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THE LIFE AND DEATH OF KING JOHN

PRINCE HENRY, Son to the King.

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.

PHILIP, King of France.

LEWIS, the Dauphin.

ARTHUR, Duke of Britaine, Nephew to the LYMOGES, Duke of Austria.

KING JOHN.

King.

THE EARL OF PEMBROKE.

THE EARL OF ESSEX.

THE EARL OF SALISBURY.

THE LORD BIGOT.

CARDINAL PANDULPH, the Pope's Legate.
MELUN, a French Lord.

CHATILLON, Ambassador from France.

QUEEN ELINOR, Mother to King John.
CONSTANCE, Mother to Arthur.

HUBERT DE BURGH.

ROBERT FAULCONBRIDGE, Son to Sir Robert BLANCH OF SPAIN, Niece to King John,

Faulconbridge.

PHILIP THE BASTARD, his half-brother.

JAMES GURNEY, Servant to Lady Faulconbridge.

PETER OF POMFRET, a Prophet.

LADY FAULCONBRIDGE.

Lords, Ladies, Citizens of Angiers, Sheriff, Heralds, Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, and other Attendants.

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K. John. Bear mine to him, and so depart in peace:

Chat. Thus, after greeting, speaks the King Be thou as lightning in the eyes of France; of France,

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So much my conscience whispers in your ear,
Which none but heaven and you and I shall hear.

Enter a Sheriff, who whispers ESSEX. Essex. My liege, here is the strangest controversy, 44

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. [Exit Sheriff.
Our abbeys and our priories shall pay 48
This expedition's charge.

Re-enter Sheriff, with ROBERT FAULCONBRIDGE
and PHILIP, his Bastard Brother.

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Rob. The son and heir to that same Faulconbridge. 56

K. John. Is that the elder, and art thou 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:
But for the certain knowledge of that truth 61
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
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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;
The which if he can prove, a' pops me out
At least from fair five hundred pound a year:
Heaven guard my mother's honour and my land!
K. John. A good blunt fellow. Why, being
younger born,

Doth he lay claim to thine inheritance?

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Bast. Because he hath a half-face, like my father. With half that face would he have all my land; A half-fac'd groat five hundred pound a year! Rob. My gracious liege, when that my father liv'd,

Your brother did employ my father much,— 96
Bast. Well, sir, by this you cannot get my
land:

Your tale must be how he employ'd my mother.
Rob. And once dispatch'd him in an embassy
To Germany, there with the emperor

100

To treat of high affairs touching that time.
The advantage of his absence took the king,
And in the mean time sojourn'd at my father's;
Where how he did prevail I shame to speak, 104
But truth is truth: large lengths of seas and
shores

Between my father and my mother lay,—
As I have heard my father speak himself,-
When this same lusty gentleman was got. 108
Upon his death-bed he by will bequeath'd
His lands to me, and took it on his death
That this my mother's son was none of his;
An if he were, he came into the world
Full fourteen weeks before the course of time.
Then, good my liege, let me have what is mine,
My father's land, as was my father's will.

112

K. John. Sirrah, your brother is legitimate;
Your father's wife did after wedlock bear him,
And if she did play false, the fault was hers;
Which fault lies on the hazards of all husbands
That marry wives. Tell me, how if my brother,
Who, as you say, took pains to get this son, 121
Had of your father claim'd this son for his?
In sooth, good friend, your father might have
kept

This calf bred from his cow from all the world; 76 In sooth he might: then, if he were my brother's, My brother might not claim him; nor your father,

Bast. I know not why, except to get the land.
But once he slander'd me with bastardy:
But whe'r 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!-
Compare our faces and be judge yourself.
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!

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Eli. He hath a trick of Coeur-de-Lion's face; The accent of his tongue affecteth him.

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Lest men should say, 'Look, where three-farthings goes!'

And, to his shape, were heir to all this land, 144
Would I might never stir from off this place,
I'd give it every foot to have this face:
I would not be Sir Nob in any case.

Eli. I like thee well: wilt thou forsake thy fortune, 148

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 pounds 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.

156

K. John. What is thy name? 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 bearest: 160 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. 164
Now blessed be the hour, by night or day,
When I was got, Sir Robert was away!
Eli. The very spirit of Plantagenet!

168

I am thy grandam, 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. 173 Near or far off, well won is still well shot, And I am I, howe'er I was begot.

K. John. Go, Faulconbridge: now hast thou thy desire;

176

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!

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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,
He and his toothpick at my worship's mess,
And when my knightly stomach is suffic'd,
Why then I suck my teeth, and catechize
My picked 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: 196
'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,

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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 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. 216
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 FAULCONBRIDGE and JAMES
GURNEY.

212

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He is Sir Robert's son, and so art thou.
Bast. James Gurney, wilt thou give us leave
awhile?

233

Gur. Good leave, good Philip.
Bast.
Philip! sparrow! James,
There's toys abroad: anon I'll tell thee more.
[Exit GURNEY.
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.
Sir Robert could do well: marry, to confess, 236
Could he get me? Sir Robert could not do it:
We know his handiwork: therefore, good mother,
To whom am I beholding for these limbs?
Sir Robert never holp to make this leg. 240
Lady F. Hast thou conspired with thy bro-
ther too,

That for thine own gain shouldst defend mine
honour?

If thou hadst said him nay, it had been sin: Who says it was, he lies: I say, 'twas not. 276 [Exeunt.

ACT II.

SCENE I.-France. Before the Walls of
Angiers.

Enter, on one side, the DUKE OF AUSTRIA, and
Forces; on the other, PHILIP, King of France,
and Forces, LEWIS, CONSTANCE, ARTHUR,
and Attendants.

K.Phi. 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 grave:
And, for amends to his posterity,
At our importance hither is he come,

What means this scorn, thou most untoward To spread his colours, boy, in thy behalf,
knave?

Bast. Knight, knight, good mother, Basilisco-like. 244 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. 248 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 Faulconbridge?

252

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
To make room for him in my husband's bed.
Heaven lay not my transgression to my charge!
Thou art the issue of my dear offence, 257
Which was so strongly urg'd past my defence.
Bast. Now, by this light, were I to get again,
Madam, I would not wish a better father. 260
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 aweless lion could not wage the fight,
Nor keep his princely heart from Richard's
hand.

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And to rebuke the usurpation

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Of thy unnatural uncle, English John: Embrace him, love him, give him welcome hither.

Arth. God shall forgive you Coeur-de-Lion's death

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The rather that you give his offspring life,
Shadowing their right under your wings of war.
I give you welcome with a powerless hand,
But with a heart full of unstained love:
Welcome before the gates of Angiers, duke.
K. Phi. A noble boy! Who would not do
thee right?

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Till your strong hand shall help to give him strength

To make a more requital to your love.

Aust. The peace of heaven is theirs that lift their swords

In such a just and charitable war.

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K. Phi. Well then, to work: our cannon shall be bent

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