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 besieged,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.KING PHILIP What say'st thou,boy?look in the lady's face.LEWIS 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 loved myself Till now infixed I beheld myself Drawn in the flattering table of her eye.
Whispers with BLANCH BASTARD 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 quartered,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.KING JOHN What say these young ones?What say you my niece?BLANCH That she is bound in honour still to do What you in wisdom still vouchsafe to say.KING JOHN Speak then,prince Dauphin;can you love this lady?LEWIS Nay,ask me if I can refrain from love;For I do love her most unfeignedly.KING 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 pleased withal,Command thy son and daughter to join hands.KING PHILIP It likes us well;young princes,close your hands.AUSTRIA And your lips too;for I am well assured That I did so when I was first assured.KING PHILIP 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 solemnized.
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.LEWIS She is sad and passionate at your highness'
tent.KING PHILIP 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.KING JOHN We will heal up all;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 BASTARD 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-faced gentleman,tickling Commodity,Commodity,the bias of the world,The world,who of itself is peised well,Made to run even upon even ground,Till this advantage,this vile-drawing bias,This sway of motion,this Commodity,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 determined aid,From a resolved 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.