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THE

LIFE and DEATH

O F

King FOHN.

ACT I.

SCENE I.

Enter King John, Queen Elinor, Pembroke, Effex, and Salisbury, with Chattilion.

N

King JOHN.

OW fay, Chattilion, what would France with us?

Chat. Thus, after greeting, fpeaks the King of France

In my Behaviour to the Majefty,

The borrow'd Majefty of England here.
Eli. A ftrange Beginning; borrow'd Majefty!
K. John. Silence, good Mother, hear the Embaffie.
Chat. Philip of France, in right and true behalf
Of thy deceased Brother Geffrey's Son,
Arthur Plantagenet, lays moft lawful Claim
To this fair Iland, and the Territories:
To Ireland, Poytiers, Anjou, Touaine, Maine,
VOL. III.

B 2

Defiring

Defiring thee to lay afide the Sword
Which fways ufurpingly thefe fevera! Titles,
And put the fame into young Arthur's Hand,
Thy Nephew, and right Royal Soveraign.

K. John. What follows, if we difallow of this?
Chat. The proud Control of fierce and bloody War,
To inforce thefe Rights fo forcibly with-held.

K. John. Here have we War for War, and Blood for Blood, Controlment for Controlment; fo anfwer France.

Chat. Then take my King's Defiance from my Mouth, The fartheft limit of my Embaffie.

K. John. Bear mine to him, and fo depart in Peace.
Be thou as Lightning in the Eyes of France;
For e'er thou canft report, I will be there,
The Thunder of my Cannon fhall be heard.
So hence; be thou the Trumpet of our Wrath,
And fullen Prefage of your own decay:
An honourable Conduct let him have,

Pembroke look to't; farewel Chattilion. [Exit Chat. and Pem.
Eli. What now, my Son, have I not ever faid

How that Ambitious Conftance would not ceafe
'Till fhe 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 eafie Arguments of Love,

Which now the Manage of two Kingdoms must
With fearful bloody Iffue arbitrate.

K. John. Our ftrong Poffeffion and our Right for us.
Eli. Your ftrong Poffeffion much more than your Right,
Or else it must go wrong with
and me,

you

So much my Confcience whispers in your Ear,
Which none but Heav'n, and you and I fhall hear.

Effex. My Liege, here is the ftrangest Controverfie
Come from the Country to be judg'd by you
That e'er I heard, fhall I produce the Men?
K. John. Let them approach:

Our Abbies and our Priories fhall pay

This Expedition's Charge. What Men are you?

Enter Robert Faulconbridge and the Bastard.`.
Baft. Your faithful Subject, I, a Gentleman,
Born in Northamptonfire, and eldeft Son,

As

As I fuppofe, to Faulconbridge,

A Soldier, by the Honour-giving-hand

Of Cordelion, Knighted in the Field.
K. John. What art thou?

Robert. The Son and Heir to that fame Faulconbridge
K. John. Is that the Elder, and art thou the Heir?
You came not of one Mother, then it seems?

Bast. Moft certain of one Mother, mighty King,
That is well known, and, as I think, one Father:
But for the certain Knowledge of that Truth,
I put you o'er to Heav'n, and to my Mother;
Of that I doubt, as all Mens Children may.

Eli. Out on thee, rude Man, thou doft hame thy Mother, And wound her Honour with this diffidence.

Baft. I, Madam? No: I have no Reafon for it;
That is my Brother's Plea, and none of mine,
The which if he can prove, a pops me out,
At least from fair five hundred pound a Year:
Heav'n guard my Mother's Honour, and my Land.

K. John. A good blunt Fellow; why being younger Born Doth he lay claim to thine Inheritance ?

Baft. I know not why, except to get the Land;
But once he flander'd me with Baftardy:
But whether I be as true begot or no,
That ftill I lay upon my Mother's Head,
But that I am as well begot, my Liege,
Fair fall the Bones that took the Pains for me,
Compare our Faces, and be judge your felf.
If o'd Sir Robert did beget us both,

And were our Father, and this Son like him:
O old Sir Robert Father, on my Knee

I give Heav'n thanks I was not like to thee.

