That, having our fair order written down, Both they, and we, perusing o'er these notes, May know wherefore, we took the sacrament, And keep our faiths firm and inviolable.
Sal. Upon our sides it never shall be broken. And, noble dauphin, albeit we swear. A voluntary zeal, and unurg'd faith To your proceedings; yet, believe me, prince, I am not glad that such a sore of time Should seek a plaster by contemn'd revolt, And heal the inveterate canker of one wound, By making many: O, it grieves my soul, That I must draw this metal from my side To be a widow-maker; O, and there, Where honourable rescue, and defence, Cries out upon the name of Salisbury: But such is the infection of the time, That, for the health and physic of our right We cannot deal but with the very hand Of stern injustice and confused wrong.— And is't not pity, O my grieved friends! That we, the sons and children of this isle, Were born to see so sad an hour as this: Wherein we step after a stranger march Upon her gentle bosom, and fill up
Pand. Hail, noble prince of France! The next is this,-king John hath reconcil'3 Himself to Rome; his spirit is come in, That so stood out against the holy church, The great metropolis and see of Rome: Therefore thy threat'ning colours now wind up, And tame the savage spirit of wild war; That, like a lion foster'd up at hand,
It may lie gently at the foot of peace, And be no further harmful than in show. Lew. Your grace shall pardon me, I will not I am too high-born to be propertied, [back: To be a secondary at control,
Or useful serving-man, and instrument, To any sovereign state throughout the world. Your breath first kindled the dead coal of wars Between this chástis'd kingdom and myseif, And brought in matter, that should feed this fire; And now 'tis far too huge to be blown out With that same weak wind which enkindled it. You taught me how to know the face of right, Acquainted me with interest to this land, Yea, thrust this enterprize into my heart; And come you now to tell me, John hath made His peace with Rome? What is that peace to me?
Her enemies' ranks (I must withdraw and weep I, by the honour of my marriage-bed,
Upon the spot of this enforced cause), To grace the gentry of a land remote, And follow unacquainted colours here?
What, here?-O nation, that thou could'st remove! That Neptune's arms, who clippeth thee about, Would bear thee from the knowledge of thyself, And grapple thee unto a Pagan shore;
After young Arthur, claim this land for mine; And, now it is half-conquer'd, must I back, Because that John hath made his peace with Rome? Am I Rome's slave? What penny hath Rome borne, What men provided, what munition sent, To underprop this action? is't not I, That undergo this charge? who else but I,
Where these two Christian armies might combine And such as to my claim are liable, The blood of malice in a vein of league, And not to spend it so unneighbourly!
Lew. A noble temper dost thou show in this; And great affections, wrestling in thy bosom. Do make an earthquake of nobility.
O, what a noble combat hast thou fought, Between compulsion and a brave respect! Let me wipe off this honourable dew, That silverly doth progress on thy cheeks; My heart hath melted at a lady's tears, Png an ordinary inundation;
But this e..usion of suc' manly arops,
This shower, blown up by tempests of the soul, Startles mine eyes, and makes me more amaz'd Than had I seen the vaulty top of heaven Figur'd quite o'er with burning meteors. Lift up thy brow, renowned Salisbury, And with a great heart heave away this storm: Commend these waters to those baby eyes, That never saw the giant-world enrag'd; Nor met with fortune other than at feasts, Full warm of blood, of mirth, of gossiping.
Sweat in this business, and maintain this war? Have not I heard these islanders shout out, Vive le roy! as I have bank'd their towns? Have I not here the best cards for the game, To win this easy match, play'd for a crown? And shall I now give o'er the yielded set? No, on my soul, it never shall be said.
Pand. You look but on the outside of this work. Lew. Outside or inside, I will not return Till my attempt so much be glorified As to my ample hope was promised, Bore I drew this ga.ant head of war, And cull'd these fiery spirits from the world, To outlook conquest, and to win renown Even in the jaws of danger and of death. Strumpet What lusty trumpet thus doth summon us? sounds. Enter the Bastard, attended.
Bast. According to the fair play of the world, Let me have audience; I am sent to speak :- My holy lord of Milan, from the king
I come, to learn how you have dealt for him; And, as you answer, I do know the scope
Come, come; for thou shalt thrust thy hand as deep And warrant limited unto my tongue. Into the purse of rich prosperity,
As Lewis himself:-so, nobles, shall you all, That knit your sinews to the strength of mine. Enter Pandulph, attended.
And even there, methinks, an angel spake : Look, where the holy legate comes apace, So give us warrant from the hand of heaven; And on our actions set the name of right, With holy breath.
