quotes, notes, timelines & more

Home » Quotes » King John » Well, now can I make any Joan a lady

Well, now can I make any Joan a lady

Well, now can I make any Joan a lady.
“Good den, Sir Richard!” “God-a-mercy, fellow!”
An if his name be George, I'll call him “Peter,”
For new-made honor doth forget men's names;
‘Tis too respective and too sociable
For your conversion. Now your traveler,
He and his toothpick at my Worship's mess,
And when my knightly stomach is sufficed,
Why then I suck my teeth and catechize
My pickèd man of countries: “My dear sir,”
Thus leaning on mine elbow I begin,
“I shall beseech you”—that is Question now,
And then comes Answer like an absey-book:
“O, sir,” says Answer, “at your best command,
At your employment, at your service, sir.”
“No, sir,” says Question, “I, sweet sir, at yours.”
And so, ere Answer knows what Question would,
Saving in dialogue of compliment
And talking of the Alps and Apennines,
The Pyrenean and the river Po,
It draws toward supper in conclusion so.
But this is worshipful society
And fits the mounting spirit like myself;
For he is but a bastard to the time
That doth not smack of observation,
And so am I whether I smack or no;
And not alone in habit and device,
Exterior form, outward accouterment,
But from the inward motion to deliver
Sweet, sweet, sweet poison for the age's tooth,
Which though I will not practice to deceive,
Yet to avoid deceit I mean to learn,
For it shall strew the footsteps of my rising.

Enter Lady Faulconbridge and James Gurney.

But who comes in such haste in riding robes?
What woman post is this? Hath she no husband
That will take pains to blow a horn before her?
O me, 'tis my mother.—How now, good lady?
What brings you here to court so hastily?

Source:
Act 1
Scene 1
Line 190

Source Type:

Spoken by: