my side. 127. fall over : revolt. Cf. 1 Henry IV, I, iii, 93-94. 129. recreant : cowardly. Constance means that Austria is a coward, and that a calf's skin would fit him better than a lion's. 142. ' Force ' and ' perforce ' were often thus used together, merely to intensify the expression. Cotgrave explains it, " of necessitie, will he nill he, in spite of his teeth." 50 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act in Of Canterbury, from that holy see ? This, in our foresaid holy father's name, 145 Pope Innocent, I do demand of thee. King John. What earthy name to interrogatories Can task the free breath of a sacred king ? Thou canst not, cardinal, devise a name So slight, unworthy and ridiculous, 150 To charge me to an answer, as the pope. Tell him this tale ; and from the mouth of England Add thus much more, that no Italian priest Shall tithe or toll in our dominions ; But as we, under heaven, are supreme head, 155 So under Him that great supremacy, Where we do reign, we will alone uphold, Without the assistance of a mortal hand : So tell the pope, all reverence set apart To him and his usurp 'd authority. 160 King Philip. Brother of England, you blaspheme in this. King John. Though you and all the kings of Christendom Are led so grossly by this meddling priest, Dreading the curse that money may buy out ; And by the merit of vile gold, dross, dust, 165 Purchase corrupted pardon of a man, Who in that sale sells pardon from himself, Though you and all the rest so grossly led This juggling witchcraft with revenue cherish, 148. task Theobald | tast F1F2 | taste F3F4. 147-148. What . . . king. What earthly power can hold a king respon- sible ? — interrogatories : questions a witness must answer under oath. 159-160. all . . . authority. All reverence to him and his usurp'd authority being cast off. scene i KING JOHN 51 Yet I alone, alone do me oppose 170 Against the pope and count his friends my foes. Pandulph. Then, by the lawful power that I have, Thou shalt stand curs'd and excommunicate : And blessed shall he be that doth revolt From his allegiance to an heretic; 175 And meritorious shall that hand be calPd, Canonized and worshipp'd as a saint, That takes away by any secret course Thy hateful life. Constance. O, lawful let it be That I have room with Rome to curse awhile ! 180 Good father cardinal, cry thou amen To my keen curses ; for without my wrong There is no tongue hath power to curse him right. Pandulph. There 's law and warrant, lady, for my curse. Constance. And for mine too : when law can do no right, 185 Let it be lawful that law bar no wrong : Law cannot give my child his kingdom here, For he that holds his kingdom holds the law ; Therefore, since law itself is perfect wrong, How can the law forbid my tongue to curse ? 190 Pandulph. Philip of France, on peril of a curse, Let go the hand of that arch-heretic ; And raise the power of France upon his head, Unless he do submit himself to Rome. Elinor. Look'st thou pale, France? do not let go thy hand. 195 Constance. Look to that, devil ; lest that France repent, And by disjoining hands, hell lose a soul. 52 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act hi Austria. King Philip, listen to the cardinal. Bastard. And hang a calf 's-skin on his recreant limbs. Austria. Well, ruffian, I must pocket up these wrongs, 200 Because — Bastard. Your breeches best may carry them. King John. Philip, what say'st thou to the cardinal ? Constance. What should he say, but as the cardinal ? Lewis. Bethink you, father ; for the difference Is purchase of a heavy curse from Rome, 205 Or the light loss of England for a friend : Forego the easier. Blanch. That 's the curse of Rome. Constance. O Lewis, stand fast ! the devil tempts thee here In likeness of a new untrimmed bride. 209 Blanch. The Lady Constance speaks not from her faith, But from her need. Constance. O, if thou grant my need, Which only lives but by the death of faith, That need must needs infer this principle, That faith would live again by death of need. O then, tread down my need, and faith mounts up ; 215 Keep my need up, and faith is trodden down ! King John. The king is mov'd, and answers not to this. Constance. O, be remov'd from him, and answer well ! Austria. Do so, King Philip ; hang no more in doubt. Bastard. Hang nothing but a calf 's-skin, most sweet lout. King Philip. I am perplex'd, and know not what to say. Pandulph. What canst thou say but will perplex thee more, 222 If thou stand excommunicate and curs'd ? scene I KING JOHN 53 King Philip. Good reverend father, make my person yours, And tell me how you would bestow yourself. 225 This royal hand and mine are newly knit, And the conjunction of our inward souls Married in league, coupled and link'd together With all religious strength of sacred vows ; The latest breath that gave the sound of words 230 Was deep-sworn faith, peace, amity, true love Between our kingdoms and our royal selves, And even before this truce, but new before, No longer than we well could wash our hands To clap this royal bargain up of peace, 235 Heaven knows, they were besmear'd and overstain'd With slaughter's pencil, where revenge did paint The fearful difference of incensed kings : And shall these hands, so lately purg'd of blood, So newly join'd in love, so strong in both, 240 Unyoke this seizure and this kind regreet ? Play fast and loose with faith ? so jest with heaven, Make such unconstant children of ourselves, As now again to snatch our palm from palm, Unswear faith sworn, and on the marriage-bed 245 Of smiling peace to march a bloody host, And make a riot on the gentle brow Of true sincerity ? O, holy sir, My reverend father, let it not be so ! Out of your grace, devise, ordain, impose 250 235. clap ... up : make a hasty agreement by clasping hands. 240. strong in both : strong in deeds of blood and deeds of love. 241. regreet: interchange of salutation. Cf. Richard II, I, iii, 142. 54 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act hi Some gentle order ; and then we shall be blest. To do your pleasure and continue friends. Pandulph. All form is formless, order orderless, Save what is opposite to England's love. Therefore to arms ! be champion of our church, 255 Or let the church, our mother, breathe her curse, A mother's curse, on her revolting son. France, thou mayst hold a serpent by the tongue, A chafed lion by the mortal paw, A fasting tiger safer by the tooth, 260 Than keep in peace that hand which thou dost hold. King Philip. I may disjoin my hand, but not my faith. Pandulph. So mak'st thou faith an enemy to faith ; And like a civil war set'st oath to oath, Thy tongue against thy tongue. O, let thy vow 265 First made to heaven, first be to heaven perform'd, That is, to be the champion of our church ! What since thou swor'st is sworn against thyself And may not be performed by thyself, For that which thou hast sworn to do amiss 270 Is most amiss when it is truly done, And being not done, where doing tends to ill, The truth is then most done not doing it : The better act of purposes mistook *& 259. chafed Theobald Globe De- 271. most Hanmer | not Ff Globe lius I cased Ff. Delius. 258. The venom of serpents was supposed to be in the tongue. 259. mortal: deadly, that which kills. Commoniy so in Shakespeare. 270-273. For ... it : on the one hand, the wrong which you have sworn to do is most wrong when your oath is truly performed ; on the other hand, when a proposed act tends to ill, the truth is most done by leaving the act undone. A specimen of argument in convene. scene i KING JOHN 55 Is to mistake again ; though indirect, 275 Yet indirection thereby grows direct, And falsehood falsehood cures, as fire cools fire Within the scorched veins of one new-burn'd. It is religion that doth make vows kept ; But thou hast sworn against religion, 280 By what thou swear'st against the thing thou swear'st, And mak'st an oath the surety for thy truth Against an oath : the truth thou art unsure To swear, swears only not to be forsworn ; Else what a mockery should it be to swear ! 285 But thou dost swear only to be forsworn ; And most forsworn, to keep what thou dost swear. Therefore thy later vows against thy first Is in thyself rebellion to thyself ; And better conquest never canst thou make 290 Than arm thy constant and thy nobler parts Against these giddy loose suggestions : Upon which better part our prayers come in, If thou vouchsafe them. But if not, then know 277-278. fire . . . new-burn'd. Shakespeare has several references to the mode of curing a burn by holding the burnt place up to the fire. Cf. Romeo and Juliet, I, ii, 46: "Tut, man, one fire burns out another's burning "; Julius Ccesar, III, i, 171: "As fire drives out fire, so pity pity." 281-283. By . . . oath : by which act thou swearest against the king thou swearest by ; and, by setting an oath against an oath, thou makest that which is the surety for thy truth the proof that thou art untrue. Probably the language here is intentionally obscure. Many attempts have been made to emend the passage. 287. to . . . swear : in keeping that which thou dost swear. An instance of the infinitive used gerundively. 288-289. vows ... is. See Abbott, § 412 : " confusion of proximity." 56 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act hi The peril of our curses light on thee 295 So heavy as thou shalt not shake them off, But in despair die under their black weight. Austria. Rebellion, flat rebellion ! Bastard. Will 't not be ? Will not a calf 's-skin stop that mouth of thine ? Lewis. Father, to arms ! Blanch. Upon thy wedding-day ? 300 Against the blood that thou hast married ? What, shall our feast be kept with slaughter'd men ? Shall braying trumpets and loud churlish drums, Clamours of hell, be measures to our pomp ? O husband, hear me ! ay, alack, how new 305 Is husband in my mouth ! even for that name, Which till this time my tongue did ne'er pronounce, Upon my knee I beg, go not to arms Against mine uncle. Constance. O, upon my knee, Made hard with kneeling, I do pray to thee, 3 10 Thou virtuous Dauphin, alter not the doom Forethought by heaven ! Blanch. Now shall I see thy love : what motive may Be stronger with thee than the name of wife ? 314 Constance. That which upholdeth him that thee upholds, His honour : O, thine honour, Lewis, thine honour ! 300. Lewis | Daul. (for ' Daulphin,' i.e. Dauphin) Ff. 295. peril . . . light. Another instance of false concord (cf. lines 288-289), the verb agreeing with the nearest substantive. See Abbott, §412, also §§333-336. 301. Against the blood relations of your wife. 304. measures . . . pomp : music to our wedding festivities. scene I KING JOHN 57 Lewis. I muse your majesty doth seem so cold, When such profound respects do pull you on. Pandulph. I will denounce a curse upon his head. King Philip. Thou shalt not need. England, I will fall from thee. 320 Constance. O fair return of banish'd majesty ! Elinor. O foul revolt of French inconstancy ! King John. France, thou shalt rue this hour within this hour. Bastard. Old Time the clock-setter, that bald sexton Time, Is it as he will ? well then, France shall rue. 325 Blanch. The sun 's o'ercast with blood : fair day, adieu ! Which is the side that I must go withal ? I am with both : each army hath a hand ; And in their rage, I having hold of both, They whirl asunder and dismember me. 330 Husband, I cannot pray that thou mayst win ; Uncle, I needs must pray that thou mayst lose ; Father, I may not wish the fortune thine ; Grandam, I will not wish thy wishes thrive : Whoever wins, on that side shall I lose ; 335 Assured loss before the match be play'd. Lewis. Lady, with me, with me thy fortune lies. Blanch. There where my fortune lives, there my life dies. King John. Cousin, go draw our puissance together. [Exit Bastard] France, I am burn'd up with inflaming wrath ; 340 A rage whose heat hath this condition, 317. muse : wonder. Cf. The Two Gentlemen of Verona, I, iii, 64. 318. respects: considerations. Cf. Hamlet, III, i, 68: "There's the respect That makes calamity of so long life." 58 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act in That nothing can allay, nothing but blood, The blood, and dearest-valued blood, of France. King Philip. Thy rage shall burn thee up, and thou shalt turn To ashes, ere our blood shall quench that fire : 345 Look to thyself, thou art in jeopardy. King John. No more than he that threats. To arms let 's hie ! Exeunt Scene II. [The same. Plains near Anglers'] Alarums, excursions. Enter the Bastard, with Austria's head Bastard. Now, by my life, this day grows wondrous hot; Some airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief. Austria's head lie there, While Philip breathes. Enter King John, Arthur, aiid Hubert King John. Hubert, keep this boy. Philip, make up : 5 My mother is assailed in our tent, And ta'en, I fear. Bastard. My lord, I rescued her ; Her highness is in safety, fear you not : But on, my liege ; for very little pains Will bring this labour to an happy end. Exeunt 10 2. Tempests, it was held, were induced by spirits of the air. 5. Philip. Either the king or Shakespeare has forgotten the Bas- tard's change of name. Cf. I, i, 1 61-162. — make up: advance. An old military term. scene in KING JOHN 59 Scene III. \The same] Alarums, excursions, retreat Enter King John, Elinor, Arthur, the Bastard, Hubert, and Lords King John. [To Elinor] So shall it be: your grace shall stay behind So strongly guarded. \To Arihur] Cousin, look not sad: Thy grandam loves thee ; and thy uncle will As dear be to thee as thy father was. Arthur. O, this will make my mother die with grief ! 