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King John (Folio 1, 1623)
920Actus Secundus
921Enter Constance, Arthur, and Salisbury.
924Shall Lewis haue Blaunch, and Blaunch those Prouinces?
926Be well aduis'd, tell ore thy tale againe.
929Is but the vaine breath of a common man:
930Beleeue me, I doe not beleeue thee man,
931I haue a Kings oath to the contrarie.
933For I am sicke, and capeable of feares,
934Opprest with wrongs, and therefore full of feares,
936A woman naturally borne to feares;
938With my vext spirits, I cannot take a Truce,
939But they will quake and tremble all this day.
942What meanes that hand vpon that breast of thine?
943Why holdes thine eie that lamentable rhewme,
944Like a proud riuer peering ore his bounds?
946Then speake againe, not all thy former tale,
947But this one word, whether thy tale be true.
951Teach thou this sorrow, how to make me dye,
952And let beleefe, and life encounter so,
953As doth the furie of two desperate men,
954Which in the very meeting fall, and dye.
955Lewes marry Blaunch? O boy, then where art thou?
956France friend with England, what becomes of me?
957Fellow be gone: I cannot brooke thy sight,
958This newes hath made thee a most vgly man.
959Sal. What other harme haue I good Lady done,
960But spoke the harme, that is by others done?
962As it makes harmefull all that speake of it.
965Vgly, and slandrous to thy Mothers wombe,
968Patch'd with foule Moles, and eye-offending markes,
969I would not care, I then would be content,
970For then I should not loue thee: no, nor thou
971Become thy great birth, nor deserue a Crowne.
972But thou art faire, and at thy birth (deere boy)
973Nature and Fortune ioyn'd to make thee great.
975And with the halfe-blowne Rose. But Fortune, oh,
976She is corrupted, chang'd, and wonne from thee,
977Sh'adulterates hourely with thine Vnckle Iohn,
978And with her golden hand hath pluckt on France
980And made his Maiestie the bawd to theirs.
981France is a Bawd to Fortune, and king Iohn,
983Tell me thou fellow, is not France forsworne?
984Euvenom him with words, or get thee gone,
985And leaue those woes alone, which I alone
986Am bound to vnder-beare.
987Sal. Pardon me Madam,
988I may not goe without you to the kings.
991For greefe is proud, and makes his owner stoope,
992To me and to the state of my great greefe,
996Heere is my Throne, bid kings come bow to it.
Actus
The life and death of King John. 9