And let belief and life encounter so, As doth the fury of two desperate men, Which, in the very meeting, fall, and die. Lewis marry Blanch! O, boy, then where art thou? France friend with England! what becomes of me ?— Fellow, be gone: I cannot brook thy sight; This news hath made thee a most ugly man. Sal. What other harm have I, good lady, done, But spoke the harm that is by others done? Const. Which harm within itself so heinous is, As it makes harmful all that speak of it. Arth. I do beseech you, madam, be content. Const. If thou, that bidd'st me be content, wert grim, Ugly, and sland'rous to thy mother's womb, a Full of unpleasing blots and sightless a stains, Const. Thou mayst, thou shalt, I will not go with thee: I will instruct my sorrows to be proud: For grief is proud, and makes his owner stoop." To me, and to the state of my great grief, [She throws herself on the ground. Enter KING JOHN, KING PHILIP, LEWIS, BLANCH, ELINOr, Bastard, AUSTRIA, and Attendants. K. Phi. 'Tis true, fair daughter; and this blessed day Ever in France shall be kept festival: To solemnize this day, the glorious sun Const. A wicked day, and not a holyday!— Among the high tides, in the kalendar? a [Rising. Stoop. What is called an "emendation" by Hanmer still holds its place in all the editions except Malone's: it is, "For grief is proud and makes his owner stout.' The meaning of the passage appears to us briefly thus: Constance refuses to go with Salisbury to the kings-she will instruct her sorrows to be proud; for grief is proud in spirit, even while it bows down the body of its owner. The commentators substituted the ridiculous word "stout" because they received stoop in the sense of submission. Constance continues the fine image throughout her speech: "To me, and to the state of my great grief, Let kings assemble ;" here grief is "proud." "Here I and sorrows sit;" here grief “makes his owner stoop,” and leaves the physical power no supporter but the huge firm earth." A valued friend, for whose opinion we have the highest regard, has no doubt that stoop is the word, but that the meaning is, makes its owner stoop to it-to grief. He thinks that the and joins and assimilates the two clauses of the sentence, instead of contrasting and separating them. At any rate, we cannot but choose to abide by the restoration. Nay, rather, turn this day out of the week; K. Phi. By heaven, lady, you shall have no cause Const. You have beguil'd me with a counterfeit, And our oppression hath made up this league :- Wear out the day in peace; but, ere sunset, Aust. Lady Constance, peace. Const. War! war! no peace! peace is to me a war. O Lymoges! O Austria! thou dost shame That bloody spoil: Thou slave, thou wretch, thou coward; Thou little valiant, great in villainy! Thou ever strong upon the stronger side! Thou Fortune's champion, that dost never fight But when her humorous ladyship is by a But on-except on. b Day. The original has days. Upon my party! Thou cold-blooded slave, Thou wear a lion's hide! doff it for shame, Aust. O, that a man should speak those words to me! Enter PANDulph. K. Phi. Here comes the holy legate of the pope. To thee, king John, my holy errand is. I, Pandulph, of fair Milan cardinal, Why thou against the church, our holy mother, K. Johri. What earthly a name to interrogatories Thou canst not, cardinal, devise a name So slight, unworthy, and ridiculous, To charge me to an answer, as the pope. Tell him this tale; and from the mouth of England Add thus much more,―That no Italian priest Shall tithe or toll in our dominions; So tell the pope; all reverence set apart, To him, and his usurp'd authority. K. Phi. Brother of England, you blaspheme in this. Dreading the curse that money may buy out; Who, in that sale, sells pardon from himself; Against the pope, and count his friends my foes. That I have room with Rome a to curse a while! To my keen curses: for, without my wrong, There is no tongue hath power to curse him right. Pand. There's law and warrant, lady, for my curse. And raise the power of France upon his head, a Room with Rome. Rome was formerly pronounced room,—and Shakspere indulges in a play upon words, even when the utterer is strongly moved. |