Before the dew of evening fall, shall fleet, K. Phi. Amen, Amen!-Mount, chevaliers! to arms! Bast. St George,-that swing'd the dragon, and e'er since, Sits on his horseback at mine hostess' door, Teach us some fence !-Sirrah, were I at home, 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. K. Phi. It shall be so ;-[To LEWIS] and at the other hill 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. F. Her. You men of Angiers, open wide your gates, And let young Arthur, duke of Bretagne, in ; Coldly embracing the discolour'd earth; Arthur of Bretagne, England's king, and yours. Enter an English Herald, with trumpets. E. Her. Rejoice, you men of Angiers, ring your bells; King John, your king and England's, doth approach, Their armours, that march'd hence so silver-bright, 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; Cit. Heralds, from off our towers we might behold, By our best eyes cannot be censured: Blood hath bought blood, and blows have answer'd blows; Strength match'd with strength, and power confronted power: Both are alike; and both alike we like. One must prove greatest: while they weigh so even, 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? A peaceful progress to the ocean. K. Phi. England, thou hast not sav'd one drop of blood, In this hot trial, more than we of France; Rather, lost more: And by this hand I swear,— That sways the earth this climate overlooks, We'll put thee down, 'gainst whom these arms we bear, Gracing the scroll, that tells of this war's loss, Bast. Ha, majesty! how high thy glory towers, Then let confusion of one part confirm The other's peace; till then, blows, blood, and death! K. John. Whose party do the townsmen yet admit? K. Phi. Speak, citizens, for England; who's your king? 1 Cit. The king of England, when we know the king. K. Phi. Know him in us, that here hold up his right. K. John. In us, that are our own great deputy, 1 Cit. A greater power than we, denies all this; And, till it be undoubted, we do lock Our former scruple in our strong-barr'd gates: Be by some certain king purg'd and depos'd. And stand securely on their battlements, As in a theatre, whence they gape and point At your industrious scenes and acts of death. Your royal presences be rul'd by me; Do like the mutines of Jerusalem, Be friends a while, and both conjointly bend Leave them as naked as the vulgar air. To whom in favour she shall give the day, How like you this wild counsel, mighty states? K. John. Now, by the sky, that hangs above our heads, I like it well;-France, shall we knit our powers, Bast. An if thou hast the mettle of a king,- As we will ours, against these saucy walls: K. Phi. Let it be so:-Say, where will you assault? Into this city's bosom. Aust. I from the north. K. Phi. Our thunder from the south, Shall rain their drift of bullets on this town. Bast. O prudent discipline! From north to south; Austria and France shoot in each other's mouth: I'll stir them to it :-Come, away, away! [Aside. |