Enter KING JOHN, ELINOR, BLANCH, the Bastard, PEMBROKE, and Forces. K. John. Peace be to France; if France in peace permit Our just and lineal entrance to our own! If not; bleed France, and peace ascend to heaven! Whiles we, God's wrathful agent, do correct Their proud contempt that beat his peace to heaven. K. Phi. Peace be to England; if that warreturn Outfaced infant state, and done a rape This little abstract doth contain that large, To draw my answer from thy articles? In any breast of strong authority, To look into the blots and stains of right. K. John. Alack, thou dost usurp authority. " Const. Let me make answer;-thy usurping son. Eli. Out, insolent! thy bastard shall be king; That thou mayst be a queen, and check the world! Const. 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,' It cannot be, an if thou wert his mother. Eli. There's a good mother, boy, that blots thy father. Const. There's a good grandam, boy, that would blot thee. Aust. Peace! Bast. Aust. Hear the crier. What the devil art thou? Bast. One that will play the devil, sir, with you, An 'a may catch your hide and you alone. Blanch. O, well did he become that lion's robe, That did disrobe the lion of that robe! Bast. It lies as sightly on the back of him, As great Alcides' shoes upon an ass : But, ass, I'll take that burden from your back; Or lay on that shall make your shoulders crack. Aust. What cracker is this same, that deafs our ears With this abundance of superfluous breath? K. Phi. Lewis, determine what we shall do straight. Lew. 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? K. John. My life as soon:-I do defy thee, France. Arthur of Bretagne, 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. Eli. Come to thy grandam, child. Const. Do, child, go to it' grandam, child; Give grandam kingdom, and it' grandam will Give it a plum, a cherry, and a fig: There's a good grandam. Arth. Good my mother, peace! I would, that I were low laid in my grave; I am not worth this coil that's made for me. Eli. His mother shames him so, poor boy, he weeps. or no! Const. Now shame upon you, whe'r she does [shames, His grandam's wrongs, and not his mother's 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. Eli. Thou monstrous slanderer of heaven and earth! Const. 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 eldest son's son, Infortunate in nothing but in thee; Thy sins are visited in this poor child; Const. 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 Her injury, the beadle to her sin; All punish'd in the person of this child, And all for her; A plague upon her! Eli. Thou unadvised scold, I can produce A will, that bars the title of thy son. Const. Ay, who doubts that? a will! a wicked will; A woman's will; a canker'd grandam's will! K. Phi, Peace, lady; pause, or be more temperate : It ill beseems this presence, to cry aim Some trumpet summon hither to the walls Trumpets sound. Enter Citizens upon the Walls. 1 Cit. Who is it, that bath warn'd us to the walls? K. Phi. 'Tis France, for England. K. John. England, for itself: You men of Angiers, and my loving subjects, K. Phi. You loving men of Angiers, Arthur's subjects, Our trumpet call'd you to this gentle parle. These flags of France, that are advanced here And merciless proceeding by these French, Behold, the French, amaz'd, vouchsafe a parle: To make a shaking fever in your walls, K. Phi. When I have said, make answer to us Lo, in this right hand, whose protection [both. Is most divinely vow'd upon the right Of him it holds, stands young Plantagenet; Than the constraint of hospitable zeal, We will bear home that lusty blood again, peace. But if you fondly pass our proffer'd offer, 1 Cit. In brief, we are the king of England's For him, and in his right, we hold this town.. K, John. Acknowledge then the king, and let me in. |