That Geffrey was thy elder brother born, K. John. From whom hast thou this great commission, France, To draw my answer from thy articles? K. Phi. From that supernal judge, that stirs good thoughts In any breast of strong authority, To look into the blots and stains of right. That judge hath made me guardian to this boy: K. John. Alack, thou dost usurp authority. As thine was to thy husband: and this boy It cannot be, an if thou wert his mother. 3 3 4 Eli. There's a good mother, boy, that blots thy fa ther. Const. There's a good grandam, boy, that would blot thee. —an if thou wert his mother.] Constance alludes to Elinor's infidelity to her husband, Lewis the Seventh, when they were in the Holy Land; on account of which he was divorced from her. She afterwards (1151) married our king Henry II. Aust. Peace! Bast. Hear the crier. Aust. What the devil art thou? 4 Bast. One that will play the devil, sir, with you, Blanch. O, well did he become that lion's robe, Bast. It lies as sightly on the back of him, Aust. What cracker is this same, that deafs our ears With this abundance of superfluous breath? K. Phi. Lewis, determine what we shall do straight. Lew. Women and fools, break off your conference.— King John, this is the very sum of all, — England, and Ireland, Anjou, Touraine, Maine, Wilt thou resign them, and lay down thy arms? K. John. My life as soon:- I do defy thee, France. Arthur of Bretagne, yield thee to my hand; And, out of my dear love, I'll give thee more Than e'er the coward hand of France can win : Submit thee, boy. 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. One that will play the devil, sir, with you, An'a may catch your hide and you alone.] The story is, that Austria, who killed king Richard Coeur-de-lion, wore, as the spoil of that prince, a lion's hide, which had belonged to him. Arth. Good my mother, peace! I would, that I were low laid in my grave; Eli. His mother shames him so, poor boy, he weeps. Const. Now shame upon you, whe'r she does or no! His grandam's wrongs, and not his mother's shames, Draw those heaven-moving pearls from his poor eyes, Which heaven shall take in nature of a fee; Ay, with these crystal beads heaven shall be brib'd Eli. Thou monstrous slanderer of heaven and earth! Of this oppressed boy: This is thy eldest son's son, Thy sins are visited in this poor child; The canon of the law is laid on him, Const. I have but this to say, That he's not only plagued for her sin, 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 grand -- - On this removed issue, plagu'd for her, 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! 6 K. Phi. Peace, lady; pause, or be more temperate : It ill beseems this presence, to cry aim To these ill-tuned repetitions. 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 child 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. 6 It ill beseems this presence, to cry aim -] To cry aim is borrowed probably from archery, and means to incite notice, or raise attention. And ready mounted are they, to spit forth And merciless proceeding by these French, By this time from their fixed beds of lime K. Phi. When I have said, make answer to us both. Lo, in this right hand, whose protection Is most divinely vow'd upon the right And king o'er him, and all that he enjoys : In warlike march these greens before your town; Than the constraint of hospitable zeal, 7 your winking gates;] i. e. gates hastily closed from an apprehension of danger. 8 Forwearied-] i. e. worn out, Sax. |