Cit. A greater pow'r, than ye, denies all this; (9) And till it be undoubted, we do lock Our former fcruple in our ftrong barr'd gates. [Kings, Be by fome certain King purg'd and depos'd. Be friends a while, and both conjointly bend Even till unfenced defolation Leave them as naked as the vulgar air. To whom in favour the fhall give the day, How like you this wild counfel, mighty States ? K. John. Now by the sky, that hangs above our heads, Faulc. And if thou haft the mettle of a King, Being wrong'd as we are by this peevish town, (9) A greater pow'r than we denies all this; ] We must certainly read, as Mr. Warburton acutely oblerv'd to me; A greater pow'r, than ye, denies all this;. ie. Tho each of you pretend to be ur rightful Kings, you are as yet only fo in fwaying over our fears, in the terrors we have of you; not acknowledg'd Kings in our obedience. Tura Turn thou the mouth of thy artillery, Make work upon ourselves for heav'n or hell. Auft. I from the north. K. Philip. Our thunder from the fouth Shall rain their drift of builets on this town. Faulc. O prudent difcipline! from north to fouth; Auftria and France fhoot in each other's mouth. I'll ftir them to it; come, away, away! Cit. Hear us, great Kings; vouchfafe a while to stay, And I fhall fhew you peace, and fair-fac'd league ; Win you: this city without streak or wound; Rescue thofe breathing lives to die in beds, That here come facrifices for the field; Perfevere not, but hear me, mighty Kings. K. John. Speak on, with favour; we are bent to hear. Cit. That daughter there of Spain, the Lady Blanch, Is near to England; look upon the years Of Lewis the Dauphin, and that lovely maid.. If lufty love should go in queft of beauty, Where should he find it fairer than in Blanch? If zealous love fhould go in fearch of virtue, Where fhould he find it purer than in Blanch? If love ambitious fought a match of birth, Whofe veins bound richer blood than Lady Blanch Such as he is in beauty, virtue, birth, Is the young Dauphin every way compleat: If not compleat of, fay, he is not fhe; And the again wants nothing, (to name want,), He is the half part of a bleffed man, (10) (10) He is the half part of a blefed man, Left to be finished by fuch as the:] The ingenious Dr. Thirlöý: preferib'd that reading, which I have here reftor'd to the text; and which is abfolutely requifite to the fenfe of the paffage, Left. Left to be finished by fuch a fhe: Lions fo confident, mountains and rocks So free from motion; no, not death himself As we to keep this city. Faude. Here's a kay, That shakes the rotten carcafe of old death Out of his rags. Here's a large mouth, indeed, That fpits forth death, and mountains, rocks and feas; Talks as familiarly of roaring lions, As maids of thirteen do of puppy-dogs. What cannoneer begot this lufty blood? He speaks plain cannon-fire, and fmoak and bounce, Eli. Son, lift to this conjunction, make this match,. wife (11) With fw fter speed than perder can enforce,] This is 3. fophiftication of Mr. Poe's, because he did not understand the genuine text. I have reftor'd with the old copies; With Swifter fpleen than poruder, &c. i. e. with a paffion, of defire more fwift in its influence, than your fire and fury can compel us to. The Poet ufes this word again, afterwards in this play, in the very fame fenfe; Faulc. Oh, I am fealded spith my violent motion, And spleen of speed to fee your Majefty! Give with our niece a dowry large enough; Mark, how they whifper; urge them, while their fouls Are capable of this ambition; Left zeal now melted by the windy breath Of foft petitions, pity, and remorse, Cit. Why anfwer not the double majesties This friendly treaty of our threaten'd town? K. Phil. Speak, England, first, that hath been forward! To fpeak unto this city: what say you? [fritt Shall gild her bridal bed; and make her rich As fhe in beauty, education, blood, (12) For ANGIER's and fair Touraine, Maine, Poitiers, Except this city now by us befieg'd,. Find liable, &c.] This is a remarkable inftance of carelessness in a point that stares comman fenfe full in the face: and yet thus all the Editors in their profound fagacity What was the city befieg'd but Angiers? King John, confeating to match the Lady Blanch with the Dauphin, agrees, in part of her dowry, to give up all he held in France, except the city of giers which he now beeg'd and laid: claim to. But could it be thought, that he should at one and the fame time give up all except Angers, and give up that too? I cor -rected this paffige in the appendix to my SHAKESPEARE Refur’dz and Mr. Pope has embrac'd it in his last edition. Arj u was one of the provinces, (methinks, that gentleman might have remembered;}} which the Eng if held in Face; and which the French King by Chan tilion claim'd of King John in right of Duke Arthur, at the very opening of the play. Angiers, inftead of Arju, has been falfely printed. in feveral other paffages of this hiftory. Holde Holds hand with any Princefs of the world.. K. Phil, What fay'it thou, boy? look in the Lady's face.. The fhadow of myself form'd in her eye; Till now infixed I beheld myself, Drawn in the flatt'ring table of her eye. [Whispering with Blanch. Faule. Drawn in the flatt'ring table of her eye!. Hang'd in the frowning wrinkle of her brow! And quarter'd in her heart! he doth efpie Himfelf love's traitor: this is pity now, That hang'd, and drawn, and quarter'd, there should be,. In fuch a love, fo vile a lout as he. Blanch. My uncle's will in this refpect is mine. If he fee ought in you, that makes him like, That any thing he fees, which moves his liking,, I can with cafe tranflate it to my will: Or if you will, to speak more properly, 1 will enforce it cafily to my love. Further I will not flatter you, my Lord,. That all I fee in you is worthy love, Than this; that nothing do I fee in you, (Tho'churlish thoughts themfelves fhould be your judge) That I can find fhould merit any hate. K. John. What fay thefe young ones? what fay you, my niece? Blanch. That the is bound in honour still to do What you in wifdom ftill vouchfafe to say. K. John. Speak then, Prince Dauphin, can you love this Lady? Lervis. Nay, a me, if I can refrain from love, For I do love her moft unfeignedly. K. John. Then do I give Volqueffen, Touraine, Maine, Poitiers, and Anjou, thefe five provinces, With her to thee; and this addition more, Full thirty thousand marks of English coin. |