Cit. A greater pow'r, than ye, denies all this; (7) And till it be undoubted, we do lock

Our former fcruple in our ftrong-barr'd gates.
Kings of our fears, until our fears refolv'd
Be by fome certain King purg'd and depos'd.
Faulc. By heav'n, the Scroyles of Angiers flout you,
Kings,

And ftand fecurely on their battlements,

As in a Theatre, whence they gape and point
At

your induftrious Scenes and Acts of death.
You royal prefences, be rul'd by me;
Do like the Mutines of Jerufalem,

Be friends a while, and both conjointly bend
Your sharpeft deeds of malice on this town.
By eaft and weft let France and England mount
Their batt'ring cannon charged to the mouths;
Till their foul-fearing clamours have braul'd down
The flinty ribs of this contemptuous City.
I'd play inceffantly upon thefe jades;

Even till unfenced defolation

Leave them as naked as the vulgar air.
That done, diffever your united strengths,
And part your mingled Colours once again;
Turn face to face, and bloody point to point.
Then in a moment fortune fhall cull forth
Out of one fide her happy minion;
To whom in favour fhe fhall give the day,
And kifs him with a glorious Victory.
How like you this wild counsel, mighty States?
Smacks it not something of the Policy?

K. John. Now by the sky, that hangs above our heads,

I like it well. France, fhall we knit our Pow'rs,
And lay this Angiers even with the ground,

(1) A greater Pow'r than We denies all this ;] We must certainly read, as Mr. Warburton acutely observ'd to Me;

A greater Pow'r, than Ye, denies all this:

i. e. Tho' each of You pretend to be our 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.

Then,'

Then, after, fight who fhall be King of it?
Faulc. And if thou haft the mettle of a King,
Being wrong'd as we are by this peevish town,
Turn thou the mouth of thy artillery,

As we will ours, against these fawcy walls;
And when that we have dash'd them to the ground,
Why, then defie each other; and, pell-mell,
Make work upon our felves for heav'n or hell.
K. Philip. Let it be fo; fay, where will you affault?
K. John. We from the weft will send destruction
Into this City's bofom.

Auft. I from the north.

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

Faulc. O prudent difcipline! from North to South; Auftria and France 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 ftroak or wound;
Rescue those breathing lives to die in beds,
That here come facrifices for the field;
Perfever 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 fhould go in queft of beauty,
Where should he find it fairer than in Blanch?

If zealous love should go in fearch of virtue,
Where should 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 fhe is, in beauty, virtue, birth,
Is the young Dauphin every way compleat:
If not compleat of -fay, he is not she;
And the again wants nothing, (to name Want,)
If Want it be not, that he is not he.

Vo L. III.

e

He

He is the half part of a bleffed man, (8)
Left to be finished by fuch a She:
And the a fair divided Excellence,
Whofe fulness of perfection lies in him.
Oh! two fuch filver currents, when they join,
Do glorifie the banks that bound them in:
And two fuch fhores, to two fuch streams made one,
Two fuch controlling bounds fhall you be, Kings,
To these two Princes, if you marry them.
This union fhall do more than battery can,
To our fast-clofed gates: for at this match,
With fwifter Spleen than Powder can enforce,
The mouth of paffage fhall we fling wide ope,
And give you entrance; but without this match,
The fea enraged is not half fo deaf,

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

As we to keep this City.

Faulc. Here's a ftay,

That shakes the rotten carcafs 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 fpeaks plain cannon-fire, and fmoak and bounce,
He gives the baftonado with his tongue:
Our ears are cudgel'd; not a word of his,
But buffets better than a fift of France;
Zounds! I was never fo bethumpt with words,
Since I first call'd my brother's father dad.

Eli. Son, lift to this conjunction, make this match,
Give with our Neice a dowry large enough;
For by this knot thou shalt fo furely tie

(8) He is the half Part of a blessed Man,

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

Thy

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

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

Left zeal now melted by the windy breath

Of foft petitions, pity and remorse,

Cool and congeal again to what it was.

Cit. Why anfwer not the double Majefties

This friendly Treaty of our threaten'd town?

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

To speak unto this City: what fay you?

K. John. If that the Dauphin there, thy Princely fon, Can in this book of beauty read, I love; Her dowry fhall weigh equal with a Queen. For Anjou, and fair Touraine, Maine, Poitiers, (9) And all that we upon this fide the fea, Except this City now by us befieg'd, Find liable to our Crown and Dignity, Shall gild her bridal bed; and make her rich In titles, honours, and promotions;

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

Except this City now by us befieg'd,

Find liable, &c.] This is a remarkable Inftance of Careleffnefs in a Point that ftares common Senfe full in the Face: and yet thus all the Editors in their profound Sagacity. What was the City befieg'd, but Angiers? King John, confenting to match the Lady Blanch with the Dauphin, agrees, in Part of her Dowry, to give up all he held in France, except the City of Angiers which he now befieg'd and laid Claim to. But could it be thought, that he should at one and the fame time give up all except Angiers, and give up That too? Anjou was one of the Provinces, which the English held in France; and which the French King by Chatilion claim'd of K. John in Right of Duke Arthur, at the very Opening of the Play. Angiers, instead of Anjou, has been falfely printed in feveral other Paffages of this Hiftory.

As fhe in beauty, education, blood,

Holds hand with any Princess of the world.

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

Lewis. I do, my lord, and in her eye I find
A wonder, or a wondrous miracle;

The fhadow of my self form'd in her eye;
Which, being but the fhadow of your son,
Becomes a Sun, and makes your fon a shadow.
I do proteft, I never lov'd my felf,

Till now, infixed, I beheld my felf,
Drawn in the flatt'ring table of her eye.

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

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

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

(Though churlish thoughts themselves fhould be your judge)

That I can find should merit any hate.

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

Blanch. That he is bound in Honour still to do What you in wisdom ftill vouchsafe to say.

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

this lady?

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

K. John.