The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 4 of 9]

K. John. [To Elinor] So shall it be; your grace shall stay behind [331]
So strongly guarded. [To Arthur] Cousin, look not sad:[332]
Thy grandam loves thee; and thy uncle will
As dear be to thee as thy father was.

Arth. O, this will make my mother die with grief!5

K. John. [To the Bastard] Cousin, away for England! haste before:[333]
And, ere our coming, see thou shake the bags
Of hoarding abbots; imprisoned angels [334]
Set at liberty: the fat ribs of peace[334][335]
Must by the hungry now be fed upon:[336]10
Use our commission in his utmost force.[337]

Bast. Bell, book, and candle shall not drive me back,
When gold and silver becks me to come on.[338]
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.

Eli. Farewell, gentle cousin.

K. John. Coz, farewell. [Exit Bastard.[339]

Eli. Come hither, little kinsman; hark, a word.[340]

K. John. Come hither, Hubert. O my gentle Hubert,[341]
We owe thee much! within this wall of flesh20
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.[342]
By heaven, Hubert, I am almost ashamed [343]
To say what good respect I have of thee.

Hub. I am much bounden to your majesty.

K. John. Good friend, thou hast no cause to say so yet,[344]30
But thou shalt have; and creep time ne'er so slow,
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 [345]
To give me audience: if the midnight bell
Did, with his iron tongue and brazen mouth,[346]
Sound on into the drowsy race of night;[346][347]
If this same were a churchyard where we stand,40
And thou possessed with a thousand wrongs,
Or if that surly spirit, melancholy,
Had baked thy blood and made it heavy-thick,[348]
Which else runs tickling up and down the veins,[349]
Making that idiot, laughter, keep men's eyes [350]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,[351]
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 lovest me well.55

Hub. So well, that what you bid me undertake,
Though that my death were adjunct to my act,
By heaven, I would do it.[352]

K. John. Do not I know thou wouldst?
Good Hubert, Hubert, Hubert, throw thine eye
On yon young boy: I'll 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.

Hub. And I'll keep him so,
That he shall not offend your majesty.[353]

K. John. Death.[65]65

Hub. My lord?[354]

K. John. A grave.

Hub. He shall not live.

K. John. Enough.
I could be merry now. Hubert, I love thee;
Well, I'll not say what I intend for thee:
Remember. Madam, fare you well:[355]
I'll send those powers o'er to your majesty.70

Eli. My blessing go with thee!

K. John. For England, cousin, go:[356]
Hubert shall be your man, attend on you [357]
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.[358]

K. Phi. So, by a roaring tempest on the flood,
A whole armado of convicted sail [359]
Is scattered and disjoin'd from fellowship.[360]

Pand. Courage and comfort! all shall yet go well.

K. Phi. What can go well, when we have run so ill?5
Are we not beaten? Is not Angiers lost?
Arthur ta'en prisoner? divers dear friends slain?
And bloody England into England gone,
O'erbearing interruption, spite of France?

Lew. What he hath won, that hath he fortified:10
So hot a speed with such advice disposed,
Such temperate order in so fierce a cause,[361]
Doth want example: who hath read or heard
Of any kindred action like to this?

K. Phi. Well could I bear that England had this praise,15
So we could find some pattern of our shame.

Enter Constance.

Look, who comes here! a grave unto a soul;[362]
Holding the eternal spirit, against her will,[363]
In the vile prison of afflicted breath.[364]
I prithee, lady, go away with me.20

Const. Lo, now! now see the issue of your peace.

K. Phi. Patience, good lady! comfort, gentle Constance!

Const. No, I defy all counsel, all redress,
But that which ends all counsel, true redress,[365]
Death, death; O amiable lovely death![365]25
Thou odoriferous stench! sound rottenness![366]
Arise forth from the couch of lasting night,[367]
Thou hate and terror to prosperity,
And I will kiss thy detestable bones [368]
And put my eyeballs in thy vaulty brows30
And ring these fingers with thy household worms
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,[369]35
O, come to me!

K. Phil. O fair affliction, peace!

Const. 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;[370]
And rouse from sleep that fell anatomy40
Which cannot hear a lady's feeble voice,[371]
Which scorns a modern invocation.[371][372]

Pand. Lady, you utter madness, and not sorrow.

