Alarums and Excursions; then enter a French Herald, with trumpets, to the gates. French Herald. 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 Enter an English Herald, with trumpets. English Herald. Rejoice, you men of Angiers, ring your bells: King John, your King and England's, doth approach, Commander of this hot malicious day. Their armours, that march'd hence so silver-bright, Hither return all gilt with Frenchmen's blood. There stuck no plume in any English crest, That is removed by a staff of France: Our colours do return in those same hands That did display them when we first march'd forth; Cit. Heralds, from off our towers we might behold, From first to last, the onset and retire Blood hath bought blood, and blows have answer'd blows; Strength match'd 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, LOUIS, AUSTRIA, and Forces. K. John. France, hast thou yet more blood to cast away? Say, shall the current of our right roam on? A peaceful progress to the ocean. K. Phi. England, thou hast not sav'd one drop of blood, In this hot trial, more than we of France; Rather, lost more: and by this hand I swear, We'll put thee down, 'gainst whom these arms we bear, Or add a royal number to the dead, Gracing the scroll, that tells of this war's loss, O! now doth Death line his dead chaps with steel; Why stand these royal fronts amazed thus? Then let confusion of one part confirm 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? 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. Cit. A greater pow'r than we denies all this; And till it be undoubted, we do lock Our former scruple in our strong-barr'd gates, King'd of our fear, until our fears, resolv'd, Be by some certain King purg'd and depos'd. Bast. By Heaven, these scroyles of Angiers flout you, Kings, And stand securely on their battlements, As in a theatre, whence they gape and point At your industrious Scenes and Acts of death. Do like the mutines of Jerusalem ; Be friends awhile, and both conjointly bend Their battering cannon, charged to the mouths, Till their soul-fearing clamours have brawl'd down Even till unfenced desolation Leave them as naked as the vulgar air. To whom in favour she shall give the day, How like you this wild counsel, mighty States? K. John. Now, by the sky that hangs above our heads, I like it well. - France, shall we knit our pow'rs, Bast. An if thou hast the mettle of a King, As we will ours, against these saucy walls; And when that we have dash'd them to the ground, Why, then defy each other, and, pell-mell, Make work upon ourselves for Heaven or Hell. K. Phi. Let it be so. assault? Say, where will you K. John. We from the West will send destruction Into this city's bosom. Aust. I from the North. K. Phi. Our thunders from the South, Shall rain their drift of bullets on this town. Bast. O, prudent discipline! From North to South, Austria and France shoot in each other's mouth: I'll stir them to it. Come, away, away! [Aside. Cit. Hear us, great Kings: vouchsafe a while to stay, And I shall shew you peace and fair-fac'd league; K. John. Speak on, with favour: we are bent to hear. Cit. That daughter, there, of Spain, the Lady Of Louis the Dolphin, and that lovely maid. Is the young Dolphin every way complete : O! two such silver currents, when they join, Do glorify the banks that bound them in; And two such shores to two such streams made one, Two such controlling bounds shall you be, Kings, |