The thunder of my cannon shall be heard. [Exeunt CHATILLON and PEMBROKE. Eli. What now, my son? have I not ever said, How that ambitious Constance would not cease, Till she had kindled France, and all the world, Upon the right and party of her son? This might have been prevented, and made whole, Which now the manage of two kingdoms must K. John. Our strong possession, and our right for us. Eli. Your strong possession, much more than your right, Or else it must go wrong with you, and me: Enter the Sheriff of Northamptonshire, who whispers Essex. My liege, here is the strangest controversy, This expedition's charge.-What men are you? Rob. The son and heir to that same Faulconbridge. K. John. Is that the elder, and art thou the heir? You came not of one mother, then, it seems. Bast. Most 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 heaven, and to my mother: Of that I doubt, as all men's children may. Eli. Out on thee, rude man! thou dost shame thy mother, And wound her honour with this diffidence. Bast. I, madam? no, I have no reason 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. Heaven guard my mother's honour, and my K. John. A good blunt fellow.-Why, being younger born, Doth he lay claim to thine inheritance? land! Bast. I know not why, except to get the land. (Fair fall the bones that took the pains for me!) O! old sir Robert, father, on my knee I give heaven thanks, I was not like to thee. K. John. Why, what a madcap hath heaven lent us here! Eli. He hath a trick of Coeur-de-lion's face; K. John. Mine eye hath well examined his parts, And finds them perfect Richard.-Sirrah, speak; What doth move you to claim your brother's land? Bast. Because he hath a half-face, like my father, With that half-face, would he have all my land; A half-faced groat five-hundred pound a year! Rob. My gracious liege, when that my father liv'd, Your brother did employ my father much.— Bast. Well, sir; by this you cannot get my land: Your tale must be, low he employ'd my mother. Rob. And once despatch'd him in an embassy To Germany, there, with the emperor, To treat of high affairs touching that time. The advantage of his absence took the king, And in the mean time sojourn'd at my father's; Where how he did prevail I shame 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 speak himself, When this same lusty 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 she did play false, the fault was hers, Which fault lies on the hazards of all husbands That marry wives. Tell me, how if my brother, Who, as you say, took pains to get this son, Had of your father claim'd this son for his ? In sooth, good friend, your father might have kept This calf, bred from his cow, from all the world; In sooth, he might: then, if he were my brother's, My brother might not claim him, nor your father, Being none of his, refuse 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 dispossess that child which is not his? Bast. Of no more force to dispossess me, sir, And like thy brother to enjoy thy land, Bast. Madam, an if my brother had my shape, And, to his shape, were heir to all this land, I'd give it every foot to have this face: I would not be sir Nob in any case. Eli. I like thee well. Wilt thou forsake thy fortune, Bequeath thy land to him, and follow me? I am a soldier, and now bound to France. Bast. Brother, take you my land, I'll take my chance. Your face hath got five hundred pounds a year, Eli. Nay, I would have you go before me thither. way. K. John. What is thy name? Bast. Philip, my liege; so is my name begun; Philip, good old sir Robert's wife's eldest son. K. John. From henceforth bear his name whose form thou bearest : Kneel thou down Philip, but rise more great; Bast. Brother, by the mother's side, give me your hand: My father gave me honour, yours gave land.- When I was got sir Robert was away. Eli. The very spirit of Plantagenet !I am thy grandame, Richard: call me so. Bast. Madam, by chance, but not by truth: what though? Something about, a little from the right, In at the window, or else o'er the hatch: K. John. Go, Faulconbridge: now hast thou thy desire; A landless knight makes thee a landed 'squire.- A foot of honour better than I was, But many a many foot of land the worse. Well, now can I make any Joan a lady :"Good den, sir Richard."-"God-a-mercy, fellow;" And if his name be George, I'll call him Peter; For new-made honour doth forget men's names: 'Tis too respective, and too sociable, For your conversion. Now your traveller,- "I shall beseech you"-that is question now; And then comes answer like an ABC-book : "O sir," says answer, "at your best command; And talking of the Alps, and Apennines, It draws toward supper, in conclusion so. And fits the mounting spirit, like myself; For it shall strew the footsteps of my rising.- Lady F. Where is that slave, thy brother? where is he, That holds in chase mine honour up and down? Bast. My brother Robert? old sir Robert's son? Colbrand the giant, that same mighty man? Is it sir Robert's son, that you seek so? Lady F. Sir Robert's son! Ay, thou unreverend boy, Sir Robert's son: why scorn'st thou at sir Robert ? He is sir Robert's son, and so art thou. Bast. James Gurney, wilt thou give us leave a while? Gur. Good leave, good Philip. Bast. Philip?-sparrow !-James, There's toys abroad: anon I'll tell thee more. [Exit GURNEY. Madam, I was not old sir Robert's son: Sir Robert might have eat his part in me Upon Good-friday, and ne'er broke his fast. Sir Robert could do well: marry, to confess, 14 Could he get me? Sir Robert could not do it: We know his handy-work. Therefore, good mother, To whom am I beholding for these limbs ? Lady. F. Hast thou conspired with thy brother, too, That for thine own gain should'st defend mine honour? What means this scorn, thou most untoward knave? Bast. Knight, knight, good mother, Basilisco like. What! I am dubb'd; I have it on my shoulder. I have disclaim'd sir Robert, and my land; Then, good my mother, let me know my father: Bast. As faithfully as I deny the devil. By long and vehement suit I was seduc'd Bast. Now, by this light, were I to get again, And they shall say, when Richard me begot, If thou hadst said him nay, it had been sin: Who says it was, he lies: I say, 'twas not. [Exeuni SCENE I.-France. Before the Walls of Enter, on one side, the Archduke of Austria, Lew. Before Angiers well met, brave Austria.- By this brave duke came early to his grave Of thy unnatural uncle, English John: Aust. Upon thy cheek lay I this zealous kiss, Const. O take his mother's thanks, a widow's thanks, Till your strong hand shall help to give him strength, To make a more requital to your love. Aust. The peace of heaven is theirs, that lift their swords In such a just and charitable war. K. Phi. Well then, to work. Our cannon shall be bent Against the brows of this resisting town: Call for our chiefest men of discipline, Const. Stay for an answer to your embassy, Enter CHATILLON. K. Phi. A wonder, lady!-lo, upon thy wish, And stir them up against a mightier task. Cuts off more circumstance: they are at hand, K. Phi. How much unlook'd for is this ex- Aust. By how much unexpected, by so much Let them be welcome, then; we are prepar'd. Enter King JOHN, ELINOR, BLANCH, the Bastard, K. John. Peace be to France; if France in peace Our just and lineal entrance to our own: K. Phi. Peace be to England; if that war return Upon the maiden virtue of the crown. Look here upon thy brother Geffrey's face: This little abstract doth contain that large, To draw my answer from thy articles? K. Phi. From that supernal Judge, that stirs good thoughts In any breast of strong authority, To look into the blots and stains of right. These eyes, these brows, were moulded out of his: As rain to water, or devil to his dam. |