DRAMATIS PERSONE KING JOHN. PRINCE HENRY, his son; afterwards King Henry III. ARTHUR, duke of Bretagne, son to Geffrey, late Duke of Bretagne, the elder brother to King John. WILLIAM MARESHALL, earl of Pembroke. GEFFREY FITZ-PETER, earl of Essex, chief-justiciary of England. WILLIAM LONGSWORD, earl of Salisbury. ROBERT BIGOT, earl of Norfolk. HUBERT DE BURGH, chamberlain to the King. ROBERT FALCONBRIDGE, son to Sir Robert Falconbridge. PHILIP FALCONBRIDGE, his half-brother, bastard son to King Richard the First. JAMES GURNEY, servant to Lady Falconbridge. PETER of Pomfret, a prophet. PHILIP, king of France. LOUIS, the Dauphin. ARCHDUKE of Austria. CARDINAL PANDULPH, the Pope's legate. MELUN, a French lord. CHATILLON, ambassador from France to King John. ELINOR, widow of King Henry II. and mother to King John. CONSTANCE, mother to Arthur. BLANCH, daughter to Alphonso, king of Castile, and niece to King John. LADY FALCONBRIDGE, mother to the Bastard and Robert Falconbridge. Lords, Citizens of Angiers, Sheriff, Heralds, Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, and other Attendants. SCENE-Sometimes in England, and sometimes in France. KING JOHN. ACT I. SCENE I. Northampton. A room of state in the palace. Enter King JOHN, Queen ELINOR, PEMBROKE, ESSEX, SALISBURY, and others, with CHATILLON. K. John. Now, say, Chatillon, what would France with us? Chat. Thus, after greeting, speaks the King of France, In my behaviour, to the majesty, The borrow'd majesty of England here. Eli. A strange beginning;-borrow'd majesty! Of thy deceased brother Geffrey's son, Which sways usurpingly these several titles, K. John. What follows, if we disallow of this? T'enforce these rights so forcibly withheld. K. John. Here have we war for war, and blood for blood, Controlment for controlment: so answer France. Chat. Then take my king's defiance from my mouth, The furthest limit of my embassy. K. John. Bear mine to him, and so depart in peace: Be thou as lightning in the eyes of France; For ere thou canst report I will be there, The thunder of my cannon shall be heard: [Exeunt Chatillon and Pembroke. Eli. What now, my son! have I not ever said This might have been prevented and made whole Which now the manage of two kingdoms must With fearful bloody issue arbitrate. K. John. Our strong possession and our right for us. Eli. [aside to K. John] Your strong possession much more than your right, Or else it must go wrong with you and me: So much my conscience whispers in your ear, Which none but heaven and you and I shall hear. Enter the Sheriff of Northamptonshire, who whispers ESSEX. Essex. My liege, here is the strangest controversy, Come from the country to be judg'd by you, That e'er I heard: shall I produce the men ? K. John. Let them approach. Our abbeys and our priories shall pay This expedition's charge. [Exit Sheriff. Re-enter Sheriff, with ROBERT FALCONBRIDGE, and PHILIP his bastard brother. What men are you? Bast. Your faithful subject I, a gentleman Born in Northamptonshire, and eldest son, As I suppose, to Robert Falconbridge, A soldier, by the honour-giving hand K. John. What art thou? Rob. The son and heir to that same Falconbridge. Bast. Most certain of one mother, mighty king,- I put you o'er to heaven and to my mother: Of that I doubt, as all men's children may. Eli. Out on thee, rude man! thou dost shame thy mother And wound her honour with this diffidence. Bast. I, madam? no, I have no reason for it,— That is my brother's plea, and none of mine; K. John. A good blunt fellow.-Why, being younger born, Doth he lay claim to thine inheritance ? Bast. I know not why, except to get the land. But once he slander'd me with bastardy: But whêr I be as true begot or no, That still I lay upon my mother's head; But that I am as well begot, my liege,— Fair fall the bones that took the pains for me !— If old Sir Robert did beget us both, And were our father, and this son like him, O old Sir Robert, father, on my knee I give heaven thanks I was not like to thee! K. John. Why, what a madcap hath heaven lent) us here! Eli. He hath a trick of Coeur-de-lion's face The accent of his tongue affecteth him: Do you not read some tokens of my son (1) lent] Walker (Crit. Exam., &c., vol. iii. p. 117) would read "sent." In the large composition of this man? K. John. Mine eye hath well examinèd his parts, Bast. Because he hath a half-face, like my father, Rob. My gracious liege, when that my father liv'd, land: Bast. Well, sir, by this you cannot get my To treat of high affairs touching that time. K. John. Sirrah, your brother is legitimate,- (2) With that half-face] Theobald's correction. The folio has "With half that face." (3) And if Here Walker (Crit. Exam., &c., vol. ii. p. 153) would read "An if," "-as Hanmer does. (4) hazards] Qy. “hazard"? |