5 King John. [To the Bastard] Cousin, away for Eng- land ! haste before : And, ere our coming, see thou shake the bags Of hoarding abbots ; imprisoned angels Set at liberty : the fat ribs of peace Must by the hungry now be fed upon : 10 Use our commission in his utmost force. Bastard. Bell, book, and candle shall not drive me back, When gold and silver becks me to come on. I leave your highness. Grandam, I will pray, If ever I remember to be holy, 15 For your fair safety ; so, I kiss your hand. 8-9. imprisoned . . . liberty. So in the Folios. Some editors arrange thus for the sake of the verse : " set at liberty Imprisoned angels." — angels. A common pun. See note, II, i, 590. 12. Bell . . . candle. An allusion to the old forms used in pro- nouncing the final curse of excommunication. On such occasions amid the tolling of bells the bishop and clergy went into the church, with a cross borne before them, and with several waxen tapers lighted. The tapers were extinguished to the reading of the words : " the soul of the excommunicate be given over utterly to the power of the fiend, as this candle is now quenched and put out." 60 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act hi Elinor. Farewell, gentle cousin. King John. Coz, farewell. [Exit Bastard] Elinor. Come hither, little kinsman ; hark, a word. King John. Come hither, Hubert. O my gentle Hubert, We owe thee much ! within this wall of flesh 20 There is a soul counts thee her creditor And with advantage means to pay thy love : And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath Lives in this bosom, dearly cherished. Give me thy hand. I had a thing to say, 25 But I will fit it with some better time. By heaven, Hubert, I am almost asham'd To say what good respect I have of thee. Hubert. I am much bounden to your majesty. King John. Good friend, thou hast no cause to say so yet, But thou shalt have ; and creep time ne'er so slow, 31 Yet it shall come for me to do thee good. I had a thing to say, but let it go : The sun is in the heaven, and the proud day, Attended with the pleasures of the world, 35 Is all too wanton and too full of gawds To give me audience : if the midnight bell Did, with his iron tongue and brazen mouth, Sound on into the drowsy ear of night, — If this same were a churchyard where we stand, 40 And thou possessed with a thousand wrongs, 26. time Pope | tune Ff. — ear Dyce Staunton Camb | race Ff 39. on Ff I one Theobald. Globe Delius. 28. respect: opinion, esteem. Cf. Ill, i, 58. 39. In earlier editions of Hudson's Shakespeare Theobald's emendation (see textual note) was adopted. scene in KING JOHN 6 1 Or if that surly spirit, melancholy, Had bak'd thy blood and made it heavy-thick, Which else runs tickling up and down the veins, Making that idiot, laughter, keep men's eyes 45 And strain their cheeks to idle merriment, A passion hateful to my purposes, Or if that thou couldst see me without eyes, Hear me without thine ears, and make reply Without a tongue, using conceit alone, 50 Without eyes, ears, and harmful sound of words ; Then, in despite of brooded watchful day, I would into thy bosom pour my thoughts : But, ah, I will not ! yet I love thee well ; And, by my troth, I think thou lov'st me well. 55 Hubert. So well, that what you bid me undertake, Though that my death were adjunct to my act, By heaven, I would do it. King John. Do not I know thou wouldst ? Good Hubert, Hubert, Hubert, throw thine eye On yon young boy : I '11 tell thee what, my friend, 60 He is a very serpent in my way ; And wheresoe'er this foot of mine doth tread, He lies before me : dost thou understand me ? Thou art his keeper. Hubert. And I '11 keep him so, That he shall not offend your majesty. 50. conceit : imagination. Often so in Elizabethan English. 52. brooded. Day (i.e. the sun) is thought of as looking down on the world with the watchfulness of a brooding parent bird. The word ' brooded ' is not part of a verb, but an adjective formed by adding the suffix -^/to the noun 'brood.' 62 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act hi King John. Death. 65 Hubert. My lord ? King John. A grave. Hubert. He shall not live. King John. Enough. I could be merry now. Hubert, I love thee ; Well, I '11 not say what I intend for thee : Remember. Madam, fare you well : I '11 send those powers o'er to your majesty. 70 Elinor. My blessing go with thee ! King John. For England, cousin, go : Hubert shall be your man, attend on you With all true duty. On toward Calais, ho ! Exeunt Scene IV. \The same. The French King's tent] Enter King Philip, Lewis, Pandulph, and Attendants King Philip. So, by a roaring tempest on the flood, A whole armado of convicted sail Is scatter'd and disjoin'd from fellowship. Pandulph. Courage and comfort 1 all shall yet go well. King Philip. What can go well, when we have run so ill ? Are we not beaten ? Is not Angiers lost ? 6 Arthur ta'en prisoner ? divers dear friends slain ? And bloody England into England gone, O'erbearing interruption, spite of France ? 1-3. A topical allusion. The Spanish Armada was wrecked by tempest in British waters in 15S8. 2. armado: armada, armed fleet. — convicted: discomfited. Delius read 'connected.' In earlier editions of Hudson's Shakespeare 'convented' was adopted. scene iv KING JOHN 63 Lewis. What he hath won, that hath he fortified : 10 So hot a speed with such advice dispos'd, Such temperate order in so fierce a cause, Doth want example : who hath read or heard Of any kindred action like to this ? King Philip. Well could I bear that England had this praise, 1 5 So we could find some pattern of our shame. Enter Constance Look, who comes here ! a grave unto a soul ; Holding the eternal spirit, against her will, In the vile prison of afflicted breath. I prithee, lady, go away with me. 20 Constance. Lo, now ! now see the issue of your peace. King Philip. Patience, good lady ! comfort, gentle Constance ! Constance. No, I defy all counsel, all redress, But that which ends all counsel, true redress, Death, death; O amiable lovely death! 25 Thou odoriferous stench ! sound rottenness ! Arise forth from the couch of lasting night, Thou hate and terror to prosperity, And I will kiss thy detestable bones And put my eyeballs in thy vaulty brows 30 And ring these fingers with thy household worms 11. with . . . dispos'd : governed by such consideration. In Eliza- bethan literature ' advice ' often means 'judgment.' 18. her: the spirit's. 19. In the loathsome dungeon of a wretched existence. Cf. Philippiansy iii, 21: "Who shall change our vile body." 23. defy: refuse, reject. An old meaning common in Shakespeare. 64 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act hi And stop this gap of breath with fulsome dust And be a carrion monster like thyself : Come, grin on me, and I will think thou smilest And buss thee as thy wife. Misery's love, 35 O, come to me ! King Philip. O fair affliction, peace ! Constance. No, no, I will not, having breath to cry : O, that my tongue were in the thunder's mouth ! Then with a passion would I shake the world ; And rouse from sleep that fell anatomy 40 Which cannot hear a lady's feeble voice, Which scorns a modern invocation. Pandulph. Lady, you utter madness, and not sorrow. Constance. Thou art not holy to belie me so ; I am not mad : this hair I tear is mine ; 45 My name is Constance ; I was Geffrey's wife ; Young Arthur is my son, and he is lost : I am not mad : I would to heaven I were ! For then, 't is like I should forget myself : O, if I could, what grief should I forget ! 50 Preach some philosophy to make me mad, And thou shalt be canonized, cardinal ; For being not mad but sensible of grief, My reasonable part produces reason How I may be deliver'd of these woes, 55 And teaches me to kill or hang myself : If I were mad, I should forget my son, 44. not holy F4 I holy F1F2F3. 36. affliction : afflicted one. The abstract for the concrete. 40. fell anatomy : dreadful skeleton (Death). 42. modern: ordinary, trite. Cf. As You Like It, II, vii, 156. scene iv KING JOHN 65 Or madly think a babe of clouts were he : I am not mad , too well, too well I feel The different plague of each calamity. 60 King Philip. Bind up those tresses. O, what love I note In the fair multitude of those her hairs ! Where but by chance a silver drop hath fallen, Even to that drop ten thousand wiry friends Do glue themselves in sociable grief, 65 Like true, inseparable, faithful loves, Sticking together in calamity. Constance. To England, if you will. King Philip. Bind up your hairs. Constance. Yes, that I will ; and wherefore will I do it ? I tore them from their bonds and cried aloud 70 * O that these hands could so redeem my son, As they have given these hairs their liberty ! ' But now I envy at their liberty, And will again commit them to their bonds, Because my poor child is a prisoner. 75 And, father cardinal, I have heard you say That we shall see and know our friends in heaven : If that be true, I shall see my boy again ; For since the birth of Cain, the first male child, To him that did but yesterday suspire, 80 There was not such a gracious creature born. 64. friends Rowe | fiends Ff. 58. babe of clouts : doll, rag-baby. Cf. Macbeth, III, iv, 106. 68. To . . . will. Probably Constance's reply to Philip's invitation, "I prithee, lady, go away with me," line 20. Staunton suggests that she " apostrophizes her hair as she madly tears it from its bonds." 81. gracious : graceful, full of beauty and charm. Cf. line 96. 66 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act hi But now will canker sorrow eat my bud And chase the native beauty from his cheek And he will look as hollow as a ghost, As dim and meagre as an ague's fit, 85 And so he '11 die ; and, rising so again, When I shall meet him in the court of heaven I shall not know him : therefore never, never Must I behold my pretty Arthur more. Pandulph. You hold too heinous a respect of grief. 90 Constance. He talks to me that never had a son. King Philip. You are as fond of grief as of your child. Constance. Grief fills the room up of my absent child, Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me, Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words, 95 Remembers me of all his gracious parts, Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form ; Then, have I reason to be fond of grief ? Fare you well : had you such a loss as I, I could give better comfort than you do. 100 I will not keep this form upon my head, When there is such disorder in my wit. O Lord ! my boy, my Arthur, my fair son ! My life, my joy, my food, my all the world ! My widow-comfort, and my sorrows' cure ! Exit 105 82. canker sorrow : sorrow, like a cankerworm. See note, II, i, 194. 85. as an ague's fit : as one in an ague fit. 90. Such a perverse and willful cherishing of grief is a heinous wrong. — respect : regard, opinion. 100. I ... do. " This is a sentiment which great sorrow always dictates. Whoever cannot help himself casts his eyes on others for assistance, and often mistakes their inability for coldness." — Johnson. 101. She disorders her hair again. Cf. lines 68-69. scene iv KING JOHN 67 King Philip. I fear some outrage, and I '11 follow her. Exit Lewis. There 's nothing in this world can make me joy : Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man ; And bitter shame hath spoil'd the sweet world's taste, no That it yields nought but shame and bitterness. Pandulph. Before the curing of a strong disease, Even in the instant of repair and health, The fit is strongest ; evils that take leave, On their departure most of all show evil : 115 What have you lost by losing of this day ? Lewis. All days of glory, joy and happiness. Pandulph. If you had won it, certainly you had. No, no ; when Fortune means to men most good, She looks upon them with a threat'ning eye. 120 'T is strange to think how much King John hath lost In this which he accounts so clearly won : Are not you griev'd that Arthur is his prisoner ? Lewis. As heartily as he is glad he hath him. Pandulph. Your mind is all as youthful as your blood. Now hear me speak with a prophetic spirit ; 1 26 For even the breath of what I mean to speak Shall blow each dust, each straw, each little rub, Out of the path which shall directly lead Thy foot to England's throne; and therefore mark. 130 John hath seiz'd Arthur ; and it cannot be 108. Life . . . tale. Cf. Psalms, xc, 9 : " For all our days are passed away in thy wrath : we spend our years as a tale that is told." 128. rub : obstacle. Cf. Hamlet, III, i, 65 : " ay, there 's the rub." The metaphor is from the game of bowls. Cf. note, II, i, 579. 68 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act in That, whiles warm life plays in that infant's veins, The misplac'd John should entertain an hour, One minute, nay, one quiet breath of rest. A sceptre snatch'd with an unruly hand 135 Must be as boisterously maintain'd as gain'd ; And he that stands upon a slippery place Makes nice of no vile hold to stay him up : That John may stand, then Arthur needs must fall ; So be it, for it cannot be but so. 140 Lewis. But what shall I gain by young Arthur's fall ? Pandulph. You, in the right of Lady Blanch your wife, May then make all the claim that Arthur did. Lewis. And lose it, life and all, as Arthur did. Pandulph. How green you are and fresh in this old world ! John lays you plots ; the times conspire with you ; 146 For he that steeps his safety in true blood Shall find but bloody safety and untrue. This act so evilly borne shall cool the hearts Of all his people and freeze up their zeal, 1 50 That none so small advantage shall step forth To check his reign, but they will cherish it ; 149. borne F1F2 Delius | born F3F4 Globe Camb. 138. Makes nice : is scrupulous, sticks at. Often so in Shake- speare. We still say, to ' make no scruple ' of doing so and so. 146. you. The so-called ethical dative. See Abbott, § 220. 