1383Fra. So by a roaring Tempest on the flood,

1384A whole Armado of conuicted saile

1385Is scattered and dis-ioyn'd from fellowship.

1386Pand. Courage and comfort, all shall yet goe well.

1387Fra. What can goe well, when we haue runne so ill?

1388Are we not beaten? Is not Angiers lost?

1389Arthur tane prisoner? diuers deere friends slaine?

1390And bloudy England into England gone,

1391Ore-bearing interruption spight of France?

1392Dol. What he hath won, that hath he fortified:

1393So hot a speed, with such aduice dispos'd,

1394Such temperate order in so fierce a cause,

1395Doth want example: who hath read, or heard

1396Of any kindred-action like to this?

1397Fra. Well could I beare that England had this praise,

1398So we could finde some patterne of our shame:

1400Looke who comes heere? a graue vnto a soule,

1401Holding th'eternall spirit against her will,

1402In the vilde prison of afflicted breath:

1403I prethee Lady goe away with me.

1404Con. Lo; now: now see the issue of your peace.

1405Fra. Patience good Lady, comfort gentle Constance.

1406Con. No, I defie all Counsell, all redresse,

1407But that which ends all counsell, true Redresse:

1408Death, death, O amiable, louely death,

1409Thou odoriferous stench: sound rottennesse,

1410Arise forth from the couch of lasting night,

1411Thou hate and terror to prosperitie,

1412And I will kisse thy detestable bones,

1413And put my eye-balls in thy vaultie browes,

1414And ring these fingers with thy houshold wormes,

1415And stop this gap of breath with fulsome dust,

1416And be a Carrion Monster like thy selfe;

1417Come, grin on me, and I will thinke thou smil'st,

1418And busse thee as thy wife: Miseries Loue,

1419O come to me.

1420Fra. O faire affliction, peace.

1421Con. No, no, I will not, hauing breath to cry:

1422O that my tongue were in the thunders mouth,

1423Then with a passion would I shake the world,

1424And rowze from sleepe that fell Anatomy

1425Which cannot heare a Ladies feeble voyce,

1426Which scornes a moderne Inuocation.

1427Pand. Lady, you vtter madnesse, and not sorrow.

1428Con. Thou art holy to belye me so,

1429I am not mad: this haire I teare is mine,

1430My name is Constance, I was Geffreyes wife,

1431Yong Arthur is my sonne, and he is lost:

1432I am not mad, I would to heauen I were,

1433For then 'tis like I should forget my selfe:

1434O, if I could, what griefe should I forget?

1435Preach some Philosophy to make me mad,

1436And thou shalt be Canoniz'd (Cardinall.)

1437For, being not mad, but sensible of greefe,

1438My reasonable part produces reason

1439How I may be deliuer'd of these woes,

1440And teaches mee to kill or hang my selfe:

1441If I were mad, I should forget my sonne,

1442Or madly thinke a babe of clowts were he;

1443I am not mad: too well, too well I feele

1444The different plague of each calamitie.

1445Fra. Binde vp those tresses: O what loue I note

1446In the faire multitude of those her haires;

1447Where but by chance a filuer drop hath falne,

1448Euen to that drop ten thousand wiery fiends

1449Doe glew themselues in sociable griefe,

1450Like true, inseparable, faithfull loues,

1451Sticking together in calamitie.

1452Con. To England, if you will.

1453Fra. Binde vp your haires.

1454Con. Yes that I will: and wherefore will I do it?

1455I tore them from their bonds, and cride aloud,

1456O, that these hands could so redeeme my sonne,

1457As they haue giuen these hayres their libertie:

1458But now I enuie at their libertie,

1459And will againe commit them to their bonds,

1460Because my poore childe is a prisoner.

1461And Father Cardinall, I haue heard you say

1462That we shall see and know our friends in heauen:

1463If that be true, I shall see my boy againe;

1464For since the birth of Caine, the first male-childe

1465To him that did but yesterday suspire,

1466There was not such a gracious creature borne:

1467But now will Canker-sorrow eat my bud,

1468And chase the natiue beauty from his cheeke,

1469And he will looke as hollow as a Ghost,

1470As dim and meager as an Agues fitte,

1471And so hee'll dye: and rising so againe,

1472When I shall meet him in the Court of heauen

1473I shall not know him: therefore neuer, neuer

1474Must I behold my pretty Arthur more.

1475Pand. You hold too heynous a respect of greefe.

1476Const. He talkes to me, that neuer had a sonne.

1477Fra. You are as fond of greefe, as of your childe.

