K. Phi. What say'st 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 shadow of myself form'd in her eye; Which, being but the shadow of your son, Becomes a sun, and makes your son a shadow; I do protest, I never lov'd myself, Till now infixed I beheld myself, Drawn in the flattering table18 of her eye. [Whispers with BLANCH. Bast. 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 espy Himself love's traitor: This is pity now, That hang'd, and drawn, and quarter'd there should be, In such a love, so vile a lout as he. Blanch. My uncle's will, in this respect, is mine: If he see aught in you, that makes him like, That any thing he sees, which moves his liking, I can with ease translate it to my will; Or, if you will (to speak more properly), I will enforce it easily to my love. Further I will not flatter you, my lord, That all I see in you is worthy love, Than this, that nothing do I see in you (Though churlish thoughts themselves should be your judge), That I can find should merit any hate. K. John. What say these young ones? What say you, my niece? 18 The table is the plain surface on which any thing is depicted or written. Tablette, Fr Our ancestors called their memorandum books a pair of writing tables Vide Baret's Alvearie, 1575, Letter T. No. 2. Thus Helena, in All's Well that Ends Well: Vol. IV. ---to sit and draw His arched brows, his hawking eye, his curls, 15 Blanch. That she is bound in honour still to do What you in wisdom, shall vouchsafe 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 most unfeignedly. K. John. Then do I give Volquessen 19, Touraine, Poictiers, and Anjou, these five provinces, Aust. And your lips too; for, I am well assur'd, That I did so, when I was first assur'd 21. K. Phi. Now, citizens of Angiers, ope your gates, Let in that amity which you have made; For at Saint Mary's chapel, presently, The rites of marriage shall be solemniz'd.Is not the Lady Constance in this troop?I know, she is not; for this match, made up, Her presence would have interrupted much:Where is she and her son? tell me, who knows. Lew. She is sad and passionate22 at your high ness' tent. K. Phi. And by my faith, this league, that we have made, 19 This is the ancient name for the country now called the Vexin, in Latin Pagus Velocassinus. That part of it called the Norman Vexin was in dispute between Philip and John. This and the subsequent line (except the words 'do I give') are taken from the old play. 20 See Winter's Tale, Act i. Sc. 2. p. 12. 21 Affianced, contracted. 22 Passionate here means agitated, perturbed, a prey to mournful sensations, not moved or disposed to anger. Thus in the old play, entitled The true Tragedie of Richard Duke of York, 1600: ---Tell me, good madam, Why is your grace so passionate of late.' Will give her sadness very little cure.- K. John. We will heal up all; For we'll create young Arthur duke of Bretagne, [Exeunt all but the Bastard.-The Citicens Bast. Mad world! mad kings! mad composition! And France (whose armour conscience buckled on; But the word, maid,-cheats the poor maid of that; 23 Advantage. 24 To part and depart were formerly synonymous. So in Cooper's Dictionary, v. communico, to communicate or departe a thing I have with another.' 25 To round or rown in the ear is to whisper; from the Saxon runian, susurrare. The word and its etymology is fully illustrated by Casaubon in his Treatise de Ling. Saxonica, and in a Letter by Sir H. Spelman, published in Wormius. Literatura Runica. Hafniae, 1651, p. 4. That smooth-faced gentleman, tickling commo dity 26; Commodity, the bias of the world; This bawd, this broker, this all-changing word, To a most base and vile-concluded peace.— But for because he hath not woo'd me yet: - [Exit 30. 26 Commodity is interest, advantage. So Baret:-What fruite or commoditie had he by this his friendship? Alvearie, letter C. 867. The construction of this passage, though harsh to modern ears, is-Commodity, he that wins of all, he that cheats the poor maid of that only external thing she has to lose, namely the word maid, i. e her chastity.' Henderson has adduced a passage from Cupid's Whirligig, 1607, which happily illustrates the word bias in this passage:O, the world is like a byas bowle, and it runs All on the rich men's sides,' 30 In the old copy the second Act extends to the end of the speech of Lady Constance, in the next scene, at the conclusion of which she throws herself on the ground. The present division, which was made by Theobald, is certainly right. ACT III. SCENE 1. The same. The French King's Tent. Enter CONSTANCE, ARTHUR, and SALISBURY. Const. Gone to be married! gone to swear a peace! False blood to false blood join'd! Gone to be friends! Shall Lewis have Blanch? and Blanch those provinces ? It is not so; thou hast misspoke, misheard; Oppress'd with wrongs, and therefore full of fears; And though thou now confess, thou didst but jest, 1 Capable is susceptible. So in Hamlet:~ His form and cause conjoin'd, preaching to stones, 2 This seems to have been imitated by Marston, in his Iusatiate Countess, 1603: "Then how much more in me, whose youthful veins |