147. true blood : blood of the true (i.e. just or rightful) claimant of the crown. Shakespeare has several instances of ' blood ' put for ' person.' Cf. Julius Ccesar, IV, iii, 262 : " I know young bloods look for a time of rest." 149. evilly borne : wickedly carried on, carried through wickedly. ' Borne ' is often used by Shakespeare in this sense. Cf. Much Ado About Nothing, II, iii, 229; Macbeth, III, vi, 3. scene iv KING JOHN 69 No natural exhalation in the sky, No scope of nature, no distemper'd day, No common wind, no customed event, 155 But they will pluck away his natural cause And call them meteors, prodigies and signs, Abortives, presages and tongues of heaven, Plainly denouncing vengeance upon John. Lewis. May be he will not touch young Arthur's life, But hold himself safe in his prisonment. 161 154. scope Ff I scape Pope | shape Hanmer. 153. exhalation : meteor. This is the meaning of the word in the four passages in Shakespeare where it occurs. Meteors were sup- posed to be derived from matter drawn up by the sun, as is clearly stated in Person's Varieties (1635), " Of Meteors." Cf. the quotations in the note below, line 157. 154. No scope of nature : nothing which lies within the limits of nature's power, no natural occurrence. In earlier editions of Hud- son's Shakespeare Pope's emendation was adopted, and ' scape of nature ' interpreted as meaning any irregularity in the course of things, or any event which, though natural, is uncommon enough to excite particular notice, such as a ' distemper'd day,' or an ' exhala- tion in the sky.' — distemper'd day: day of disturbed, unsettled weather. For 'distemper'd' applied to feelings, cf. IV, iii, 21. 156. his: its. Referring to ' event.' The form ' its,' though repeat- edly used by Shakespeare, especially in his later plays, had not then the stamp of English currency. 157. meteors : supernatural phenomena. Herein lies the difference in Elizabethan English between ' meteor ' and ' exhalation.' ' Meteor' always bore a more ominous, or ill-boding, sense. Cf. V, ii, 53 ; 1 Henry IV, V ', i, 19-20: "And be no more an exhal'd meteor, A prodigy of fear, and a portent Of broached mischief to the unborn times"; Romeo mid Juliet, III, v, 12-13: " Yond light is not day- light ... It is some meteor that the sun exhales." 158. Abortives : untimely births. These were thought to portend calamities and disasters. JO THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act in Pandulph. O, sir, when he shall hear of your approach, If that young Arthur be not gone already, Even at that news he dies ; and then the hearts Of all his people shall revolt from him 165 And kiss the lips of unacquainted change And pick strong matter of revolt and wrath Out of the bloody fingers' ends of John. Methinks I see this hurly all on foot : And, O, what better matter breeds for you 170 Than I have nam'd ! The bastard Faulconbridge Is now in England, ransacking the church, Offending charity : if but a dozen French Were there in arms, they would be as a call To train ten thousand English to their side, 175 Or as a little snow, tumbled about, Anon becomes a mountain. O noble Dauphin, Go with me to the king : 't is wonderful What may be wrought out of their discontent, Now that their souls are topful of offence. 180 For England go : I will whet on the king. Lewis. Strong reasons make strong actions : let us go : If you say ay, the king will not say no. , Exeimt 182. strong actions F2F3F4 I strange actions Fi. 166. unacquainted : unaccustomed. Cf. V, ii, 32. 169. hurly: tumult, commotion. Cf. 2 Henry IV, III, i. 25. 174. call. "An allusion to the reed, or pipe, termed a bird-call; or to the practice of bird-catchers, who, in laying their nets, place a caged bird over them, which they term the call-bird or bird-call, to lure the wild birds to the snare." — Staunton. 175. train : draw, attract. From Old Fr. trainer (Latin trahere). 180. topful of offence : brimful of displeasure. ACT IV Scene I. [A room in a castle] Enter Hubert and Executioners Hubert. Heat me these irons hot ; and look thou stand Within the arras : when I strike my foot Upon the bosom of the ground, rush forth, And bind the boy which you shall find with me Fast to the chair : be heedful : hence, and watch. 5 1 Executioner. I hope your warrant will bear out the deed. Hubert. Uncleanly scruples ! fear not you : look to 't. [Exeunt Executioners] Young lad, come forth ; I have to say with you. Enter Arthur Arthur. Good morrow, Hubert. Hubert. Good morrow, little prince. Arthur. As little prince, having so great a title 10 To be more prince, as may be. You are sad. Hubert. Indeed, I have been merrier. 1. me: I pray you. The so-called ethical dative. Seenote,III,iv,i46. 2. arras : hangings of figured tapestry with which rooms were lined. So called from Arras in Picardy. To keep these hangings from being rotted by the damp, they were hung on frames, far enough from the walls to admit of a person's hiding behind them. 71 72 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act iv Arthur. Mercy on me ! Methinks no body should be sad but I : Yet, I remember, when I was in France, Young gentlemen would be as sad as night, 15 Only for wantonness. By my Christendom, So I were out of prison and kept sheep, I should be as merry as the day is long ; And so I would be here, but that I doubt My uncle practises more harm to me : 20 He is afraid of me and I of him : Is it my fault that I was Geffrey's son ? No, indeed is 't not ; and I would to heaven I were your son, so you would love me, Hubert. 24 Hubert. [Aside] If I talk to him, with his innocent prate He will awake my mercy which lies dead : Therefore I will be sudden and dispatch. Arthur. Are you sick, Hubert ? you look pale to-day : In sooth, I would you were a little sick, That I might sit all night and watch with you : 30 I warrant I love you more than you do me. Hubert. [Aside] His words do take possession of my bosom. Read here, young Arthur. [Showing^ a paper] [Aside] How now, foolish rheum ! 18. be as Ff | be Pope. 23. is 't F1F4 I it 's F2F3. 16. Only for wantonness : out of mere affectation. That melancholy was a fashionable affectation in Shakespeare's day may be inferred from frequent allusions in contemporary literature. Cf. As You Like It, IV, i, 10. — Christendom: christening, baptism. 19. doubt : fear, suspect. So in V, vi, 44. 20. practises : contrives. Cf. Romeo and Juliet, III, v, 211. 33. rheum : tears. See note, III, i, 22. scene i KING JOHN 73 Turning dispiteous torture out o' door ! I must be brief, lest resolution drop 35 Out at mine eyes in tender womanish tears. Can you not read it ? is it not fair writ ? Arthur. Too fairly, Hubert, for so foul effect : Must you with hot irons burn out both mine eyes ? Hubert. Young boy, I must. Arthur. And will you ? Hubert. And I will. 40 Arthur. Have you the heart ? When your head did but ache, I knit my handkercher about your brows, The best I had, a princess wrought it me, And I did never ask it you again ; And with my hand at midnight held your head, 45 And like the watchful minutes to the hour, Still and anon cheer'd up the heavy time, Saying, ' What lack you ? ' and ' Where lies your grief ? ' Or, ' What good love may I perform for you ? ' Many a poor man's son would have lien still 50 And ne'er have spoke a loving word to you ; But you at your sick service had a prince. Nay, you may think my love was crafty love 35. lest F4 I least F1F2F3. 34. dispiteous : merciless. The Folios spell ' dispitious.' 35. brief: quick. Cf. IV, iii, 158. 46. like the . . . the hour : as the minutes watch over (or mark) the progress of the hour. The inversion of the words is common in Middle and Elizabethan English. 47. Still and anon : continually, ever and again. 52. sick service : service done to the sick. An instance of what is often called transferred epithet. 74 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act iv And call it cunning : do, and if you will : If heaven be pleas'd that you must use me ill, 55 Why then you must. Will you put out mine eyes ? These eyes that never did nor never shall So much as frown on you. Hubert. I have sworn to do it ; And with hot irons must I burn them out. Arthur. Ah, none but in this iron age would do it ! 60 The iron of itself, though heat red-hot, Approaching near these eyes, would drink my tears And quench his fiery indignation Even in the matter of mine innocence ; Nay, after that, consume away in rust, 65 But for containing fire to harm mine eye. Are you more stubborn-hard than hammer'd iron ? An if an angel should have come to me And told me Hubert should put out mine eyes, I would not have believ'd him, — no tongue but Hubert's. Hubert. Come forth. [Stamps] 71 [Re-enter Executioners, with a cord, irons, &c.~\ Do as I bid you do. Arthur. O, save me, Hubert, save me ! my eyes are out Even with the fierce looks of these bloody men. 74 Hubert. Give me the iron, I say, and bind him here. Arthur. Alas, what need you be so boisterous-rough ? I will not struggle, I will stand stone-still. For heaven sake, Hubert, let me not be bound ! 54. and if Ff | an if Theobald. 63. his Capell 1 this Ff. 54. and if. An old reduplication much used in Shakespeare's time. 61. heat: heated. Cf. 'waft,' II, i, 73. See Abbott, § 342. scene i KING JOHN 75 Nay, hear me, Hubert, drive these men away, And I will sit as quiet as a lamb ; 80 I will not stir, nor wince, nor speak a word, Nor look upon the iron angerly : Thrust but these men away, and I '11 forgive you, Whatever torment you do put me to. Hubert. Go, stand within ; let me alone with him. 85 1 Executioner. I am best pleased to be from such a deed. [Exeunt Executioners] Arthur. Alas, I then have chid away my friend ! He hath a stern look, but a gentle heart : Let him come back, that his compassion may Give life to yours. Hubert. Come, boy, prepare yourself 90 Arthur. Is there no remedy ? Hubert. None, but to lose your eyes. Arthur. O heaven, that there were but a mote in yours, A grain, a dust, a gnat, a wandering hair, Any annoyance in that precious sense ! Then feeling what small things are boisterous there, 95 Your vile intent must needs seem horrible. Hubert. Is this your promise ? go to, hold your tongue. Arthur. Hubert, the utterance of a brace of tongues Must needs want pleading for a pair of eyes : Let me not hold my tongue, let me not, Hubert ; 100 Or, Hubert, if you will, cut out my tongue, So I may keep mine eyes : O, spare mine eyes, Though to no use but still to look on you ! 81. wince F2F3F4 I winch Fi. 81. wince. The First Folio spelling indicates the old pronunciation. 85. let me alone : leave me to settle things by myself. 76 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act iv Lo, by my troth, the instrument is cold And would not harm me. Hubert. I can heat it, boy. 105 Arthur. No, in good sooth ; the fire is dead with grief, Being create for comfort, to be used In undeserv'd extremes : see else yourself ; There is no malice in this burning coal ; The breath of heaven hath blown his spirit out no And strew 'd repentant ashes on his head. Hubert. But with my breath I can revive it, boy. Arthur. And if you do, you will but make it blush And glow with shame of your proceedings, Hubert : Nay, it perchance will sparkle in your eyes ; 115 And like a dog that is compelPd to fight, Snatch at his master that doth tarre him on. All things that you should use to do me wrong Deny their office : only you do lack That mercy which fierce fire and iron extends, 120 Creatures of note for mercy-lacking uses. Hubert. Well, see to live ; I will not touch thine eye For all the treasure that thine uncle owes : Yet am I sworn and I did purpose, boy, With this same very iron to burn them out. 125 106-108. fire . . . extremes. Johnson paraphrases the passage as follows : " The fire, being created not to hurt, but to comfort, is dead with grief for finding itself used in acts of cruelty, which, being innocent, I have not deserved." 109. in this burning. In earlier editions of Hudson's Shakespeare Grey's reading ' burning in this ' was adopted. 117. tarre : incite, instigate. Cf. Hamlet, II, ii, 370 : " The nation holds it no sin to tarre them to controversy " ; Troilus and Cressida, I, iii, 391-392 : " Pride alone Must tarre the mastiffs on." scene ii KING JOHN jj Arthur. O, now you look like Hubert ! all this while You were disguis'd. Hubert. Peace; no more. Adieu. Your uncle must not know but you are dead ; I '11 fill these dogged spies with false reports : And, pretty child, sleep doubtless and secure, 130 That Hubert, for the wealth of all the world, Will not offend thee. Arthur. O heaven ! I thank you, Hubert. Hubert. Silence ; no more : go closely in with me : Much danger do I undergo for thee. Exeunt Scene II. [King John's palace'] Enter King John, Pembroke, Salisbury, and other Lords King John. Here once again we sit, once again crown'd, And look'd upon, I hope, with cheerful eyes. Pembroke. This * once again,' but that your highness pleased, Was once superfluous : you were crown'd before, And that high royalty was ne'er pluck'd off, 5 The faiths of men ne'er stained with revolt ; Fresh expectation troubled not the land With any long'd-for change or better state. Salisbury. Therefore, to be possess'd with double pomp, 1. again crown'd F3F4 I against crown'd F1F2. 