Const. That which upholdeth him that thee upholds,

His honour: O, thine honour, Lewis, thine honour!

Lew. I muse your majesty doth seem so cold, When such profound respects do pull you on. Pand. I will denounce a curse upon his head. K. Phi. Thou shalt not need. England, I will fall from thee.

Const. O fair return of banish'd majesty!

Eli.

320

O foul revolt of French inconstancy! K. John. France, thou shalt rue this hour within this hour.

Bast. Old Time the clock-setter, that bald sexton Time,

Is it as he will? well then, France shall rue.

The sun's o'ercast with blood: fair

330

Blanch. day, adieu! Which is the side 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 asunder and dismember me. Husband, I cannot pray that thou mayst win; Uncle, I needs must pray that thou mayst lose; Father, I may not wish the fortune thine; Grandam, I will not wish thy wishes thrive: Whoever wins, on that side shall I lose; Assured loss before the match be play'd.

Lew. Lady, with me, with me thy fortune lies. Blanch. There where my fortune lives, there my life dies.

K. John. Cousin, go draw our puissance* together. *Force. [Exit Bastard. France, I am burn'd up with inflaming wrath; 340 A rage whose heat hath this condition, That nothing can allay, nothing but blood, The blood, and dearest-valued blood, of France. K. Phi. Thy rage shall burn thee up, and thou shalt turn

To ashes, ere our blood shall quench that fire:
Look to thyself, thou art in jeopardy.

K. John. No more than he that threats.
arms let's hie!

To

[Exeunt.

SCENE II. The same. Plains near Angiers. Alarums, excursions. Enter the BASTARD, with AUSTRIA'S head.

Bast. Now, by my life, this day grows wondrous hot;

Some airy devil hovers in the sky

And pours down mischief. Austria's head lie there, While Philip breathes.

Enter KING JOHN, ARTHUR, and HUBERT.

K. John. Hubert, keep this boy. Philip, make up:

My mother is assailed in our tent,

And ta'en, I fear.

Bast.

My lord, I rescued her; Her highness is in safety, fear you not: But on, my liege; for very little pains

Will bring this labour to an happy end. [Exeunt.

SCENE III. The same.

Alarums, excursions, retreat. Enter KING JOHN, ELINOR, ARTHUR, the BASTARD, HUBERT, and Lords.

K. John. [To Elinor] So shall it be; your grace shall stay behind

So strongly guarded. [To Arthur] Cousin, look not sad:

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. [To the Bastard] Cousin, away for
England! haste before:

And, ere our coming, see thou shake the bags
Of hoarding abbots; imprisoned angels*

Set at liberty: the fat ribs of peace

Must by the hungry now be fed upon:
Use our commission in his utmost force.

*Coins.

ΙΟ

Bast. Bell, book, and candle shall not drive me back,

When gold and silver becks me to come on.
I leave your highness. Grandam, I will pray,

if ever I remember to be holy,

For your fair safety; so, I kiss your hand.
Farewell, gentle cousin.

Eli.
K. John.

Coz, farewell. [Exit Bastard. Eli. Come hither, little kinsman; hark, a word. K. John. Come hither, Hubert. O my gentle

Hubert,

20

We owe thee much! within this wall of flesh
There is a soul counts thee her creditor
And with advantage means to pay thy love:
And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath
Lives in this bosom, dearly cherished.
Give me thy hand. I had a thing to say,
But I will fit it with some better time.
By heaven, Hubert, I am almost ashamed
To say what good respect I have of thee.
Hub. I am much bounden to your majesty.
K. John. Good friend, thou hast no cause to
say so yet,

30

But thou shalt have; and creep time ne'er so slow,

Yet it shall come for me to do thee good.

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

The sun is in the heaven, and the proud day,
Attended with the pleasures 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 on into the drowsy race of night;

If this same were a churchyard where we stand,
And thou possessed with a thousand wrongs,
Or if that surly spirit, melancholy,

4I

Had baked thy blood and made it heavy-thick,
Which else runs tickling up and down the veins,
Making that idiot, laughter, keep men's eyes
And strain their cheeks to idle merriment,
A passion hateful to my purposes,

Or if that thou couldst see me without eyes,
Hear me without thine ears, and make reply
Without a tongue, using conceit alone,
Without eyes, ears and harmful sound of words;
Then, in despite of brooded watchful day,
I would into thy bosom pour my thoughts:

50

But, ah, I will not! yet I love thee well;
And, by my troth, I think thou lovest me well.
Hub. So well, that what you bid me undertake,
Though that my death were adjunct to my act
By heaven, I would do it.

K. John.

Do not I know thou wouldst ? Good Hubert, Hubert, Hubert, throw thine eye On yon young boy: I'll tell thee what, my friend,

He is a very serpent in my way;

And wheresoe'er this foot of mine doth tread,
He lies before me: dost thou understand me?
Thou art his keeper.

Hub.

And I'll keep him so, That he shall not offend your majesty.

60

K. John.

Death.

Hub. My lord?

K. John.

A grave.

Hub.

He shall not live.

K. John.

Enough.

Hubert, I love thee;

I could be merry now.

Well, I'll not say what I intend for thee:
Remember. Madam, fare you well:

I'll send those powers o'er to your majesty.
Eli. My blessing go with thee!

70

K. John.
Hubert shall be your man, attend on you
With all true duty. On toward Calais, ho!

For England, cousin, go:

[Exeunt.

The French KING'S

Enter KING Philip, Lewis, PANDULPH, and

Attendants.

K. Phi. So, by a roaring tempest on the flood, A whole armado of convicted* sail *Overpowered. Is scatter'd and disjoin'd from fellowship.

Pand. Courage and comfort! all shall yet go well.

K. Phi. What can go well, when we have run so ill?

Are we not beaten? Is not Angiers lost?

Arthur ta'en prisoner? divers dear friends slain? And bloody England into England_gone, O'erbearing interruption, spite of France?

Lew. What he hath won, that hath he fortified:

So hot a speed with such advice disposed,
Such temperate order in so fierce a cause,
Doth want example: who hath read or heard
Of any kindred action like to this?

ΙΟ

K. Phi. Well could I bear that England had this praise,

So we could find some pattern of our shame.

Enter CONSTANCE.

Look, who comes here! a grave unto a soul;
Holding the eternal spirit, against her will,
In the vile prison of afflicted breath.

I prithee, lady, go away with me.

20

"Const. Lo, now! now see the issue of your peace.

K. Phi. Patience, good lady! comfort, gentle
Constance!

Const. No, I defy all counsel, all redress,
But that which ends all counsel, true redress,
Death, death; O amiable lovely death!
Thou odoriferous stench! sound rottenness!
Arise forth from the couch of lasting night,
Thou hate and terror to prosperity,

And I will kiss thy detestable bones
And put my eyeballs in thy vaulty brows

30

And ring these fingers with thy household worms
And stop this gap of breath with fulsome dust
And be a carrion monster like thyself:
Come, grin on me, and I will think thou smilest
And buss thee as thy wife. Misery's love,
O, come to me!

K. Phil. O fair affliction, peace!

Const. No, no, I will not, having breath to cry:

O, that my tongue were in the thunder's mouth!
Then with a passion would I shake the world;
And rouse from sleep that fell anatomy
Which cannot hear a lady's feeble voice,

40