Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. King John (1623 First Folio Edition)
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Act II
920: Actus Secundus
921: [ Enter Constance, Arthur, and Salisbury.]
922:
Con.
Gone to be married? Gone to sweare a peace?
923: False blood to false blood ioyn'd. Gone to be freinds?
924: Shall Lewis haue Blaunch, and Blaunch those Prouinces?
925: It is not so, thou hast mispoke, misheard,
926: Be well aduis'd, tell ore thy tale againe.
927: It cannot be, thou do'st but say 'tis so.
928: I trust I may not trust thee, for thy word
929: Is but the vaine breath of a common man:
930: Beleeue me, I doe not beleeue thee man,
931: I haue a Kings oath to the contrarie.
932: Thou shalt be punish'd for thus frighting me,
933: For I am sicke, and capeable of feares,
934: Opprest with wrongs, and therefore full of feares,
935: A widdow, husbandles, subiect to feares,
936: A woman naturally borne to feares;
937: And though thou now confesse thou didst but iest
938: With my vext spirits, I cannot take a Truce,
939: But they will quake and tremble all this day.
940: What dost thou meane by shaking of thy head?
941: Why dost thou looke so sadly on my sonne?
942: What meanes that hand vpon that breast of thine?
943: Why holdes thine eie that lamentable rhewme,
944: Like a proud riuer peering ore his bounds?
945: Be these sad signes confirmers of thy words?
946: Then speake againe, not all thy former tale,
947: But this one word, whether thy tale be true.
948:
Sal.
As true as I beleeue you thinke them false,
949: That giue you cause to proue my saying true.
950:
Con.
Oh if thou teach me to beleeue this sorrow,
951: Teach thou this sorrow, how to make me dye,
952: And let beleefe, and life encounter so,
953: As doth the furie of two desperate men,
954: Which in the very meeting fall, and dye.
955: Lewes marry Blaunch? O boy, then where art thou?
956: France friend with England, what becomes of me?
957: Fellow be gone: I cannot brooke thy sight,
958: This newes hath made thee a most vgly man.
959:
Sal.
What other harme haue I good Lady done,
960: But spoke the harme, that is by others done?
961:
Con.
Which harme within it selfe so heynous is,
962: As it makes harmefull all that speake of it.
963:
Ar.
I do beseech you Madam be content.
964:
Con.
If thou that bidst me be content, wert grim
965: Vgly, and slandrous to thy Mothers wombe,
966: Full of vnpleasing blots, and sightlesse staines,
967: Lame, foolish, crooked, swart, prodigious,
968: Patch'd with foule Moles, and eye-offending markes,
969: I would not care, I then would be content,
970: For then I should not loue thee: no, nor thou
971: Become thy great birth, nor deserue a Crowne.
972: But thou art faire, and at thy birth (deere boy)
973: Nature and Fortune ioyn'd to make thee great.
974: Of Natures guifts, thou mayst with Lillies boast,
975: And with the halfe-blowne Rose. But Fortune, oh,
976: She is corrupted, chang'd, and wonne from thee,
977: Sh' adulterates hourely with thine Vnckle Iohn,
978: And with her golden hand hath pluckt on France
979: To tread downe faire respect of Soueraigntie,
980: And made his Maiestie the bawd to theirs.
981: France is a Bawd to Fortune, and king Iohn,
982: That strumpet Fortune, that vsurping Iohn:
983: Tell me thou fellow, is not France forsworne?
984: Envenom him with words, or get thee gone,
985: And leaue those woes alone, which I alone
986: Am bound to vnder-beare.
987:
Sal.
Pardon me Madam,
988: I may not goe without you to the kings.
989:
Con.
Thou maist, thou shalt, I will not go with thee,
990: I will instruct my sorrowes to bee proud,
991: For greefe is proud, and makes his owner stoope,
992: To me and to the state of my great greefe,
993: Lets kings assemble: for my greefe's so great,
994: That no supporter but the huge firme earth
995: Can hold it vp: here I and sorrowes sit,
996: Heere is my Throne bid kings come bow to it. Compare with Revised Standard Version: 3.1