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Which trust accordingly, kind citizens,

Sits on his horse back at mine hostess' door,

And let us in, your king, whose labour'd spirits, Teach us some fence! To AUSTRIA. Sirrah,

Forwearied in this action of swift speed,

were I at home,

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Crave harbourage within your city walls.

At your den, sirrah, with your lioness,

Lo! in this right hand, whose protection Is most divinely vow'd upon the right

K. Phi. When I have said, make answer to us I'd set an ox-head to your lion's hide, both.

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Of him it holds, stands young Plantagenet,
Son to the elder brother of this man,
And king o'er him and all that he enjoys:
For this down-trodden equity, we tread
In war-like march these greens before your town,
Being no further enemy to you

Aust.
Bast. O! tremble, for you hear the lion roar.
K. John. Up higher to the plain; where we'll
set forth

In best appointment all our regiments.
Bast. Speed then, to take advantage of the
field.

And make a monster of you.

Peace! no more.

Than the constraint of hospitable zeal,
In the relief of this oppressed child,
Religiously provokes. Be pleased then
To pay that duty which you truly owe
To him that owes it, namely this young prince;
And then our arms, like to a muzzled bear,
Save in aspect, have all offence seal'd up;
Our cannons' malice vainly shall be spent
Against the invulnerable clouds of heaven;
And with a blessed and unvex'd retire,
With unhack'd swords and helmets all unbruis'd,
We will bear home that lusty blood again

K. Phi. It shall be so; and at the other hill Command the rest to stand. God, and our right! Exeunt.

Alarums and excursions; then a retreat. Enter the Herald of France, with trumpets, to the gates.

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F. Her. You men of Angiers, open wide your gates,

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Which here we came to spout against your town,
And leave your children, wives, and you, in peace.
But if you fondly pass our proffer'd offer,
"Tis not the roundure of your old-fac'd walls
Can hide you from our messengers of war,
Though all these English and their discipline
Were harbour'd in their rude circumference.
Then tell us, shall your city call us lord,
In that behalf which we have challeng'd it?
Or shall we give the signal to our rage
And stalk in blood to our possession?

First Cit. In brief, we are the King of England's subjects:

For him, and in his right, we hold this town.

K. John. Acknowledge then the king, and let me in.

First Cit. That can we not; but he that proves the king,

To him will we prove loyal: till that time

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And let young Arthur, Duke of Bretagne, in,
Who by the hand of France this day hath made
Much work for tears in many an English mother,
Whose sons lie scatter'd on the bleeding ground;
Many a widow's husband grovelling lies,
Coldly embracing the discolour'd earth;
And victory, with little loss, doth play
Upon the dancing banners of the French,
Who are at hand, triumphantly display'd,
To enter conquerors and to proclaim
Arthur of Bretagne England's king and yours.

Enter English Herald, with trumpets.

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claim.

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answer'd blows;

First Cit. Till you compound whose right is worthiest,

Strength march'd with strength, and power confronted power:

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We for the worthiest hold the right from both.

Both are alike; and both alike we like.

One must prove greatest: while they weigh so

even,

We hold our town for neither, yet for both.

Re-enter the two Kings, with their powers, severally.
K. John. France, hast thou yet more blood
to cast away?

Say, shall the current of our right run on ?
Whose passage, vex'd with thy impediment,
Shall leave his native channel and o'erswell
With course disturb'd even thy confining shores,
Unless thou let his silver water keep

A peaceful progress to the ocean.

340

Leave them as naked as the vulgar air.
That done, dissever your united strengths,
And part your mingled colours once again;
Turn face to face and bloody point to point; 390
Then, in a moment, Fortune shall cull forth
Out of one side her happy minion,
To whom in favour she shall give the day,
And kiss him with a glorious victory.
How like you this wild counsel, mighty states?
Smacks it not something of the policy?

K. John. Now, by the sky that hangs above
our heads,

I like it well. France, shall we knit our powers

K. Phi. England, thou hast not sav'd one And lay this Angiers even with the ground; drop of blood,

In this hot trial, more than we of France;
Rather, lost more: and by this hand I swear,
That sways the earth this climate overlooks,
Before we will lay down our just-borne arms.
We'll put thee down, 'gainst whom these arms
we bear,

Or add a royal number to the dead,
Gracing the scroll that tells of this war's loss
With slaughter coupled to the name of kings.

