Re-enter Sheriff, with ROBERT FAULCON-
BRIDGE, and PHILIP, his bastard brother.
This expedition's charge.-What men are you?
Bast. Your faithful subject I, a gentleman,
Born in Northamptonshire; and eldest son,
As I suppose, to Robert Faulconbridge;
A soldier, by the honour-giving hand
Of Cœur-de-lion knighted in the field.
K. John. What art thou?

Rob. The son and heir to that same Faulconbridge. [heir? K. John. Is th. the elder, and art thou the You came not or e mother then, it seems. Bast. Most certain of one mother, mighty king,

is well known; and, as I think, one father: for the certain knowledge of that truth, I put you o'er to heaven, and to my mother; Of that I doubt, as all men's children may. Eli. Out on thee, rude man! thou dost shame thy mother,

And wound her honour with this diffidence.
Bast. I, madam? no, I have no reason for it;
That is my brother's plea, and none of mine;
The which if he can prove, 'a pops me out
At least from fair five hundred pounds a-year:
Heaven guard my mother's honour, and my
land!
[younger born,
K. John. A good blunt fellow:-Why, being
Doth he lay claim to thine inheritance?

Bast. I know not why, except to get the land.
But once he slander'd me with bastardy:
But whe'r I be as true-begot, or no,
That still I lay upon my mother's head;
But, that I am as well begot, my liege,
(Fair fall the bones that took the pains for me!)
Compare our faces, and be judge yourself.
If old sir Robert did beget us both,
And were our father, and this sou like him ;-
O, old sir Robert, father, on my knee
I give heaven thanks, I was not like to thee.
K. John. Why, what a madcap hath heaven
lent us here!

Eli. He hath a trick † of Coeur-de-lion's face, The accent of his tongue affecteth him: Do you not read some tokens of my son In the large composition of this man? [parts, K.John. Mine eye hath well examined his And finds them perfect Richard.-Sirrah,speak, What doth move you to claim your brother's land? [father; Bast. Because he hath a half-face, like my With that half face would he have all my land: 4 half-faced groat five hundred pound a year! Rob. My gracious liege, when that my father lived,

Your brother did employ my father much;-
Bast. Well,sir,by this you cannot get my land;
Your tale must be how he employ'd my mother.
Rob. And once despatch'd him in an embassy
To Germany, there, with the emperor,
To treat of high affairs touching that time:
The advantage of his absence took the king,
And in the mean time sojourn'd at my father's;
Where how he did prevail, I shame to speak:
But truthis truth; large lengths of seas and shores
Trace, outline.

• Whether.

Between my father and my mother lay,
(As I have heard my father speak himself,)
When this same lusty gentleman was got.
Upon his death bed he by will bequeath'd
His lands to me; and took it, on his death,
That this, my mother's son, was none of his;
And, if he were, he came into the world
Full fourteen weeks before the course of time.
Then, good my liege, let me have what is mine,
My father's land, as was my father's will.

K. John. Sirrah, your brother is legitimate; Your father's wife did after wedlock bear him: And, if she did play false, the fault was her's; Which fault lies on the hazards of all husbands That marry wives. Tell me, how if my brother, Who, as you say, took pains to get this son, Had of your father claim'd this son for his? In sooth, good friend, your father might have kept

This calf bred from his cow, from all the world; In sooth, he might: then, if he were my brother's,

My brother might not claim him; nor your father,

Being none of his,refuse him: This concludes,-
My mother's son did get your father's heir,
Your father's heir must have your father's land.
Rob. Shall then my father's will be of no force,
To dispossess that child which is not his?
Bust. Of no more force to dispossess me, sir,
Than was his will to get me, as I think.
Eli. Whether hadst thou rather,―be a Faui-
conbridge,

And like thy brother, to enjoy thy land;
Or the reputed son of Coeur-de-lion,
Lord of thy presence‡, and no land beside?
Bast. Madam, an if my brother had my shape,
And I had his, sir Robert his, like him;
And if my legs were two such riding-rods,
My arms such eel-skins stuff'd; my face so thin,
That in mine ear I durst not stick arose,
Lest men should say, Look, where three-far-
things goes!

And, to his shape, were heir to all this land,
Would I night never stir from off this place,
I'd give it every foot to have this face;
I would not sir Nob in any case,

Eli. I like ee well; Wilt thou forsake thy fortune,

Bequeath thy land to him, and follow me?
I am a soldier, and now bound to France.