Pand. The dauphin is too wilful-opposite, And will not temporize with my entreaties; He flatly says, he'll not lay down his arms.
Bast. By all the blood that ever fury breath'd, The youth says well:-Now hear our English For thus his royalty doth speak in me. [king; He is prepar'd; and, reason too, he should: This apish and unmannerly approach, This harness'd masque, and unadvised revel,
This unhair'd sauciness, and boyish troops, The king doth smile at; and is well prepar'd To whip this dwarfish war, these pigmy arms, From out the circle of his territories. [door, That hand, which had the strength, even at your To cudgel you, and make you take the hatch; To dive, like buckets, in concealed wells; To crouch in litter of your stable planks;
To lie, like pawns, lock'd up in chests and trunks; To hug with swine; to seek sweet safety out In vaults and prisons; and to thrill, and shake, Even at the crying of your nation's crow, Thinking his voice an armed Englishman ;- Shall that victorious hand be feebled here, That in your chambers gave you chastisement? No: Know, the gallant monarch is in arms: And like an eagle o'er his aiery towers,
To souse annoyance, that comes near his nest.- And you degenerate, you ingrate revolts, You bloody Neroes, ripping up the womb Of your dear mother England, blush for shame: For your own ladies, and pale-visag'd maids, Like Amazons, come tripping after drums: Their thimbles into armed. gauntlets change, Their neelds to lances, and their gentle hearts To fierce and bloody inclination.
Lew. There end thy brave, and turn thy face in We grant, thou can'st outscold us: fare thee well; We hold our time too precious to be spent With such a brabbler.
Pand. Give me leave to speak.
Bast. No, I will speak.
Lew. We will attend to neither :Strike up the drums; and let the tongue of war Plead for our interest, and our being here.
Bast. Indeed, your drums, being beaten, will cry out;
And so, shall you, being beaten: Do but start An echo with the clamour of thy drum, And even at hand a drum is ready brac'd, That shall reverberate all as loud as thine; Sound but another, and another shall, As loud as thine, rattle the welkin's ear,
K. John. Tell him, toward Swinstead, to the
Mess. Be of good comfort: for the great supply, That was expected by the dauphin bere Are wreck'd three nights ago on Goodwin sands. This news was brought Richard but even now: The French fight coldly, and retire themselves.
K. John. Ah me! this tyrant fever burns me up And will not let me welcome this good news. Set on toward Swinstead: to my litter, straight; Weakness possesseth me, and I am faint. [exeunt.
SCENE IV. THE SAME. ANOTHER PART OF THE
Enter Salisbury, Pembroke, Bigot, and others. Sal. I did not think the king so stor'd with friends.
Pem. Up once again; put spirit in the French; If they miscarry, we miscarry too.
Sal. That misbegotten devil, Faulconbridge, In spite of spite, alone upholds the day.
Pem. They say, king John, sore sick, hath left
Enter Melun wounded, and led by soldiers. Mel. Lead me to the revolts of England here. Sal. When we were happy, we had other names. Pem. It is the count Melun.
Sal. Wounded to death.
Mel. Fly, noble English, you are bought and Unthread the rude eye of rebellion, And welcome home again discarded faith. Seek out king John, and fall before his feet; For, if the French be lords of this loud day, He means to recompense the pains you take, By cutting off your heads: thus hath he sworn, And I with him, and many more with me, Upon the altar at St. Edmund's-bury; Even on that altar, where we swore to you Dear amity and everlasting love.
Sal. May this be possible? may this be true? Mel. Have I not hideous death within my view, Retaining but a quantity of life;
Which bleeds away, even as a form of wax Resolveth from his figure 'gainst the fire?
And mock the deep-mouth'd thunder: for at hand What in the world should make me now deceive,
(Not trusting to this halting legate here, Whom he hath us'd rather for sport than need), Is warlike John; and in his forehead sits A bare-ribb'd death, whose office is this day To feast upon whole thousands of the French. Lew. Strike up our drums, to find this danger
Since I must lose the use of all deceit ? Why should I then be false; since it is true, That I must die here, and live hence by truth? I say again, if Lewis do win the day, He is forsworn, if e'er those eyes of yours Behold another day break in the east: But even this night,-whose black contagious Already smokes above the burning crest Of the old, feeble, and day-wearied sun,- Even this ill night, your breathing shall expire; Paying the fine of rated treachery, Even with a treacherous fine of all your lives, If Lewis, by your assistance, win the day. Commend me to one Hubert, with your king; The love of him,-and this respect besides, For that my grandsire was an Englishman,- Awakes my conscience to confess all this. In lieu whereof, I pray you, bear me hence From forth the noise and rumour of the field: Where I may think the remnant of my thoughts In peace, and part this body and my soul With contemplation and devout desires.
