That this, my mother's son, was none of his;
And 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.
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 hus-
bands
[brother,
That marry wives. Tell me, how if my
Who, as you say, took pains to get this son,
Had of your father claim'd this son for his?
In sooth, good friend, your father might have
kept
[world;
This calf, bred from his cow, from all the
In sooth, he might: then, if he were my
brother's,
[father,
My brother might not claim him; nor your
Being none of his, refuse him : this concludes,-
My mother's son did get your father's heir;
Your father's heir must have your father's
land.
force
Rob. Shall, then, my father's will be of no
To dispossess that child which is not his?
Bast. Of no more force to dispossess me, sir,
Than was his will to get me, as I think.
Eli. Whether hadst thou rather be a Faul-
conbridge,
And like thy brother, to enjoy thy land,
Or the reputed son of Coeur-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 his, like him;
And if my legs were two such riding-rods,
My arms such eel-skins stuff d; my face so
thin,
That in mine ear I durst not stick a rose,
Lest men should say, "Look, where three-
farthings goes!"
And, to his shape, were heir to all this land,
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. [fortune,
Eli. I like thee well: wilt thou forsake thy
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:
[year;
Your face hath got five hundred pounds a
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.
[way.
Bast. Our country manners give our betters
K. John. What is thy name? [begun,
Bast. Philip, my liege, so is my name
Philip, good old Sir Robert's wife's eldest son.
K. John. From henceforth bear his name
whose form thou bearest :
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 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;
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 ; ['squire.-A landless knight makes thee a landed Come, madam, -and come, Richard; we must speed [need. For France, for France; for it is more than Bast. Brother, adieu: good fortune come to thee!
For thou wast got i' the way of honesty.
[Exeunt all except 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,-
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 auswer like an A. B. C.
book:-
"O, sir," says answer, at your best command;
At your employment; at your service, sir :"—
'No, sir," says question, "1, sweet sir, at
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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,)
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.-The aweless lion could not wage the fight,
But who comes in such haste, in riding robes? Nor keep his princely heart from Richard's
What woman-post is this? hath she no husband,
hand :
That will take pains to blow a horn before her? He, that perforce robs lions of their hearts,
O me! it is my mother.-
May easily win a woman's. Ay, my mother,
Enter Lady Faulconbridge and James Gurney. With all my heart I thank thee for my father!
How now, good lady! Who lives, and dares but say thou didst not
What brings you here to court so hastily?
well
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 Ro-
He is Sir Robert's son, and so art thou. [bert?
Bast. James Gurney, wilt thou give us leave
Gur. Good leave, good Philip. [a while?
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,)
Could he get me? Sir Robert could not do it;
We know his handy-work :-therefore, good
mother,
To whom am I beholden for these limbs ?
Sir Robert never holp to make this leg.
Lady F. Hast thou conspired with thy bro-
ther too,
[honour?
That for thine own gain shouldst defend mine
What means this scorn, thou most untoward
knave?
[lisco-like:
Bast. Knight, knight, good mother, --Basi-
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. [ther;
Then, good my mother, let me know my fa-
Some proper man, I hope: who was it, mother?
Lady F. Hast thou denied thyself a Faul-
conbridge?
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,
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.
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
When I was got, I'll send his soul to hell.
Come, lady, I will show thee to my kin;
And they shall say, when Richard me begot, If thou hadst said him nay, it had been sin : Who says it was, he lies; I say, 'twas not. [Exeunt.
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,
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,
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 hi-
ther.
[death,
Arth. God shall forgive you Coeur-de-lion's
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.
Lew. A noble boy! Who would not do thee
right?
Aust. The peace of heaven is theirs, that Whiles we, God's wrathful agent, do correct Their proud contempt that beat his peace to heaven.
In such a just and charitable war.
K. Phi. Well, then, to work our cannon shall be bent
Against the brows of this resisting town.-
Call for our chiefest men of discipline,
To cull the plots of best advantages:
We'll lay before this town our royal bones,
Wade to the market-place in Frenchmen's
blood,
But we will make it subject to this boy.