K. John. Why what a mad-cap hath Heav'n lent us here? Eli. He hath a trick of Cordelion's Face, The accent of his Tongue affecteth him: Do you not read fome Tokens of my Son In the large Compofition of this Man?

K. John. Mine Eye hath well examined his Parts, And finds them perfect Richard: Sirrah, fpeak,

What doth move you to claim your Brother's Land?

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Baft. Because he hath a half-face, like my Father,
With half that Face would he have all my Lands,
A half-fac'd Groat, five hundred Pound a Year?

Rob. My gracious Liege, when that my Father liv'd,
Your Brother did imploy my Father much-

Baft. Well, Sir, by this you cannot get my Land,
Your Tale must be how he imploy'd my Mother.
Rob. And once dispatch'd him in an Embaffie
To Germany, there with the Emperor

To treat of high Affairs touching that time:
Th'Advantage of his Abfence took the King,
And in the mean time fojourn'd at my Father's;
Where, how he did prevail, I fhame to speak:
But truth is truth, large lengths of Seas and Shores
Between my Father and my Mother lay,
As I have heard my Father fpeak himself,
When this fame lufty Gentleman was got.
Upon his Death-bed he by Will bequeath'd
His Lands to me, and took it on his Death
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 he did play falfe, the Fault was hers,
Which Fault lyes on the hazards of all Husbands
That marry Wives. Tell me, how if my Brother,
Who, as you fay, took pains to get this Son,
Had of your Father claim'd this Son for his,
In footh, good Friend, your Father might have kept
This Calf, bred from his Cow, from all the World:
In footh he might; then if he were my Brother's,
My Brother might not claim him; nor your Father,
Being none of his, refufe him; this concludes,
My Mother's Son did get your Father's Heir,
Your Father's Heir must have your Father's Land.
Rob. Shall then my Father's Will be of no force
To difpoflefs that Child which is not his?

4

Baft.

Baft. Of no more force to difpoffefs me, Sir,
Then was his Will to get me, as I think.

Eli. Whether hadft thou rather be a Faulconbridge,
And, like thy Brother, to enjoy thy Land:
Or the reputed Son of Cordelion,

Lord of thy Prefence, and no Land befide?
Baft. Madam, and if my Brother had my Shape,
And I had his, Sir Robert's his, like him,
And if my Legs were two fuch riding Rods,
My Arms fuch Eel-skins ftuft, my Face fo thin,
That in mine Ear I durft not ftick a Rofe,
Left Men should fay, look where three Farthings goes,
And to his Shape were Heir to all this Land,
Would I might never ftir from off this Place,
I would give it every Foot to have this Face:
I would not be Sir Nobbe in any cafe.

Eli. I like thee well; wilt thou forfake thy Fortune,
Bequeath thy Land to him, and follow me?
I am a Soldier, and now bound to France.

my

Baft. Brother, take you my Land, I'll take Your Face hath got five hundred Pound a Year, Yet fell your Face for five Pence, and 'tis dear. Madam, I'll follow you unto the Death.

Chance ;

Eli. Nay, I would have you go before me thither.
Baft. Our Country manners give our Betters way.
K. John. What is thy Name?

Baft. Philip, my Liege, fo is my Name begun,
Philip, good old Sir Robert's Wife's eldeft Son.
K. John. From henceforth bear his Name
Whole Form thou beareft:

Kneel thou down Philip, but rife more great,
Arife Sir Richard and Plantagenet.

Baft. Brother by th'Mother's fide, give me your Hand, My Father gave me Honour, yours gave Land.

Now bleffed 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 fo.

Baft. Madam, by chance, but not by truth, what tho'; Something about, a little from the right,

In at the Window, or elfe o'er the Hatch:

B 4

Who

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