Bast. Brother, take you my land, I'll take

my chance:

Your face hath got five hundred pounds a year; Yet sell your face for five pence, and 'tis dear.— Madam, I'll follow you unto the death.

Eli. Nay, I would have you go before me thither. [way. Bast. Our country manners give our butters K. John. What is thy name?

Bast. Philip, my liege; so is my name begun; Philip, good old sir Robert's wife's eldest son. K. John. From henceforth bear his name whose form thou bear'st: Kneel thou down Philip, but arise more great Arise sir Richard, and Plantagenet.

Bast. Brother, by the mother's side, give

me your hand;

My father gave me honour, your's gave land:Now blessed be the hour, by night or day, When I was got, sir Robert was away.

Eli. The very spirit of Plantagenet! I am thy grandame, Richard; call me so. Bast. Madam, by chance, but not by truth: What though?

Something about, a little from the right,

In at the window, or else o'er the hatch: Who dares not stir by day, must walk by night; And have is have, however men do catch: Near or far off, well won is still well shot; And I am I, howe'er I was begot. [thy desire, K.John. Go, Faulconbridge; now hast thon A landless knight makes thee a lauded squire. Come, madani, and come, Richard; we must speed

For France, for France; for it is more than need.
Bast. Brother, adien; Good fortune come to
For thou wast got i'the way of honesty. [thee!
[Exeunt all but the Bastard.

A foot of honour better than I was;
But many a foot of land the worse.
Well, now I can make any Joan a lady :-
Good den, sir Richard,—God-a-mercy, fel-
low;-

And if his name be George, I'll call him Peter:
For new-made honour doth forget men's names;
'Tis too respective t, and too sociable,
For your conversiont. Now your traveller,
He and his tooth-pick at my worship's mess;
And when my knightly stomach is sufficed,
Why then I suck my teeth, and catechize
My picked man of countries:-My dear sir,
(Thus, leaning on mine elbow, I begin,)
I shall beseech you-That is question now;
And then co:nes answer like an ABC-book ||:-
O sir, says answer, at your best command;
At your employment; at your service, sir:-
No, sir, says question, I, sweet sir, at yours:
And, so, ere answer knows what question
(Saving in dialogue of compliment; [would,
And talking of the Alps and Apennines,
The Pyrenean, and the river Po,)
It draws towards supper in conclusion so.
But this is worshipful society,
And fits the mounting spirit, like myself:
For he is but a bastard to the time,
That doth not smack of observation:
(And so am 1, whether I smick, or no ;)
And not alone in habit and device,
Exterior form, ontward accoutrement;
But from the inward motion to deliver
Sweet, sweet, sweet poison for the age's tooth:
Which, though I will not practise to deceive,
Yet, to avoid deceit, I mean to learn;
For it shall strew the footsteps of my rising.
But who comes in such haste, in riding robes?
What woman-post is this? hath she no husband,
That will take pains to blow a horn before her?
Enter Lady EAULCONBRIDGE and JAMES
GERNEY.

Ome! it is my mother:-low now, good lady?

• Good evening. Idie reports.

What brings you here to court so hastily? Lady F. Where is that slave, thy brother? where is he?

That holds in chase mine honour up and down?
Bas. My brother Robert! old sir Robert's son?
Colbrand the giant, that same mighty man!
Is it sir Robert's son, that you seek so?

Lady F. Sir Robert's son! Ay, thon unreverend boy, [Robert ? Sir Robert's son! Why scorn'st thou at sir He is sir Robert's son; and so art thou.

Bast. James Gurney, wilt thou give us leave
Gur. Good leave, good Philip. [awhile?
Bast.
Philip?-sparrow!-James,
There's toys abroad ¶; anon I'll tell thee more.
[Exit GURNEY.

Madam, I was not old sir Robert's son;
Sir Robert might have eat his part in me
Upou Good-Friday, and ne'er broke his fast:
Sir Robert could do well; marry, (to confess!)
Could he get me? Sir Robert could not do it;
We know his han ly-work:-Therefore,good mo
To whom am I beholden for these limbs? [ther,
Sir Robert never holp to make this leg.

