Bast. Philip, my liege, so is my name begun ;
Philip, good old Sir Robert's wife's eldest son.
K. John. From henceforth bear his name whose form thou
Kneel thou down Philip, but arise more great;
Arise Sir Richard and Plantagenet.
Bast. Brother by the mother's side, give me your hand;
My father gave me honour, yours gave land:
Now blessed be the hour, by night or day,
When I was got Sir Robert was away.
Eli. The very spirit of Plantagenet !
I am thy grandame, Richard; call me so.
Bast. Madam, by chance, but not by truth: what though? Something about, a little from the right,
In at the window, or else o'er the hatch;
Who dares not stir by day must walk by night;
And have is have, however men do catch.
K. John. Go, Falconbridge; now hast thou thy desire,
A landless knight makes thee a landed squire.-
Come, madam, and come, Richard; we must speed
For France, for France; for it is more than need.
Bast. Brother, adieu: good-fortune come to thee!
For thou wast got i' the way of honesty.
[Exeunt all but the Bastard.
A foot of honour better than I was ;
But many a many foot of land the worse.
Well, now can I make any Joan a lady :—
Good den, Sir Richard-God-a-mercy, fellow;
And if his name be George, I'll call him Peter:
For new-made honour doth forget men's names;
'Tis too respective, and too sociable
For your conversion. Now your traveller 5
He and his toothpick at my worship's mess,
And when my knightly stomach is suffic'd,
Why then I suck my teeth, and catechise
My picked man of countries:- My dear sir,'
Thus, leaning on my elbow, I begin,
'I shall beseech you'-That is question now:
And then comes answer like an Abcee 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 wouldSaving in dialogue of compliment,
And talking of the Alps and Apennines,
The Pyrenean and the River Po-
It draws towards 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 accoutrement,
But from the inward motion to deliver
Sweet, sweet, sweet poison for the age's tooth:
Which, though I will not practise to deceive,
Yet to avoid deceit I mean to learn;
For it shall strew the footsteps of my rising.-
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?
Enter LADY FALCONBRIDGE and JAMES GURNEY.
O me! it is my mother.-How now, good lady!
What brings you here to court so hastily?
Lady F. Where is that slave, thy brother? where is he,
That holds in chase mine honour up and down?
Bast. My brother Robert? old Sir Robert's son ?
Colbrand the giant," that same mighty man?
Is it Sir Robert's son that you seek so?
Lady F. Sir Robert's son! Ay, thou unreverend boy,
Sir Robert's son: why scorn'st thou at Sir Robert ?
He is Sir Robert's son; and so art thou.
Bast. James Gurney, wilt thou give us leave a while?
Gur. Good leave, good Philip.
Philip ?-sparrow ! 8-James,
Bast.
There's toys abroad; anon I'll tell thee more.
Madam, I was not old Sir Robert's son ;
Sir Robert might have eat his part in me
Upon Good-Friday, and ne'er broke his fast:
To whom am I beholden for these limbs ?
Sir Robert never holp to make this leg.
Lady F. Hast thou conspired with thy brother too,
That for thine own gain shouldst defend mine
What means this scorn, thou most untoward knave?
Bast. Knight, knight, good mother-Basilisco-like :9
What! I am dubb'd; I have it on my shoulder.
But, mother, I am not Sir Robert's son ;
I have disclaim'd Sir Robert and my land;
Legitimation, name, and all is gone:
Then, good my mother, let me know my father ;
Some proper man, I hope; who was it, mother?
Lady F. Hast thou denied thyself a Falconbridge?
Bast. As faithfully as I deny the devil.
Lady F. King Richard Coeur-de-Lion was thy
father:
By long and vehement suit I was seduc'd.
Heaven lay not my transgression to my charge!
Thou art the issue of my dear offence,10
Which was so strongly urg'd, past my defence.
Bast. Madam, I would not wish a better father.
Some sins do bear their privilege on earth,
And so doth yours: your fault was not your folly:
Needs must you lay your heart at his dispose,
Subjected tribute to commanding love,
Against whose fury and unmatched force
The awless lion could not wage the fight,
Nor keep his princely heart from Richard's hand.
He that perforce robs lions of their hearts,
May easily win a woman's. Ay, my mother,
With all my heart I thank thee for my father!-
Come, lady, I will shew thee to my kin.
SCENE I-France. Before the Walls of Angiers.
Enter on one side, the ARCHDUKE OF AUSTRIA, and Forces; on the other, PHILIP, King of France, and Forces; LEWIS, CONSTANCE, ARTHUR, and Attendants.
Lew. Before Angiers well met, brave Austria.
Arthur, that great forerunner of thy blood,
Richard, that robb'd the lion of his heart,1
And fought the holy wars in Palestine,
By this brave duke came early to his grave:
And, for amends to his posterity,
At our importance 2 hither is he come,
To spread his colours, boy, in thy behalf;
And to rebuke the usurpation
Of thy unnatural uncle, English John;
Embrace him, love him, give him welcome hither.
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