Const. Stay for an answer to your embassy, Lest unadvis'd you stain your swords with blood:
My lord Chatillon may from England bring That right in peace, which here we urge in war; And then we shall repent each drop of blood, That hot rash haste so indirectly shed.
K. Phi. A wonder, lady !-lo, upon thy wish, Our messenger, Chatillon, is arriv'd.What England says, say briefly, gentle lord; We coldly pause for thee; Chatillon, speak. 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
To land his legions all as soon as I:
His marches are expedient to this town,
His forces strong, his soldiers confident.
With him along is come the mother-queen,
An Atè, stirring him to blood and strife:
With her her niece, the lady Blanch of Spain;
With them a bastard of the king's deceas'd,
And all th' unsettled humours of the land,
Rash, inconsiderate, fiery voluntaries,
With ladies' faces, and fierce dragons' spleens,-
Have sold their fortunes at their native homes,
Bearing their birthrights proudly on their backs,
To make a hazard of new fortunes here:
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.
[Drums beat within.
The interruption of their churlish drums
Cuts off more circumstance: they are at hand,
To parley, or to fight; therefore, prepare.
K. Phi. How much unlook'd for is this
pedition!
[turn K. Phi. Peace be to England; if that war reFrom France to England, there to live in peace! England we love; and, for that England's
With burden of our armour here we sweat.
This toil of ours should be a work of thine;
But thou from loving England art so far,
That thou hast under-wrought his lawful king,
Cut off the sequence of posterity,
Outfaced infant state, and done a rape
Upon the maiden virtue of the crown.
Look here upon thy brother Geffrey's face ;—
These eyes, these brows, were moulded out of
his:
This little abstract doth contain that large,
Which died in Geffrey; and the hand of time
Shall draw this brief into as huge a volume.
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?
K. John. From whom hast thou this great
commission, France,
To draw my answer from thy articles?
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 [king,
Eli. Out, insolent! thy bastard shall be That thou mayst be a queen, and check the world!
Const. My bed was ever to thy son as true,
As thine was to thy husband: and this boy
Liker in feature to his father Geffrey,
Than thou and John in manners; being as like
As rain to water, or devil to his dam.
My boy a bastard! By my soul, I think
ex-His father never was so true begot :
Aust. By how much unexpected, by so much We must awake endeavour for defence; For courage mounteth with occasion : Let them be welcome, then; we are prepar'd. Enter King John, Elinor, Blanch, the Bastard, Pembroke, and forces.
K. John. Peace be to France, if France in peace permit
Our just and lineal entrance to our own!
It cannot be, an if thou wert his mother.
Eli. There's a good mother, boy, that blots
thy father.
Const. There's a good grandam, boy, that
Aust. Peace!
[would blot thee.
Bast.
Hear the crier.
What the devil art thou?
Bast. One that will play the devil, sir, with
An 'a may catch your hide and you alone :
If not, bleed France, and peace ascend to 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 A will, that bars the title of thy son. right;
Const. Ay, who doubts that? a will! a wicked will;
Sirrah, look to't; i̇' faith, I will, i' faith.
Blanch. O, well did he become that lion's A woman's will; a canker'd grandam's will!
That did disrobe the lion of that robe! [robe, | K. Phi. Peace, lady! pause, or be more
Bast. It lies as sightly on the back of him,
As great Alcides' shoes upon an ass :-
But, ass, I'll take that burden from your back,
Or lay on that shall make your shoulders crack.
Aust. What cracker is this same, that deafs
With this abundance of superfluous breath? K. Phi. Lewis, determine what we shall do straight. [ference.
Lew. Women and fools, break off your conKing 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.
Eli. Come to thy grandam, child. Const. Do, child, go to it' grandam, child; Give grandam kingdom, and it grandam will Give it a plum, a cherry, and a fig: There's a good grandam. Arth.
