Enter KING JOHN, QUEEN ELINOR, PEMBROKE, ESSEX, SALISBURY, and others, with CHATILLON.

In

K. John. Now, say, Chatillon, what would France with us? Chat. Thus, after greeting, speaks the King of France my behaviour to the majesty,

The borrow'd majesty, of England here.

Eli. A strange beginning: borrow'd majesty!'

K. John. Silence, good mother; hear the embassy.
Chat. Philip of France, in right and true behalf

Of thy deceased brother Geffrey's son,

Arthur Plantagenet, lays most lawful claim
To this fair island and the territories,

To Ireland, Poictiers, Anjou, Touraine, Maine,
Desiring thee to lay aside the sword
Which sways usurpingly these several titles,
And put the same into young Arthur's hand,
Thy nephew and right royal sovereign.

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K. John. What follows if we disallow of this?

Chat. The proud control of fierce and bloody war,

To enforce these rights so forcibly withheld.

K. John. Here have we war for war and blood for blood, Controlment for controlment: so answer France.

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Chat. Then take my king's defiance from my mouth,

The farthest 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.

[Exit Chatillon.

Enter a Sheriff of Northamptonshire, who whispers to 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.

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Enter ROBERT FAULCONBRIDGE, and PHILIP his bastard

brother.

What men are you P

Bast. Your faithful subject I, a gentleman

Born in Northamptonshire, and eldest son,
As I suppose, to Robert Faulconbridge,

A soldier, by the honour-giving hand
Of Coeur-de-lion knighted in the field.

K. John. What art thòu ?

Rob. The son and heir to that same Faulconbridge.
K. John. Is that the elder, and art thòu the heir?

You came not of one mother then, it seems.

Bast. Most certain of one mother, mighty king;

That is well known; and, as I think, one father.

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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 that I am as well begot, my liege,-
Compare our faces and be judge yourself.

Eli. He hath a trick of Coeur-de-lion's face.

K. John. Mine eye hath well examinéd his parts,
And finds them perfect Richard. Sirrah, speak,
What doth move you to claim your brother's land?

Rob. My gracious liege, when that my father liv’d,
Your brother did employ my father much;-
Upon his death-bed he by will bequeath'd
His lands to me, and took it on his death,

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That this my mother's son was none of his;
Then, good my liege, let me have what is mine,
My father's land, as was my father's will.

K. John. Sirrah, your brother is legitimate;
Your father's heir must have your father's land.

Rob. Shall then my father's will be of no force To dispossess that child which is not his ?

Eli. Whether hadst thou rather be a Faulconbridge, And like thy brother, to enjoy thy land,

Or the reputed son of Cœur-de-lion,

Lord of thy presence and no land beside ?

Bast. Madam, an if my brother had my shape,

And I had his, sir Robert's his, like him;

And, to his shape, were heir to all this land,

I'd give it every foot to have this face.

Eli. I like thee well. Wilt thou forsake thy fortune,

Bequeath thy land to him and follow me ?

I am a soldier and now bound to France.

Bast. Brother, take you my land, I'll take my chance. Your face hath got five hundred pound a year,

Yet sell your face for five pence and 'tis dear.

Madam, I'll follow you unto the death.

Eli. Nay, I would have you go before me thither.
Bast. Our country manners give our betters way.
K. John. What is thy name?

Bast. Philip, my liege, so is my name begun.

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K. John. From henceforth bear his name whose form thou

bear'st:

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.

K. John. Go, Faulconbridge: 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.

ACT II.

France. Before Angiers.

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[Exeunt.

Enter AUSTRIA and forces, drums, &c., on one side: on the other, KING PHILIP of France and his power; LEWIS, ARTHUR, CONSTANCE, 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,
And fought the holy wars in Palestine,
By this brave duke came early to his
And for amends to his posterity,
At our importance hither is he come,

grave:

To spread his colours, boy, in thy behalf

The rather that you give his offspring life.

Arth. God shall forgive you Cœur de-lion's death,

Aust. Upon thy cheek lay I this zealous kiss,

As seal to this indenture of my love,

That to my home I will no more return,

Till Angiers and the right thou hast in France,
Together with that pale, that white-fac'd shore,
Whose foot spurns back the ocean's roaring tides,
And coops from other lands her islanders,
Even till that England, hedg'd in with the main,
Salute thee for her king: till then, fair boy,

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Will I not think of home, but follow arms.

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Const. O, take his mother's thanks, a widow's thanks,

Till your strong hand shall help to give him strength
To make a more requital to your love!

K. Phi. We'll lay before this town our royal bones,
Wade to the market-place in French.men's blood,
But we will make it subject to this boy.

Const. Stay for an answer to your embassy:
My Lord Chatillon may from England bring
That right in peace which here we urge in war.

Enter CHATILLON

K. Phil. A wonder, lady!-lo, upon thy wish,

Our messenger Chatillon is arriv'd!

What England says, say briefly, gentle lord.

Chat. Then turn your forces from this paltry siege,

And stir them up against a mightier task.

England, impatient of your just demands,

Hath put himself in arms.

The adverse winds,

Whose leisure I have stay'd, have given him time

To land his legions all as soon as I;

His marches are expedient to this town,

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His forces strong, his soldiers confident.

In brief, a braver choice of dauntless spirits,

Than now the English bottoms have waft o'er,
Did never float upon the swelling tide,
To do offence and scath in Christendom.
The interruption of their churlish drums
Cuts off more circumstance. They are at hand.

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[Drum beats.

Enter KING JOHN, ELINOR, BLANCH, the BASTARD,
Lords, and forces.

K. John. Peace be to France, if France in peace permit
Our just and lineal entrance to our own;

If not, bleed France, and peace ascend to heaven.

K. Phi. Peace be to England, if that war return
From France to England, there to live in peace.
Look here upon thy brother Geffrey's face;
These eyes, these brows, were moulded out of his :
That Geffrey was thy elder brother born,
And this his son; England was Geffrey's right
And this is Geffrey's: in the name of God
How comes it then that thou art call'd a king,
When living blood doth in these temples beat,
Which owe the crown that thou o'ermasterest ?

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K. John. From whom hast thou this great commission, France,

To draw my answer from thy articles?

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K. Phi. From that supernal Judge, that stirs good thoughts

In any breast of strong authority,

To look into the blots and stains of right:

That Judge hath made me guardian to this boy:
Under whose warrant I impeach thy wrong,
And by whose help I mean to chastise it.

K. John. Alack, thou dost usurp authority.
K. Phi. Excuse; it is to beat usurping down.
Eli. Who is it thou dost call usurper, France?
Const. Let me make answer; thy usurping son.
Aust. Peace!

Bast.

Aust.

Hear the crier.

What the devil art thou?
Bast. One that will play the devil, sir, with you,
An a' may catch your hide and you alone:
You are the hare of whom the proverb goes,
Whose valour plucks dead lions by the beard:
I'll smoke your skin-coat, an I catch you right;
Sirrah, look to 't; i' faith, I will, i' faith.

conference.

Lew. Women and fools, break off your King John, this is the very sum of all; England and Ireland, Anjou, Touraine, Maine, In right of Arthur do I claim of thee.

Wilt thou resign them, and lay down thy arms?

K. John. My life as soon: I do defy thee, France.
Arthur of Bretagne, yield thee to my hand;
And out of my dear love I'll give thee more
Than e'er the coward hand of France can win :
Submit thee, boy.

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