Which trust accordingly, kind citizens, And let us in, your king; whose labored spirits, Crave harborage within your city walls. K. Phi. When I have said, make answer to us both. Lo, in this right hand, whose protection In warlike march these greens before your town; Than the constraint of hospitable zeal, To him that owes it; namely, this young prince; 1 Cit. In brief, we are the king of England's sub jects; For him, and in his right, we hold this town. K. John. Acknowledge then the king, and let me in. 1 Cit. That can we not: but he that proves the king, To him will we prove loyal; till that time, Have we rammed up our gates against the world. K. John. Doth not the crown of England prove the king? And, if not that, I bring you witnesses, Twice fifteen thousand hearts of England's breed,- K. John. To verify our title with their lives. K. Phi. As many, and as well-born bloods as those, Bast. Some bastards too. K. Phi. Stand in his face, to contradict his claim. 1 Cit. Till you compound whose right is worthiest, We, for the worthiest, hold the right from both. K. John. Then God forgive the sin of all those souls, That to their everlasting residence, Before the dew of evening fall, shall fleet, In dreadful trial of our kingdom's king! K. Phi. Amen, Amen!-mount, chevaliers! to arms! Bast. St. George,-that swinged the dragon, and e'er since, Sits on his horseback at mine hostess' door, Teach us some fence.-Sirrah, were I at home, And make a monster of you. Aust. Peace; no more. Bast. O, tremble; for you hear the lion roar. K. John. Up higher to the plain; where we'll set forth, In best appointment, all our regiments. Bast. Speed, then, to take advantage of the field. K. Phi. It shall be so;-[To LEWIS.] and at the other hill Command the rest to stand.-God, and our right! SCENE II. The same. [Exeunt. Alarums and Excursions; then a Retreut. Enter a French Herald, with trumpets, to the gates. F. Her. You men of Angiers, open wide your gates, And let young Arthur, duke of Bretagne, in; Who, by the hand of France, this day hath made Much work for tears in many an English mother, Whose sons lie scattered on the bleeding ground. Many a widow's husband groveling lies, Coldly embracing the discolored earth; And victory, with little loss, doth play Upon the dancing banners of the French; Who are at hand, triumphantly displayed, To enter conquerors, and to proclaim Arthur of Bretagne, England's king, and yours. Enter an English Herald, with trumpets. E. Her. Rejoice, you men of Angiers, ring your bells; King John, your king and England's, doth approach, Their armors, that marched hence so silver-bright, That is removed by a staff of France; Our colors do return in those same hands Our lusty English, all with purpled hands, 1 It was anciently one of the savage practices of the chase for all to stain their hands in the blood of the deer as a trophy. Dyed in the dying slaughter of their foes. Cit. Heralds, from off our towers we might behold, From first to last, the onset and retire Of both your armies; whose equality By our best eyes cannot be censured. Blood hath bought blood, and blows have answered blows; Strength matched with strength, and power confronted power: Both are alike; and both alike we like. One must prove greatest; while they weigh so even, We hold our town for neither; yet for both. Enter, at one side, KING JOHN, with his Power; ELINOR, BLANCH, and the Bastard; at the other, KING PHILIP, LEWIS, AUSTRIA, and Forces. K. John. France, hast thou yet more blood to cast away? 'Say, shall the current of our right run1 on? A peaceful progress to the ocean. K. Phi. England, thou hast not saved one drop of blood, In this hot trial, more than we of France; Gracing the scroll, that tells of this war's loss, 1 The first folio reads roam: the change was made in the second folio. O, now doth death line his dead chaps with steel; The other's peace; till then, blows, blood, and death! K. John. Whose party do the townsmen yet admit? K. Phi. Speak, citizens, for England; who's your king? 1 Cit. The king of England, when we know the king. K. Phi. Know him in us, that here hold up his right. K. John. In us, that are our own great deputy, And bear possession of our person here; Lord of our presence, Angiers, and of you. 1 Cit. A greater power than we, denies all this; And, till it be undoubted, we do lock Our former scruple in our strong-barred gates; 4 And stand securely on their battlements, As in a theatre, whence they gape and point At your industrious scenes and acts of death. Your royal presences, be ruled by me; 1 Mr. Pope changed this to mouthing, and was followed by subsequent editors. 66 Mousing," says Malone, "is mammocking and devouring eagerly, as a cat devours a mouse." "Whilst Troy was swilling sack and sugar, and mousing fat venison, the mad Greekes made bonfires of their houses."-The Wonderful Year, by Decker, 1603.-Shakspeare often uses familiar terms in his most serious speeches; and Malone has adduced other instances in this play: but in this very speech "his dead chaps" is surely not more elevated than mousing. 2 Potentates. 3 The old copy reads "Kings of our fear," &c. The emendation is Mr. Tyrwhitt's." Kinged of our fears," i. e. our fears being our kings or rulers. |