Lady F. Hast thou conspired with thy brother too, [honour? That for thine own gain shouldst defend mine What means this scern, thou most untoward knave? [lisco-like**:

Bast. Knight, knight, good mother,-BasiWhat! I am dubb'd; I have it on my shoulder. But, mother, I am not sir Robert's son;

I have disclaim'd sir Robert, and my land;
Legitimation, name, and all is gone:
Then, good my mother, let me know my father;
Some proper man, I hope; Who was it, mother?
Lady F. Hast thou denied thyself a Faulcon-
bridge?

Bast. As faithfully as I deny the devil. Lady F. King Richard Coeur-de-lion was thy father;

By long and vehement suit I was seduced
To make room for him in my husband's bed:~~-
Heaven lay not my transgression to my charge!
Thou art the issue of my dear offence,
Which was so strongly urged, past my defence.

Bast. Now, by this light, were I to get again,
Madam, I would not wish a better father.
Some sins do bear their privilege on earth,
And so doth yours; your fault was not your folly:
Needs must you lay your heart at his dispose,
Subjected tribute to commanding love,-
Against whose fury and unmatched force,
The aweless lion could not wage the fight, hand
Nor keep his princely heart from Richard'
He, that perforce robs lions of their hearts,
May easily win a woman's. Ay, my mother,
With all my heart I thank thee for my father!
Who lives and dares but say, thou didst not wel
When I was got, I'll send his soul to hell.
Come, lady, I will show thee to my kin;

And they shall say, when Richard me begot, If thou hadst said him may, it had been sin: Who says it was, he lies; I say, 'twas not. [Exeunt.

SCENE I. France. Before the Walls of

Angiers.

Enter, on one side, the Archduke of Austria, and Forces; on the other, PHILIP, King of France, and Forces; LEWIS, CONSTANCE, ARTHUR, and Attendants.

Lew. Before Angiers well met, brave Austria.
Arthur, that great forerunner of thy blood,
Richard, that robb'd the lion of his heart,
And fought the holy wars in Palestine,
By this brave duke came early to his grave:
And, for amends to his posterity,
At our importance*, hither is he come,
To spread his colours, boy, in thy behalf;
And to rebuke the usurpation

Of thy unnatural uncle, English John:
Embrace him, love him, give him welcome
hither.
[death,
Arth. God shall forgive you Cœur-de-lion's
The rather, that you give his offspring life,
Shadowing their right under your wings of war:
I give you welcome with a powerless hand,
But with a heart full of unstained love:
Welcome before the gates of Angiers, duke.
Lew. A noble boy! Who would not do thee
right?

Aust. Upon thy cheek lay I this zealous kiss,
As seal to this indenture of my love;
That to my home I will no more return,
Till Angiers, and the right thou hast in France,
Together with that pale, that white-faced shore,
Whose foot spurns back the ocean's roaring
tides,

And coops from other lands her islanders,
Eventill that England, hedged in with the main,
That water-walled bulwark, still secure
And confident from foreign purposes,
Even till that utmost corner of the west
Salute thee for her king: till then, fair boy,
Will I not think of home, but follow arms.
Const. O, take his mother's thanks, a widow's
thanks,
[strength,
Till your strong hand shall help to give him
To make a more requital to your love.
Aust. The peace of heaven is theirs, that
lift their swords

In such a just and charitable war.

K. Phi. Well, then, to work; our cannon shall be bent

Against the brows of this resisting town.
Call for our chiefest men of discipline,
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 unadvised you stain your swords with
blood:

My lord Chatillon may from England bring

• Importunity.

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 staid, 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,
And 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 the unsettled humours 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.
The interruption of their churlish drums

[Drums beat.

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 endeavour for defence; For courage mounteth with occasion: Let them be welcome, then, we are prepared. Enter King JOHN, ELINOR, BLANCH, the Bastard, PEMBROKE, 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!

Whiles we, God's wrathful agent, do correct Their proud contempt that beat his peace to heaven.

K.Phi. Peace be to England; if that war return From France to England, there to live in peace! England we love; and, for that England's sake, With burden of our armour here we sweat: This toil of ours should be a work of thine; But thou from loving England art so far, That thou hast under-wrought ¶ his lawful king, Cut off the sequence** of posterity, Outfaced infant state, and done a rape

The Goddess of Revenge.

Immediate, expeditious. Undermined. ** Succession.