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K. John. For our advantage;-Therefore, hear us

firft.

Thefe flags of France, that are advanced here
Before the eye and profpect of your town,
Have hither march'd to your endamagement:
The cannons have their bowels full of wrath;
And ready mounted are they, to spit forth
Their iron indignation 'gainst your walls:
All preparation for a bloody fiege,

And mercilefs proceeding by thefe French,
Confronts your city's eyes', your winking gates;
And, but for our approach, those sleeping stones,
That as a waist do girdle you about,

By the compulfion of their ordinance

2

By this time from their fixed beds of lime
Had been dishabited, and wide havock made
For bloody power to rush upon your peace.
But, on the fight of us, your lawful king,
Who, painfully, with much expedient march,
Have brought a countercheck before your gates,
To fave unfcratch'd your city's threaten'd cheeks,
Behold, the French, amaz'd, vouchsafe a parle :
And now, instead of bullets wrap'd in fire,
To make a fhaking fever in your walls,
They fhoot but calm words, folded up in finoke,
To make a faithlefs error in your ears:
Which truft accordingly, kind citizens,
And let us in, your king; whofe labour'd spirits,
Forweary'd in this action of swift speed,
Crave harbourage within your city walls.

9 For our advantage;-Therefore hear us firft.-] If we read for your advantage, it would be a more fpecious reafon for interrupting Philip. TYRWHITT.

• Confronts your city's eyes, -] The old copy reads: -Comforts, &c. Mr. Rowe made this neceffary change. STEEVENS.

2

-a countercheck- -] This, I believe, is one of the an cient terms used in the game of chefs. So, in Mucedorus: "Poft hence thyfelf, thou counterchecking trull."

STEEVENS.

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K. Phil. When I have faid, make answer to us both,
Lo, in this right hand, whofe protection
Is molt divinely vow'd upon the right
Of him it holds, ftands young Plantagenet;
Son to the elder brother of this man,

And king o'er him, and all that he enjoys:
For this down-trodden equity, we tread

In warlike march thefe greens before your town;
Being no further enemy to you,

Than the conftraint of hofpitable zeal,
In the relief of this oppreffed child,
Religioufly provokes. Be pleafed then
To pay that duty, which you truly owe,

To him that owes it; namely, this young prince:
And then our arms, like to a muzzled bear,
Save in afpect, have all offence feal'd up ;
Our cannons' malice vainly fhall be spent
'Against the invulnerable clouds of heaven;
And, with a bleffed and unvex'd retire,
With unhack'd fwords, and helmets all unbruis'd,
We will bear home that lufty blood again,
Which here we came to fpout against your town,
And leave your children, wives, and you, in peace.
But if you fondly pass our proffer'd offer,
'Tis not the roundure 3 of your old fac'd walls
Can hide you from our meflengers of war;
Though all thefe English, and their discipline,
Were harbour'd in their rude circumference.
Then, tell us, fhall your city call us lord,
In that behalf which we have challeng'd it?

3 'Tis not the roundure, &c.] Roundure means the fame as the French rondeur, i. e. the circle.

So, in All's loft by Luft, a tragedy by Rowley, 1633:

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"That heaven's air in this huge rondure hems.”

STEEVENS.

Or

Or fhall we give the fignal to our rage,
And ftalk in blood to our poffeffion?

Cit. In brief, we are the king of England's fubjects; For him, and in his right, we hold this town.

K. John. Acknowledge then the king, and let me in.
Cit. That can we not: but he that proves the king,
To him will we prove loyal; 'till that time,
Have we ramm'd up our gates against the world.
K. John. Doth not the crown of England prove the
king?

And, if not that, I bring you witneffes,
Twice fifteen thousand hearts of England's breed,
Faule. Baftards, and elfe.

K. John. To verify our title with their lives.
K. Philip. As many, and as well-born bloods as
thofe,-

Faulc. Some baftards too.