Const. Thou art not holy to belie me so;[373]
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, 'tis like I should forget myself:
O, if I could, what grief should I forget!50
Preach some philosophy to make me mad,[374]
And thou shalt be canonized, cardinal;[374][375]
For being not mad but sensible of grief,[374]
My reasonable part produces reason[374]
How I may be deliver'd of these woes,[374]55
And teaches me to kill or hang myself:[374]
If I were mad, I should forget my son,[374]
Or madly think a babe of clouts were he:[374]
I am not mad; too well, too well I feel
The different plague of each calamity.60

K. Phi. Bind up those tresses. O, what love I note [376]
In the fair multitude of those her hairs![376]
Where but by chance a silver drop hath fallen,[376]
Even to that drop ten thousand wiry friends[376][377]
Do glue themselves in sociable grief,[376]65
Like true, inseparable, faithful loves,[376][378]
Sticking together in calamity.[376]

Const. To England, if you will.[376]

K. Phi. Bind up your hairs.[376]

Const. Yes, that I will; and wherefore will I do it?[376]
I tore them from their bonds and cried aloud[376]70
'O that these hands could so redeem my son,[376]
As they have given these hairs their liberty!'[376]
But now I envy at their liberty,[376]
And will again commit them to their bonds,[376]
Because my poor child is a prisoner.[376]75
And, father cardinal, I have heard you say [379]
That we shall see and know our friends in heaven:
If that be true, I shall see my boy again;[380]
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.
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'll 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.

Pand. You hold too heinous a respect of grief.90

Const. He talks to me that never had a son.

K. Phi. You are as fond of grief as of your child.

Const. 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?[381]
Fare you well: had you such a loss as I,[382]
I could give better comfort than you do.100
I will not keep this form upon my head,[383]
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.[384]105

K. Phi. I fear some outrage, and I'll follow her. [Exit.

Lew. There's nothing in this world can make me joy:[385]
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.[386]110
That it yields nought but shame and bitterness.[387]

Pand. Before the curing of a strong disease,
Even in the instant of repair and health,
The fit is strongest; evils that take leave,[388]
On their departure most of all show evil:[388]115
What have you lost by losing of this day?

Lew. 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 threatening eye.120
'Tis strange to think how much King John hath lost
In this which he accounts so clearly won:
Are not you grieved that Arthur is his prisoner?

Lew. As heartily as he is glad he hath him.

Pand. Your mind is all as youthful as your blood.125
Now hear me speak with a prophetic spirit;
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 seized Arthur; and it cannot be
That, whiles warm life plays in that infant's veins,[389]
The misplaced John should entertain an hour,[390]
One minute, nay, one quiet breath of rest.[391]
A sceptre snatch'd with an unruly hand135
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;[392]
So be it, for it cannot be but so.140

Lew. But what shall 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.

Lew. And lose it, life and all, as Arthur did.

Pand. How green you are and fresh in this old world! 145
John lays you plots; the times conspire with you;[393]
For he that steeps his safety in true blood
Shall find but bloody safety and untrue.
This act so evilly born shall cool the hearts [394]
Of all his people and freeze up their zeal,150
That none so small advantage shall step forth [395]
To check his reign, but they will cherish it;[396]
No natural exhalation in the sky,
No scope of nature, no distemper'd day,[397]
No common wind, no customed event,155
But they will pluck away his natural cause [398]
And call them meteors, prodigies and signs,
Abortives, presages and tongues of heaven,[399]
Plainly denouncing vengeance upon John.

Lew. May be he will not touch young Arthur's life,160
But hold himself safe in his prisonment.

Pand. 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 [400]
Of all his people shall revolt from him165
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 [401]170
Than I have named! The bastard Faulconbridge
Is now in England, ransacking the church,
Offending charity: if but a dozen French [402]
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,[403]
Anon becomes a mountain. O noble Dauphin,[404]
Go with me to the king: 'tis wonderful
What may be wrought out of their discontent,[405]
Now that their souls are topful of offence.[405]180
For England go: I will whet on the king.

Lew. Strong reasons make strong actions: let us go:[406]
If you say ay, the king will not say no. [Exeunt.