130. doubtless: fearless. — secure. See note, II, i, 27. 133. closely : secretly. Frequently so. Cf. Hamlet, III, i, 29 : " For we have closely sent for Hamlet hither." 4. once superfluous : once more than enough. 78 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act iv To guard a title that was rich before, 10 To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, To throw a perfume on the violet, To smooth the ice, or add another hue Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish,. 15 Is wasteful and ridiculous excess. Pembroke. But that your royal pleasure must be done, This act is as an ancient tale new told, And in the last repeating troublesome, Being urged at a time unseasonable. 20 Salisbury. In this the antique and well noted face Of plain old form is much disfigured ; And, like a shifted wind unto a sail, It makes the course of thoughts to fetch about, Startles and frights consideration, 25 Makes sound opinion sick and truth suspected, For putting on so new a fashion'd robe. Pembroke. When workmen strive to do better than well, They do confound their skill in covetousness ; And oftentimes excusing of a fault 30 Doth make the fault the worse by the excuse, As patches set upon a little breach Discredit more in hiding of the fault Than did the fault before it was so patch'd. Salisbury. To this effect, before you were new crown 'd, We breath'd our counsel : but it pleas'd your highness 36 10. guard : ornament with facings, trim (as with lace or fringe). 27. so new a fashion'd robe : a robe of so new a fashion. 29. covetousness : over-eager desire to excel. Bacon, in like sort, distinguishes between the love of ' excelling ' and the love of ' excellence,' and ascribes the failures of certain men to the former. scene ii KING JOHN 79 To overbear it, and we are all well pleas'd, Since all and every part of what we would Doth make a stand at what your highness will. King John. Some reasons of this double coronation 40 I have possess'd you with and think them strong ; And more, more strong, then lesser is my fear, I shall indue you with : meantime but ask What you would have reform'd that is not well, And well shall you perceive how willingly 45 I will both hear and grant you your requests. Pembroke. Then I, as one that am the tongue of these To sound the purposes of all their hearts, Both for myself and them, but, chief of all, Your safety, for the which myself and them 50 Bend their best studies, heartily request Th' enfranchisement of Arthur ; whose restraint Doth move the murmuring lips of discontent To break into this dangerous argument, — If what in rest you have in right you hold, 55 Why then your fears, which, as they say, attend The steps of wrong, should move you to mew up Your tender kinsman and to choke his days With barbarous ignorance and deny his youth The rich advantage of good exercise ? 60 That the time's enemies may not have this To grace occasions, let it be our suit That you have bid us ask his liberty ; 42. then. Some editors adopt Tyrwhitt's emendation ' when.' 50. them. Probably a printer's repetition from preceding line. 55. If . . . hold : if you rightly hold what you possess in peace. 61-62. That . . . occasions : that the foes of the established order of things may not have this argument to use when opportunity offers. 80 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act iv Which for our goods we do no further ask Than whereupon our weal, on you depending, 65 Counts it your weal he have his liberty. Enter Hubert King John. Let it be so : I do commit his youth To your direction. Hubert, what news with you ? [Taking him aparf\ Pembroke. This is the man should do the bloody deed ; He show'd his warrant to a friend of mine : 70 The image of a wicked heinous fault Lives in his eye ; that close aspect of his Does show the mood of a much troubled breast ; And I do fearfully believe 't is done, What we so fear'd he had a charge to do. 75 Salisbury. The colour of the king doth come and go Between his purpose and his conscience, Like heralds 'twixt two dreadful battles set : His passion is so ripe, it needs must break. 73. Does F4 I Do F1F3 I Doe Fa I Doth Dyce. 72. close aspect: look of secrecy, unfathomable expression. Hubert must have looked as if he were hiding a guilty secret. 77. Between . . . conscience : between his wicked purpose and his consciousness of right. Hubert gives the king to understand that his order for Arthur's death has been performed. — In Shakespeare's time 'conscience' was used as a dissyllable or trisyllable indifferently, as prosody might require. Here it is properly a trisyllable. The same was the case with ' patience,' and other like words. Similarly the termination ion is frequently pronounced as two syllables at the end of a line (cf. 'consideration,' line 25, 'preparation,' line in). See Abbott, § 479. 78. battles : armies drawn up in battle array. Frequently so. scene ii KING JOHN 8 1 Pembroke. And when it breaks, I fear will issue thence The foul corruption of a sweet child's death. 81 King John. We cannot hold mortality's strong hand : Good lords, although my will to give is living, The suit which you demand is gone and dead : He tells us Arthur is deceas'd to-night. 85 Salisbury. Indeed we fear'd his sickness was past cure. Pembroke. Indeed we heard how near his death he was Before the child himself felt he was sick : This must be answer'd either here or hence. King John. Why do you bend such solemn brows on me ? Think you I bear the shears of destiny ?. 91 Have I commandment on the pulse of life ? Salisbury. It is apparent foul play ; and 't is shame That greatness should so grossly offer it : So thrive it in your game ! and so, farewell. 95 Pembroke. Stay yet, Lord Salisbury ; I '11 go with thee, And find th' inheritance of this poor child, His little kingdom of a forced grave. That blood which ow'd the breadth of all this isle, Three foot of it doth hold : bad world the while ! 100 This must not be thus borne : this will break out To all our sorrows, and ere long I doubt. Exeunt [Lords] 85. to-night : last night, the past night. See Abbott, § 190. Cf. The Merchant of Venice, II, v, 18 : " I did dream to-night." 89. answer'd : atoned for. Cf. Twelfth Night, III, iii, 33. 93. apparent : evident, manifest, unmistakable. 100. foot : feet. In words denoting measurement of time, space, and quantity the singular form is often used with the plural sense. — bad world the while: a bad world when such things happen. Cf. IV, iii, 116. 102. doubt: fear, suspect. So in IV, i, 19. 82 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act iv King John. They burn in indignation. I repent : There is no sure foundation set on blood, No certain life achiev'd by others' death. 105 Ente?' a Messenger A fearful eye thou hast : where is that blood That I have seen inhabit in those cheeks ? So foul a sky clears not without a storm : Pour down thy weather : how goes all in France ? Messenger. From France to England. Never such a power no For any foreign preparation Was levied in the body of 'a land. The copy of your speed is learn 'd by them ; For when you should be told they do prepare, The tidings comes that they are all arriv'd. 115 King John. O, where hath our intelligence been drunk ? Where hath it slept ? Where is my mother's care, That such an army could be drawn in France, And she not hear of it ? Messenger. My liege, her ear Is stopp'd with dust ; the first of April died 120 Your noble mother : and, as I hear, my lord, The Lady Constance in a frenzy died Three days before : but this from rumour's tongue I idly heard ; if true or false I know not. King John. Withhold thy speed, dreadful occasion! 125 106. fearful : full of fear. Cf. ' fearfully,' line 74. 109-110. how . . . England. The messenger plays upon 'goes.' His answer means ' all in France now goes to England.' 113. copy : example, pattern. Often so. scene ii KING JOHN 83 O, make a league with me, till I have pleas'd My discontented peers ! What ! mother dead 1 How wildly then walks my estate in France ! Under whose conduct came those powers of France That thou for truth givest out are landed here? 130 Messenger. Under the Dauphin. King John. Thou hast made me giddy With these ill tidings. E?iter the Bastard and Peter of Pom/ret Now, what says the world To your proceedings ? do not seek to stuff My head with more ill news, for it is full. Bastard. But if you be afeard to hear the worst, 135 Then let the worst unheard fall on your head. Iving John. Bear with me, cousin ; for I was amaz'd Under the tide : but now I breathe again Aloft the flood, and can give audience To any tongue, speak it of what it will. 140 Bastard. How I have sped among the clergymen, The sums I have collected shall express. But as I travelPd hither through the land, I find the people strangely fantasied ; Possess'd with rumours, full of idle dreams, 145 Not knowing what they fear, but full of fear : And here 's a prophet, that I brought with me From forth the streets of Pomfret, whom I found W T ith many hundreds treading on his heels ; To whom he sung, in rude harsh-sounding rhymes, 1 50 That, ere the next Ascension-day at noon, Your highness should deliver up your crown. 84 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act iv King John. Thou idle dreamer, wherefore didst thou so ? Peter. Foreknowing that the truth will fall out so. King John. Hubert, away with him ; imprison him ; 155 And on that day at noon, whereon he says I shall yield up my crown, let him be hang'd. Deliver him to safety, and return, For I must use thee. [Exit Hubert with Peter] O my gentle cousin, Hear'st thou the news abroad, who are arriv'd ? 160 Bastard. The French, my lord ; men's mouths are full of it: Besides, I met Lord Bigot and Lord Salisbury, With eyes as red as new-enkindled fire, And others more, going to seek the grave Of Arthur, whom they say is kill'd to-night 165 On your suggestion. King John. Gentle kinsman, go, And thrust thyself into their companies : I have a way to win their loves again ; Bring them before me. Bastard. I will seek them out. King John. Nay, but make haste ; the better foot before. O, let me have no subject enemies, 171 When adverse foreigners affright my towns With dreadful pomp of stout invasion ! Be Mercury, set feathers to thy heels, And fly like thought from them to me again. 175 Bastard. The spirit of the time shall teach me speed. Exit 158. safety: safe-keeping, custody. Cf. Ro??ieo tf7^//)///V/,V, iii, 183. 173. stout : bold, proud. Cf. 1 Henry VI, III, iv, 19. scene ii KING JOHN 85 King John. Spoke like a sprightful noble gentleman. Go after him ; for he perhaps shall need Some messenger betwixt me and the peers ; And be thou he. Messenger. With all my heart, my liege. \Exit\ 180 King John. My mother dead ! Re-e7iter Hubert Hubert. My lord, they say five moons were seen to night ; Four fixed, and the fifth did whirl about The other four in wondrous motion. King John. Five moons ! Hubert. Old men and beldams in the streets 185 Do prophesy upon it dangerously : Young Arthur's death is common in their mouths : And when they talk of him, they shake their heads And whisper one another in the ear ; And he that speaks doth gripe the hearer's wrist, 190 Whilst he that hears makes fearful action, With wrinkled brows, with nods, with rolling eyes. I saw a smith stand with his hammer, thus, The whilst his iron did on the anvil cool, With open mouth swallowing a tailor's news ; 195 Who, with his shears and measure in his hand, Standing on slippers, which his nimble haste Had falsely thrust upon contrary feet, Told of a many thousand warlike French That were embattailed and rank'd in Kent : 200 Another lean unwash'd artificer Cuts off his tale and talks of Arthur's death. 86 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act iv King John. Why seek'st thou to possess me with these fears ? Why urgest thou so oft young Arthur's death ? Thy hand hath murd'red him : I had a mighty cause 205 To wish him dead, but thou hadst none to kill him. Hubert. No had, my lord ! why, did you not provoke me ? King John. It is the curse of kings to be attended By slaves that take their humours for a warrant To break within the bloody house of life, 210 And on the winking of authority To understand a law, to know the meaning Of dangerous majesty, when perchance it frowns More upon humour than advis'd respect. Hubert. Here is your hand and seal for what I did. 215 King John. O, when the last account 'twixt heaven and earth Is to be made, then shall this hand and seal Witness against us to damnation ! How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds Make deeds ill done ! Hadst not thou been by, 220 A fellow by the hand of nature mark'd, Quoted and sign'd to do a deed of shame, This murder had not come into my mind : But taking note of thy abhorr'd aspect, Finding thee fit for bloody villainy, 225 Apt, liable to be employ'd in danger, 207. No had : had not. A sixteenth century idiom, found in Sir Thomas More, Udall, Lodge, Dekker, and other dramatists. Cf. Roister Doister, I, iv, 34 : " No is ? "; and II, iv, 17 : " No did ? " 214. advis'd respect: deliberate judgment, consideration., 222. Quoted; noted. Etymologically it means 'specially marked out.' scene ii KING JOHN 87 I faintly broke with thee of Arthur's death ; And thou, to be endeared to a king, Made it no conscience to destroy a prince. Hubert. My lord, — 230 King John. Hadst thou but shook thy head or made a pause When I spake darkly what I purposed, Or turn'd an eye of doubt upon my face, As bid me tell my tale in express words, Deep shame had struck me dumb, made me break off 235 And those thy fears might have wrought fears in me : But thou didst understand me by my signs And didst in signs again parley with sin ; Yea, without stop, didst let thy heart consent, And consequently thy rude hand to act 240 The deed, which both our tongues held vile to name. Out of my sight, and never see me more ! My nobles leave me ; and my state is brav'd, Even at my gates, with ranks of foreign powers : Nay, in the body of this fleshly land, 245 This kingdom, this confine of blood and breath, Hostility and civil tumult reigns Between my conscience and my cousin's death. 