Sal. We do believe thee,—and beshrew my soul But I do love the favour and the form Of this most fair occasion, by the which We will untread the steps of damned flight; And, like a bated and retired flood, Leaving our rankness and irregular course, Stoop low within those bounds we have o'erlook'd, And calmly run on in obedience,
Even to our ocean, to our great king John.
My arm shall give thee help to bear thee hence; For I do see the cruel pangs of death
Bast. Brief, then; and what's the news? Hub. O, my sweet sir, news fitting to the night, Black, fearful, comfortless, and horrible.
Bast. Show me the very wound of this ill news; I am no woman, I'll not swoon at it.
Hub. The king, I fear, is poison'd by a monk; I left him almost speechless, and broke out
Right in thine eye.-Away, my friends! NewTo acquaint you with this evil; that you might And happy newness, that intends old right. The better arm`you to the sudden time, Than if you had at leisure known of this. Bast. How did he take it? who did taste to him? Hub. A monk, I tell you; a resolved villain,
[exeunt, leading off Melun.
SCENE V. THE SAME. THE FRENCH CAMP. Enter Lewis and his Train.
Lew. The sun of heaven, methought, was loath Whose bowels suddenly burst out: the king
But stay'd, and made the western welkin blush, When the English measur'd backward their own ground,
In faint retire: O, bravely came we off, When with a volley of our needless shot, After such bloody toil, we bid good night; And wound our tatter'd colours clearly up, Last in the field, and almost lords of it! Enter a Messenger.
Mess. Where is my prince, the dauphin? Lew. Here:- What news?
Mess. The count Melun is slain; the English Myself, well-mounted, hardly have escaped. lords,
By his persuasion, are again fall'n off:
And your supply, which you have wish'd so long Are cast away, and sunk, on Goodwin sands. Lew. Ah, foul shrewd news!-Beshrew thy very heart!
I did not think to be so sad to-night,
As this hath made me.-Who was he, that said, King John did fly, an hour or two before The stumbling night did part our weary powers? Mess. Whoever spoke it, it is true, my lord, Lew. Well; keep good quarter, and good care to-night;
The day shall not be up so soon as I, To try the fair adventure of to-morrow. [exeunt.
SCENE VI. AN OPEN PLACE NEAR SWINSTEAD-ABBEY.
Enter the Bastard and Hubert, meeting. Hub. Who's there? speak, ho! speak quickly, or I shoot.
Bast. A friend :-What art thou? Hub. Of the part of England. Bast. Whither dost thou go?
Hub. What's that to thee? Why may not I deOf thine affairs, as well as thou of mine? [mand Bast. Hubert, I think.
Hub. Thou hast a perfect thought
I will, upon all hazards, well believe
Thou art my friend, that know'st my tongue so Who art thou? [well:
Bast. Who thou wilt: an if thou please, Thou may'st befriend me so much, as to think, I come one way of the Plantagenets. [night, Hub. Unkind remembrance! thou, and eyeless Have done me shame:-Brave soldier, pardon me, That any accent, breaking from thy tougue, Should 'scape the true acquaintance of mine car.
Away, before! conduct me to the king; I doubt he will be dead, or ere I come. [exeunt.
SCENE VII. THE ORCHARD OF SWINSTEAD-ABBEY.
Enter Prince Henry, Salisbury, and Bigot. P. Hen. It is too late; the life of all his blood Is touch'd corruptibly; and his pure brain (Which some suppose the soul's frail dwellinghouse),!
Doth, by the idle-comments that it makes, Foretell the ending of mortality.
Pem. His highness yet doth speak; and holds That, being brought into the open air, [belief, It would allay the burning quality Of that fell poison which assaileth him. P. Hen. Let him he brought into the orchard here.[exit Biget.
Doth he still rage?
Pem. He is more patient
Than when you left him; even now he sung.
P. Hen. O vanity of sickness! fierce extremes, In their continuance, will not feel themseives. Death, having prey'd upon the outward parts, Leaves them insensible; and his siege is now Against the mind, the which he pricks and wounds With many legions of strange fantasies;
Which, in their throng and press to that last hold, Confound themselves. 'Tis strange, that death should sing.
I am the cygnet to this pale faint swan Who chaunts a doleful hymn to his own death; And, from the organ-pipe of frailty, sings His soul and body to their lasting rest.
Sal. Be of good comfort, prince; for you are To set a form upon that indigest, [born Which he hath left so shapeless and so rude. buf
Re-enter Bigot and Attendants, who bring in King John in a chair.
