KING JOHN.  Hadst thou but shook thy head or made pause,  When I spake darkly what I purposed,  Or turn'd an eye of doubt upon my face,  As bid me tell my tale in express words,  Deep shame had struck me dumb, made me break off,  And those thy fears might have wrought fears in me.  But thou didst understand me by my signs,  And didst in signs again parley with sin;  Yea, without stop, didst let thy heart consent,  And consequently thy rude hand to act  The deed which both our tongues held vile to name.  Out of my sight, and never see me more!  My nobles leave me; and my state is braved,  Even at my gates, with ranks of foreign pow'rs;  Nay, in the body of the fleshly land,  This kingdom, this confine of blood and breath,  Hostility and civil tumult reigns  Between my conscience and my cousin's death.

Hadst Thou but Shook Thy Head or Made Pause

Item catalogue number:
1381
Size:
1 page
Zoom:
Open preview image
Next item:
Arm You Against Your Other Enemies
Collection:
King John
Next collection:
Legacy