Lew. Women and fools, break off your con- King John, this is the very sum of all,— Wilt thou resign them, and lay down thy arms? Arthur of Bretagne, yield thee to my hand; Eli. Come to thy grandam, child. Const. Do, child, go to it' grandam, child; Give grandam kingdom, and it' grandam will Give it a plum, a cherry, and a fig: There's a good grandam. Arth. Good my mother, peace! I would, that I were low laid in my grave; I am not worth this coil that's made for me. weeps. Const. Now shame upon you, whe'r she does, or no! His grandam's wrongs, and not his mother's shames, Eli. Thou monstrous slanderer of heaven and earth! Const. Thou monstrous injurer of heaven and earth! Call not me slanderer; thou, and thine, usurp Of this oppressed boy: This is thy eldest son's son, Thy sins are visited in this poor child; I have but this to say, That he's not only plagued for her sin, Eli. Thou unadvised scold, I can produce A will, that bars the title of thy son. Const. Ay, who doubts that? a will! a wicked will; A woman's will; a canker'd grandam's will! 5 I have but this to say, That he's not only plagued for her sin, But God hath made her sin and her the plague, &c.] The Commentators have laboured hard to make out a meaning in this passage. The following by Mr. Henley seems as satisfactory as any. Young Arthur is here represented as not only suffering from the guilt of his grandmother; but, also, by her, in person, she being made the very instrument of his sufferings. As he was not her immediate, but REMOVED issue-the second generation from her sin-conceiving womb-it might have been expected, that the evils to which, upon her account, he was obnoxious, would have incidentally befallen him; instead of his being punished for them all, by her immediate infliction.-He is not only plagued on account of her sin, according to the threatening of the commandment, but she is preserved alive to her second generation, to be the instrument of inflicting on her grandchild the penalty annexed to her sin; so that he is plagued on her account, and with her plague, which is, her sin, that is [taking, by a common figure, the cause for the consequence] the penalty entailed upon it. His injury, or the evil he suffers, her sin brings upon him, and HER injury, or, the evil she inflicts, he suffers from her, as the beadle to her sin, or executioner of the punishment annexed to it. K. Phi. Peace, lady; pause, or be more tempe rate: It ill beseems this presence, to cry aim 6 Some trumpet summon hither to the walls Trumpets sound. Enter Citizens upon the walls. 1 Cit. Who is it, that hath warn'd us to the walls? K. Phi. 'Tis France, for England. K. John. England, for itself: You men of Angiers, and my loving subjects,K. Phi. You loving men of Angiers, Arthur's subjects, Our trumpet call'd you to this gentle parle. K. John. For our advantage;-Therefore, hear us first. These flags of France, that are advanced here And merciless proceeding by these French, By the compulsion of their ordnance By this time from their fixed beds of lime It ill beseems this presence, to cry aim-] To cry aim is borrowed probably from archery, and means to incite notice, or raise attention. 7 — your winking gates;] i. e. gates hastily closed from an apprehension of danger. Had been dishabited, and wide havock made Crave harbourage within your city walls. K. Phi. When I have said, make answer to us Lo, in this right hand, whose protection In warlike march these greens before your town; Than the constraint of hospitable zeal, To him that owes it; namely, this young prince: Forwearied-] i. e. worn out, Sax. 9 To him that owes it;] i. e. owns it. And, with a blessed and unvex'd retire, Which here we came to spout against your town, 1 Cit. In brief, we are the king of England's subjects; For him, and in his right, we hold this town. K. John. Acknowledge then the king, and let me in. 1 Cit. That can we not: but he that proves the king, To him will we prove loyal; till that time, And, if not that, I bring you witnesses, Twice fifteen thousand hearts of England's breed,Bast. Bastards, and else. K. John. To verify our title with their lives. K. Phi. As many, and as well-born bloods as those, Bast. Some bastards too. K. Phi. Stand in his face, to contradict his claim. 1 Cit. Till you compound whose right is worthiest, We, for the worthiest, hold the right from both. ''Tis not the roundure, &c.] Roundure means the same as the French rondure, i. e. the circle. |