FOOTNOTES:

[248] Act III. Scene I.] Pope (ed. 2). Actus Secundus. Ff. Act II. Scene I. Rowe. Scene VII. Pope (ed. 1).

The French....] Theobald.

[249] I trust] I think Pope.

[250] Believe ... man] Omitted in Pope.

[251] jest, ... spirits] Rowe. jest ... spirits, Ff.

[252] cannot] can't Pope.

[253] signs] sighs Warburton.

[254] you think] you'll think Keightley conj.

[255] marry] wed Pope.

Blanch!] Blanch? Ff.

[256] England,] Ff. England! Rowe (ed. 2).

[257] This ... it] Put in the margin, as spurious, by Pope.

[258] madam] mother Pope.

[259] and sightless] unsightly Collier MS.

[260] She adulterates] Capell. Sh' adulterates Ff. Adulterates Pope.

[261] King John] to John Pope.

[262] those] these F₄.

[263] sorrows] sorrow Rowe (ed. 2).

[264] and] an 't Anon. conj.

his] its Boswell. See note (XV).

owner stoop] donor stoop Jackson conj. owners too Mitford conj.

stoop] F₃ F₄. stoope F₁ F₂. stout Hammer.

his owner] dishonour Bullock conj.

[265] earth] earth [throwing herself upon it. Capell.

[266] and sorrows] F₃ F₄. and sorrowes F₁ F₂. and sorrow Pope. in sorrow Jackson conj.

[267] Seats....] Sits down on the floor. Theobald, om. Ff.

[268] Actus Tertius, Scæna Prima Ff. Theobald continues the scene. Act III. Sc. 2. Hanmer. See note (II).

Enter ... Attendants] Malone. Enter King John, France, Dolphin, Blanch, Elianor, Philip, Austria, Constance. Ff.

[269] holiday] holy day F₁ F₂ F₃. Holy-day F₄.

[270] A ... day!] Omitted by Pope.]

an holy-day Theobald. a holy day] F₁ F₂ F₃. a Holy day F₄.

[Rising] Theobald.

[271] But on this day] Rowe (ed. 2). But (on this day) Ff. Except this day Pope.

wreck] wrack Ff.

[272] change] chang'd Pope.

[273] being] om. Pope.]

and tried] om. Ritson conj.

[274] mine] my F₄.

[275] cold] cool'd Hanmer. clad Capell. coil'd Staunton conj.

painted] faint in Collier MS. pacted Bubier conj.

[276] hath] had F₂.

[277] you] ye Pope.

[278] cries;] Capell. cries, Ff.

heavens] heav'n Pope.

[279] day] Theobald. daies F₁. dayes F₂. days F₃ F₄.

[280] and stamp] to stamp F₄.

[281] calf's-skin] Capell. Calves skin F₁ F₂ F₃. Calves-skin F₄.

[282] should] would Pope.

[283] calf's-skin] Capell. Calves-skin F₁ F₃ F₄. Calves skin F₂.

[284] Twelve lines from (Q) inserted by Pope. See note (XVI).

[285] Scene II. Pope. Scene III. Hanmer.

[286] archbishop] F₃ F₄. arshbishop F₁ F₂.

[287] see] F₄. sea F₁ F₂ F₃.

[288] earthy] earthly Pope.

[289] task] Theobald. tast F₁ F₂. taste F₃ F₄. tax Rowe (ed. 2).

[290] pope] pope's Keightley conj.

[291] heaven] God Collier conj.

[292] Him] it Rowe (ed. 2). heaven Collier (Collier MS.).

[293] Canonized and worshipp'd] Worshipp'd and canonized Seymour conj.

[294] room] F₃ F₄. roome F₁ F₂. leave Pope.

[295] too: when ... right,] too: when ... right, Rowe (ed. 2). too, when ... right. Ff.

[296] that, devil] Pope. that devil Ff.

[297] calf's-skin] Capell. Calves-skin Ff.

[298] That's] That s F₁. That is F₂ F₃ F₄.

[299] O Lewis] Lewis Pope.

[300] new untrimmed] Ff. new and trimmed Theobald, new untamed or new betrimmed. Id. conj. new-uptrimmed Dyce. new entrimmed Richardson conj.

[301] The lady ... lout.] Put in the margin, as spurious, by Pope.