231-248. " There are many touches of nature in this conference of John with Hubert. A man engaged in wickedness would keep the profit to himself, and transferthe guilt to his accomplice. This timidity of guilt is drawn ab ipsis recessions, from the intimate knowledge of mankind ; particularly that line in which he says that to have bid him tell his tale in express words would have struck him dumb : nothing is more certain than that bad men . . . palliate their actions to their own minds by gentle terms, and hide themselves from their own detection in ambiguities and subterfuges." — Johnson. 88 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act iv Hubert. Arm you against your other enemies, I '11 make a peace between your soul and you. 250 Young Arthur is alive : this hand of mine Is yet a maiden and an innocent hand, Not painted with the crimson spots of blood. Within this bosom never ent 'red yet The dreadful motion of a murderous thought ; 255 And you have slander'd nature in my form, Which, howsoever rude exteriorly, Is yet the cover of a fairer mind Than to be butcher of an innocent child. King John. Doth Arthur live ? O, haste thee to the peers, Throw this report on their incensed rage, 261 And make them tame to their obedience ! Forgive the comment that my passion made Upon thy feature ; for my rage was blind, And foul imaginary eyes of blood 265 Presented thee more hideous than thou art. O, answer not, but to my closet bring The angry lords with all expedient haste. I conjure thee but slowly ; run more fast. Exeunt Scene III. \Bcforc the east/e] Enter Arthur, on the lualls Arthur. The wall is high, and yet will I leap down : Good ground, be pitiful and hurt me not ! There 's few or none do know me : if they did, This ship-boy's semblance hath disguis'd me quite. 265. imaginary : imaginative, that which conjures up images. scene in KING JOHN 89 I am afraid ; and yet I '11 venture it. 5 If I get down, and do not break my limbs, I '11 find a thousand shifts to get away : As good to die and go, as die and stay. [Leaps dow?i\ O me ! my uncle's spirit is in these stones : 9 Heaven take my soul, and England keep my bones ! Dies E?iter Pembroke, Salisbury, and Bigot Salisbury. Lords, I will meet him at Saint Edmundsbury : It is our safety, and we must embrace This gentle offer of the perilous time. Pembroke. Who brought that letter from the cardinal ? Salisbury. The Count Melun, a noble lord of France ; Whose private with me of the Dauphin's love 16 Is much more general than these lines import. • Bigot. To-morrow morning let us meet him then. Salisbury. Or rather then set forward ; for 't will be Two long da)'s' journey, lords, or ere we meet. 20 Enter the Bastard Bastard. Once more to-day well met, distemper'd lords ! The king by me requests your presence straight. Salisbury. The king hath dispossess'd himself of us : We will not line his thin bestained cloak With our pure honours, nor attend the foot 25 11. him : the Dauphin. The reference is intentionally mysterious. 16. private. Either ' secret information,' or ' personal conference.' There is wordplay between ' private ' and ' general ' in the next line. 20. or ere : before. A common usage. So in V, vi, 44. 21. distemper'd: angry, out of temper. Ci. Hamlet, III, ii, 310-312 : " The king, sir, is ... in his retirement marvellous distemper'd." 90 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act iv That leaves the print of blood where'er it walks. Return and tell him so : we know the worst. Bastard. Whate'er you think, good words, I think, were best. Salisbury. Our griefs, and not our manners, reason now. Bastard. But there is little reason in your grief ; 30 Therefore 't were reason you had manners now. Pembroke. Sir, sir, impatience hath his privilege. Bastard. 'T is true, to hurt his master, no man else. Salisbury. This is the prison. What is he lies here ? [Seeing Arthur] Pembroke. O death, made proud with pure and princely beauty 1 35 The earth had not a hole to hide this deed. , Salisbury. Murder, as hating what himself hath done, Doth lay it open to urge on revenge. Bigot. Or, when he doom'd this beauty to a grave, Found it too precious-princely for a grave. 40 Salisbury. Sir Richard, what think you ? have you be- held, Or have you read or heard ? or could you think ? Or do you almost think, although you see, That you do see ? could thought, without this object, Form such another ? This is the very top, 45 The height, the crest, or crest unto the crest, Of murder's arms : this is the bloodiest shame, The wildest savagery, the vilest stroke, 33. man F2F3F4 I mans Fi. 41. have you F3F4 I you have F1F2. 29. griefs: grievances. Cf. Julius Ccesar, I, iii, 118. — reason: speak, discourse. Cf. Cymbeline, IV, ii, 14. 32, 33. his: its. As in II, i, 95, etc. See note, II, i, 160. scene in KING JOHN 91 That ever wall-eyed wrath or staring rage Presented to the tears of soft remorse. 50 Pembroke. All murders past do stand excused in this : And this, so sole and so unmatchable, Shall give a holiness, a purity, To the yet unbegotten sin of times ; And prove a deadly bloodshed but a jest, 55 Exampled by this heinous spectacle.' Bastard. It is a damned and a bloody work ; The graceless action of a heavy hand, If that it be the work of any hand. Salisbury. If that it be the work of any hand ! 60 We had a kind of light what would ensue : It is the shameful work of Hubert's hand ; The practice and the purpose of the king : From whose obedience I forbid my soul, Kneeling before this ruin of sweet life, 65 And breathing to his breathless excellence The incense of a vow, a holy vow, Never to taste the pleasures of the world, Never to be infected with delight, Nor conversant with ease and idleness, 70 Till I have set a glory to this hand, By giving it the worship of revenge. Pembroke. 1 _ ..... _ . . ^ V Our souls religiously confirm thy words. Bigot. J 49. wall-eyed : with glaring eyes. The word properly describes eyes with a white or pale-gray iris. Cf. Cotgrave : "Oeil de chevre, a whall or over-white eye, an eye full of white spots, or whose apple seems divided by a streak of white." 50. remorse: pity, compassion. So in line no and elsewhere. 54. times: times to come. Contrasted with ' murders past,' line 51. 92 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act iv E?iter Hubert Hubert. Lords, I am hot with haste in seeking you : Arthur doth live ; the king hath sent for you. 75 Salisbury. O, he is bold and blushes not at death. Avaunt, thou hateful villain, get thee gone ! Hubert. I am no villain. Salisbury. Must I rob the law ? \Drawing his sworcf\ Bastard. Your sword is bright, sir ; put it up again. Salisbury. Not till I sheathe it in a murderer's skin. 80 Hubert. Stand back, Lord Salisbury, stand back, I say ; By heaven, I think my sword 's as sharp as yours : I would not have you, lord, forget yourself, Nor tempt the danger of my true defence ; Lest I, by marking of your rage, forget 85 Your worth, your greatness and nobility. Bigot. Out, dunghill ! dar'st thou brave a nobleman ? Hubert. Not for my life : but yet I dare defend My innocent life against an emperor. Salisbury. Thou art a murderer. Hubert. Do not prove me so ; Yet I am none : whose tongue soe'er speaks false, 91 Not truly speaks ; who speaks not truly, lies. Pembroke. Cut him to pieces. Bastard. Keep the peace, I say. Salisbury. Stand by, or I shall gall you, Faulconbridge. Bastard. Thou wert better gall the devil, Salisbury : 95 84. Nor risk attacking my defense in a just cause. 90. Do not prove me so : do not prove me a murderer by provoking me to kill you. 91. Yet: as yet, up to now. Cf. The Te?/ipest, II, ii, 82. scene in KING JOHN 93 If thou but frown on me, or stir thy foot, Or teach thy hasty spleen to do me shame, I '11 strike thee dead. Put up thy sword betime ; Or I '11 so maul you and your toasting-iron, That you shall think the devil is come from hell. ioo Bigot. What wilt thou do, renowned Faulconbridge ? Second a villain and a murderer ? Hubert. Lord Bigot, I am none. Bigot. Who kill'd this prince ? Hubert. 'T is not an hour since I left him well : I honour'd him, I lov'd him, and will weep 105 My date of life out for his sweet life's loss. Salisbury. Trust not those cunning waters of his eyes, For villainy is not without such rheum ; And he, long traded in it, makes it seem Like rivers of remorse and innocency. no Away with me, all you whose souls abhor The uncleanly savours of a slaughter-house ; For I am stifled with this smell of sin. Bigot. Away toward Bury, to the Dauphin there ! Pembroke. There tell the king he may inquire us out. Exeunt Lords 1 1 5 Bastard. Here 's a good world ! Knew you of this fair work ? Beyond the infinite and boundless reach Of mercy, if thou didst this deed of death, Art thou damn'd, Hubert. Hubert. Do but hear me, sir. Bastard. Ha ! I '11 tell thee what ; 120 99. toasting-iron. Cf. Henry P, II, i, 8-10: "mine iron: it is a simple one ; but what though ? it will toast cheese." 94 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act iv Thou 'rt damn'd as black — nay, nothing is so black ; Thou art more deep damn'd than Prince Lucifer : There is not yet so ugly a fiend of hell As thou shalt be, if thou didst kill this child. Hubert. Upon my soul — Bastard. If thou didst but consent To this most cruel act, do but despair; 126 And if thou want'st a cord, the smallest thread That ever spider twisted from her womb Will serve to strangle thee ; a rush will be a beam To hang thee on ; or wouldst thou drown thyself, 130 Put but a little water in a spoon, And it shall be as all the ocean, Enough to stifle such a villain up. I do suspect thee very grievously. Hubert. If I in act, consent, or sin of thought, 135 Be guilty of the stealing that sweet breath Which was embounded in this beauteous clay, Let hell want pains enough to torture me. I left him well. Bastard. Go, bear him in thine arms. I am amaz'd, methinks, and lose my way 140 Among the thorns and dangers of this world. How easy dost thou take all England up ! From forth this morsel of dead royalty, The life, the right and truth of all this realm 121. damn'd as black. Staunton thinks Shakespeare may here have had in mind the old religious plays of Coventry, wherein the damned souls have their faces blackened ; and he quotes from the old accounts: "Item, paid to three white souls, 5s. Item, paid to three black souls, 5 s. Item, for making and mending of the black souls' hose, 6d. Paid for blacking of the souls' faces, 6d." scene in KING JOHN 95 Is fled to heaven ; and England now is left 145 To tug and scamble and to part by the teeth The unowed interest of proud-swelling state. Now for the bare-pick'd bone of majesty Doth dogged war bristle his angry crest And snarleth in the gentle eyes of peace : 1 50 Now powers from home and discontents at home Meet in one line ; and vast confusion waits, As doth a raven on a sick-fall'n beast, The imminent decay of wrested pomp. Now happy he whose cloak and cincture can 155 Hold out this tempest. Bear away that child And follow me with speed ; I '11 to the king : A thousand businesses are brief in hand, And heaven itself doth frown upon the land. \Exeunt\ 146. scamble Ff | scramble Rowe. 155. cincture Pope | center Ff. 146. scamble : scramble for, tussle for, struggle for. Cf. Henry V, I, i, 4 ; V, ii, 218. So in Marlowe's The Jew of Malta, I, i, 121-122: I cannot tell, but we have scambled up More wealth by far than those that brag of faith. 147. unowed: unowned. The 'unowed interest' is the interest not now legally possessed by any one. 152. vast : empty, waste. Like the Latin vastus. Sometimes it appears to mean 'wasting' or 'devastating,' as in Henry V, II, iv, 104-105: "The poor souls for whom this hungry war Opens his vasty jaws." 155. cincture : belt, girdle. Perhaps ' centure ' should be the reading here (see textual note). 