Bind up your hairs.

Const. Yes, that I will; and wherefore will I do it?

I tore them from their bonds and cried aloud

66

"O that these hands could so redeem my son,

As they have given these hairs their liberty!"
But now I envy at their liberty,

And will again commit them to their bonds,
Because my poor child is a prisoner.

55

And, father cardinal, I have heard you say

60

That we shall see and know our friends in heaven;

If that be true, I shall see my boy again;

For since the birth of Cain, the first male child,
To him that did but yesterday suspire,

There was not such a gracious creature born.

65

But now will canker sorrow eat my bud,

And chase the native beauty from his cheek,
And he will look as hollow as a ghost,

As dim and meagre as an ague's fit,

And so he'll die; and, rising so again,

70

When I shall meet him in the court of heaven

I shall not know him; therefore never, never Must I behold my pretty Arthur more! Pand. You hold too heinous a respect of grief. Const. He talks to me that never had a son.

75

60. Father cardinal.-The ministers of the Romish Church are called "father" by their people; and, on their side, address their flocks as "children."

64. Suspire.-Breathe; "him that did but yesterday suspire," would therefore mean a newly-born babe.

66. Canker sorrow.-Sorrow that bites, as a canker-worm or caterpillar does the buds of trees.

66. My bud. My boy; the prince Arthur.

69. Meagre. Thin; lean; sickly-looking.

69. An ague's fit.-A fit of the ague, which is a kind of fever causing the appearance spoken of in the preceding note.

75. He talks to me that never had a son.-The word that is a relative pronoun, whose antecedent is not the word me, but the word he; the line therefore means "He that never had a son (namely Pandulph), talks to me."

K. Phi. You are as fond of grief as of your child.
Const. Grief fills the room up of my absent child,

Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me,
Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words,
Remembers me of all his gracious parts,
Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form;
Then, have I reason to be fond of grief?
Fare you well; had you such a loss as I,
I could give better comfort than you do.
I will not keep this form upon my head,
When there is such disorder in my wit.
O Lord! my boy, my Arthur, my fair son!
My life, my joy, my food, my all the world!
My widow-comfort, and my sorrow's cure!

80

85

VIII.

KING JOHN.

ACT iv. SCENE 1.-HUBERT AND ARTHUR.

[We are now introduced to the young Prince Arthur as a prisoner, about to undergo, at the hands of Hubert, the terrible operation of the destruction of his eyes by the application of red-hot irons. Shakespeare places this scene in an English castle, probably that of Northampton; he is most likely in error in this, for most historians fix the prince's imprisonment at Falaise, and his death at Rouen,-both in Normandy.]

SCENE: A room in a castle.

Enter HUBERT and EXECUTIONERS.

Hub. Heat me these irons hot; and look thou stand
Within the arras; when I strike my foot

81. His vacant garments.—Clothes that he had worn, but which were now vacant, that is, empty.

85. I will not keep this form upon my head.-We are to imagine Constance tearing off her head-dress as she speaks these words. 1. Look thou stand.-This is instead of "Look that thou stand," or "see that thou stand." The conjunction that is sometimes omitted, even in modern English: as, "Mind you are early.”

2. The arras.-Before paper-hangings were introduced, the rooms of

Upon the bosom of the ground, rush forth, And bind the boy which you shall find with me Fast to the chair; be heedful; hence, and watch. First Exec. I hope your warrant will bear out the deed. Hub. Uncleanly scruples! fear not you; look to't. [Exeunt EXECUTIONERS.

Young lad, come forth; I have to say with you.

Enter ARTHUR.

5

Hubert.

Good morrow, little prince. 10

Arth. Good morrow,
Hub.
Arth. As little prince, having so great a title
To be more prince, as may be. You are sad.

Hub. Indeed, I have been merrier.

Arth.

Mercy on me!
Methinks nobody should be sad but I;
Yet, I remember, when I was in France,
Young gentlemen would be as sad as night,
Only for wantonness. By my christendom,
So I were out of prison and kept sheep,

15

the houses of wealthy people were hung with drapery; this was called "the arras;" it obtained this name from the town of Arras, in France, where it was first made; it was sometimes sufficiently far from the wall to allow of a person standing behind it. 4. The boy which.-In modern English this would be "the boy whom;" the relative pronoun which was once used as a masculine and feminine, as in many passages of Scripture.