[302] king] F₁ F₄. kind] F₂ F₃.

[303] but new before,] but new—before— Seymour conj.

[304] and then] and Pope.

[305] chased] Theobald. cased Ff. chased Pope. uncas'd Becket conj. caged Collier (Mitford conj.). raged Keightley conj. See note (XVII).

[306] Is not] Ff. Is most Hanmer. Is yet Warburton. Is't not Johnson. Is but Collier (Collier MS.). Is done Spedding conj.

[307] again;] Theobald. again Ff.

[308] By what] By that Hanmer. By which Capell (Johnson conj.).

[309] truth Against an oath: the truth] truth, Against an oath. The truth Johnson (Heath conj.). truth, Against an oath the truth, F₁ F₂. truth: Against an oath the truth, F₃ F₄. truth, Against an oath the truth; Rowe (ed. 2). truth, Against an oath the truth Pope. truth Against an oath that truth Hanmer.

[310] the truth] the proof Staunton. See note (XVIII).

[311] unsure To swear,] untrue To swear: Hanmer. unsure—Toswear, Warburton. unsure. Who swears, Capell.

[312] swears] sweares F₁ F₂. swears, F₃ F₄. swear Rowe (ed. 2).

[313] later] F₁ F₂. latter F₃ F₄.

[314] giddy loose] giddy-loose S. Walker conj.

[315] thee] thee; Capell.

[316] Lew.] Daul. Ff.

[317] slaughtered] Ff. slaughter'd Rowe.

[318] ay, alack] ah! alack Warburton.

[319] O, upon ... heaven] Arranged as in Pope. As three lines in Ff, ending kneeling ... Daulphin ... heaven.

[320] I will] I'll Pope.

[321] with me,] with me; Capell. lies] lives Capell.

[322] [Exit Bastard.] Pope.

[323] allay] allay't Capell conj.

[324] The blood] The best S. Walker conj.

[325] Scene II.] Scene III. Pope. Scene IV. Hanmer.

The same. Plains....] Malone. A field of battle. Pope.

[326] airy] fiery Theobald (Warburton).

[327] While Philip breathes] Omitted by Pope. See note (XIX).

[Alarums. Capell.

[328] Hubert] There, Hubert Pope.

keep] keep thou Rann (Tyrwhitt conj.).

Philip] Richard Theobald. cousin Hanmer.

[329] an happy] a happy Capell.

[Exeunt.] Exit. Ff.

[330] Scene III.] Capell. Scene IV. Pope. Scene V. Hanmer. Scene continued in Ff.

[331] [To Elinor,] Hanmer.

[332] [To Arthur] Pope.

[333] [To the Bastard] Pope.

[334] imprisoned angels Set] Ff. their imprison 'd angels Set Pope. their imprisoned angels Set thou Theobald. angels imprisoned Set thou Reed (1813). set at liberty Imprison'd angels Grant White (S. Walker conj.).

[335] Set] Set all Anon. conj.

[336] hungry ... upon] hungry soldiers now be fed on Malone conj. (withdrawn).

now] war Theobald (Warburton). maw Hanmer.

[337] his] its Rowe.

[338] becks] beck Theobald.

[339] gentle] my gentle Pope.

[Exit....] Pope.

[340] [Taking him to one side of the stage. Pope.

[341] [To Hubert on the other side. Pope.

[342] time] Pope. tune Ff.

[343] I am] I'm Pope.

[344] so yet,] Ff. so—yet— Pope.

[345] all too] allto Seymour conj.

gawds] gawdes F₁. gawdes. F₂ F₃. gawds, F₄.

[346] Did ... Sound on into] Had ... sounden unto Rann conj.

[347] Sound on] Ff. Sound one Theobald. Sound: On! Delius conj.

into] Ff. unto Theobald.

race] Ff. reign Seymour conj. ear Dyce and Staunton (S. Walker conj.). car Staunton conj. (withdrawn).

[348] heavy-thick] Pope. heavy, thick Ff.

[349] tickling] trickling Grey conj. tingling Collier MS.

[350] keep] steep Long MS. peep Mason conj.

[351] brooded] Ff. broad-ey'd Pope. broad and Mitford conj. the broad Collier MS. broody Anon. MS. conj. (ap. Halliwell).

brooded watchful] brooded-watchful Delius (Mason conj.).

