That you have bid us afk his liberty; Enter Hubert. K. John. Let it be fo; I do commit his youth. To your direction. Hubert, what news with you? Pemb. This is the man, fhould do the bloody deed He fhew'd his warrant to a friend of mine. The image of a wicked heinous fault Lives in his eye; that close afpect of his Does fhew the mood of a much-troubled breast. And I do fearfully believe 'tis done, What we fo fear'd he had a charge to do. Sal. The colour of the King doth come and Between his purpose and his confcience, go, Like heralds 'twixt two dreadful battles fent: (22) Pemb. And when it breaks, I fear, will iffue thence The foul corruption of a fweet child's death. K. John We cannot hold mortality's ftrong hand. Good Lords, although my will to give is, living, The fuit which you demand is gone, and dead. He tells us, Arthur is deceased to-night. Sal. Indeed, we fear'd, his fickness was paft cure. Pemb. Indeed, we heard how near his death he was, Before the child himself felt he was fick This must be anfwer'd, either here, or hence. K.John. Why do you bend fuch folemn brows on me? Think you, I bear the fhears of destiny? Have I commandment on the pulfe of life? (22) Like heralds, 'twixt two dreadful battles fet ;] But heralds. are not planted, I prefume, in the midst betwixt two lines of battle; tho' they, and trumpets, are often fent over from party to party, to propofe terms, demand a parley, c. I have therefore ventur'd to Pemba read, fent. Pemb. Stay yet, Lord Salisbury, I'll go with thee, And find th' inheritance of this poor child, His little kingdom of a forced grave. That blood which own'd the breadth of all this ifle, K. John. They burn in indignation; I repent. [Afide. A fearfuleye thou haft; where is that blood, [To the Meffen.. That I have feen inhabit in thofe cheeks? So foul a fky clears not without a storm; Pour down thy weather: how goes all in France? Mef. From France to England never such a power, For any foreign preparation, Was levy'd in the body of a land.. The copy of your speed is learn'd by them:- K.John. Oh, where hath our intelligence been drunk? Me, My Liege, her ear. Is ftopt, with duft: the first of April, dy'd Three days before: but this from rumour's tongue K. John. With-hold thy fpeed, dreadful occafion! O make a league with me, till I have pleas'd My difcontented peers. What! mother dead? How wildly then walks my eftate in France? Under whofe conduct came thofe powers of France, That, thou for truth giv'ft out, are landed here? Mef. Under the Dauphin.. Enter Enter Faulconbridge, and Peter of Pomfret. Faulc. But if you be afraid to hear the worst, K. John. Bear with me, coufin; for I was amaz'd K John. Thou idle dreamer, wherefore didst thou fo For I must use thee. O my gentle cousin, t [Exit Hubert, with Peter. Hear'ft thou the news abroad, who are arriv'd? Faulc.The French, my Lord; mens mouths are full of it: Befides, I met Lord Bigo and Lord Saipury, With eyes as red as new-enkindled fire, And others more, going to feek the grave Of Arthur, who, they fay, is kill'd to-night On your fuggeftion K. John. K. John. Gentle kinfman, go And thrust thyself into their company : Faule. I will feek them out. K.John. Nay, but make hafte; the better foot before O, let me have no fubje&t enemies, When adverfe foreigners affright my towns. With dreadful pomp of hout invafion, Be Mercury, fet feathers to thy heels; And fly, like thought, from them to me again.. Some meffenger betwixt me and the peers; Mef. With all my heart, my Liege. K. John, My mother dead! Enter Hubert. [Exit Hub. My Lord, they fay, five moons were feen to-night: Four fixed, and the fifth did whirl about The other four, in wond'rous motion.. K. John. Five moons? Hub. Old men and beldams, in the ftreets, Do prophefy upon it dangerously : Young Arthur's death is common in their mouths; And he, that fpeaks, doth gripe the hearer's wrift, That That were embattled and rank'd in Kent. Cuts off his tale, and talks of Arthur's death. K.John. Why feek'st thou to poffefs me with these fears? To understand a law, to know the meaning Hub. Here is your hand and seal, for what I did. K.7o.Oh when the laft account 'twixt heav'n and earth Is to be made, then fhall this hand and feal Witness against us to damnation. How oft the fight of means, to do ill deeds, K.Joh. Hadft thou but fhook thy head, or made a paufe, When I fpake darkly what I purposed: Or turn'd an eye of doubt upon my face, Or bid me tell my tale in exprefs words; Deep fhame had ftruck me dumb, made me break off, Year |