Bast. Ha, majesty! how high thy glory towers When the rich blood of kings is set on fire! 351 0! now doth death line his dead chaps with steel;

The swords of soldiers are his teeth, his fangs;
And now he feasts, mousing the flesh of men,
In undetermin'd differences of kings.

Why stand these royal fronts amazed thus ?
Cry, 'havoc'! kings; back to the stained field,
You equal-potents, fiery-kindled spirits!
Then let confusion of one part confirm

Then after fight who shall be king of it ?

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Bast. An if thou hast the mettle of a king,
Being wrong'd as we are by this peevish town,
Turn thou the mouth of thy artillery,
As we will ours, against these saucy walls;
And when that we have dash'd them to the

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First Cit. Hear us, great kings: vouchsafe awhile to stay,

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K. Phi. Know him in us, that here hold up his right.

K. John. In us, that are our own great deputy, And bear possession of our person here,

Lord of our presence, Angiers, and of you.

K. John. Speak on with favour: we are bent
to hear.

First Cit. That daughter there of Spain, the
Lady Blanch,

Is niece to England: look upon the years

First Cit. A greater power than we denies all Of Lewis the Dauphin and that lovely maid.

this;

And till it be undoubted, we do lock
Our former scruple in our strong-barr'd gates, 370
Kings of ourselves; until our fears, resolv'd,
Be by some certain king purg'd and depos'd.

Bast. By heaven, these scroyles of Angiers
flout you, kings,

And stand securely on their battlements,

As in a theatre, whence they gape and point
At your industrious scenes and acts of death.
Your royal presences be rul'd by me:

Do like the mutines of Jerusalem,

Be friends awhile and both conjointly bend

Your sharpest deeds of malice on this town. 380
By east and west let France and England mount
Their battering cannon charged to the mouths,
Till their soul-fearing clamours have brawl'd

down

The flinty ribs of this contemptuous city:

I'd play incessantly upon these jades,
Even till unfenced desolation

If lusty love should go in quest of beauty,
Where should he find it fairer than in Blanch?
If zealous love should go in search of virtue,
Where should he find it purer than in Blanch?
If love ambitious sought a match of birth,
Whose veins bound richer blood than Lady

Blanch?

Such as she is, in beauty, virtue, birth,
Is the young Dauphin every way complete :
If not complete of, say he is not she;
And she again wants nothing, to name want,

If want it be not that she is not he:

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In such a love so vile a lout as he.

Blanch. My uncle's will in this respect is mine: If he see aught in you that makes him like, an That any thing he sees, which moves his liking, I can with case translate it to my will; Or if you will, to speak more properly, I will enforce it easily to my love. Further I will not flatter you, my lord, That all I see in you is worthy love, Than this: that nothing do I see in you, Though churlish thoughts themselves should be

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your judge

That I can find should merit any hate. K. John. What say these young ones? What say you, my niece?

He gives the bastinado with his tongue; Our ears are cudgell'd; not a word of his But buffets better than a fist of France. 'Zounds! I was never so bethump'd with words

Since I first call'd my brother's father dad.

Eli. Son, list to this conjunction, make this match;

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Give with our niece a dowry large enough;
For by this knot thou shalt so surely tie
Thy now unsur'd assurance to the crown,
That yon green boy shall have no sun to ripe
'The bloom that promiseth a mighty fruit.
I see a yielding in the looks of France:
Mark how they whisper: urge them while their
souls

Are capable of this ambition,

Lest zeal, now melted by the windy breath
Of soft petitions, pity and remorse,

Cool and congeal again to what it was.

First Cit. Why answer not the double majesties

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This friendly treaty of our threaten'd town? K. Phi. Speak England first, that hath been forward first

To speak unto this city: what say you?