[352] I would do it] I'd do Pope. I'd do't Theobald.

[353] That he ... Death] As one line, S. Walker conj.

[354] My lord?] My lord. Ff.

[355] [Returning to the Queen. Pope.

[356] go] om. Steevens.

[357] attend] F₁ F₂. to attend F₃ F₄. t'attend Pope.

[358] Scene IV.] Capell. Scæna Tertia. Ff. Scene V. Pope. Scene VI. Hanmer.

The same. The French King's tent.] Malone. The French Court. Theobald. The French Camp. Capell.

Pandulph,] Pandulpho, F₁. Pandupho, F₂ F₃ F₄.

[359] convicted] collected Pope. convented Singer (Mason conj.). connected Delius (Malone conj.). convected Dyce conj. consorted Keightley conj. combined Spedding conj.

[360]. scattered] Ff. scatter'd Rowe.

[361] cause] course Hanmer (Theobald conj.).

[362] here!] Capell. heere? F₁. here? F₂ F₃ F₄.

[363] against] 'gainst Pope.

[364] breath] earth Farmer conj.

[365] redress, Death, death:] Theobald. redress: Death, death, Ff. redress, Death; death, Pope.

[366] Thou ... rottenness] Omitted by Pope.

[367] forth from] from forth Collier MS.

the couch] thy couch Pope.

[368] detestable bones] bones detestable Hanmer.

[369] buss] kiss Pope.

Misery's love] thou love of misery Pope.

[370] a passion] what passion Collier MS.

would I] F₁. I would F₂ F₃ F₄.

[371] See note (XX).

[372] Which scorns] And scorns Pope.

modern] modest Rowe (ed. 2). mother's Knight (Heath conj.). widow's Collier (Collier MS.).

[373] not holy] F₄. holy F₁ F₂ F₃. unholy Delius and Staunton (Steevens conj.).

[374] Preach ... were he] Put in the margin, as spurious, by Pope.

[375] thou ... cardinal] cardinal, thou shalt be canonized Seymour conj.

[376] Bind ... prisoner] Put in the margin, as spurious, by Pope.

[377] friends] Rowe (ed. 2). fiends Ff.

[378] loves] lovers Collier (Collier MS.).

[379] And] Oh Pope. Ah! Anon. conj.

[380] true] om. Pope.

I shall] I'll Seymour conj.

[381] Then, ... grief?] F₁ F₂ F₃. Then ... grief? F₄. Then ... grief. Rowe.

[382] had you] had you had Anon. conj.

[383] [Tearing off her head-cloaths. Pope. Looses her hair again. Dent MS. Tearing her hair. Collier MS.]

[384] [Exit.] Exit wildly. Capell.

[385] Scene VI. Pope. Scene VII. Hammer.

[386] And] A Rowe (ed. 2). world's taste] Pope. words taste Ff. word, state] Jackson conj. the ... world's] that ... word's Delias conj.

[387] shame] gall S. Walker conj.

[388] leave, On ... departure] Capell. leave On ... departure, F₁ F₂ F₃. leave. On ... departure. F₄.

[389] whiles] whilst Rowe.

[390] an hour] one hour Collier (Collier MS.).

[391] One minute] A minute Rowe.

[392] stand, then] stand then, Hanmer.

[393] you plots] your plots Malone conj.

[394] born] F₃ F₄. borne F₁ F₂.

[395] none] no Pope.

[396] reign] F₄. reigne F₁ F₂ F₃. rein Capell conj.

[397] scope] scape Pope. shape Hanmer. See note (XXI).

[398] his] its Pope.

[399] presages and] and presages Pope.

[400] that] this F₄.

[401] O,] lo! Mason conj.

[402] a dozen] twelve Pope.

[403] Or] Ev'n Hanmer.

[404] O] om. Pope.

[405] discontent, Now ... offence.] discontent, Now ... offence, Ff. discontent. Now ... offence, Rowe. discontent: Now ... offence. Knight.

[406] reasons make] Capell. reasons makes Ff. reason makes Rowe.

strong actions] F₂ F₃ F₄. strange actions F₁.

The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 4 of 9]

About This Book

Scene IV. The same. The French King's tent.

FOOTNOTES: