OX.  Now, by my fay, I will be sworn I am. 
In all I tell you I confess no ill,
But that I curb’d a froward woman’s will: 
Yet had my keeper’s wife been of my mind,
There had been cause some fault with us to find;
But I protest her noes and nays were such,
That for my life she ever kept go much.[347]

QUEEN.  You would take nay, but our King John says no;
No nay, no answer will suffice his turn: 
He, for he cannot tempt true chastity,
Fills all the land with hostile cruelty. 
Is it not shame, he that should punish sin,
Defend the righteous, help the innocent,
Carves with his sword the purpose of his will
Upon the guarders of the virtuous,
And hunts admired, spotless maidenhead
With all the darts of desolation,
Because she scorneth to be dissolute? 
Me that he leaves, I do not murmur at;
That he loves her, doth no whit me perplex,
If she did love him, or myself did hate: 
But this alone is it that doth me vex: 
He leaves me that loves him, and her pursues,
That loathes him and loves me.  How can I choose
But sadly grieve, and mourn in my green youth,
When nor of her nor me he taketh ruth?

OX.  Ha’ done, good queen:  for God’s good love, ha’ done: 
This raging humour will no doubt be stay’d. 
Virtuous Matilda is profess’d a nun;
Within a mile (at Dunmow) lives the maid. 
God will not suffer anything so vile;
He will not, sure, that he should her defile.

QUEEN.  No church nor chapel, abbey, nunnery,
Are privileg’d from his intemperance. 
But leave we him, and let us, I entreat,
Go visit fair Matilda:  much I am
In debt unto the maid.

OX.  You are indeed;
You wrong’d her, when with blows you made her bleed. 
But if you please to visit her, fair dame,
Our coach is ready:  we will soon be there.

QUEEN.  Thanks, Oxford; and with us I mean to bear
The beauteous garland sent me out of Spain,
Which I will offer in the abbey chapel,
As witness of Matilda’s chastity;
Whom, while I live, I ever vow to love,
In recompense of rash and causeless wrong.

ACT V., SCENE I.

    Enter BRAND solus; with cup, bottle of poison.

BRAND.  Good, by this hand! exceeding, passing good! 
The dog no sooner drank it, but yugh! yugh! quoth he: 
So grins me with his teeth, lies down and dies: 
Yugh! quoth I:  by God’s blood, go thy ways. 
Of all thy line and generation,
Was never dog so worshipp’d as thou art,
For, ere thou died’st, thou wert an officer,
I lie not, by these[348] nails:  a squire’s place;
For the vile cur became a countess’s taster: 
So died the dog.  Now in our next account
The countess comes; let’s see, a countess and a nun: 
Why so, why so! 
What, would she have the whole world quite undone? 
We’ll mete[349] her for that trick.  What,