K. John. If that the Dauphin there, thy princely son,

Can in this book of beauty read, 'I love,'

Her dowry shall weigh equal with a queen: For Anjou and fair Touraine, Maine, Poictiers,

And all that we upon this side the sea,

Except this city now by us besieg'd,

Find liable to our crown and dignity,

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Shall gild her bridal bed and make her rich

In titles, honours, and promotions,

As she in beauty, education, blood,

Holds hand with any princess of the world.

Blanch. That she is bound in honour still to do

What you in wisdom still vouchsafe to say, K. John. Speak then, Prince Dauphin: can you love this lady?

Lew. Nay, ask me if I can refrain from love; For I do love her most unfeignedly. K. John. Then do I give Volquessen, Touraine, Maine,

Poictiers and Anjou, these five provinces, With her to thee; and this addition more, Full thirty thousand marks of English coin. Philip of France, if thou be pleas'd withal, Command thy son and daughter to join hands. K. Phi. It likes us well. Young princes, close your hands.

Aust. And your lips too; for I am well assur'd That I did so when I was first assur'd.

K. Phi. Now, citizens of Angiers, ope your gates, Let in that amity which you have made; For at Saint Mary's chapel presently The rites of marriage shall be solemniz'd. Is not the Lady Constance in this troop! I know she is not; for this match made up Her presence would have interrupted much. Where is she and her son? tell me, who knows. Lew. She is sad and passionate at your high

ness' tent.

K. Phi. And, by my faith, this league that we have made

Will give her sadness very little cure. Brother of England, how may we content This widow lady? In her right we came; Which we, God knows, have turn'd another way. To our own vantage.

We will heal up all; 35) For we'll create young Arthur Duke of Bretagne And Earl of Richmond; and this rich fair town We make him lord of. Call the Lady Constance:

K. Phi. What say'st thou, boy look in the Some speedy messenger bid her repair lady's face.

Lew. I do, my lord; and in her eye I find

A wonder, or a wondrous miracle,

The shadow of myself form'd in her eve;
Which, being but the shadow of your son

Becomes a sun, and makes your son a shadow:

I do protest I never lov'd myself

Till now infixed I beheld myself,

Drawn in the flattering table of her eye.

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Whispers with BLANCH.

To our solemnity: I trust we shall,
If not fill up the measure of her will,
Yet in some measure satisfy her so,
That we shall stop her exclamation.
Go we, as well as haste will suffer us,
To this unlook'd-for unprepared pomp.

Exeunt all but the Bastard. The Citizens
retire from the walls.

Bast. Mad world! mad kings! mad composi

K. John.

tion!

John, to stop Arthur's title in the whole,
Hath willingly departed with a part;

What means that hand upon that breast of thine?
Why holds thine eye that lamentable rheum,

And France, whose armour conscience buckled on, Like a proud river peering o'er his bounds?

Whom zeal and charity brought to the field

As God's own soldier, rounded in the ear
With that same purpose-changer, that sly devil,
That broker that still breaks the pate of faith,
That daily break-vow, he that wins of all,
Of kings, of beggars, old men, young men, maids,
Who having no external thing to lose

Be these sad signs confirmers of thy words?
Then speak again; not all thy former tale,
But this one word, whether thy tale be true.
Sal. As true as I believe you think them false
That give you cause to prove my saying true.
Const. O! if thou teach me to believe this

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sorrow,

But the word 'maid,' cheats the poor maid of that;

That smooth-fac'd gentleman, tickling Commodity;

Commodity, the bias of the world;

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The world, who of itself is peised well,
Made to run even upon even ground,
Till this advantage, this vile-drawing bias,
This sway of motion, this Commodity,
Makes it take head from all indifferency,
From all direction, purpose, course, intent:
And this same bias, this Commodity,
This bawd, this broker, this all-changing word,
Clapp'd on the outward eye of fickle France,
Hath drawn him from his own determin'd aid,
From a resolv'd and honourable war,
To a most base and vile-concluded peace.
And why rail I on this Commodity?

