And then our arms, like to a muzzled bear,
Save in aspéct, hath 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 unbruised,
We will bear home that lusty blood again
Which here we came to spout against your town,
And leave your children, wives and you in peace.
But if you fondly pass our proffer'd offer,
'Tis not the roundure of your old-faced 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 challenged it?
Or shall we give the signal to our rage
And stalk in blood to our possession?

First Cit. In brief, we are the king of Eng-
land's subjects:

For him, and in his right, we hold this town.
K. John. Acknowledge then the king, and let
me in.

First Cit. That can we not; but he that proves
the king,

To him will we prove loyal: till that time
Have we ramm'd up our gates against the world.
K. John. Doth not the crown of England
prove the king?

And if not that, I bring you witnesses,

Twice fifteen thousand hearts of England's breed,

Bast. Bastards, and else.

K. John. To verify our title with their lives.

258. pass, neglect.

259. roundure, compass.

Capell's correction

'rounder.'

250

260

270

K. Phi. As many and as well-born bloods as those,

Bast. Some bastards too.

K. Phi. Stand in his face to contradict his claim.

First Cit. Till you compound whose right is worthiest,

We for the worthiest hold the right from both.

K. John. Then God forgive the sin 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! to
arms !

Bast. Saint George, that swinged the dragon,
and e'er since

Sits on his horse' back at mine hostess' door,
Teach us some fence! [To Aust.] 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.

K. Phi. It shall be so; and at the other hill Command the rest to stand.

God and our right!
[Exeunt.

280

290

278. bloods, men of spirit. 288, 289. St. George and the

dragon was a common ale-house

sign.

Here after excursions, enter the Herald of

France, with trumpets, to the gates.

F. Her. You men of Angiers, open wide your

gates,
And let young Arthur, Duke of Bretagne, in,

Who by the hand of France this day hath made
Much work for tears in many an English mother,
Whose sons lie scattered 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 English Herald, with trumpet.

E. Her. Rejoice, you men of Angiers, ring your bells;

King John, your king and England's, doth approach,

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

300

310

That did display them when we first march'd forth; 320
And, like a jolly troop of huntsmen, come
Our lusty English, all with purpled hands,
Dyed in the dying slaughter of their foes:
Open your gates and give the victors way.

316. gilt, reddened.

318. staff, lance.

322. with purpled hands (like those of huntsmen fresh from cutting up the quarry).

First 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 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.

Re-enter the two KINGS, with their powers,
severally.

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 saved 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,
Before we will lay down our just-borne arms,

330

340

335. run; SO Ff2-4 for 'rome,' F; this would be an easy misprint for 'ronne,' which gives a decidedly better sense.

344. this climate, the region of the sky immediately above us.

We'll put thee down, 'gainst whom these arms we bear,

Or add a royal number to the dead,

Gracing the scroll that tells of this war's loss
With slaughter coupled to the name of kings.
Bast. Ha, majesty! how high thy glory towers, 350
When the rich blood of kings is set on fire!

O, now doth Death line his dead chaps with steel;
The swords of soldiers are his teeth, his fangs ;
And now he feasts, mousing the flesh of men,
In undetermined differences of kings.
Why stand these royal fronts amazed thus?
Cry, 'havoc !' kings; back to the stained field,
You equal potents, fiery kindled spirits!
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?

First 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, And bear possession of our person here,

Lord of our presence, Angiers, and of you.

First 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;
King'd of our fears, until our fears, resolved,

347. i.e. the dead shall number a king among them. 358. potents, powers.

360

370

371. King'd of our fears; Theobald's excellent conjecture for 'kings of our fear' Ff.