And then comes answer like an Absey book:
"O sir," says answer,
best command;

66 at your

At your employment; at your service, sir:"

66

No, sir," says question, "I, sweet sir, at yours:
And so, ere answer knows what question would,
Saving in dialogue of compliment,

And talking of the Alps and Apennines,
The Pyrenean and the river Po,

It draws toward 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 I, whether I smack or no;
And not alone in habit and device,
Exterior form, outward 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 FAULCONBRIDGE and JAMES GURNEY.

O me! it is my mother. How now, good lady!
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?

Bast. 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, thou unreverend boy,
Sir Robert's son: why scorn'st thou at Sir Robert ?
He is Sir Robert's son, and so art thou.

Bast. James Gurney, wilt thou give us leave awhile?
Gur. Good leave, good Philip.

Bast.

Philip sparrow: James,

There's toys abroad: anon I'll tell thee more.
Madam, I was not old Sir Robert's son:

Sir Robert might have eat his part in me
Upon Good-Friday and ne'er broke his fast:
Sir Robert could do well: marry, to confess,

196 Absey book A, B, C book.

200

210

220

230

[Exit Gurney.

231 Philip! sparrow. The sparrow was called Philip, from its note phip! phip! The Bastard remembers that he is now Richard and Flantagenet.

Could he get me? Sir Robert could not do it:
We know his handiwork: therefore, good mother,
To whom am I beholding for these limbs?
Sir Robert never holp to make this leg.

Lady F. Hast thou conspired with thy brother too,
That for thine own gain shouldst defend mine honour?
What means this scorn, thou most untoward knave?
Bast. Knight, knight, good mother, Basilisco-like.
What! 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 Faulconbridge?
Bust. As faithfully as I deny the Devil.

Lady F. King Richard Coeur-de-lion was thy father:
By long and vehement suit I was seduc'd

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 urg'd 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,
Nor keep his princely heart from Richard's hand.
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 well
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 nay, it had been sin :
it was, he lies; I say 't was not.

Who says

240 holp helped: the Old English form.

240

250

260

270

[Exeunt.

Basilisco-like. Basilisco, a personage in a dull play of S.'s day, insists much upon

his knighthood.

the throat and tore out the heart of a lion, to which he was exposed by the Duke of robs lions of their hearts: alluding to the story that Richard thrust his hand down

Austria.

ACT II.

SCENE I. France. Before Angiers.

Enter AUSTRIA and forces, drums, etc., on one side on the other KING PHILIP of France and his power; LEWIS, ARTHUR, CONSTANCE, and attendants.

K. Phi. 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.

Arth. God shall forgive you Coeur-de-lion's death
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.

K. Phi. 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-fac'd shore,
Whose foot spurns back the ocean's roaring tides
And coops from other lands her islanders,
Even till that England, hedg'd 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.

ΤΟ

20

30

Till your strong hand shall help to give him strength
To make a more requital to your love!

Const. O, take his mother's thanks, a widow's thanks,

Aust. The peace of heaven is theirs that lift their swords

In such a just and charitable war.

5 came early to his grave, Not true; moreover, the Duke of Austria meant here died before the period of this play. S. found both blunders in the old play, and adopted them as a matter of course.

7 importance importunity.

32 a widow's thanks. Constance was not a widow, but a very willing wife to her third husband, Guido of Thonars. In this blunder also S. but followed the old play.

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 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,
An Ate, stirring him to blood and strife;
With her her niece, the Lady Blanch of Spain;
With them a bastard of the king's deceas'd ;
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
Cuts off more circumstance: they are at hand,
To parley or to fight; therefore prepare.

40

50

60

70

[Drum beats.

K. Phi. How much unlook'd for is this expedition!
40 indirectly: may mean wrongfully; possibly we should read, indiscreetly.

expedient quick-footed, rapid.

Ale: the goddess of discord and of revenge; a dissyllable.

73 waft

wafted.

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 prepar'd.

Enter KING JOHN, ELINOR, BLANCH, the Bastard, 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,

Whiles we, God's wrathful agent, do correct

Their proud contempt that beats 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,
Out-faced infant state and done a rape
Upon the maiden virtue of the crown.
Look here upon thy brother Geffrey's face;

These eyes, these brows, were moulded out of his :
This little abstract doth contain that large
Which died in Geffrey; and the hand of time
Shall draw this brief into as huge a volume.
That Geffrey was thy elder brother born,
And this his son; England was Geffrey's right,
And his is Geffrey's: in the name of God
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?

80

90

IOC

K. John. From whom hast thou this great commission, France,

To draw my answer from thy articles?

11Ο

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.

120

95 his lawful king, that is, England's. We should say now her or its; but the latter word did not exist when this play was written.