K. John. Ay, marry, now my soul hath elbow
It would not out at windows, nor at doors, There is so hot a summer in my bosom, That all my bowels crumble up to dust: I am a scribbled form, drawn with a pen Upon a parchment; and against this fire Do I shrink up.
P. Hen. How fares your majesty;
Bast. Art thou gone so? I do but stay behind, To do the office for thee of revenge; And then my soul shall wait on thee to heaven, As it on earth hath been thy servant still. Now, now, you stars, that move in your right spheres,
Where be your powers? Show now your mended And instantly return with me again, [faiths; To push destruction, and perpetual shame, Out of the weak door of our fainting land: Straight let us seek, or straight we shall be sought;
K. John. Poison'd,-Ill fare!-dead, forsook, The dauphin rages at our very heels.
Bast. O, I am scalded with my violent motion, And spleen of speed to see your majesty.
Sal. It seems, you know not then so much as The cardinal Pandulph is within at rest, [we: Who half an hour since came from the dauphin; And brings from him such offers of our peace As we with honour and respect may take, With purpose presently to leave this war.
Bast. He will the rather do it, when he sees Ourselves well sinewed to our defence
Sal. Nay, it is in a manner done already; For many carriages he hath despatch'd To the sea-side, and put his cause and quarrel To the disposing of the cardinal: With whom yourself, myself, and other lords, If you think meet, this afternoon will post
To consummate this business happily.
Bast. Let it be so:-And you, my noble prince, With other princes that may best be spar'd Shall wait upon your father's funeral.
P. Hen. At Worcester must his body be inter. [redi
K. John. O cousin, thou art come to set mine For so he will'd it.
The tackle of my heart is crack'd and burn'd; And all the shrouds, wherewith my life should Are turned to one thread, one little hair: My heart hath one poor string to stay it by, Which holds but till thy news be uttered: And then, all this thou see'st, is but a clod, And module of confounded royalty.
Bast. The dauphin is preparing hitherward; Where, heaven he knows, how we shall answer him: For, in a night, the best part of my power, As, I upon advantage did remove, Were in the washes all unwarily, Devoured by the unexpected flood. [the King dies. Sal. You breathe these dead news in as dead
My liege! my lord!-But now a king,-now thus. P. Hen. Even so must I run on, and even so stop.
What surety of the world, what hope, what stay, When this was now a king, and now is clay'
Bast. Thither shall it then,
And happily may your sweet self put on The lineal state and glory of the land! To whom, with all submission, on my knee, I do bequeath my faithful services And true subjection everlastingly.
Sal. And the like tender of our love we make, To rest without a spot for everinore.
P. Hen. I have a kind soul, that would give you thanks,
And knows not how to do it, but with tears.
Bast. O, let us pay the time but needful won, Since it hath been beforehand with our griefs.~ This England never did, (nor never shall), Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror, But when it first did help to wound itself. Now these her princes are come home again, Come the three corners of the world in arms, And we shall shock them: nought shall make u rue,
If England to itself do rest but true.
SCENE I. ATHENS. A ROOM IN THE PALACE OF THESEUS.
Enter Theseus, Hippolyta, Philostrate, and Attendants.
The. Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour Draws on apace; four happy days bring in Another moon; but, oh, methinks, how slow This old moon wanes! she lingers my desires, Like to a step-dame, or a dowager,
Long withering out a young man's revenue. Hip. Four days will quickly steep themselves in nights;
Four nights will quickly dream away the time; And then the moon, like to a silver bow Now bent in heaven, shall behold the night Of our solemnities.
This man hath my consent to marry her :Stand forth, Lysander,-and, my gracious duke, | This hath bewitch'd the bosom of my child: Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes, And interchang'd love-tokens with my child; Thou hast by moon-light at her window sung, With feigning voice, verses of feigning love; And stolen the impression of her fantasy With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gauds, conceits, Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweetmeats, messen
Of strong prevailment in unharden'd youth: With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughter's heart;
Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me, To stubborn harshness:-and, my gracious duke, Be it so she will not here before your grace Consent to marry with Demetrius,
I beg the ancient privilege of Athens; As she is mine, I may dispose of her: Which shall be either to this gentleman, Or to her death, according to our law, Immediately provided in that case.
The. What say you, Hermia? be advis'd, fail"
To you your father should be as a god; One that compos'd your beauties; yea, and one To whom you are but as a form in wax, By him imprinted, and within his power To leave the figure, or disfigure it. Demetrius is a worthy gentleman. Her. So is Lysander. The. In himself he is.
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