K. Phil.-Stand in his face, to contradict his claim. Cit. "Till you compound whofe right is worthieft, We, for the worthieft, hold the right from both. K. John. Then God forgive the fin of all thofe fouls, That to their everlasting refidence,

Before the dew of evening fall, fhall fleet,

In dreadful trial of our kingdom's king!

K. Phil. Amen, Amen!-Mount, chevaliers! to arms!

Fauk Saint George,-that fwing'd the dragon, and e'er fince,

Sits on his horfeback at mine hoftefs' door,
Teach us fome fence !-Sirrah, were I at home,
At your den, firrah, with your lioness,

I'd fet an ox-head to your lion's hide 4,

And make a monfter of you.

Auft. Peace; no more.

[To Auftria.

I'd fet an ox-bead to your lion's hide,] So, in the old fpurious play of K. John:

"But let the frolick Frenchman take no fcorn,

"If Philip front him with an English horn." STEEVENS,

D 2

Faule.

Faulc. O, tremble; for you hear the lion roar. K. John. Up higher to the plain; where we'll fet forth,

In beft appointment, all our regiments.

Faule. Speed then, to take advantage of the field. K. Phil. It fhall be fo;-and at the other hill Command the rest to stand.-God, and our right! [Exeunt.

SCENE II.

After excurfions, enter the Herald of France, with trumpets, to the gates.

F.Her. Youmen of Angiers, open wide your gates, And let young Arthur, duke of Bretagne, in; Who, by the hand of France, this day hath made Much work for tears in many an English mother, Whofe fons lye fcatter'd on the bleeding ground: Many a widow's hufband groveling lies, Coldly embracing the difcolour'd earth; And victory, with little lofs, doth play Upon the dancing banners of the French; Who are at hand, triumphantly difplay'd, To enter conquerors, and to proclaim Arthur of Bretagne, England's king, and yours.

Enter English Herald, with trumpets.

E. Her. Rejoice, you men of Angiers, ring your bells;

King John, your king and England's, doth approach,

5 You men of Angiers, &c.] This fpeech is very poetical and finooth, and except the conceit of the widow's husband embracing the earth, is juft and beautiful. JOHNSON.

Rejoice, you men of Angiers, &c.] The English herald falls fomewhat below his antagonist. Silver armour gilt with blood is a poor image. Yet our author has it again in Macbeth:

66

-Here lay Duncan,

"His filver fkin lac'd with his golden blood." JOHNSON.

Com

Commander of this hot malicious day!

Their armours, that march'd hence fo filver-bright,
Hither return all gilt with Frenchmens' blood;
There stuck no plume in any English creft,
That is removed by a staff of France;

Our colours do return in those fame hands
That did difplay them when we first march'd forth;
And, like a jolly troop of huntfmen 7, come
Our lufty English, all with purpled hands,
Dy'd in the dying flaughter of their foes:
Open your gates, and give the victors way.

Cit. Heralds, from off our towers we might behold,
From first to laft, the onfet and retire
Of both your armies; whofe equality
By our best eyes cannot be cenfured:

Blood hath bought blood, and blows have answer'd blows;

Strength match'd with strength, and power confronted power:

Both are alike; and both alike we like.

One muft prove greatest: while they weigh fo even, We hold our town for neither; yet for both.

Enter the two Kings with their powers, at feveral doors. K. John. France, haft thou yet more blood to caft away?

Say, fhall the current of our right run on?
Whofe paffage vext with thy impediment,
Shall leave his native channel, and o'er-swell
With course disturb'd even thy confining fhores;
Unless thou let his filver water keep

A peaceful progress to the ocean.

And, like a jolly troop of huntsmen,] It was, I think, one of the favage practices of the chafe, for all to ftain their hands in the blood of the deer, as a trophy. JOHNSON,

Heralds, from off &c.] Thefe three fpeeches feem to have been laboured. The citizen's is the best; yet both alike we like is a poor gingle. JOHNSON.

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