1478Con. Greefe fils the roome vp of my absent childe:

1479Lies in his bed, walkes vp and downe with me,

1480Puts on his pretty lookes, repeats his words,

1481Remembets me of all his gracious parts,

1482Stuffes out his vacant garments with his forme;

1483Then, haue I reason to be fond of griefe?

1484Fare you well: had you such a losse as I,

1485I could giue better comfort then you doe.

1486I will not keepe this forme vpon my head,

1487When there is such disorder in my witte:

1488O Lord, my boy, my Arthur, my faire sonne,

1489My life, my ioy, my food, my all the world:

1490My widow-comfort, and my sorrowes cure. Exit.

1491Fra. I feare some out-rage, and Ile follow her. Exit.

1492Dol. There's nothing in this world can make me ioy,

1493Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale,

1494Vexing the dull eare of a drowsie man;

1495And bitter shame hath spoyl'd the sweet words taste,

1496That it yeelds nought but shame and bitternesse.

1497Pand. Before the curing of a strong disease,

1498Euen in the instant of repaire and health,

1499The fit is strongest: Euils that take leaue

1500On their departure, most of all shew euill:

1501What haue you lost by losing of this day?

1502Dol. All daies of glory, ioy, and happinesse.

1503Pan. If you had won it, certainely you had.

1504No, no: when Fortune meanes to men most good,

1505Shee lookes vpon them with a threatning eye:

1506'Tis strange to thinke how much King Iohn hath lost

1507In this which he accounts so cleareIy wonne :

1508Are not you grieu'd that Arthur is his prisoner?

1509Dol. As heartily as he is glad he hath him.

1510Pan. Your minde is all as youthfull as your blood.

1511Now heare me speake with a propheticke spirit:

1512For euen the breath of what I meane to speake,

1513Shall blow each dust, each straw, each little rub

1514Out of the path which shall directly lead

1515Thy foote to Englands Throne. And therefore marke:

1516Iohn hath seiz'd Arthur, and it cannot be,

1517That whiles warme life playes in that infants veines,

1518The mis-plac'd-Iohn should entertaine an houre,

1519One minute, nay one quiet breath of rest.

1520A Scepter snatch'd with an vnruly hand,

1521Must be as boysterously maintain'd as gain'd.

1522And he that stands vpon a slipp'ry place,

1523Makes nice of no vilde hold to stay him vp:

1524That Iohn may stand, then Arthur needs must fall,

1525So be it, for it cannot be but so.

1526Dol. But what shall I gaine by yong Arthurs fall?

1527Pan. You, in the right of Lady Blanch your wife,

1528May then make all the claime that Arthur did.

1529Dol. And loose it, life and all, as Arthur did.

1530Pan. How green you are, and fresh in this old world?

1531Iohn layes you plots: the times conspire with you,

1532For he that steepes his safetie in true blood,

1533Shall finde but bloodie safety, and vntrue.

1534This Act so euilly borne shall coole the hearts

1535Of all his people, and freeze vp their zeale,

1536That none so small aduantage shall step forth

1537To checke his reigne, but they will cherish it.

1538No naturall exhalation in the skie,

1539No scope of Nature, no distemper'd day,

1540No common winde, no customed euent,

1541But they will plucke away his naturall cause,

1542And call them Meteors, prodigies, and signes,

1543Abbortiues, presages, and tongues of heauen,

1544Plainly denouncing vengeance vpon Iohn.

1545Dol. May be he will not touch yong Arthurs life,

1546But hold himselfe safe in his prisonment.

1547Pan. O Sir, when he shall heare of your approach,

1548If that yong Arthur be not gone alreadie,

1549Euen at that newes he dies: and then the hearts

1550Of all his people shall reuolt from him,

1551And kisse the lippes of vnacquainted change,

1552And picke strong matter of reuolt, and wrath

1553Out of the bloody fingers ends of Iohn.

1554Me thinkes I see this hurley all on foot;

1555And O, what better matter breeds for you,

1556Then I haue nam'd. The Bastard Falconbridge

1557Is now in England ransacking the Church,

1558Offending Charity: If but a dozen French

1559Were there in Armes, they would be as a Call

1560To traine ten thousand English to their side;

1561Or, as a little snow, tumbled about,

1562Anon becomes a Mountaine. O noble Dolphine,

1563Go with me to the King, 'tis wonderfull,

1564What may be wrought out of their discontent,

1565Now that their soules are topfull of offence,

1566For England go; I will whet on the King.

1567Dol. Strong reasons makes strange actions: let vs go,

1568If you say I, the King will not say no. Exeunt.