PHILIP. From that supernal judge, that stirs good thoughts

In any breast of strong authority,

To look into the blots and stains of right:

That judge hath made me guardian to this boy :
Under whose warrant I impeach thy wrong,
And by whose help I mean to chastise it.

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116

KING JOHN. Alack! thou dost usurp authority. PHILIP. Excuse; it is to beat usurping down. ELINOR. Who is it thou dost call usurper,

France ?

120

CONSTANCE. Let me make answer; thy usurping

son.

ELINOR. Out, insolent! thy bastard shall be king,
That thou mayst be a queen, and check the world!
CONSTANCE. My bed was ever to thy son as true
As thine was to thy husband, and this boy
Liker in feature to his father Geffrey

Than thou and John in manners; being as like
As rain to water, or devil to his dam.
My boy a bastard! By my soul I think
His father never was so true begot:
It cannot be an if thou wert his mother.

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128

ELINOR. There's a good mother, boy, that blots thy father.

132

CONSTANCE. There's a good grandam, boy, that would blot thee.

AUSTRIA. Peace!

THE BASTARD.

AUSTRIA.

THE BASTARD.

with you,

Hear the crier.

What the devil art thou?
One that will play the devil, sir,

An a' may catch your hide and you alone.
You are the hare of whom the proverb goes,
Whose valour plucks dead lions by the beard.
I'll smoke your skin-coat, an I catch you right.
Sirrah, look to 't; i' faith, I will, i' faith.

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140

BLANCH. O! well did he become that lion's robe,

That did disrobe the lion of that robe.

144

THE BASTARD. It lies as sightly on the back of him As great Alcides' shows upon an ass: But, ass, I'll take that burden from your back, Or lay on that shall make your shoulders crack.

AUSTRIA.

ears

What cracker is this same that deafs our

148

With this abundance of superfluous breath?
King,-Lewis, determine what we shall do straight.
PHILIP. Women and fools, break off your conference.
King John, this is the very sum of all:
England and Ireland, Anjou, Touraine, Maine,
In right of Arthur do I claim of thee.

Wilt thou resign them and lay down thy arms?
KING JOHN. My life as soon:

France.

152

I do defy thee,

Arthur of Britaine, yield thee to my hand;
And out of my dear love I'll give thee more
Than e'er the coward hand of France can win.
Submit thee, boy.

ELINOR.

Come to thy grandam, child.

156

CONSTANCE. Do, child, go to it grandam, child; 160 Give grandam kingdom, and it grandam will

Give it a plum, a cherry, and a fig:

There's a good grandam.

ARTHUR.

Good my mother, peace!

164

I would that I were low laid in my grave:

I am not worth this coil that 's made for me.

ELINOR. His mother shames him so, poor boy, he

weeps. CONSTANCE.

or no!

Now shame upon you, whe'r she does

167

His grandam's wrongs, and not his mother's shames,
Draw those heaven-moving pearls from his poor eyes,
Which heaven shall take in nature of a fee;
Ay, with these crystal beads heaven shall be brib'd
To do him justice and revenge on you.

172

ELINOR. Thou monstrous slanderer of heaven and earth!

CONSTANCE. Thou monstrous injurer of heaven and earth!

Call not me slanderer; thou and thine usurp

The dominations, royalties, and rights

Of this oppressed boy: this is thy eld'st son's son,

Infortunate in nothing but in thee:

Thy sins are visited in this poor child;

176

The canon of the law is laid on him,
Being but the second generation
Removed from thy sin-conceiving womb.
KING JOHN. Bedlam, have done.

CONSTANCE.

180

I have but this to say,

That he's not only plagued for her sin,
But God hath made her sin and her the plague
On this removed issue, plagu'd for her,
And with her plague, her sin; his injury

184

Her injury, the beadle to her sin,

All punish'd in the person of this child,

188

And all for her. A plague upon her!

ELINOR. Thou unadvised scold, I can produce

A will that bars the title of thy son. CONSTANCE. Ay, who doubts that? wicked will;

192

a will! a

A woman's will; a canker'd grandam's will!

PHILIP. Peace, lady! pause, or be more temperate : It ill beseems this presence to cry aim

To these ill-tuned repetitions.

Some trumpet summon hither to the walls
These men of Angiers: let us hear them speak
Whose title they admit, Arthur's or John's.

Trumpet sounds. Enter Citizens upon the Walls.

FIRST CITIZEN. walls?

196

200

Who is it that hath warn'd us to the

PHILIP. 'Tis France, for England.

KING JOHN.

England for itself. You men of Angiers, and my loving subjects,PHILIP. You loving men of Angiers, Arthur's subjects,

Our trumpet call'd you to this gentle parle,—

KING JOHN.

first.

204

For our advantage; therefore hear us

These flags of France, that are advanced here
Before the eye and prospect of your town,
Have hither march'd to your endamagement:
The cannons have their bowels full of wrath,
And ready mounted are they to spit forth
Their iron indignation 'gainst your walls:
All preparation for a bloody siege

And merciless proceeding by these French
Confronts your city's eyes, your winking gates;
And but for our approach those sleeping stones,
That as a waist do girdle you about,
By the compulsion of their ordinance
By this time from their fixed beds of lime
Had been dishabited, and wide havoc made
For bloody power to rush upon your peace.
But on the sight of us your lawful king,-
Who painfully with much expedient march

Have brought a countercheck before your gates,
To save unscratch'd your city's threaten'd cheeks-
Behold, the French amaz'd vouchsafe a parle ;
And now, instead of bullets wrapp'd in fire,
To make a shaking fever in your walls,
They shoot but calm words folded up in smoke,
To make a faithless error in your ears:
Which trust accordingly, kind citizens,

208

212

216

220

224

228

And let us in, your king, whose labour'd spirits,
Forwearied in this action of swift speed,

232

Crave harbourage within your city walls.

PHILIP. When I have said, make answer to us both.

236

Lo! in this right hand, whose protection
Is most divinely vow'd upon the right
Of him it holds, stands young Plantagenet,
Son to the elder brother of this man,
And king o'er him and all that he enjoys:
For this down-trodden equity, we tread

In war-like march these greens before your town,
Being no further enemy to you
Than the constraint of hospitable zeal,
In the relief of this oppressed child,
Religiously provokes. Be pleased then

To pay that duty which you truly owe
To him that owes it, namely, this young prince;
And then our arms, like to a muzzled bear,
Save in aspect, have 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 unbruis'd,
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-fac'd 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 challeng'd it?
Or shall we give the signal to our rage
And stalk in blood to our possession?

248

252

256

260

264

FIRST CITIZEN. In brief, we are the King of England's subjects:

For him, and in his right, we hold this town.

268

KING JOHN. Acknowledge then the king, and let me in.

FIRST CITIZEN. 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.

KING JOHN.

the king?

272

Doth not the crown of England prove

And if not that, I bring you witnesses,

Twice fifteen thousand hearts of England's breed,— THE BASTARD. Bastards, and else.

276

KING JOHN. To verify our title with their lives. PHILIP. As many and as well-born bloods as those,THE BASTARD. Some bastards too.

PHILIP. Stand in his face to contradict his claim. 280 FIRST CITIZEN. Till thou compound whose right is worthiest,