Hubert. Why answer not the double majesties This friendly treaty of our threaten'd town?

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

To speak unto this city: What say you?

K. John. If that the Dauphin there, thy princely son,

Can in this book of beauty read, I love,

Her dowry shall weigh equal with a queen :

For Anjou, and fair Touraine, Maine, Poictiers,
And all that we upon this side the sea
(Except this city now by us besieg'd)
Find liable to our crown and dignity,

Shall gild her bridal bed; and make her rich
In titles, honours, and promotions,

As she in beauty, education, blood,

Holds hand with any princess of the world.

K. Phi. What sayst 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 table 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 anything 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?

Blanch. That she is bound in honour still to do

a

What you in wisdom still 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, Touraine, Maine, Poictiers, and Anjou, these 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 son and daughter to join hands.

K. Phi. It likes us well. Young princes, close your hands. Aust. And your lips too; for I am well assur'd

That I did so, when I was first assur❜d.b

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 passionate at your highness' tent.
K. Phi. And, by my faith, this league, that we have made,
Will give her sadness 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 way,

To our own vantage.

a Still vouchsafe to say. This is the reading of the original. In modern editions we have shall instead of still, which reading is certainly not called for.

b First assur'd-affianced.

c Passionate-given up to grief.

We will heal up all,

K. John.
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 speedy messenger bid her repair

To our solemnity :-I trust we shall,
If not fill up the measure of her will,
Yet in some measure satisfy her so,
That we shall stop her exclamation.
Go we, as well as haste will suffer us,
To this unlook'd-for, unprepared pomp.

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

Bast. Mad world! mad kings! mad composition!
John, to stop Arthur's title in the whole,
Hath willingly departed with a part:

And France, whose armour conscience buckled on,
Whom zeal and charity brought to the field
As God's own soldier, rounded in the ear
With that same purpose-changer, that sly devil;
That broker that still 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 lose.

But the word maid, cheats the poor maid of that;
That smooth-fac'd gentleman, tickling commodity,"
Commodity, the bias of the world;c

The world, who of itself is peiseda well,
Made to run even; upon even ground;
Till this advantage, this vile drawing bias,
This sway of motion, this commodity,

a We. So the original. Some editions incorrectly read We 'll.

b Commodity-interest.

c Bias of the world. The allusion to the bias in a bowl is very happily kept up. The world is of itself well-balanced-fit to run even; but the bias interest, the sway of motion,

Makes it take head from all indifferency."

In 'Cupid's Whirligig' (1607) we have, "O, the world is like a bias bowl, and it runs all on the rich men's sides."

d Peised-poised.

Makes it take head from all indifferency,
From all direction, purpose, course, intent:
And this same 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 resolv'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 salute 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 say, there is no sin but to be rich;
And being rich, my virtue then shall be,
To say, there is no vice but beggary:
Since kings break faith upon commodity,
Gain, be my lord! for I will worship thee!

[Exit.

THE troops of William the Conqueror are said to have been borne to the invasion of England upon several thousand barks. Henry II. embarked his forces for the conquest of Ireland in four hundred vessels. In both these periods the craft must have been mere boats. But when Richard carried his soldiers to the Holy Land, his armament consisted of many large ships. "The whole fleet set sail for Acre. As a rapid current carried it through the straits of Messina, it presented a beautiful and imposing appearance, that called forth the involuntary admiration of the people of either shore, the Sicilians saying that so gallant an armament had never before been seen there, and never would be seen again. The size and beauty of the ships seem to have excited this admiration not less than their number. The flag of England floated over fifty-three galleys, thirteen dromones, mighty great ships with triple sails, one hundred carikes or busses, and many smaller craft." This brilliant navy for the most part consisted of merchant-vessels, collected from all the ports of the kingdom, each of which was bound, when required by the king, to furnish him with a certain number. John had a few galleys of his own. The first great naval victory of England, that of the Damme, or of the Sluys, was won in the reign of John, in 1213.

2 SCENE I." As great Alcides' shoes upon an ass."

The ass was to wear the shoes, and not to bear them upon his back, as Theobald supposed, and therefore would read shows. The "shoes of Hercules" were as commonly alluded to in our old poets as the ex pede Herculem was a familiar allusion of the learned.

3 SCENE I." St. George, that swindg'd," &c. How exceedingly characteristic is this speech of the Bastard!

* Pictorial History of England, vol. i. p. 494.

"Saint George"