Good my mother, peace! I would that I were low laid in my grave; I am not worth this coil that's made for me. Eli. His mother shames him so, poor boy, he weeps. (or no! Const. Now, shame upon you, whe'r she does, His grandam's wrongs, and not his mother's shames, [poor eyes, Draw those heaven-moving pearls from his Which heaven shall take in nature of a fee; Ay, with these crystal beads heaven shall be brib'd
To do him justice, and revenge on you. Eli. Thou monstrous slanderer of heaven and earth! [and earth! Const. Thou monstrous injurer of heaven Call not me slanderer; thou and thine usurp The dominations, royalties, and rights,
Of this oppressed boy: this is thy eldest son's
Infortunate in nothing but in thee:
Thy sins are visited in this poor child;
The canon of the law is laid on him,
Being but the second generation
Removed from thy sin-conceiving womb.
K. John. Bedlam, have done.
Const.
I have but this to say,-
That he is not only plagued for her sins,
But God hath made her sin and her the plague
On this removed issue, plagu'd for her
And with her plague, her sin; his injury
Her injury, the beadle to her sin;
All punish'd in the person of this child,
And all for her; a plague upon her!
Eli. Thou unadvised scold, I can produce
It ill beseems this presence to cry aim
To these ill-tunèd repetitions.-
Some trumpet summon hither to the walls
These men of Angiers: let us hear them
speak,
Whose title they admit, Arthur's or John's. Trumpet sounds. Enter Citizens upon the walls.
1 Cit. Who is it that hath warn'd us to the
K. Phi. 'Tis France, for England. [walls?
K. John.
England for itself:
You men of Angiers, and my loving subjects, K. Phi. You loving men of Angiers, Arthur's subjects,
Our trumpet call'd you to this gentle parle.
K. John. For our advantage; therefore
hear us first.
These flags of France, that are advanced here
Before the eye and prospect of your town,
Have hither march'd to your endamagement :
The cannons have their bowels full of wrath,
And ready mounted are they, to spit forth
Their iron indignation 'gainst your walls :
All preparation for a bloody siege,
And merciless proceeding by these French,
Confront your city's eyes, your winking gates;
And, but for our approach, those sleeping
That as a waist do girdle you about, [stones,
By the compulsion of their ordnance
By this time from their fixed beds of lime
Had been dishabited, and wide havoc made
For bloody power to rush upon your peace.
But, on the sight of us, your lawful king.-
Who painfully, with much expedient march,
Have brought a countercheck before your
gates,
cheeks,-
To save unscratch'd your city's threaten'd
Behold, the French, amaz'd, vouchsafe a parle ;
And now, instead of bullets wrapp'd in fire,
To make a shaking fever in your walls,
They shoot but calm words, folded up in
smoke,
To make a faithless error in your ears:
Which trust accordingly, kind citizens,
And let us in, your king; whose labour'd
spirits,
Forwearied in this action of swift speed,
Crave harbourage within your city walls.
K. Phi. When I have said, make answer to
us both.
Lo, in this right hand, whose protection
Is most divinely vow'd upon the right
Of him it holds, stands young Plantagenet,
Son to the elder brother of this man,
And king o'er him, and all that he enjoys:
For this down-trodden equity, we tread
In warlike march these greens before your town;
Being no further enemy to you
Than the constraint of hospitable zeal
In the relief of this oppressed child,
Religiously provokes. Be pleased, then,
To pay that duty, which you truly owe,
To him that owes it, namely, this young prince;
And then our arms, like to a muzzled bear,
Save in aspect, have all offence seal'd up;
Our cannons' malice vainly shall be spent
Against the invulnerable clouds of heaven :
And with a blessed and unvex'd retire,
With unhack'd swords, and helmets all un-
bruis'd,
We will bear home that lusty blood again,
Which here we came to spout against your
town,
[peace.
And leave your children, wives, and you, in
But if you fondly pass our proffer'd offer,
'Tis not the roundure of your old-fac'd walls
Can hide you from our messengers of war,
Though all these English, and their discipline,
Were harbour'd in their rude circumference.
