Conft. O fair return of banish'd majesty!
Eli. O foul revolt of French inconftancy!

K. John. France, thou fhalt rue this hour within this hour.

Faulc. Old time the clock-fetter, that bald fexton time, Is it as he will? well then, France fhall rue.

Blanch. The fun's o'ercaft with blood: Fair day, adieu ! Which is the fide that I must go withal?

I am with both: each army hath a hand;
And, in their rage, I having hold of both,
They whirl asunder, and difmember me.

Husband, I cannot pray that thou may'st win;
Uncle, I needs must pray that thou may'st lose;
Father, I may not wish the fortune thine;
Grandam, I will not wish thy wishes thrive:
Whoever wins, on that fide fhall I lofe;

Affured lofs, before the match be play'd.

Lewis. Lady, with me; with me thy fortune lives. Blanch. There where my fortune lives, there my life

dies.

K. John. Coufin, go draw our puiffance together.

[Exit Faulconbridge. France, I am burn'd up with inflaming wrath; A rage, whofe heat hath this condition,

That nothing can allay, nothing but blood,
The blood, and deareft-valu'd blood, of France.

K. Phil. Thy rage fhall burn thee up, and thou fhalt

turn

To afhes, ere our blood fhall quench that fire:

Look to thyself, thou art in jeopardy.

K. John. No more than he that threats.-To arms let's

hie!

*Is it as he will?]-Is it referred to his decifion?

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.

A Field of Battle.

Alarums, Excurfions: enter Faulconbridge, with Auftria's bead.

Faule. Now, by my life, this day grows wondrous hot; Some airy devil hovers in the fky,

And pours down mifchief.

Auftria's head lie there;

While Philip breathes.

Enter King John, Arthur, and Hubert.

K. John. Hubert, keep thou this boy :-Cousin, make

up;

My mother is affailed in our tent,

And ta'en, I fear.

Faulc. My lord, I refcu'd her;
Her highness is in fafety, fear you not:
But on, my liege; for very little pains
Will bring this labour to an happy end.

SCENE

[Exeunt,

III.

Alarums, excurfions, retreat. Re-enter King John, Elinor, Arthur, Faulconbridge, Hubert, and Lords.

K. John. So fhall it be; your grace shall stay behind,

[To Elinor.

So ftrongly guarded.-Coufin, look not fad:

[To Arthur,

Thy grandam loves thee; and thy uncle will

As dear be to thee as thy father was.

Arth. O, this will make my mother die with grief.

1 Hubert, keep this boy :-Philip, &c.

K. John,

K. John. Coufin, away for England; hafte before: [To Faulconbridge.

And, ere our coming, fee thou shake the bags

Of hoarding abbots; imprisoned angels

Set at liberty: "the fat ribs of peace

n

Muft by the hungry, now be fed upon :

Ufe our commiffion in his utmost force.

Faulc. Bell book and candle fhall not drive me back, When gold and filver becks me to come on.

I leave your highness.-Grandam, I will pray (If ever I remember to be holy)

For your fair fafety; fo I kiss your hand.

Eli. Farewell, gentle coufin.

K. John. Coz, farewell.

[Exit Faulc.

Eli. Come hither, little kinfman; hark, a word.

[Taking him to one fide of the stage.

K. John. Come hither, Hubert. O my gentle Hubert,

We owe thee much; within this wall of flesh
There is a foul, counts thee her creditor,
And with advantage means to pay thy love:
And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath
Lives in this bofom, dearly cherish'd.
Give me thy hand. I had a thing to say,-
But I will fit it with fome better time.
By heaven, Hubert, I am almost asham'd
To fay what good refpect I have of thee.

Hub. I am much bounden to your majesty.

K. John. Good friend, thou haft no cause to say so yet: But thou shalt have; and creep time ne'er so flow,

Yet it fhall come, for me to do thee good.

A

The fat ribs of peace]—the ecclefiaftical revenues.

by the hungry,]-the hungry troops.

• Bell book and candle]-alluding to the Romish curfe, pronounced by the priest during mafs; the book open, candles lighted, and facring kell rung.

I had a thing to fay,-But let it go:
The fun is in the heaven; and the proud day,
Attended with the pleasures of the world,
Is all too wanton, and too full of gawds,
To give me aduience :-If the midnight bell
Did, with his iron tongue and brazen mouth,
Sound on unto the drowsy race of night;
If this fame were a church-yard where we stand,
And thou poffeffed with a thousand wrongs;
Or if that furly fpirit, melancholy,

Had bak'd thy blood, and made it heavy, thick;
(Which, elfe, runs tickling up and down the veins,
Making that ideot, laughter, 'keep men's eyes,
And ftrain their cheeks to idle merriment,

A paffion hateful to my purposes)

Or if that thou could'ft fee me without eyes,
Hear me without thine ears, and make reply
Without a tongue, ufing conceit alone,
Without eyes, ears, and harmful found of words;
Then, in defpight of broad-ey'd watchful day,
I would into thy bofom pour my thoughts:
But, ah, I will not :-Yet I love thee well;
And, by my troth, I think, thou lov'ft me well.
Hub. So well, that what you bid me undertake,
Though that my death were adjunct to my act,
By heaven, I would do it.

t

K. John. Do not I know, thou would'st?
Good Hubert, Hubert, Hubert, throw thine eye
On yon young boy: I'll tell thee what, my friend,
He is a very ferpent in my way;

P of gawds, to give me]-showy appearances, for thee to give me.
9 Had with his iron tongue and brazen mouth
Sounden unto, &c.-founded unto, &c.-

trickling.

-Sound one.

keep]-abide in, difplay itself there, adjuna-annexed, united, POEMS, 481.

And,

And, wherefoe'er this foot of mine doth tread,
He lies before me: Doft thou understand me?
Thou art his keeper.

Hub. And I'll keep him fo,

That he shall not offend your majesty.

K. John. Death.

Hub. My lord?

K. John. A grave.

Hub. He fhall not live.

K. John. Enough.

I could be merry now: Hubert, I love thee;
Well, I'll not fay what I intend for thee:
Remember.Madam, fare you well:
I'll fend those powers o'er to your majesty.
Eli. My bleffing go with thee!

K. John. For England, coufin, go:
Hubert fhall be your man, attend on you

With all true duty.-On towards Calais, ho!

[Exeunt.

Enter King Philip, Lewis, Pandulph, and Attendants.

K. Phil. So, by a roaring tempeft on the flood, A whole " armado of collected fail

Is fcatter'd, and disjoin'd from fellowship.

Pand. Courage and comfort! all shall yet go well.
K. Phil. What can go well, when we have run fo ill?

Are we not beaten? Is not Angiers loft?

Arthur ta'en prisoner? divers dear friends flain?
And bloody England into England gone,

O'er-bearing interruption, fpite of France?

"armado of collected fail]-a fleet of war.-convicted-fubdued.connelled.