That right in peace, which here we urge in war;
And then we shall repent each drop of blood,
That hot rash haste so indirectly shed.

Enter CHATILLON and Suite, R. U. E.

K. Phi. A wonder, lady!-lo, upon thy wish,
Our messenger, Chatillon, is arrived.-
What England says, say briefly, gentle lord.

Chat. Then turn your forces from this paltry siege,
And stir them up against a mightier task.

England, impatient of your just demands,
Hath put himself in arms; the adverse winds,
Whose leisure I have stayed, have given him time
To land his legions all as soon as I.

His marches are expedient to this town;
His forces strong, his soldiers confident.
With him along is come the mother-queen,
An Até stirring him to blood and strife:
With her her niece, the Lady Blanch of Spain;
With them, a bastard of the king deceased,
And all th' unsettled humours of the land:

[Distant March, R. U. E.

In brief, a braver choice of dauntless spirits,
Than now the English bottoms have waft o'er,
Did never float upon the swelling tide,
To do offence and scath in Christendom.
The interruption of their churlish drums
Cuts off more circumstance: they are at hand,
To parley, or to fight; therefore, prepare.

K. Phi. How much unlooked for is this expedition!
[Crosses to the Dauphin.

Enter, R. U. E., KING JOHN, ELINOR, BLANCH, FAULCONBRIDGE, PEMBROKE and Forces, with Essex, Hubert, SALISBURY, NORFOLK, and other English Noblemen, ENGLISH Herald, TRUMPET, and GUARDS, and occupy the L. of Stage.

K. John. Peace be to France; if France in peace permit

Our just and lineal entrance to our own:

If not, bleed France, and peace ascend to heaven.

K. Phi. Peace be to England; if that war return

From France to England, there to live in peace '
Look here upon thy brother Geffrey's face:

[Leading Arthur up, R. These eyes, these brows, were moulded out of his : That Geffrey was thy elder brother born, And this his son: England was Geffrey's right, And this is Geffrey's: In the name of Heaven, How comes it, then, that thou art called a king, When living blood doth in these temples beat, Which own the crown that thou o'ermasterest?

K. John. [Up, L. c.] From whom hast thou this great commission, France,

To draw my answer from thy articles?

K. Phi. [Up R. c.] From that supernal Judge, that stirs good thoughts

In any breast of strong authority,

To look into the blots and stains of right.
That Judge hath made me guardian to this boy;
Under whose warrant I impeach thy wrong.
K. John. Alack! thou dost usurp authority.
K. Phi. Excuse: it is to beat usurping down.
Eli. Who is it, thou dost call usurper, France ?
Const. Let me make answer :-thy usurping son.
Aust. (R.) Peace!

Faulc. Hear the crier.

Aust. What the devil art thou?

Faulc. One that will play the devil, sir, with you,
[Advances, c.

An 'a may catch your hide and you alone.
You are the hare of whom the proverb goes,
Whose valour plucks dead lions by the beard:
I'll smoke your skin-coat, an I catch you right;
Sirrah, look to't; i' faith, I will, i' faith.

K. Phi. Lewis, determine what we shall do straight.
Lew. Women and fools, break off your conference.-
[Goes up, c.

King John, this is the very sum of all:
England, and Ireland, Anjou, Touraine, Maine,
In right of Arthur do I claim of thee:
Wilt thou resign them, and lay down thy arms?

K. John. My life as soon: I do defy thee, France.

Arthur of Bretagne, yield thee to my hand,

And out of my dear love I'll give thee more,

[Arthur goes to his mother's side. Than e'er the coward hand of France can win : Submit thee, boy.

Eli. Come to thy grandam, child.

Const. Do, child, go to it' grandam, child:
Give grandam kingdom, and it' grandam will
Give it a plum, a cherry, and a fig:
There's a good grandam.

Arth. Good my mother, peace!

I would that I were low laid in my grave;

I am not worth this coil that's made for me.

Eli. His mother shames him so, poor boy, he weeps. Const. His grandam's wrongs, and not his mother's shames,

Draw those heaven-moving pearls from his poor eyes,
Which heaven shall take in nature of a fee;

Ay, with these crystal beads heaven shall be bribed
To do him justice, and revenge on you.

Eli. Thou monstrous slanderer of heaven and earth! Const. Thou monstrous injurer of heaven and earth! Call not me slanderer: thou and thine usurp

The dominations, royalties, and rights,

Of this oppressed boy.

Eli. I can produce

A will that bars the title of thy son.

Const. Ay, who doubts that? a will! a wicked will; A woman's will; a cankered grandam's will!

K. Phi. Peace, lady! pause, or be more temperate. Some trumpet summon hither to the walls,

[Trumpets sound, and are answered from within, L.
Enter CITIZENS on the walls.

These men of Angiers; let us hear them speak,
Whose title they admit, Arthur's or John's.

Cit. Who is it, that hath warned us to the walls?
K. Phi. 'Tis France, for England.

K. John. England, for itself.

You men of Angiers, and my loving subjects,

K. Phi. You loving men of Angiers, Arthur's subjects,

Our trumpet called you to this gentle parle.

K. John. For our advantage; therefore, hear us first.—

These flags of France, that are advancéd here
Before the eye and prospect of your town,
Have hither marched to your endamagement:
All preparation for a bloody siege,

And merciless proceeding by these French,
Confronts your city's eyes, your winking gates;
But, on the sight of us, your lawful king,
Behold, the French, amazed, vouchsafe a parle ;
And now, instead of bullets wrapped in fire,
To make a shaking fever in your walls,
They shoot but calm words, folded up in smoke,
To make a faithless error in your ears:
Which trust accordingly, kind citizens,

And let us in, your king; whose laboured spirits,
Forwearied in this action of swift speed,

Crave harbourage within your city walls.

K. Phi. When I have said, make answer to us both. Leading Arthur up a little, R. c.

Lo! in this hand stands young Plantagenet,

your town.

Son to the elder brother of this man,
And king o'er him, and all that he enjoys.
For this down-trodden equity, we tread
In warlike march these greens before
Being no further enemy to you,
Than the constraint of hospitable zeal
In the relief of this oppressed child,
Religiously provokes.

Then, tell us; shall your city call us lord,

In that behalf which we have challenged it,

Or shall we give the signal to our rage,
And stalk in blood to our possession?

Cit. In brief, we are the King of England's subjects:

For him, and in his right, we hold this town.

K. John. Acknowledge then the king, and let me in. 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-
Faulc. Bastards, and else.

K. John. To verify our title with their lives.

K. Phi. As many, and as well-born bloods as those,Faulc. Some bastards, too.

K. Phi. Stand in his face to contradict his claim. Cit. Till you compound whose right is worthiest, We, for the worthiest, hold the right from both. K. John, Then Heaven forgive the sin of all those souls, [Going down, R.

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! K. John. Up higher to the plain; where we'll set forth In best appointment all our regiments.

Faulc. 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!

[Exeunt, R. S. E. Faulc. St. George, that swinged the dragon, and e'er

since

Sits on his horseback at mine hostess' door,

Teach us some fence !-[To Austria.] Sirrah, were I at

home,

At your den, sirrah, with your lioness,

I'd set an ox-head to your lion's hide,

And make a monster of you.

Aust. Peace! no more.

[Exit, R.

[Exit, R.

Faulc. Oh! tremble, for you hear the lion roar.

Alarums. Enter a French Herald and two Attendants to

the Gates, R. U. E.

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: And victory, with little loss, doth play Upon the dancing banners of the French, Who are at hand, triumphantly displayed,