Ichn. A doubtfull tale as euer I did heare,
Thy brother, and thine elder, and no heire:
Explaine this darke. Enigma.

Robert. I grant (my lord) he is my mothers fonne,
Base borne, and bafe begot, no Fauconbridge.
Indeede the world reputes him lawfull heire,
My father in his life did count him fo,

And here my mother stands to prooue him fo:
But I (my lord) can prooue, and doe auerre
Both to my mothers fhame, and his reproach,
He is no heire, nor yet legitimate.

Then (gratious lord) let Fauconbridge enioy
The liuing that belongs to Fauconbridge.

And let not him poffeffe anothers right.

John. Prooue this, the land is thine by Englands lawe.
2. Elin. Vagratious youth, to rip thy mothers shame,
The wombe from whence thou didst thy being take,
All honest eares abhorre thy wickednesse,

But gold I fee doth beate downe natures law.

Mother. My gratious lord, and you thrice reuerend dame, That fee the teares diftilling from mine eies,

And fcalding fighes blowne from a rented heart:
For honour and regard of womanhood,

Let me intreate to be commaunded hence.
Let not these eares heere receiue the hiffing found
Of fuch a viper, who with poyfoned words
Doth mafferate the bowells of my foule.

John. Lady, ftand vp, be patient for a while :
And fellow, fay, whose baftard is thy brother?
Philip. Not for my felfe, nor for my mother now;
But for the honour of fo braue a man,
Whom hee accufeth with adulterie :

Heere I beseech your grace vpon my knees,
To count him mad, and so difmiffe vs hence.

Robert. Nor mad, nor mazde, but well aduised, I
Charge thee before this royall presence here

To be a bastard to king Richards selfe,

Sonne to your grace, and brother to your maieftie.
Thus bluntly, and

Elian. Yong man, thou needst not be ashamed of thy kin, Nor of thy fire. But forward with thy proofe.

Robert. The proofe fo plaine, the argument so strong,
As that your highneffe and these noble lords,
And all (faue those that haue no eies to fee)
Shall sweare him to be bastard to the king.
First, when my father was embaffadour
In Germanie vnto the Emperour,

The king lay often at my fathers houfe;
And all the realme suspected what befell:
And at my fathers backe-returne agen
My mother was deliuered, as tis fed,

Sixe weeks before the account my father made.
But more than this: looke but on Philips face,
His features, actions, and his lineaments,
And all this princely prefence fhall confeffe,
He is no other but king Richards fonne.
Then gratious lord, rest he king Richards fonne,
And let me reft fafe in my fathers right,
That am his rightfull fonne and only heire.

Iohn. Is this thy proofe, and all thou hast to say?
Robert. I haue no more, nor neede I greater proofe.
Ichn. First, where thou faidft in abfence of thy fire
My brother often lodged in his house:
And what of that? bafe groome to flaunder him,
That honoured his embaffador fo much,

In abfence of the man to cheere the wife?
This will not hold, proceed vnto the next.

2 Elin. Thou faist she teemde fixe weekes before her time, Why good fir fquire, are you so cunning growen,

To make account of womens reckonings ?

Spit in your hand and to your other proofes:
Many mischances happen in fuch affaires,

To make a woman come before her time.

John. And where thou faift, he looketh like the king, In action, feature and proportion :

Therein I hold with thee, for in my life

I neuer faw fo liuely counterfet

Of Richard Cordelion, as in him.

Robert. Then good my lord, be you indiffrent iudge, And let me haue my liuing and my right.

2. Elinor. Nay, heare you fir, you runne away too fast: Know you not, omne fimile non eft idem? Or haue read in. Harke yee good fir, Twas thus I warrant, and no otherwise.

Shee lay with fir Robert your father, and thought vpon king Richard my fonne, and fo your brother was formed in this fashion.

Robert. Madame, you wrong me thus to ieft it out,

I craue my right: king John, as thou art king,

So be thou iuft, and let me haue my right.

John. Why (foolish boy) thy proofes are friuolous,
Nor canft thou chalenge any thing thereby.

But thou fhalt fee how I will helpe thy claime :
This is my doome, and this my doome shall stand
Irreuocable, as I am king of England.

For thou know'st not, weele afke of them that know,

His mother and himfelfe faall end this ftrife:
And as they fay, fo fhall thy liuing paffe.

Robert. My lord, herein I challenge you of wrong,
To giue away my right, and put the doome
Vnto themfelues. Can there be likelihood
That fhee will loofe?

Or he will giue the liuing from himselfe?

It may not be my lord. Why fhould it be?

John. Lords, keep him back, and let him heare the doom. Effex, firft afke the mother thrice who was his fire? Effex. Lady Margaret, widow of Fauconbridge, Who was father to thy fonne Philip?

Mother. Please it your maiefty, fir Rob. Fauconbridge.

Rob. This is right, afke my fellow there if I be a thiefe. Iohn. Afke Philip whofe fonne he is.

Effex. Philip, who was thy father?

Philip. Mas my lord, and that's a queftion: and you had not taken fome paines with her before, I fhould haue defired. you to afke my mother.

John. Say, who was thy father?

Philip. Faith (my lord) to answere you, fure hee is my fa. ther that was neereft my mother when I was begotten, and him I thinke to be fir Robert Fauconbridge.

John. Effex, for fashions fake demand agen,

And so an end to this contention.

Robert. Was euer man thus wrongd as Robert is?

Effex. Philip fpeake I fay, who was thy father?

John. Young man how now, what art thou in a trance ?
Elianor. Philip awake, the man is in a dreame.
Philip. Philippus atauis adite Regibus.

What faist thou Philip, fprung of auncient kings?
Quo me rapit tempeftas ?

What winde of honour blowes this furie forth?
Or whence proceede these fumes of maieftie?

Me thinkes I heare a hollow eccho found,

That

That Philip is the fonne vato a king:
The whistling leaues vpon the trembling trees,
Whistle in confort I am Richaras fonne :

The bubling murmur of the waters fall,
Records Philippus Regius filius:

Birds in their flight make muficke with their wings,
Filling the aire with glorie of my birth:

Birds, bubbles, leaues, and mountaines, eccho, all
Ring in mine eares, that I am Richards fonne.
Fond man! ah whither art thou carried?
How are thy thoughts ywrapt in honors heauen?
Forgetfull what thou art, and whence thou camft.
Thy fathers land cannot maintaine these thoughts,
These thoughts are farre vnfitting Fauconbridge:
And well they may; for why this mounting minde
Doth foare too high to ftoupe to Fauconbridge.
Why how now? knowest thou where thou art?
And knoweft thou who expects thine answer here ?
Wilt thou vpon a franticke madding vaine
Goe loose thy land, and fay thy felfe base borne?
No, keepe thy land, though Richard were thy fire,
What ere thou thinkft, fay thou art Fauconbridge.

John. Speake mau, be fodaine, who thy father was.

Philip. Please it your maieftie, fir Robert

Philip, that Fauconbridge cleaues to thy iawes:

It will not out, I cannot for my life

Say I am fonne vnto a Fauconbridge.

Let land and liuing goe, tis honors fire

That makes me fweare king Richard was my fire.
Bafe to a king addes title of more state,

Than knights begotten, though legittimate.
Please it your grace, I am king Richards fonne.
Robert. Robert reuiue thy heart, let forrow die,

His faltring tongue not fuffers him to lie.