As maids of thirteen do of puppy-dogs!
What cannoneer begot this lufty blood?

He fpeaks plain cannon, fire, and smoke, and bounce;
He gives the baftinado 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 bethump'd 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 fhalt fo furely tie
Thy now unfur'd affurance to the crown,
That yon green boy fhall have no fun to ripe
The bloom that promifeth a mighty fruit.
I fee a yielding in the looks of France;

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,

Cool and congeal again to what it was.3

1. Cit. Why answer not the double majesties

This

3 We have here a very unusual, and, I think, not very just image of zeal, which, in its highest degree, is reprefented by others as a flame, but by Shakspeare, as a froft. To reprefs zeal, in the language of others,. is to cool, in Shakspeare's to melt it; when it exerts its utmoft power it is commonly faid to flame, but by Shakspeare to be congealed. JOHNSON,

Sure the poet means to compare zeal to metal in a state of fufion, and not to diffolving ice. STEEVENS.

The allufion, I apprehend, is to diffolving ice; and if this paffage be compared with others in our author's plays, it will not, I think, appear fiable to Dr. Johnson's objection.-The fenfe, I conceive, is, Left the now zealous and to you well-affected heart of Philip, which but lately was cold and bard as ice, and bas newly been melted and foftened fhould by the foft petitions of Conftance, and pity for Arthur, again become congealed and frozen. I once thought that "the windy breath of foft petitions,” &c. fhould be coupled with the preceding words, and related to the proposal made by the citizen of Angiers; but I now believe that they were intended to be connected, in conftruction, with the following line. MALONE.

The windy breath that will cool metals in a fiate of fufion, produces not the effects of froft. I am therefore yet to learn, how "the foft petitions of Conftance, and pity for Arthur," (two gentle agents) were competent to the act of freezing.There is furely fomewhat of impropriety, in employing Favonius to do the work of Boreas. STEEVENS.

Cool towards K. John

This friendly treaty of our threaten'd town?

K. Phi. Speak England first, that hath been forward first 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,
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,

As the in beauty, education, blood,

Holds hand with any princefs of the world.

K. Phi. What fay't thou, boy? look in the lady's face. Lew. I do, my lord; and in her eye I find

A wonder, or a wondrous miracle,

The fhadow of myself form'd in her eye;
Which, being but the fhadow of your fon,
Becomes a fun, and makes your fon a shadow:
I do proteft, I never lov'd myself,

Till now infixed I beheld myself,

Drawn in the flattering table of her eye.5

[Whispers with BLANCH

Baft. Drawn in the flattering table of her eye!-
Hang'd in the frowning wrinkle of her brow!-.

And quarter'd in her heart!-he doth efpy

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 sees, which moves his liking,

4 In old editions; "For Angiers:

I can

What was the city befieged, but Angiers King John agrees to give up all he held in France, except the city of Angiers, which he now befieged and laid claim to. But could he give up all except Angiers, and give up that too? Anjou was one of the provinces which the English held in France. THEOBALD.

5 Table is picture, or, rather, the board or canvas on which any object is painted. Tableau, Fr. STEEVENL

I can with ease translate it to my will;
Or, if you will, (to fpeak 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 say these young ones? What fay you, my niece?

Blanch. That fhe is bound in honour ftill to do What you in wisdom shall vouchfafe to say.

K. John. Speak then, prince Dauphin; can you love this lady?

Lew. Nay, ask 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.Philip of France, if thou be pleas'd withal, Command thy fon and daughter to join hands.

K. Phi. It likes us well;-Young princes, clofe your hands.

Auft. And your lips too; for, I am well affur'd,
That I did fo, when I was firft affur'd.7

K. Phi. Now, citizens of Angiers, ope your gates,
Let in that amity which you have made;
For at faint Mary's chapel, presently,
The rites of marriage fhall be folemniz'd..
Is not the lady Constance in this troop?-
I know, she is not; for this match, made up,
Her prefence would have interrupted much :-
Where is the and her fon? tell me, who knows.

Leav.

This is the ancient name for the country now called the Vexin; in Latin, Pagus Velocaffinus. That part of it called the Norman Vexin, was in difpute between Philip and John. STEEVENS.

7 Affur'd is here used both in its common sense, and in an uncommon one, where it fignifies affianced, contraFed. STEEVENS.

Lew. She is fad and paffionate at your highness' tent,
K. Phi. And, by my faith, this league, that we have made,
Will give her fadness 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 away,
To our own vantage.

K. John.

We will heal up all :

For we'll 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 fpeedy meffenger bid her repair

To our folemnity :—I trust we fhall,

If not fill up
the measure of her will,
Yet in fome measure fatisfy her fo,
That we shall stop her exclamation.
Go we, as well as hafte will fuffer us,
To this unlook'd for unprepared pomp.

[Exeunt all but the Baftard, -The Citizens retire
from the walls.

Baft. Mad world! mad kings! mad compofition!
John, to ftop Arthur's title in the whole,
Hath willingly departed with a part:

And France, (whose armour confcience buckled on;
Whom zeal and charity brought to the field,
As God's own foldier,) rounded in the ear2
With that fame purpofe-changer, that fly devil;
That broker, that ftill breaks the pate of faith;
That daily break-vow; he that wins of all,
Of kings, of beggars, old men, young men, maids ;-
Who having no external thing to lofe

But the word maid,-cheats the poor maid of that;
That smooth-faced gentleman, tickling commodity,-

Commodity,

8 Paffionate, in this inftance, does not fignify difpofed to anger, but a prey to mournful fenfations. STEEVENS.

9 To part and to depart were formerly fynonymous. STEEVENS. 2 -rounded in the ear-] i. e. whifpered in the ear. This phrafa is frequently used by Chaucer, as well as later writers. STEEVENS

Commodity, the bias of the world; 3
The world, who of itfelf is poised well,
Made to run even, upon even ground;
Till this advantage, this vile drawing bias,
This fway of motion, this commodity,
Makes it take head from all indifferency,
From all direction, purpose, course, intent :
And this fame 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 refolv'd and honourable war,
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 falute my palm;
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 fay, there is no fin, but to be rich;
And being rich, my virtue then shall be,
To fay, there is no vice, but beggary:
Since kings break faith upon commodity,
Gain, be my lord; for I will worship thee!

3 Commodity is Intercft. STEEVEN 3

[Exit,

4 A broker in old language meant a pimp or procurefs. MALONE. 5 The word eye, in the line preceding, and the word cwn, which can ill agree with aid, induces me to think that we ought to read his own de termined aim," instead of aid. His own aid is little better than nonfenfe. M. MASON.

6 To clutch my hand, is to clasp it clofe. STEEVENS. 7 But for, &c.] i. e. becaufe. REED.

3 In the old copy the second act extends to the end of the fpeech of Lady Conftance in the next fcene, at the conclufion of which the throws herself on the ground. The prefent divifion which was made by Mr. Theobald, and has been adopted by the fubfequent editors, is certainly right. MALONE.

ACT