6. Your warrant.-Your authority; the power given you by the king. 7. Scruples.-Doubts; objections.

11. As little prince.-Hubert has been addressing Arthur as "little prince," referring to his size; Arthur replies by using the same words in reference to his condition; implying that, being a captive, he was not "much of a prince."

15. Methinks. From an old Saxon verb, thincan, to seem; the word therefore means "it seems to me."

18. Wantonness.-Lit. pleasure. Arthur means that young men would put on a sad appearance, only for fashion, or because it was the fashion.

18. My christendom. -My baptism; my christening.

19. So I were out.-Understand "that" between "so" and "I;" see

note 1.

I should be as merry as the day is long;
And so I would be here, but that I doubt
My uncle practises more harm to me;

He is afraid of me, and I of him:

Is it my fault that I was Geoffrey's son?

No, indeed, is't not; and I would to heaven

I were your son, so you would love me, Hubert.

Hub. (Aside.) If I talk to him, with his innocent prate
He will awake my mercy which lies dead;
Therefore I will be sudden and dispatch.

Arth. Are you sick, Hubert? you look pale to-day;
In sooth, I would you were a little sick,

That I might sit all night and watch with you;
I warrant I love you more than you do me.

Hub. (Aside.) His words do take possession of my bosom.
Read here, young Arthur.

[Showing a paper.

(Aside.) How now, foolish rheum!

Turning dispiteous torture out of door!

I must be brief, lest resolution drop

Out at mine eyes in tender womanish tears.
Can you not read it? is it not fair writ?

Arth. Too fairly, Hubert, for so foul effect;

Must you with hot irons burn out both mine eyes?

Hub. Young boy, I must.

Arth.

Hub.

40

And will you?

And I will. 45

22. Practises.-Plots; intends to practise.

27. Aside. This means that Hubert speaks the next three lines, with his face turned aside, and in a low tone, that Arthur may not hear him.

31. In sooth.—In truth; equal to our " To tell you the truth." 36. Rheum.-Here the word means water in the eye, tears. Anciently the word meant any humour or matter existing in the human body. 37. Dispiteous. An adjective not now in use; it means having no pity. 40. Fair writ.-We should now say fairly written; adjectives were often used for adverbs by old writers; and the participles of many verbs have changed. All writers of the time of Shakespeare take much liberty with participles.

Arth. Have you the heart? When your head did but ache, I knit my handkercher about your brows,

Hub.

The best I had, a princess wrought it me,
And I did never ask it you again;

And with my hand at midnight held your head, 50
And like the watchful minutes to the hour,

Still and anon cheer'd up the heavy time,

Saying "What lack you?" and "Where lies your grief?"

Or, "What good love may I perform for you?"
Many a poor man's son would have lien still
And ne'er have spoke a loving word to you;
But you at your sick service had a prince.
Nay, you may think my love was crafty love
And call it cunning; do, an if you will;

If heaven be pleased that you must use me ill,

Why then you must. Will you put out mine eyes?
These eyes that never did nor never shall

So much as frown on you.

I have sworn to do it;

And with hot irons must I burn them out.
Arth. Ah, none but in this iron age would do it!
The iron of itself, though heat red-hot,

Approaching near these eyes, would drink my tears
And quench his fiery indignation

Even in the matter of mine innocence;

Nay, after that, consume away in rust,

47. Handkercher.-Handkerchief.

52. Anon. Quickly.

55

60

65

70

55. Lien.-An instance of an old perfect participle which has changed. Its modern form is lain, from the verb to lie.

59. An if you will.—This means "if you like." From the Sax. gifan, I give, I grant, we get both the modern if, and the older an,— besides the two other forms gif and gin, which may still be heard in some parts. "An if" is therefore redundant (see § V. note 51), as both represent the same word.

67. Though heat.--Used for "though heated."

70. The matter of mine innocence.-The matter that is a sign of my innocence, namely my tears.

71. Consume away in rust.-Arthur's tears would not only put out the