158. are brief in hand : call for immediate dispatch. ACT V Scene I. [King John's palace'] Enter King John, Pandulph, and Attendants King John. Thus have I yielded up into your hand The circle of my glory. [ Giving the crown~\ Pandulph. Take again From this my hand, as holding of the pope Your sovereign greatness and authority. King John. Now keep your holy word : go meet the French, 5 And from his holiness use all your power To stop their marches 'fore we are inflam'd. Our discontented counties do revolt ; Our people quarrel with obedience, Swearing allegiance and the love of soul 10 To stranger blood, to foreign royalty. This inundation of mistemp'red humour Rests by you only to be qualified : Then pause not ; for the present time 's so sick, That present medicine must be minist'red, 1 5 Or overthrow incurable ensues. ACT V. Scene I. | Actus Quartus, Scaena prima Ff. 8. counties. Probably refers not to geographical divisions but to the peers, or nobles. ' County ' is an old form of ' count.' 12-13. The metaphors are from the mediasval physiology. 96 scene i KING JOHN 97 Pandulph. It was my breath that blew this tempest up, Upon your stubborn usage of the pope ; But since you are a gentle convertite, My tongue shall hush again this storm of war 20 And make fair weather in your blust'ring land. On this Ascension-day, remember well, Upon your oath of service to the pope, Go I to make the French lay down their arms. Exit King John. Is this Ascension-day ? Did not the prophet Say that before Ascension-day at noon 26 My crown I should give off ? Even so I have : I did suppose it should be on constraint ; But, heaven be thank'd, it is but voluntary. Enter the Bastard Bastard. All Kent hath yielded ; nothing there holds out But Dover castle : London hath receiv'd, 31 Like a kind host, the Dauphin and his powers : Your nobles will not hear you, but are gone To offer service to your enemy, And wild amazement hurries up and down 35 The little number of your doubtful friends. King John. Would not my lords return to me again, After they heard young Arthur was alive ? Bastard. They found him dead and cast into the streets, An empty casket, where the jewel of life 40 By some damn'd hand was robb'd and ta'en away. King John. That villain Hubert told me he did live. Bastard. So, on my soul, he did, for aught he knew. 19. convertite : a person converted to a religious life. 35. amazement: consternation. Cf. II, i, 226, 356; IV, ii, 137. 98 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act v But wherefore do you droop ? why look you sad ? Be great in act, as you have been in thought ; 45 Let not the world see fear and sad distrust Govern the motion of a kingly eye : Be stirring as the time ; be fire with fire ; Threaten the threatener and outface the brow Of bragging horror : so shall inferior eyes, 50 That borrow their behaviours from the great, Grow great by your example and put on The dauntless spirit of resolution. Away, and glister like the god of war, When he intendeth to become the field : 55 Show boldness and aspiring confidence. What, shall they seek the lion in his den, And fright him there ? and make him tremble there ? O, let it not be said : forage, and run To meet displeasure farther from the doors, 60 And grapple with him ere he come so nigh. King John. The legate of the pope hath been with me, And I have made a happy peace with him ; And he hath promis'd to dismiss the powers Led by the Dauphin. Bastard. O inglorious league I 65 Shall we, upon the footing of our land, Send fair-play orders and make compromise, Insinuation, parley and base truce To arms invasive ? shall a beardless boy, 60. displeasure : enmity, hostility. The sense of the passage is ' rush forth to hunt and dare the foe, as a hungry lion does to seek his prey.' 66. upon . . . land : while our feet are on our own soil. scene ii KING JOHN 99 A cock'red silken wanton, brave our fields, 70 And flesh his spirit in a warlike soil, Mocking the air with colours idly spread, And find no check ? Let us, my liege, to arms : Perchance the cardinal cannot make your peace ; Or if he do, let it at least be said 75 They saw we had a purpose of defence. King John. Have thou the ordering of this present time. Bastard. Away, then, with good courage ! yet, I know, Our party may well meet a prouder foe. Exeunt Scene II. [The Dauphin's camp at St, Bdmundsbttry\ Enter, in arms, Lewis, Salisbury, Melun, Pembroke, Bigot, and Soldiers Lewis. My Lord Melun, let this be copied out, And keep it safe for our remembrance : Return the precedent to these lords again ; That, having our fair order written down, Both they and we, perusing o'er these notes, 5 May know wherefore we took the sacrament And keep our faiths firm and inviolable. Salisbury. Upon our sides it never shall be broken. And, noble Dauphin, albeit we swear A voluntary zeal and an unurg'd faith 10 70. cock'red silken wanton : pampered, finely tailored milksop. 71. flesh : make fierce. The metaphor is from the old practice of giving hawk or hound a bit of the flesh of the game killed, to whet eagerness in the chase. 3. precedent: original draft of the treaty. Cf. Richard III, III, vi, 7 : " Eleven hours I spent to write it over, . . . The precedent was full as long a-doing." The Folios spell ' president.' IOO THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act v To your proceedings ; yet believe me, prince, I am not glad that such a sore of time Should seek a plaster by contemn'd revolt, And heal the inveterate canker of one wound By making many. O, it grieves my soul, 15 That I must draw this metal from my side To be a widow-maker ! O, and there Where honourable rescue and defence Cries out upon the name of Salisbury ! But such is the infection of the time, 20 That, for the health and physic of our right, We cannot deal but with the very hand Of stern injustice and confused wrong. And is 't not pity, O my grieved friends, That we, the sons and children of this isle, 25 Were born to see so sad an hour as this ; Wherein we step after a stranger march Upon her gentle bosom, and fill up Her enemies' ranks, — I must withdraw and weep Upon the spot of this enforced cause, — 30 To grace the gentry of a land remote, And follow unacquainted colours here ? What, here ? O nation, that thou couldst remove ! That Neptune's arms, who clippeth thee about, Would bear thee from the knowledge of thyself, 35 14. canker: corrosion, corruption. Cf. II, i, 194; III, iv, S2. 30. spot : stain, blot, disgrace. Salisbury thinks it, as he well may, a foul dishonour thus to side with the invader of his country; and the conscience of duty, or the sense of right outraged in the person of Arthur, which compels him to do so, naturally wrings him with grief. — enforced : which we are forced to join. 34. clippeth: encircleth, embraceth. Cf. / Henry IV, III, i, 44. scene ii KING JOHN IOI And grapple thee unto a pagan shore ; Where these two Christian armies might combine The blood of malice in a vein of league, And not to spend it so unneighbourly ! Lewis. A noble temper dost thou show in this ; 40 And great affections wrestling in thy bosom Doth make an earthquake of nobility. O, what a noble combat hast thou fought Between compulsion and a brave respect 1 Let me wipe off this honourable dew, 45 That silverly doth progress on thy cheeks : My heart hath melted at a lady's tears, Being an ordinary inundation ; But this effusion of such manly drops, This .shower, blown up by tempest of the soul, 50 Startles mine eyes, and makes me more amaz'd Than had I seen the vaulty top of heaven Figur'd quite o'er with burning meteors. Lift up thy brow, renowned Salisbury, And with a great heart heave away this storm : 55 36. grapple Pope | cripple Ff. 39. to spend. ' To ' is here used merely as an intensive prefix. The usage was common, and Shakespeare has it several times. 44, compulsion. Referring to the ' enforced cause ' mentioned in line 30. Hanmer printed ' compassion ' for ' compulsion,' and Capell conjectured that 'compunction' was the word. — brave: manly, honour- able. A fitting epithet of the national feeling which has struggled so hard for the mastery in Salisbury's breast. — respect : consideration, motive, inducement. 46. silverly: with a silvery appearance or hue. Keats uses the ad- jective both in this sense (Endymion, I, 541) and in that of 'with a silver sound' (Hyperion, II, 128). Mrs. Browning (A Drama of Exile) uses it in the former sense. 102 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act V Commend these waters to those baby eyes That never saw the giant world enrag'd ; Nor met with fortune other than at feasts, Full warm of blood, of mirth, of gossiping. Come, come ; for thou shalt thrust thy hand as deep 60 Into the purse of rich prosperity As Lewis himself : so, nobles, shall you all, That knit your sinews to the strength of mine. And even there, methinks, an angel spake. Enter Pandulph Look, where the holy legate comes apace, 65 To give us warrant from the hand of heaven, And on our actions set the name of right With holy breath. Pandulph. Hail, noble prince of France I The next is this, King John hath reconcil'd Himself to Rome ; his spirit is come in, 70 That so stood out against the holy church, The great metropolis and see of Rome : Therefore thy threatening colours now wind up ; And tame the savage spirit of wild war, That, like a lion fostered up at hand, 75 59. warm of Ff | of warm Globe Camb. 60-64. for . . . spake. " Surely the close proximity of ' purse,' 'nobles,' and' angel,' shows that Shakespeare has here yielded to the fascination of a. jeu de mots, which he was unable to resist, how- ever unsuitable the occasion might be. The Dauphin, we may suppose, speaks 'aside,' with an accent and gesture which mark his contempt for the mercenary allies whom he intends to get rid of as soon as may be." — Camb. ' Noble,' like ' angel ' (see note, JI, i, 590), was the name of an English coin. scene ii KING JOHN 103 It may lie gently at the foot of peace, And be no further harmful than in show. Lewis. Your grace shall pardon me, I will not back : I am too high-born to be propertied, To be a secondary at control, 80 Or useful serving-man and instrument, To any sovereign state throughout the world. Your breath first kindled the dead coal of wars Between this chastis'd kingdom and myself, And brought in matter that should feed this fire ; 85 And now 't is far too huge to be blown out With that same weak wind which enkindled it. You taught me how to know the face of right, Acquainted me with interest to this land, Yea, thrust this enterprise into my heart ; 90 And come ye now to tell me John hath made His peace with Rome ? What is that peace to me ? I, by the honour of my marriage-bed, After young Arthur, claim this land for mine ; And, now it is half-conquer'd, must I back 95 Because that John hath made his peace with Rome ? Am I Rome's slave ? What penny hath Rome borne, What men provided, what munition sent, To underprop this action ? Is 't not I That undergo this charge ? who else but I, 100 And such as to my claim are liable, 79. propertied : used as a chattel, treated as a piece of property. 88. to know . . . right : to recognize my right. 89. Made me aware of my claim on the land. 101. And such as are willing to admit my claim. Cf. II, i, 490; IV, ii, 226. 104 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act v Sweat in this business and maintain this war ? Have I not heard these islanders shout out 1 Vive le roi ! ' as I have bank'd their towns ? Have I not here the best cards for the game, 105 To win this easy match play'd for a crown ? And shall I now give o'er the yielded set ? No, no, on my soul, it never shall be said. Pandulph. You look but on the outside of this work. Lewis. Outside or inside, I will not return no Till my attempt so much be glorified As to my ample hope was promised Before I drew this gallant head of war, And cull'd these fiery spirits from the world, To outlook conquest and to win renown 1 1 5 Even in the jaws of danger and of death. [Trumpet sounds] What lusty trumpet thus doth summon us ? Enter the Bastard [attended] Bastard. According to the fair play of the world, Let me have audience ; I am sent to speak, My holy lord of Milan, from the king : 120 I come, to learn how you have dealt for him ; And, as you answer, I do know the scope And warrant limited unto my tongue. 104. bank'd: passed the banks of. This, the most probable mean- ing, has the support of Murray. The word is formed on the analogy of ' coasted.' In The Troublesome Raigne (see Introduction, Sources) the Dauphin is described as sailing up the Thames : And from the hollow holes of Thamesis Eccho apace replied Vive la Roy. 115. outlook: outface (cf. V, i, 49), outstare, defy. scene ii KING JOHN 105 Pandulph. The Dauphin is too wilful-opposite, Ai d will not temporize with my entreaties ; 125 He flatly says he '11 not lay down his arms. Bastard. By all the blood that ever fury breath'd, The youth says well. Now hear our English king ; For thus his royalty doth speak in me. He is prepar'd, and reason too he should : 130 This apish and unmannerly approach, This harness'd masque and unadvised revel, This unhair'd sauciness and boyish troops, The king doth smile at ; and is well prepar'd To whip this dwarfish war, these pigmy arms, 135 From out the circle of his territories. That hand which had the strength, even at your door, To cudgel you and make you take the hatch, To dive like buckets in concealed wells, To crouch in litter of your stable planks, 140 To lie like pawns lock'd up in chests and trunks, To hug with swine, to seek sweet safety out In vaults and prisons, and to thrill and shake Even at the crying of your nation's crow, Thinking his voice an armed Englishman : 145 133. unhair'd Theobald | unheard Ff. 135. these | Rowe | this Ff. 125. temporize : yield, come to terms, succumb. The word origi- nally meant ' comply with the exigencies or the interests of the time.' 130. and . . . should : and there is reason too why he should be. 132. harness'd masque : masque in armor. — unadvised : rash, in- considerate, thoughtless. 