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Ugly and slanderous to thy mother's womb, Full of unpleasing blots and sightless stains, Lame, foolish, crooked, swart, prodigious, Patch'd with foul moles and eye-offending marks, I would not care, I then would be content; For then I should not love thee, no, nor thou Become thy great birth, nor deserve a crown. 50 But thou art fair; and at thy birth, dear boy, Nature and Fortune join'd to make thee great: Of Nature's gifts thou may'st with lilies boast And with the half-blown rose. But Fortune, O! She is corrupted, chang'd, and won from thee : She adulterates hourly with thine uncle John, Exit. And with her golden hand hath pluck'd on France

But for because he hath not woo'd me yet.
Not that I have the power to clutch my hand
When his fair angels would salute my palm; 500
But for my hand, as unattempted yet,
Like a poor beggar, raileth on the rich.
Well, whiles I am a beggar, I will rail
And say there is no sin but to be rich;
And being rich, my virtue then shall be
To say there is no vice but beggary.
Since kings break faith upon commodity,
Gain, be my lord, for I will worship thee!

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Turning with splendour of his precious eye
The meagre cloddy earth to glittering gold: 80
The yearly course that brings this day about
Shall never see it but a holiday.

Const. Rising. A wicked day, and not a holy day!
What hath this day deserv'd? what hath it done
That it in golden letters should be set

Among the high tides in the calendar ? Nay, rather turn this day out of the week, This day of shame, oppression, perjury:

Or, if it must stand still, let wives with child

Lest that their hopes prodigiously be cross'd:

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K. John. What earthly name to interrogatories

Thou canst not, cardinal, devise a name
So slight, unworthy and ridiculous,
To charge me to an answer, as the pope.
Tell him this tale; and from the mouth of

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England

Pray that their burdens may not fall this day, 90 Can task the free breath of a sacred king?

But on this day let seamen fear no wreck;
No bargains break that are not this day made;
This day all things begun come to ill end;
Yea, faith itself to hollow falsehood change!

K. Phi. By heaven, lady, you shall have no

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Thou little valiant, great in villany!

Thou ever strong upon the stronger side!
Thou Fortune's champion, that dost never fight
But when her humorous ladyship is by

To teach thee safety! thou art perjur'd too, 120
And sooth'st up greatness. What a fool art thou,
A ramping fool, to brag and stamp and swear
Upon my party! Thou cold-blooded slave,
Hast thou not spoke like thunder on my side?
Been sworn my soldier, bidding me depend
Upon thy stars, thy fortune, and thy strength ?
And dost thou now fall over to my foes?
Thou wear a lion's hide! doff it for shame,
And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs.
Aust. O! that a man should speak those words
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to me.

Bast. And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant

limbs.

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Add thus much more: that no Italian priest
Shall tithe or toll in our dominions;
But as we under heaven are supreme head,
So under him that great supremacy,
Where we do reign, we will alone uphold,
Without the assistance of a mortal hand:
So tell the pope; all reverence set apart
To him and his usurp'd authority.

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K. Phi. Brother of England, you blaspheme in this.

K. John. Though you and all the kings of
Christendom

Are led so grossly by this meddling priest,
Dreading the curse that money may buy out;
And by the merit of vile gold, dross, dust,
Purchase corrupted pardon of a man,
Who in that sale sells pardon from himself;
Though you and all the rest so grossly led
This juggling witchcraft with revenue cherish;
Yet I alone, alone do me oppose
Against the pope, and count his friends my foes.

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Pand. Then, by the lawful power that I have, Thou shalt stand curs'd and excommunicate; And blessed shall he be that doth revolt From his allegiance to an heretic; And meritorious shall that hand be call'd, Canonized and worshipp'd as a saint, That takes away by any secret course Thy hateful life.

Const.

O! lawful let it be

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Const. And for mine too: when law can do no
right,

Let it be lawful that law bar no wrong.
Law cannot give my child his kingdom here,
For he that holds his kingdom holds the law:
Therefore, since law itself is perfect wrong,
How can the law forbid my tongue to curse? 190

Pand. Philip of France, on peril of a curse,
Let go the hand of that arch-heretic,
And raise the power of France upon his head,
Unless he do submit himself to Rome.

Eli. Look'st thou pale, France? do not let go thy hand.

Const. Look to that, devil, lest that France
repent,

And by disjoining hands, hell lose a soul.
Aust. King Philip, listen to the cardinal.

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