K. Phil. Thou fhalt not need. England, I'll fall from thee.

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 shall 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 afunder, and difmember me.
Husband, I cannot pray that thou may'st win :
Uncle, I needs muft pray that thou may'ft lofe:
Father, I may not with the fortune thine;
Grandam, I will not wifh 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 lies.
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 dear'it-valu'd blood of France.

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

turn

To afhes, ere our blood shall quench that fire.
Look to thyfelf, thou art in jeopardy.
K. John. No more than he that threats.

let's hie.

To arms

[Exeunt.

SCENE II. Changes to a field of battle. Alarms, excurfions. Enter Faulconbridge, with Auftria's head.

Faulc. Now, by my life, this day grows wond'rous Some fiery devil hovers in the fky,

[hot;

And pours down mifchief. Auftria's head lie there.--

Thus

Thus hath King Richard's fon perform'd his vow, And offer'd Auftria's blood for facrifice

Unto his father's ever-living foul.

Enter King John, Arthur, and Hubert.

K. John. There, Hubert, keep this boy. Richard, 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 V.

[make up;

[Exeunt.

Alarms, 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.
K. John. Coufin, away for England; hafte before,
[To Faulconbridge.
And ere our coming fee thou shake the bags
Of hoarding abbots; their imprifon'd angels
't thou at liberty: the fat ribs of peace
Mu by the hungry war be fed upon.
Ufe our commiffion in its utmoft force.

Faulc. Bell, book, and candle, fhall not, drive me

When gold and filver beck me to come on.

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

For fair fafety; fo I kifs

your

[back,

your

hand.

[Exit. Faulc.

Eli. Farewel, my gentle coufin.
K. John. Coz, farewel.

Eli. Come hither, little kinsman ;—hark, a word.

[Taking him to one fide of the stage.

K. John. [to Hubert on the other fide.] Come hither, Hubert. O my gentle Hubert, We owe thee much; within this wall of fleth

There

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 cherished.
Give me thy hand, I had a thing to fay-
But I will fit it with fome better time.
By heaven, Hubert, I'm almost afham'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 caufe to say fo yet,

But thou fhalt have-and creep time ne'er fo flow,
Yet it fhall come for me to do thee good.

.

I had a thing to fay, but let it go:

The fun is in the heav'n, and the proud day,
Attended with the pleafures of the world,

Is all too wanton, and too full of gawds,

To give me audience. If the midnight-bell
Did with his iron tongue and brazen mouth

• Sound one 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 my blood, and made it heavy-thick,
Which elfe runs tickling up and down the veins,
Making that ideot Laughter keep mens' eyes,
And ftain their cheeks to idle merriment,
(A paffion haceful to my purposes);

• Or if that thou couldst 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,
Tho' that my death were adjunct to my act,
By heav'n I'd do'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.

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

Hub. And I'll keep him so,

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.

[Returning to the Queen,

I'll fend those pow'rs o'er to your Majesty.

Eli. My bleffing go with thee!

K. John. For England, coufin, go. Hubert fhall be your man, t'attend on you

With all true duty; on toward Calais, ho! [Exeunt.

SCENE VI. Changes to the French court. Enter King Philip, Lewis, Pandulpho, and attendants. K. Phil. So, by a roaring tempest on the flood, A whole armado * of collected fail

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

Pand. Courage and comfort, all fhall 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 pris'ner? divers dear friends flain ?
And bloody England into England gone,
O'er-bearing interruption, fpite of France?

Leavis. What he hath won, that hath he fortify'd:
So hot a fpeed with such advice difpos'd,
Such temp'rate order in fo fierce a course,
Doth want example; who hath read or heard

Of

any kindred action like to this?

*This play was first represented a winter or two after the Spanish invafion in 1588. And it abounds with touches relative to the then Pofture of affairs.

VOL. III.

Tt

K. Phil

K. Phil. Well could I bear that England had this

praife,

So we could find some pattern of our shame.

Enter Conftance.

Look, who comes here? a grave unto a foul,
Holding th' eternal fpirit 'gainft her will
In the vile prifon of afflicted breath.

I pr'ythee, Lady, go away with me.

Con. Lo, now, now fee the iffue of your peace.
K. Phil. Patience, good Lady; comfort, gentle Con-
ftance

Conft. No, I defy all counsel and redress,
But that which ends all counfel, true redress,
Death, Death; oh amiable, lovely Death!
Thou odoriferous ftench, found rottennefs,
Arife forth from thy couch of lafting night,
Thou hate and terror to prosperity,
And I will kifs thy deteftable bones;
And put my eye-balls in thy vaulty brows;
And ring thefe fingers with thy houfhold-worms;
And ftop this gap of breath with fulfome duft,
And be a carrion monster like thyself;

Come, grin on me, and I will think thou fmil'ft,
And kifs thee as thy wife; mifery's love,
O come to me !

K.Phil. O fair affliction, peace.

Conft. No, no, I will not, having breath to cry;
O that my tongue were in the thunder's mouth!
Then with a paffion I would fhake the world,
And roufe from fleep that fell anatomy,

Which cannot hear a lady's feeble voice,
And fcorns a modern invocation.

Pand. Lady, you utter madnefs, and not forrow.
Conft. Thou art not holy to bely me fo;
I am not mad; this hair I tear is mine;
My name is Conhance, I was Geffrey's wife:
Young Arthur is my fon, and he is loft!
I am not mad; I would to heaven I were !
For then 'tis like I fhould forget myself.

сь,