KING JOHN. PERSONS REPRESENTED. PRINCE HENRY, his Son; afterwards K. Henry III. WILLIAM LONGSWORD, Earl of Salisbury. HUBERT DE BURGH, Chamberlain to the King. ROBERT FAULCONBRIDGE, Son of Sir Robert Faulconbridge. PHILIP FAULCONBRIDGE, his Half-Brother, Bastard LEWIS, the Dauphin. CHATILLON, Ambassador from France to King John. ELINOR, the Widow of King Henry II. and Mother of King John. CONSTANCE, Mother to Arthur. LADY FAULCONBRIDGE, Mother to the Bastard, and Lords, Ladies, Citizens of Angiers, Sheriff, Heralds, Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, and other Attendants. SCENE,-sometimes in England, and sometimes in France. 1 SCENE I. ACT I. - Northampton. A Room of State in the Palace. Enter KING JOHN, QUEEN ELINOR, PEMBROKE, ESSEX, SALISBURY, and others, with CHATILLON. K. John. Now, say, Chatillon, what would France with us? Chat. Thus, after greeting, speaks the king of In my behaviour, to the majesty, 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. K. John. What follows, if we disallow of this? In the manner I now do. 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. Chat. Then take my king's defiance from my mouth, The furthest limit of my embassy. K. John. Bear mine to him, and so depart in peace: Be thou as lightning in the eyes of France; [Exeunt CHATILLON and PEMBROKE. Eli. What now, my son? have I not ever said, How that ambitious Constance would not cease, Till she had kindled France, and all the world, Upon the right and party of her son? This might have been prevented, and made whole, With very easy arguments of love; Which now the manage 2 of two kingdoms must K. John. Our strong possession, and our right, Eli. Your strong possession, much more than Or else it must go wrong with you, and me: Enter the Sheriff of Northamptonshire, who whispers ESSEX. Esser. My liege, here is the strangest controversy, Rob. My gracious liege, when that my father Your brother did employ my father much; Re-enter Sheriff, with ROBERT FAULCONBRIDGE, and Then, good my liege, let me have what is mine, PHILIP, his bastard Brother. This expedition's charge. What men are you? Rob. The son and heir to that same Faulcon- K. John. Is that the elder, and art thou the heir? Bast. Most certain of one mother, mighty king, Eli. Out on thee, rude man! thou dost shame And wound her honour with this diffidence. Bast. I, madam? no, I have no reason for it; Doth he lay claim to thine inheritance? Bast. I know not why, except to get the land. And were our father, and this son like him; I give heaven thanks, I was not like to thee. Eli. He hath a trick 3 of Coeur-de-lion's face, In the large composition of this man? K. John. Mine eye hath well examined his parts, And finds them perfect Richard. Sirrah, speak, What doth move you to claim your brother's land? 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 husbands That marry wives. Tell me, how if my brother Had of your father claim'd this son for his? In sooth, good friend, your father might have kept In sooth, he might: then, if he were my brother's, Rob. Shall then my father's will be of no force, Bast. Of no more force to dispossess me, sir, And like thy brother, to enjoy thy land; Bast. Madam, an if my brother had my shape, That in mine ear I durst not stick a rose, And, to his shape, were heir to all this land, I would not be sir Nob in any case. Eli. I like thee well; Wilt thou forsake thy for Your face hath got five hundred pounds a year; Eli. Nay, I would have you go before me thither. Bast. Philip, my liege; so is my name begun Bast. Because he hath a half-face, like my father: Philip, good old sir Robert's wife's eldest son. With that half-face would he have all my land: A half-faced groat five hundred pound a year! K. John. From henceforth bear his name whose form thou bear'st: Kneel thou down Philip, but arise more great: Bast. Brother, by my 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. Bast. Brother, adieu; good fortune come to thee! For thou wast got i'the way of honesty. [Exeunt all but the Bastard. A foot of honour better than I was; But many a 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 tooth-pick at my worship's mess; And when my knightly stomach is suffic'd, Why then I suck my teeth and catechise My picked man of countries 5: My dear sir, (Thus, leaning on mine elbow, I begin,) I shall beseech you That is question now; And then comes answer like an ABC-book: - It draws toward supper in conclusion so. And fits the mounting spirit, like myself: Enter Lady FAULCONBRIDGE and JAMES GURNEY. That holds in chase mine honour up and down? Lady F. Sir Robert's son! Ay, thou unreverend boy, Sir Robert's son: Why scorn'st thou at sir Robert? He is sir Robert's son; and so art thou. Bast. James Gurney, wilt thou give us leave a while? Gur. Good leave, good Philip. Bast. Philip? sparrow ! - James, What! I am dubb'd; I have it on my shoulder. Then, good my mother, let me know my father; bridge? Bast. As faithfully as I deny the devil. By long and vehement suit I was seduc'd Bast. Madam, I would not wish a better father. |