Then, tell us, shall your city call us lord,
In that behalf which we have challeng'd it?
Or shall we give the signal to our rage,
And stalk in blood to our possession ?
1 Cit. In brief, we are the king of England's subjects:
For him, and in his right, we hold this town. K. John. Acknowledge then the king, and [the king, 1 Cit. That can we not; but he that proves To him will we prove loyal; till that time, Have we ramm'd up our gates against the world. [prove the king? K. John. Doth not the crown of England And if not that, I bring you witnesses, Twice fifteen thousand hearts of England's Bast. Bastards, and else. [breed,
K. John. To verify our title with their lives. K. Phi. As many, and as well-born bloods Bast Some bastards, too. [as those,
K. Phi. Stand in his face to contradict his claim. [worthiest, 1 Cit. Till you compound whose right is We for the worthiest hold the right from both. K. John. Then God forgive the sins of all those souls,
That to their everlasting residence,
Before the dew of evening fall, shall fleet;
In dreadful trial of our kingdom's king!
K. Phi. Amen, Amen !-Mount, chevaliers!
[and e'er since
Bast. St. George, that swinged the dragon,
Sits on his horseback at mine hostess' door,
Teach us some fence!-[To Austria.] Sirrah,
were I at home,
At your den, sirrah, with your lioness,
I would set an ox-head to your lion's hide,
And make a monster of you.
Aust.
Peace! no more.
Bast. O, tremble, for you hear the lion roar!
K. John. Up higher to the plain; where
we'll set forth
In best appointment all our regiments.
Bast. Speed, then, to take advantage of the field. [other hill K. Phi. It shall be so ;-[To Lewis.] at the Command the rest to stand,-God, and our right! [Exeunt.
SCENE II.-The Same. Alarums and Excursions; then a Retreat. Enter a French Herald, with trumpets, to the gates. [your gates,
F. Her. You men of Angiers, open wide
And let young Arthur, duke of Bretagne, in,
Who, by the hand of France, this day hath
made
[ther,
Much work for tears in many an English mo-
Whose sons lie scatter'd on the bleeding ground:
Many a widow's husband grovelling lies,
Coldly embracing the discolour'd earth;
And victory, with little loss, doth play
Upon the dancing banners of the French,
Who are at hand, triumphantly display'd,
To enter conquerors, and to proclaim
Arthur of Bretagne, England's king, and yours.
Enter an English Herald, with trumpets.
E. Her. Rejoice, you men of Angiers, ring
your bells;
[proach,
King John, your king and England's, doth ap-
Commander of this hot malicious day:
Their armours, that march'd hence so silver-
bright,
Hither return all gilt with Frenchmen's blood;
There stuck no plume in any English crest,
That is removed by a staff of France;
Our colours do return in those same hands,
That did display them when we first march'd
forth;
And, like a jolly troop of huntsmen, come
Our lusty English, all with purpled hands,
Dy'd in the dying slaughter of their foes:
Open your gates, and give the victors way.
1 Cit. Heralds, from off our towers we
might behold
From first to last, the onset and retire
Of both your armies; whose equality
By our best eyes cannot be censured:
Blood hath bought blood, and blows have an-
swer'd blows;
[fronted power;
Strength match'd with strength, and power con-
Both are alike; and both alike we like. [even,
One must prove greatest: while they weigh so
We hold our town for neither; yet for both.
Enter, at one side, King John, with his power,
Elinor, Blanch, and the Bastard: at the other,
King Philip, Lewis, Austria, and forces.
K. John. France, hast thou yet more blood
to cast away?
Say, shall the current of our right run on?
Whose passage, vex'd with thy impediment,
Shall leave his native channel, and o'erswell
With course disturb'd even thy confining shores,
Unless thou let his silver water keep
A peaceful progress to the ocean.
K. Phi. England, thou hast not sav'd one drop of blood,
|