133. unhair'd: beardless, boy-faced. Spoken in contempt,of course. 138. To . . . take: leap. With 'hatch' cf. I, i, 171. 144. crying . . . crow. The cock (Latin gallus), the bird that crows, is the national bird of France (Latin Gallia). I06 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act v Shall that victorious hand be feebled here, That in your chambers gave you chastisement ? No : know the gallant monarch is in arms. And like an eagle o'er his aery towers, To souse annoyance that comes near his nest. 150 And you degenerate, you ingrate revolts, You bloody Neroes, ripping up the womb Of your dear mother England, blush for shame ; For your own ladies and pale-visag'd maids Like Amazons come tripping after drums, 155 Their thimbles into armed gauntlets change, Their needles to lances, and their gentle hearts To fierce and bloody inclination. Lewis. There end thy brave, and turn thy face in peace ; We grant thou canst outscold us : fare thee well ; 160 We hold our time too precious to be spent With such a brabbler. Pandulph. Give me leave to speak. Bastard. No, I will speak. Lewis. We will attend to neither. Strike up the drums ; and let the tongue of war Plead for our interest and our being here. 165 Bastard. Indeed, your drums, being beaten, will cry out ; And so shall you, being beaten : do but start 149. aery: brood (of an eagle). Shakespeare never uses it in any other sense. Properly ' aery,' as ' aerie,' means the ' nest of any bird of prey.' — towers: soars into position for striking. A term from falconry. 150. souse : swoop down on. Another term from falconry. 151. ingrate revolts : ungrateful rebels. So in V, iv, 7. 159. brave : braving of us, bravado, defiance. 162. brabbler : noisy fellow. Rowe read ' babler ' (babbler). scene in KING JOHN 107 An echo with the clamour of thy drum, And even at hand a drum is ready brac'd That shall reverberate all as loud as thine ; 170 Sound but another, and another shall As loud as thine rattle the welkin's ear And mock the deep-mouth 'd thunder : for at hand, Not trusting to this halting legate here, Whom he hath used rather for sport than need, 175 Is warlike John ; and in his forehead sits A bare-ribb'd death, whose office is this day To feast upon whole thousands of the French. Lewis. Strike up our drums, to find this danger out. Bastard. And thou shalt find it, Dauphin, do not doubt. Exeunt 180 Scene III. [The field of battle~\ Alarums. Enter King John and Hubert King John. How goes the day with us ? O, tell me, Hubert. Hubert. Badly, I fear. How fares your majesty ? King John. This fever, that hath troubled me so long, Lies heavy on me ; O, my heart is sick ! Enter a Messenger Messenger. My lord, your valiant kinsman, Faulconbridge, Desires your majesty to leave the field 6 And send him word by me which way you go. King John. Tell him, toward Swinstead, to the abbey there. 8. Swinstead. This form of the name is found in The Trotiblesome Raigne. It is an error for Swineshead. 108 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act v Messenger. Be of good comfort ; for the great supply That was expected by the Dauphin here, 10 Are wreck'd three nights ago on Goodwin Sands. This news was brought to Richard but even now : The French fight coldly, and retire themselves. King John. Ay me ! this tyrant fever burns me up, And will not let me welcome this good news. 1 5 Set on toward Swinstead : to my litter straight ; Weakness possesseth me, and I am faint. Exeunt Scene IV. [Another part of the field] Enter Salisbury, Pembroke, and Bigot Salisbury. I did not think the king so stor'd with friends. Pembroke. Up once again ; put spirit in the French : If they miscarry, we miscarry too. Salisbury. That misbegotten devil, Faulconbridge, In spite of spite, alone upholds the day. 5 Pembroke. They say King John sore sick hath left the field. Enter Melun, wounded Melun. Lead me to the revolts of England here. Salisbury. When we were happy we had other names. Pembroke. It is the Count Melun. Salisbury. Wounded to death. 9. supply : reenforcement, supply of troops. Hence, as a collec- tive noun, it admits both a singular and a plural verb, ' was expected ' and 'are wreck'd.' Cf. V, v, 12-13. 13. retire. Frequently used as a transitive verb. 5. In spite of spite : against all odds. scene iv KING JOHN 109 Melun. Fly, noble English, you are bought and sold ; Unthread the rude eye of rebellion 11 And welcome home again discarded faith. Seek out King John and fall before his feet ; For if the French be lords of this loud day, He means to recompense the pains you take 15 By cutting off your heads : thus hath he sworn And I with him, and many moe with me, Upon the altar at Saint Edmundsbury ; Even on that altar where we swore to you Dear amity and everlasting love. 20 Salisbury. May this be possible ? may this be true ? Melun. Have I not hideous death within my view, Retaining but a quantity of life, Which bleeds away, even as a form of wax Resolveth from his figure 'gainst the fire ? 25 What in the world should make me now deceive, Since I must lose the use of all deceit ? Why should I then be false, since it is true That I must die here and live hence by truth ? I say again, if Lewis do win the day, 30 He is forsworn, if e'er those eyes of yours Behold another day break in the east : 10. bought and sold : played false with, betrayed. An old pro- verbial phrase. 11. unthread . . . rebellion. The unthreading of a needle is used as a metaphor for simply undoing what has been done. Many quite unnecessary attempts have been made to emend the passage. 17. moe : more. Both ' moe ' and ' more ' are common in the Folios. The former is used only with the plural. 25. Resolveth: melteth. Cf. Hamlet, I, ii, 129-130: " O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew ! " IIO THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act v But even this night, whose black contagious breath Already smokes about the burning crest Of the old, feeble and day-wearied sun, 35 Even this ill night, your breathing shall expire, Paying the fine of rated treachery Even with a treacherous fine of all your lives, If Lewis by your assistance win the day. Commend me to one Hubert with your king : 40 The love of him, and this respect besides, For that my grandsire was an Englishman, Awakes my conscience to confess all this. In lieu whereof, I pray you, bear me hence From forth the noise and rumour of the field, 45 Where I may think the remnant of my thoughts In peace, and part this body and my soul With contemplation and devout desires. Salisbury. We do believe thee : and beshrew my soul But I do love the favour and the form 50 Of this most fair occasion, by the which We will untread the steps of damned flight, And like a bated and retired flood, 37-38. rated : appraised at its proper value. " The Dauphin has 'rated' your treachery, and set upon it a 'fine' which your lives must pay." — Johnson. There is an obvious play on the two meanings of the word ' fine,' — ' penalty ' and '.end.' The same word- play is found in Hamlet, V, i, 113-114: "Is this the fine of his fines ? " 41. respect: consideration. Cf. Ill, i, 318. 44. In lieu whereof : in return for which. Cf. The Merchant of Venice, IV, i, 410. 45. rumour : loud murmur, roar, confused noise. Cf. Julius Ccesar, II, iv, 18 : "I heard a bustling rumour, like a fray." scene v KING JOHN 1 1 1 Leaving our rankness and irregular course, Stoop low within those bounds we have o'erlook'd 55 And calmly run on in obedience Even to our ocean, to our great King John. My arm shall give thee help to bear thee hence ; For I do see the cruel pangs of death Right in thine eye. Away, my friends I New flight ; 6c And happy newness, that intends old right. Exeunt [leading off Melun] Scene V. \The French camp'] Enter Lewis and his train Lewis. The sun of heaven methought was loath to set, But stay'd and made the western welkin blush, When English measure backward their own ground In faint retire. O, bravely came we off, When with a volley of our needless shot, 5 After such bloody toil, we bid good night ; And wound our tott'ring colours clearly up, Last in the field, and almost lords of it ! Enter a Messenger Messenger. Where is my prince, the Dauphin ? Lewis. Here : what news ? Messenger. The Count Melun is slain ; the English lords By his persuasion are again falPn off, 11 7. tott'ring Ff | tatter'd Pope | tattering Malone Globe. 54. rankness : overflow, exuberance (as of a swollen river). 55. o'erlook'd: overflown, overpassed. Cf. Ill, i, 23. 7. tott'ring. Either * waving in the air,' or ' in tatters.' 112 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act v And your supply, which you have wish'd so long, Are cast away and sunk on Goodwin Sands. Lewis. Ah, foul shrewd news ! beshrew thy very heart ! I did not think to be so sad to-night 15 As this hath made me. Who was he that said King John did fly an hour or two before The stumbling night did part our weary powers ? Messenger. Whoever spoke it, it is true, my lord. Lewis. Well ; keep good quarter and good care to-night : The day shall not be up so soon as I, 21 To try the fair adventure of to-morrow. Exeunt Scene VI. [An op eft place in the neighbourhood of Swinstead Abbey\ Enter the Bastard and Hubert, severally Hubert. Who 's there ? speak, ho ! speak quickly, or I shoot. Bastard. A friend. What art thou ? Hubert. Of the part of England. Bastard. Whither dost thou go ? Hubert. What 's that to thee ? why may not I demand Of thine affairs, as well as thou of mine ? 5 Bastard. Hubert, I think ? Hubert. Thou hast a perfect thought : I will upon all hazards well believe 14. shrewd : sharp, biting, bitter. The original sense is ' cursed,' and 5 beshrew' means 'a curse upon.' Cf. The Merchant of Venice, II, vi, 52. 2. part : party, side. In III, i, 123, * party ' is used for ' part' 6. perfect : correct. Cf. 2 Henry IV, III, i, 88. scene vi KING JOHN 113 Thou art my friend, that know'st my tongue so well. Who art thou ? Bastard. Who thou wilt : and if thou please, Thou mayst befriend me so much as to think 10 I come one way of the Plantagenets. Hubert. Unkind remembrance 1 thou and eyeless night Have done me shame : brave soldier, pardon me, That any accent breaking from thy tongue Should 'scape the true acquaintance of mine ear. 15 Bastard. Come, come ; sans compliment, what news abroad ? Hubert. Why, here walk I in the black brow of night, To find you out. Bastard. Brief, then ; and what 's the news ? Hubert. O, my sweet sir, news fitting to the night, Black, fearful, comfortless and horrible. 20 Bastard. Show me the very wound of this ill news : I am no woman, I '11 not swoon at it. Hubert. The king, I fear, is poison'd by a monk : I left him almost speechless ; and broke out To acquaint you with this evil, that you might 25 The better arm you to the sudden time, Than if you had at leisure known of this. Bastard. How did he take it ? who did taste to him ? Hubert. A monk, I tell you ; a resolved villain, 12. eyeless Theobald | endles Fi I endlesse F2F3. 12. remembrance : memory, faculty of remembering. — eyeless : blind, dark. So in Markham's English Arcadia (1607) : "O eyeless night, the portraiture of death." And Shakespeare, in Lucrece, has ' sightless night.' 27. Than . . . this. Than if this knowledge had been withheld from you till you were more at leisure. 114 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act v Whose bowels suddenly burst out : the king 30 Yet speaks and peradventure may recover. Bastard. Who didst thou leave to tend his majesty ? Hubert. Why, know you not? the lords are all come back, And brought Prince Henry in their company ; At whose request the king hath pardon'd them, 35 And they are all about his majesty. Bastard. Withhold thine indignation, mighty heaven, And tempt us not to bear above our power ! I '11 tell thee, Hubert, half my power this night, Passing these flats, are taken by the tide ; 40 These Lincoln Washes have devoured them ; Myself, well mounted, hardly have escap'd. Away before : conduct me to the king ; I doubt he will be dead or ere I come. Exeunt Scene VII. \The orchard in Swinstead Abbey~\ Enter Prince Henry, Salisbury, and Bigot Prince Henry. It is too late : the life of all his blood Is touch'd corruptibly, and his pure brain, Which some suppose the soul's frail dwelling-house, Doth by the idle comments that it makes Foretell the ending of mortality. 5 Enter Pembroke Pembroke. His highness yet doth speak, and holds belief That, being brought into the open air, 44. doubt: fear. Cf. IV, i, 19. — or ere. Cf. IV, iii, 20. scene vii KING JOHN 115 It would allay the burning quality Of that fell poison which assaileth him. 9 Prince Henry. Let him be brought into the orchard here. Doth he still rage ? [Exit Bigot] Pembroke. He is more patient Than when you left him ; even now he sung. Prince Henry. O vanity of sickness ! fierce extremes In their continuance will not feel themselves. Death, having prey'd upon the outward parts, 15 Leaves them invisible, and his siege is now Against the mind, the which he pricks and wounds With many legions of strange fantasies, Which, in their throng and press to that last hold, Confound themselves. 