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KING JOHN.

PRINCE HENRY, Son to the King.

ARTHUR, Duke of Bretagne, and Nephew to the King.
Earl of PEMBROKE, William Marshall.

Earl of ESSEX, Jeffrey Fitzpeter, Chief Juftice of England.
Earl of SALISBURY, William Longfword, Son to
Henry II. by Rofamond Clifford.

HUBERT,

English Lords.

BIGOT, Roger, Earl of Norfolk and Suffolk. FAULCONBRIDGE, Baftard Son to Richard the Firft. ROBERT FAULCONBRIDGE, Half Brother to the Baftard. JAMES GURNEY, Servant to the Lady FAULCONBRIDGE. PETER of POMFRET, a Prophet.

PHILIP, King of France.

LEWIS, the Dauphin.

ARCH-DUKE of AUSTRIA,

CARDINAL PANDULPHO, the Pope's Legate.

MELUN, a French Lord.

CHATILLON, Ambassador from France to KING JOHN.

ELINOR, Queen-Mother of England.
CONSTANCE, Mother to ARTHUR.

BLANCH, Daughter to Alphonfo King of Caftile, and Niece to KING JOHN.

LADY FAULCONBRIDGE, Mother to the Baftard, and ROBERT FAULCONBRIDGE.

Citizens of Angiers, Heralds, Executioners, Messengers, Soldiers, and other Attendants.

The SCENE-fometimes in ENGLAND; and fometimes in FRANCE.

THIS PLAY, written about the year 1596, is founded on the British Chroniclers, whom our Author follows closely, not only in the detail of facts, but fometimes in the very expreffions. The action of it begins at the 34th year of the King's life, and comprehends an interval of about feventeen years. There is an old play in two parts by C. MARLOW, of the fame title, to which Shakspeare is fomewhat indebted.

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A Room of State in the Palace.

Enter King John, Queen Elinor, Pembroke, Effex, and Salif bury, with Chatillon.

K. John. Now, fay, 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 ftrange beginning;-borrow'd majesty!
K. John. Silence, good mother; hear the embaffy.
Chat. Philip of France, in right and true behalf
Of thy deceased brother Geffrey's fon,
Arthur Plantagent, lays moft lawful claim
To this fair inland, and the territories;

To Ireland, Poitiers, Anjou, Touraine, Maine:
Defiring thee to lay afide the sword,

Which sways ufurpingly these several titles;

And

put the fame into young Arthur's hand,

Thy nephew, and right royal fovereign.

K. John. What follows, if we difallow of this?

In my behaviour,]-In the character, or manner I here affume; in

this my addrefs as his ambaffador.

Chat.

Chat. The proud 'controul of fierce and bloody war, To inforce thefe rights fo forcibly withheld.

K. John. Here have we war for war, and blood for blood, Controulment for controuĺment; fo anfwer France.

Chat. Then take my king's defiance from my mouth, The fartheft limit of my embaffy.

K. John. Bear mine to him, and fo depart in peace: Be thou as lightning in the eyes of France; For ere thou canft report I will be there, The thunder of my cannon fhall be heard: So, hence! Be thou the trumpet of our wrath, And fullen prefage of your own decay.An honourable conduct let him have ;Pembroke, look to't:-Farewell, Chatillon.

[Exeunt Chat. and Pem.

Eli. What now, my fon? have I not ever faid,
How that ambitious Constance would not cease,
'Till fhe had kindled France, and all the world,
Upon the right and party of her fon?

This might have been prevented, and made whole,
With very easy arguments of love;

Which now the manage of two kingdoms must

With fearful bloody iffue arbitrate.

K. John. Our ftrong poffeffion, and our right, for us. Eli. Your strong poffeffion, much more than your right; Or else it must go wrong with you, and me:

So much my confcience whispers in your ear;
Which none but heaven, and you, and I, fhall hear.

Enter the Sheriff of Northamptonshire, who whispers Effex.
Effex. My liege, here is the ftrangest controversy,
Come from the country to be judg'd by you,
That e'er I heard: Shall I produce the men?

b controul]-oppofition, hoftility; constraint, compulfion. Which now the manage, &c.]-Which now must be brought to a

bloody iffue by the exertions of two contending kingdoms.

K. John.

K. John. Let them approach.—

Our abbies, and our priories, fhall pay

[Exit Sheriff.

Re-enter Sheriff with Robert Faulconbridge, and Philip, his
Brother.

This expedition's charge.-What men are you ?
Phil. Your faithful subject I, a gentleman,
Born in Northamptonshire; and eldest son,
As I fuppofe, to Robert Faulconbridge;..
A foldier, by the honour-giving hand
Of Coeur-de-lion knighted in the field.
K. John. What art thou?

Rob. The fon and heir to that fame Faulconbridge,
K. John. Is that the elder, and art thou the heir?
You came not of one mother then, it seems.

Phil. Moft certain of one mother, mighty king,
That is well known; and, as I think, one father:
But, for the certain knowledge of that truth,
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 doft shame thy mother,

And wound her honour with this diffidence.

Phil. 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?

Phil. I know not why, except to get the land. But once he flander'd me with bastardy :

But whe'r I be as true begot, or no,

That

That ftill 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 fir Robert did beget us both,

And were our father, and this fon like him;-
O old fir Robert, father, on my knee

I give heaven thanks, I was not like to thee.

K. John. Why, what a mad-cap hath heaven lent us here!

d

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

The accent of his tongue affecteth him :
Do you not read fome tokens of my son
In the large compofition of this man?

K. John. Mine eye hath well examined his parts,
And finds them perfect Richard.-Sirrah, fpeak,
What doth move you to claim your brother's land?
Phil. Because he hath a half-face, like my father;
With that half-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 ;

Phil. Well, fir, by this you cannot get my land
Your tale must be, how he employ'd my mother.
Rob. And once difpatch'd him on an embassy
To Germany, there, with the emperor,
To treat of high affairs touching that time:
The advantage of his abfence took the king,
And in the mean time fojourn'd at my father's;
Where how he did prevail, I fhame to speak :

da trick the air or fafhion; ftriking refemblance, or fuch peculiarity of feature as the flightest outline may exhibit.

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, Vol. II. p. 371. Hel. e balf-fac'd groat]-which bore the king's head in profile-alluding to Robert's meagre vifage.

But

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