I am thy grandame, Richard; call me so. Bast. Madam, by chance, but not by truth: What though? Something about, a little from the right,* In at the window, or else o'er the hatch: Who dares not stir by day, must walk by night; And have is have, however men do catch: Near or far off, well won is still well shot; And I am I, howe'er I was begot. K. John. Go, Faulconbridge; now hast thou thy desire, A landless knight makes thee a landed 'squire.Come, madam, and come, Richard; we must speed For France, for France; for it is more than need. Bast. Brother, adieu; Good fortune come to thee! For thou wast got i'the way of honesty. [Exeunt all but the Bastard. A foot of honour better than I was; But many a many foot of land the worse. * Something about, a little from the right, &c.] This speech, composed of allusive and proverbial sentences, is obscure. I am, says the sprightly knight, your grandson, a little irregularly, but every man cannot get what he wishes the legal way. He that dares not go about his designs by day, must make his motions in the night; he, to whom the door is shut, must climb the window, or leap the hatch. This, however, shall not depress me; for the world never enquires how any man got what he is known to possess, but allows that to have is to have, however it was caught, and that he who wins, shot well, whatever was his skill, whether the arrow fell near the mark, or far off it. JOHNSON. Good den,] i. e. a good evening. For your conversion. Now your traveller,- And talking of the Alps and Apennines, And fits the mounting spirit, like myself: 6 'Tis too respective, and too sociable, For your conversion.] Respective, is respectful, formal. Conversion seems to mean, his late change of condition from a private gentleman to a knight. STEEVENS. 7 My picked man of countries:] i. e. my travelled fop. 8 like an ABC-book:] An ABC-book, or, as they spoke and wrote it, an absey-book, is a catechism. "For he is but a bastard to the time, &c.] He is accounted but a mean man in the present age. What woman-post is this? hath she no husband, That will take pains to blow a horn before her? Enter Lady FAULCONBRIDGE, and JAMES GURNEY. O me! it is my mother :-How now, good lady? What brings you here to court so hastily? Lady F. Where is that slave, thy brother? where is he? That holds in chase mine honour up and down? Lady F. Sir Robert's son! Ay, thou unreverend boy, Sir Robert's son: Why scorn'st thou at sir Robert ? He is sir Robert's son; and so art thou. Bast. James Gurney, wilt thou give us leave a while? Gur. Good leave, Bast. There's toys abroad; good Philip. Philip?-sparrow !3-James, anon I'll tell thee more. [Exit GURNEY. To whom am I beholden for these limbs? 'Colbrand-] Colbrand was a Danish giant, whom Guy of Warwick discomfited in the presence of King Athelstan. 4 2 Good leave, &c.] Good leave means a ready assent. $ Philip?-sparrow!] A sparrow is called Philip. There's toys abroad; &c.] i, e. rumours, idle reports. Lady F. Hast thou conspired with thy brother too, That for thine own gain should'st defend mine honour? What means this scorn, thou most untoward knave? Bast. Knight, knight, good mother,-Basilisco like:5 What! I am dubb'd; I have it on my shoulder. Then, good my mother, let me know my father; Bast. As faithfully as I deny the devil. Lady F. King Richard Coeur-de-lion was thy father; By long and vehement suit I was seduc'd Which was so strongly urg'd, past my defence. "Knight, knight, good mother,-Basilisco-like:] Faulconbridge's words here carry a concealed piece of satire on a stupid drama of that age, printed in 1599, and called Soliman and Perseda. In this piece there is a character of a bragging cowardly knight, called Basilisco. He, that perforce robs lions of their hearts, And they shall say, when Richard me begot, If thou hadst said him nay, it had been sin: Who says it was, he lies; I was, he lies; I say, 'twas not. [Exeunt. ACT II. SCENE I. France. Before the Walls of Angiers. Enter, on one side, the Archduke of Austria, and Forces; on the other, PHILIP, King of France, and Forces; LEWIS, CONSTANCE, ARTHUR, and Attendants. Lew. Before Angiers well met, brave Austria.Arthur, that great fore-runner of thy blood, Richard, that robb'd the lion of his heart, And fought the holy wars in Palestine, By this brave duke came early to his grave: And, for amends to his posterity, At our importance hither is he come, To spread his colours, boy, in thy behalf; And to rebuke the usurpation Of thy unnatural uncle, English John: Embrace him, love him, give him welcome hither. Arth. God shall forgive you Coeur-de-lion's death, • At our importance] At our importunity. |