To cull the plots of best advantages:
We'll lay before this town our royal bones,
Wade to the market-place in Frenchmen's blood,
But we will make it subject to this boy.

Const. Stay for an answer to your embassy,
Lest unadvis'd you stain your swords with blood:
My lord Chatillon may from England bring
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.

K. Phi. A wonder, lady!-lo, upon thy wish Our messenger, Chatillon, is arriv'd.

What England says, say briefly, gentle lord;

We coldly pause for thee; Chatillon, speak.

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 stay'd, 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,
With her her niece, the lady Blanch of Spain;
And all th' unsettled humors of the land:
Rash, inconsiderate, fiery voluntaries,
With ladies' faces, and fierce dragons' spleens,-
Have sold their fortunes at their native homes,
Bearing their birthrights proudly on their backs,
To make a hazard of new fortunes here:
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. [Drums heard within. 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 unlook'd for is this expedition!

Aust. By how much unexpected, by so much

We must awake endeavor for defence;

For courage mounteth with occasion:

Let them be welcome then; we are prepar'd.

Enter KING JOHN, ELINOR, BLANCH, FAULCONBRIDGE, Lords, and

forces.

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 to JOHN.
These eyes, these brows, were moulded out of his:
This little abstract doth contain that large,
Which died in Geffrey:

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 call'd a king,
When living blood doth in these temples beat,
Which owe the crown that thou o'ermasterest?

K. John. From whom hast thou this great commission, France, To draw my answer from thy articles?

K. Phi. 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;
And by whose help I mean to chastise it.

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. Peace!

Faul.

Aust.

Hear the crier.

What art thou?

Faul. One that will play the mischief, sir, with you,
An 'a may catch your hide and you alone:
You are the hare of whom the proverb goes,
Whose valor 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.

Blanch. O, well did he become that lion's robe,
That did disrobe the lion of that robe!

Faul. It lies as sightly on the back of him,

As great Alcides' shoes upon an ass:

But, ass, I'll take that burden from your back,

Or lay on that shall make your shoulders crack.

Aust. What cracker is this same, that deafs our ears

With this abundance of superfluous breath?

K. Phi. Lewis, determine what we shall do straight. Lew. 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
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. Now shame upon you, whe'r she does, or no! 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 brib'd
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 dominions, 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 canker'd grandam's will!

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

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

Trumpet sounds. Enter Citizens upon the walls. 1 Cit. Who is it that hath warn'd 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 call'd you to this gentle parle.

K. John. For our advantage; therefore hear us first. These flags of France that are advanc'd here Before the eye and prospect of your town, Have hither march'd to your endamagement: All preparation for a bloody siege,

And merciless proceeding by these French,
Confront your city's eyes, your winking gates;
But, on the sight of us, your lawful king,-
Behold, the French, amaz'd, vouchsafe a parle ;
And now, instead of bullets wrapp'd 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 labor'd spirits,
Forwearied in this action of swift speed,
Crave harborage within your city walls.

K. Phi. When I have said, make answer to us both.
Lo, in this right hand, whose protection
Is most divinely vow'd upon the right
Of him it holds, stands young Plantagenet,
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 your town.
'Tis not the roundure of your old-fac'd walls
Can hide you from our messengers of war,
Though all these English, and their discipline,
Were harbor'd in their rude circumference.
Then, tell us, shall your city call us lord,
In that behalf which we have challeng'd it?
Or shall we give the signal to our rage,
And stalk in blood to our possession?

1 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.

1 Cit. That can we not; but he that proves the king,

To him will we prove loyal: till that time,

Ilave we ramm'd 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,

To verify our title with their lives.

K. Phi. As many, and as well-born blood as those,— 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 heaven 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! Faul. 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 would set an ox-head to your lion's hide,

And make a monster of you.

Aust.

Peace! no more.

Faul. 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.

Faul. 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.

then a Retreat. Enter a French

Alarums and Excursions; then a Retreat.

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;
And victory, with little loss, doth_play
Upon the dancing banners of the French,
Who are at hand, triumphantly display'd,
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, Commander of this hot malicious day:

Open your gates, and give the victors way.

1 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 answer'd 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 FAULCONBRIDGE; 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 run on?

Whose passage, vex'd with thy impediment,