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How I may be deliver'd of thefe woes,
And teaches me to kill or hang myself.
If I were mad, I fhould forget my fon,
Or madly think, a babe of clouts were he:
I am not mad; too well, too well I feel
The diff'rent plague of each calamity.

K.Philip. Bind up thofe treffes; O, what love I note: In the fair multitude of those her hairs ;

Where but by chance a filver drop hath fall'n,.

E'en to that drop ten thousand wiery friends

Do glew themselves in fociable grief;

Like true, infeparable, faithful loves,
Sticking together in calamity.

Conf. To England, if you will.

K. Philip Bind up your hairs.

Conft. Yes, that I will; and wherefore will I do it?
I tore them from their bonds, and cry'd aloud,
O, that thefe hands could fo redeem my son,
As they have giv'n thefe hairs their liberty !.
But now I envy at their liberty,

And will again commit them to their bonds;
Because my poor child is a prifoner,

And, father Cardinal, I have heard you fay,
That we shall fee and know our friends in Heav'n ;
If that be, I fhall fee my boy again.

For face the birth of Cain, the first male-child,.
To him that did but yesterday fufpire,

There was not fuch a gracious creature børn.

But now will canker-forrow eat my bud,

And chafe the native beauty from his cheek
And he will look as hollow as a ghost;
As dim and meagre as an ague's fit,
And fo he'll die; and rifing fo again,
When I fhall meet him in the court of heav'n
I fhall not know him therefore never, never,
Muft I behold my pretty Arthur more.

Pand. You hold too heinous a refpect of grief.
Conft. He talks to me, that never had a fon.-

K. Philip. You are as fond of grief, as of your child.'.

R.4

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Conft. Grief fills the room up of my abfent 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 reafon to be fond of grief. Bare you well; had you fuch a lofs as I, I could give better comfort than you do. 1 will not keep this form upon my head,

[Tearing off her head-cloaths. When there is fuch diforder in my wit. O Lord, my boy, my Arthur, my fair fon! My life, my joy, my food, my all the world! My widow-comfort, and my forrow's cure!

[Exit.

K.Ph. I fear fome outrage, and I'll 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 drowfy man.

A bitter fhame hath spoilt the fweet world's tafte,
That it yields nought but fhame and bitterness.
Pand. Before the curing of a ftrcng disease,
Ev'n in the inftant of repair and health,
The fit is ftrongeft: evils that take leave,
On their departure, most of all fhew evil.
What have you lot, by lofing of this day?
Lewis. All days of glory, joy, and happiness..
Pand. 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.
'Tis ftrange to think how much King John hath loft,
In this, which he accounts fo clearly won.
Are not you griev'd, that Arthur is his prifoner?
Lewis. As heartily, as he is glad he hath him.
Pand. Your mind is all as youthful as your blood.
Now hear me speak with a prophetick spirit;
For ev'n the breath of what I mean to speak
Shall blow eachduft, each ftraw, each little rub,
Out of the path which thall directly lead
Thy foot to England's throne; and therefore mark.

Johr

John hath feiz'd Arthur, and it cannot be
That whilft warm life plays in that infant's veins,
The mifplac'd John fhould entertain an hour,
A minute, nay, one quiet breath, of reft.
A fcepter, fnatch'd with an unruly hand,
Must be as boift'roufly maintain'd, as gain'd.
And he, that ftands upon a flipp'ry place,
Makes nice of no vile hold to ftay him up.
That John may ftand, then Arthur needs must fall; ·
So be it, for it cannot be but fo.

Lewis. But what fhall I gain by young Arthur's fall” Pand. You, in the right of Lady Blanch your wife, May then make all the claim that Arthur did.

Lewis. And lofe it, life and all, as Arthur did.
Pand. How green you are, and fresh in this old world?
John lays you plots; the times confpire with you;
For he, that fteeps his fafety in true blood,
Shall find but bloody fafety and untrue.
This act, fo evilly born, fhall cool the hearts
Of all his people, and freeze up their zeal;
That no fo fmall advantage hall step forth
To check his reign, but they will cherish it
No natʼral exhalation in the sky,

No fcape of nature, no diftemper'd day,
No common wind, no cuftomed event,
But they will pluck away its natʼral caufe,
And call them meteors, prodigies, and figns,
Abortives, and prefages, tongues of heav'n
Plainly denouncing vengeance upon John.

Lewis. May be, he will not touch young Arthur's life,. But hold himself fafe in his prifonment.

Pand. O Sir, when he fhall hear of your approach,. If that young Arthur be not gone already, Ev'n at this news he dies: and then the hearts Of all his people shall revolt from him, And kifs the lips of unacquainted change; And pick ftrong matter of revolt and wrath, Out of the bloody fingers' ends of John. Methinks, I fee this hurly all on foot ;;

B. 5

And

And O, what better matter breeds for you
Than I have nam'd!The baftard Faulconbridge
Is now in England, ranfacking the church,
Offending charity. If but twelve French
Were there in arins, they would be as a call
To train ten thousand English to their fide;
Or, as a little fnow, tumbled about,
Anon becomes a mountain. Noble Dauphin;.
Go with me to the King: 'tis wonderful
What may be wrought out of their discontent.
Now that their fouls are top-full of offence,
For England go; I will whet on the King.

Lewis. Strong reafon makes ftrong actions: let us go;, If you lay ay, the King will not fay no.

[Exeunt.

ACT

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A C T IV.

SCENE changes to England,

A prison.

Enter Hubert and Executioner.

HUBERT.

EAT me thefe irons hot, and, look, thou standWithin the arras; when I ftrike my foots Upon the bofom of the ground, rush forth; And bind the boy, which you shall find with me, Faft to the chair: be heedful; hence, and watch. Exe. I hope your warrant will bear out the deed. Hub. Uncleanly fcruples! fear not you; look to't. Young lad, come forth; I have to fay with you..

Enter Arthur.

Arth. Good morrow, Hubert.

Hub. Good morrow, little Prince.

Arth. As little Prince (having fo great a title
To be more Prince) as may be. You are fad.
Hub. Indeed, I have been merrier.
Arth. Mercy on me!

Methinks, nobody fhould be fad but I ;
Yet I remember when I was in France,
Young gentlemen would be as fad as night,
Only for wantonnefs. By my Christendom,
So were I out of prifon, and kept fheep,
I should be merry as the day is long.
And fo I would be here, but that, I doubt, .
My uncle practifes more harm to me...
He is afraid of me, and I of him.

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