'T is strange that death should sing. I am the cygnet to this pale faint swan, 21 Who chants a doleful hymn to his own death, And from the organ-pipe of frailty sings His soul and body to their lasting rest. Salisbury. Be of good comfort, prince ; for you are born To set a form upon that indigest 26 Which he hath left so shapeless and so rude. King John is brought in King John. Ay, marry, now my soul hath elbow-room ; It would not out at windows nor at doors. There is so hot a summer in my bosom, 30 That all my bowels crumble up to dust : 17. mind Rowe I winde Fi. ax. cygnet Rowe | Symet Ff. 14. not feel themselves : lose all sense of themselves. 26-27. indigest . . . rude. So in Ovid's description of Chaos: w Quern dixere Chaos, rudis indigestaque moles." Il6 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act v I am a scribbled form, drawn with a pen Upon a parchment, and against this fire Do I shrink up. Prince Henry. How fares your majesty ? King John. Poison'd, — ill fare — dead, forsook, cast off: And none of you will bid the winter come 36 To thrust his icy fingers in my maw, Nor let my kingdom's rivers take their course Through my burn'd bosom, nor entreat the north To make his bleak winds kiss my parched lips 40 And comfort me with cold. I do not ask you much, I beg cold comfort ; and you are so strait And so ingrateful, you deny me that. Prince Henry. O that there were some virtue in my tears, That might relieve you ! King John. The salt in them is hot. 45 Within me is a hell ; and there the poison Is as a fiend confin'd to tyrannize On unreprievable condemned blood. Enter the Bastard Bastard. O, I am scalded with my violent motion, And spleen of speed to see your majesty ! 50 King John. O cousin, thou art come to set mine eye : The tackle of my heart is crack'd and burn'd, And all the shrouds wherewith my life should sail Are turned to one thread, one little hair : 42. strait : stingy, niggardly. The Folios have ' straight.' 50. spleen: heat, eagerness. Cf. II, i, 448. 51. set mine eye : close my eye after death. scene vii KING JOHN 117 My heart hath one poor string to stay it by, 55 Which holds but till thy news be uttered ; And then all this thou seest is but a clod And module of confounded royalty. Bastard. The Dauphin is preparing hitherward, Where heaven He knows how we shall answer him ; 60 For in a night the best part of my power, As I upon advantage did remove, Were in the Washes all unwarily Devoured by the unexpected flood. \The King dies] Salisbury. You breathe these dead news in as dead an ear. 65 My liege ! my lord ! but now a king, now thus. Prince Henry. Even so must I run on, and even so stop. What surety of the world, what hope, what stay, When this was now a king, and now is clay ? Bastard. Art thou gone so ? I do but stay behind 70 To do the office for thee of revenge, And then my soul shall wait on thee to heaven, As it on earth hath been thy servant still. Now, now, you stars that move in your right spheres, Where be your powers ? show now your mended faiths, 75 And instantly return with me again, To push destruction and perpetual shame Out of the weak door of our fainting land. Straight let us seek, or straight we shall be sought ; The Dauphin rages at our very heels. 80 58. module : image, representation. Hanmer printed ' model.' 62. upon . . . remove. I moved for the purpose of gaining an advantage. Cf. II, i, 597. Il8 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE act v Salisbury. It seems you know not, then, so much as we : The Cardinal Pandulph is within at rest, Who half an hour since came from the Dauphin, And brings from him such offers of our peace As we with honour and respect may take, 85 With purpose presently to leave this war. Bastard. He will the rather do it when he sees Ourselves well sinewed to our defence. Salisbury. Nay, 't is in a manner done already ; For many carriages he hath dispatch'd 90 To the sea-side, and put his cause and quarrel To the disposing of the cardinal : With whom yourself, myself and other lords, If you think meet, this afternoon will post To consummate this business happily. 95 Bastard. Let it be so : and you, my noble prince, With other princes that may best be spar'd, Shall wait upon your father's funeral. Prince Henry. At Worcester must his body be interr'd ; For so he wilPd it. Bastard. Thither shall it then : 100 And happily may your sweet self put on The lineal state and glory of the land ! To whom, with all submission, on my knee I do bequeath my faithful services And true subjection everlastingly. 105 Salisbury. And the like tender of our love we make, To rest without a spot for evermore. 99-100. According to Roger of Wendover the dying king said, " To God and St. Wulstan I commend my body and soul." St. Wulstan was Bishop of Worcester, 1062-1096. scene vii KING JOHN 1 19 Prince Henry. I have a kind soul that would give you thanks And knows not how to do it but with tears. Bastard. O, let us pay the time but needful woe, no Since it hath been beforehand with our griefs. This England never did, nor never shall, Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror, But when it first did help to wound itself. Now these her princes are come home again, 115 Come the three corners of the world in arms, And we shall shock them. Nought shall make us rue, If England to itself do rest but true. Exeunt 108. give you thanks Rowe | give thanks Ff. in. Since . . . griefs : since the time has prefaced this event with afflictions enough. The speaker thinks they have already suffered so much that now they ought to give way to sorrow as little as may be. 112-118. In the closing lines of The Troublesome Raigne is heard the same note of noble patriotism, with an undertone of solemn warning. It is the note that vibrates through all great patriotic literature, from the utterances of the Hebrew prophets to The Recessional. INDEX This Index includes the most important words, phrases, etc. explained in the notes. The figures in heavy-faced type refer to the pages ; those in plain type, to the lines containing what is explained. a : 6 68. 24 136 a bastard to the time : 13 207 a landless knight : 11 177 abortives : 69 158 Absey book : 12 196 abstract : 22 101 acquainted . . . land : 103 89 Act I, Scene i : 3 advis'd respect: 86 214 aery : 106 149 affecteth : 7 86 affliction : 64 36 airy devil : 58 2 Alcides' shows: 24 144 all as soon : 20 59 all . . . authority : 50 159-160 amazement : 97 35 and I had his, etc.: 9 139 and if : 74 54 and should : 105 130 angels : 43 590, 59 8 answer'd : 81 89 apparent : 81 93 are brief in hand : 95 158 armado : 62 2 arras : 71 2 Arthur : 17 2 articles : 22 ill as an ague's fit : 66 85 assur'd : 41 535 Ate : 20 63 Austria : 17 1 aweless : 16 266 babe of clouts : 65 58 bad world the while : 81 ioo bank'd : 104 104 battles : 80 78 beadle : 26 188 beholding : 15 239 being none of his: 8 127 bell . . . candle : 59 12 between . . . con- science : 80 77 blood : 56 301 borrowed : 3 4 bottoms : 20 73 bought and sold: 109 10 bounce : 38 462 brabbler : 106 162 brave : 101 44, 106 159 brief : 73 35 brooded : 61 52 but : 47 92 but we will : 19 43 by . . . oath : 55 281-283 by truth : 10 169 call : 70 174 canker : 100 14 canker sorrow : 66 82 cank'red : 27 194 cannon : 19 37 Chatillon: 2 Christendom : 72 16 cincture : 95 155 clap ... up : 53 235 clippeth : 100 34 close aspect : 80 72 closely : 77 133 cock'red silken wan- ton: 99 70 coil : 25 165 Colbrand : 14 225 coldly : 19 53 compulsion : 101 44 conceit : 61 50 conduct : 4 29 convertite : 97 19 convicted : 62 2 copy: 82 113 correct : 21 87 counties : 96 8 covetousness : 78 29 cracker : 24 147 crier : 24 134 cry, havoc : 33 357 crying . . . crow : 105 144 damn'd as black : 94 121 dear : 16 257 defy : 63 23 departed : 42 563 disallow of: 4 16 discipline : 19 39 dishabited : 28 220 122 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE dispiteous : 73 34 displeasure : 98 60 distemper'd : 89 21 distemper'd day: 69 154 do not prove me so : 92 90 do thee right: 18 18 doubt: 72 19, 81 102, 114 44 doubtless : 77 130 draw: 22 ill ear : 60 39 ear ... a rose : 9 142 Elinor: 2 enforced : 100 30 equal potents : 34 358 evilly borne : 68 149 excuse : 23 119 exhalation : 69 153 expedient : 20 60 expedition : 21 79 eye : 43 583 eyeless : 113 12 fair fall : 6 78 fall over : 49 127 fearful : 82 106 feature : 23 126 fell anatomy : 64 40 fire . . . extremes : 76 106-108 fire . . . new-burn'd : 55 277-278 flesh : 99 71 fondly : 29 258 foot : 81 100 for ... it: 54 270- 273 for . . . spake : 102 60-64 force perforce : 49 142 form . . . head : 66 101 from: 22 ill gilt: 32 316 gives the bastinado : 38 463 glory : 33 350 God-a-mercy : 11 185 good den : 11 185 good leave, good Philip: 14 231 good my liege : 8 114 good my mother: 15 249 gracious : 65 81 griefs : 90 29 guard : 78 io half that face : 7 93 half-fac'd groat : 7 94 half-face : 7 92 harness'd masque: 105 132 hatch : 11 171 heat : 74 61 her : 63 18 her sin : 26 187 hide : 24 136 high tides in the calen- dar : 47 86 him: 89 11 his : 22 95, 69 156, 90 32, 33 horn : 13 219 how . . . England : 82 109-110 humours : 20 66 huntsmen . . . purple hands : 32 321-323 hurly : 70 169 I ... do : 66 100 if . . . hold : 79 55 if that : 21 89 imaginary : 88 265 importance : 17 7 imprisoned . . . liberty : 59 8-9 in lieu whereof: 110 44 in my behaviour : 3 3 in spite of spite : 108 5 in this burning : 76 109 indenture : 18 20 indifferency : 43 579 indigest . . . rude : 115 26-27 indirectly : 19 49 infortunate : 26 178 ingrate revolts : 106 151 interrogatories : 50 147 it : 25 160 just and lineal : 21 85 kept . . . from all the world : 8 123-124 King Philip : 24 149 Kings of our fear : 34 371 Knight . . . Basilisco- like : 15 244 Lady Blanch : 37 431 large composition: 7 88 let me alone : 75 85 liable : 103 101 life . . . tale : 67 108 like the . . . the hour : 73 46 likes : 41 533 lions . . . motion : 37 452-453 make up : 58 5 makes nice : 68 138 manage : 4 37 me: 71 l measures . . . pomp : 56 304 meteors : 69 157 minion : 35 392 modern : 64 42 module : 117 58 moe : 109 17 more : 18 34 more circumstance : 21 mortal : 54 259 motion : 13 212 mousing : 33 354 muse : 57 317 mutines : 35 378 near or far off : 11 174 INDEX 123 niece : 20 64 no had : 86 207 no scope of nature : 69 154 Nob : 10 147 nor . . . defence : 92 84 not feel themselves : 115 14 observation : 13 208 o'erlook'd : 111 55 offer : 29 258 on the hazards : 8 119 once superfluous : 77 4 only for wantonness : 72 16 or ere : 89 20, 114 44 ordinance : 28 218 outlook: 104 115 owe : 22 109 owes : 29 248 part: 112 2 passionate : 41 544 peised : 42 575 perfect: 112 6 peril . . . light : 56 295 Philip : 58 5 Philip, sparrow: 14 231 picked : 12 193 Plantagenet : 10 162 practises : 72 20 precedent : 99 3 presence : 9 137 private : 89 16 prodigious : 45 46 prodigiously be cross'd : 47 91 proper : 15 250 propertied : 103 79 Pyrenean : 12 203 quoted : 86 222 rail . . . Commodity : 43 587 rankness : 111 54 rated : 110 37-38 reason : 90 29 rebuke : 17 9 recreant : 49 129 regreet : 53 241 remembrance : 113 12 remorse : 91 50 resolv'd : 34 371 resolveth : 109 25 respect: 60 28, 66 90, 101 44, 110 41 respects : 57 318 retire : 108 13 rheum : 72 33 riding-rods : 9 140 rounded : 42 566 roundure : 29 259 rub : 67 128 rumour : 110 45 safety : 84 158 Saint George : 30 288- 289 scamble : 95 146 scath : 20 75 scroyles : 34 373 secure : 18 27, 77 130 set mine eye : 116 51 she ... he : 37 435-436 shrewd : 112 14 sick service : 73 52 sightless : 45 45 silverly : 101 46 since . . . griefs : 119 111 smacks . . . policy : 35 396 so new a fashion'd robe : 78 27 something about : 11 170 soul-fearing : 35 383 souse : 106 150 spleen : 116 50 spot : 100 30 states : 35 395 stay : 38 455 stay'd : 20 58 still : 18 27 still and anon : 73 47 stoop : 46 69 stout : 84 173 strait : 116 42 strew the footsteps : 13 216 strong in both : 53 240 sullen : 4 28 supply : 108 9 swing'd : 30 288 Swinstead : 107 8 table : 39 503 take a truce : 44 17 tarre: 76 117 temporize : 105 125 than . . . this : 113 27 that lamentable rheum: 45 22 that . . . occasions : 79 61-62 that pale . . . shore : 18 23 the king's deceas'd : 20 65 their . . . beats : 21 88 them : 79 50 then : 79 42 this : 22 106 thy brother Geffrey's face : 22 99 tickling Commodity : 42 573 times : 91 54 't is . . . conversion : 12 188-189 to : 9 144 to cry aim : 27 196 to know . . . right : 103 88 to spend : 101 39 to . . . swear : 55 287 to . . . take : 105 138 to . . . will : 65 68 toasting-iron : 93 99 tongue : 54 258 to-night : 81 85 took it : 8 110 124 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE toothpick : 12 190 topful of offence : 70 180 tott'ring : 111 7 towers: 33 350, 106 149 toys : 14 232 train : 70 175 traveller : 12 189 trick : 6 85 true blood : 68 147 trumpet : 4 27 unacquainted : 70 166 unadvis'd: 19 45, 105 132 unadvised : 27 191 under-wrought : 22 95 unhair'd : 105 133 unowed : 95 147 unstained : 18 16 unthread . . . rebellion: 109n upon . . . land : 98 66 upon my party : 49 123 upon . . . remove : 117 62 vast : 95 152 vile . . . breath : 63 19 voluntaries : 20 67 vows ... is : 55 288- 289 waft : 20 73 wall-eyed : 91 49 water-walled bulwark: 18 27 What . . . king: 50 147-148 what though : 10 169 whe'er : 6 75 which . . . learn : 13 214-215 wince : 75 81 with . . . dispos'd: 63 11 with occasion : 21 82 wreck : 47 92 yet : 92 91 you : 68 146 Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide Treatment Date: Feb. 2009 PreservationTechnologies A WORLD LEADER IN COLLECTIONS PRESERVATIOf 111 Thomson Park Drive Cranberry Township, PA 16066 (724)779-2111 .'DRMny uh UUNGRESS 014 094 989 9