Chatillon. Then take my king's defiance from any mouth The furthest limit of my embassy.

King John. Bear mine to him, and so depart in peace Be thou as lightning in the eyes of France; For ere thou canst report I will be there, The thunder of my cannon shall be heard: So, hence! Be thou the trumpet of our wrath, And sullen presage of your own decay.— An honourable conduct let him have:Pembroke, look to't: Farewell, Chatillon.

[Exeunt CHATILLON and PEMBROKE,
Elinor. What now, my son? have I not ever said,
How that ambitious Constance would not cease,
Till she had kindled France, and all the world,
Upon the right and party of her son?

This might have been prevented, and made whole,
With very easy arguments of love;

Which now the manage2 of two kingdoms must
With fearful bloody issue arbitrate.

King John. Our strong possession, and our right, for us. Elinor. Your strong possession, much more than your right;

Or else it must go wrong with you, and me:

So much my conscience whispers in your ear;
Which none but heaven, and you, and I, shall hear.

Enter the SHERIFF of NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, who whispers
ESSEX.

Essex. My liege, here is the strangest controversy, Come from the country to be judg'd by you,

That e'er I heard: Shall I produce the men?

King John. Let them approach,- [Exit SHERIFF. Our abbies, and our priories, shall pay

Rc-enter SHERIFF, with ROBERT FAULCONBRIDGE, and
PHILIP, his bastard BROTHER.

This expedition's charge.-What men are you?
Bustard. Your faithful subject I, a gentleman

2 Conduct administration.

Born in Northamptonshire; and eldest son,
As I suppose, to Robert Faulconbridge;
A soldier, by the honour-giving hand
Of Coeur-de-lion knighted in the field.
King John. What art thou?

Robert. The son and heir to that same Faulconbridge. King John. Is that the elder, and art thou the heir? You came not of one mother then, it seems.

Bastard. Most certain of one mother, mighty king, That is well known; and, as I think, one father: But, 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.

Elinor. Out on thee, rude man! thou dost shame thy mother,

And wound her honour with this diffidence.

Bastard. 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 pound a year: Heaven guard my mother's honour, and my land! King John. A good blunt fellow:-Why, being younger born,

Doth he lay claim to thine inheritance?

Bastard. 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,
Compare our faces, and be judge yourself.
If old sir Robert did beget us both,

And were our father, and this son like him ;-
O old sir Robert, father, on my knee,

I give heaven thanks, I was not like to thee.

King John. Why, what a madcap hath heaven leut

us here!

Elinor. He hath a trick of Coeur-de-lion's face.

The accent of his tongue affecteth him:

3 Trace, outline.

Do you
not read some tokens of my sou
In the large composition of this man?

King John. Mine eye hath well examined his parts,
And finds them perfect Richard.Sirrah, speak,
What doth move you to claim your brother's land?
Bastard. Because he hath a half-face, like my father:
With that half-face would he have all my land:
A half-faced groat five hundred pound a year!
Robert. My gracious liege, when that my father liv'd,
Your brother did employ my father much;
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 truth is truth; large lengths of seas and shores
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.

King John. Sirrah, your brother is legitimate; Your father's wife did after wedlock bear him: And, if she did play false, the fault was hers; Which fault lies on the hazards of all husbands That marry wives. Tell me, how if my brother Had of your father claim'd this son for his? In sooth, good friend, your father might have kept him; 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,— Your father's heir must have your father's land. Robert. Shall then my father's will be of no force, To dispossess that child which is not his?

Bastard. Of no more force to dispossess me, sir, Than was his will to get me, as I think.

Elinor. Whether hadst thou rather,-be a Faulconbridge,

And like thy brother, to enjoy thy land;
Or the reputed son of Coeur-de-lion,
Lord of thy presence, and no land beside?

Bastard. 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 a rose,

Lest men should say, Look, where three-farthings goes!
And, to his shape, were heir to all this land,
'Would I might never stir from off this place,
I'd give it every foot to have this face;

I would not be sir Nob in any case.

Elinor. I like thee well; Wilt thou forsake thy fortune, Bequeath thy land to him, and follow me?

I am a soldier, and now bound to France.

Bastard. 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.

Elinor. Nay, I would have you go before me thither. Bastard. Our country manners give our betters way. King John. What is thy name?

Bastard. Philip, my liege; so is my name begun Philip, good old sir Robert's wife's eldest son.

King John. From henceforth bear his name whose
form thou bear'st:

Kneel thou down Philip, but arise more great:
Arise sir Richard, and Plantagenet.

Bastard. Brother, by my mother's side, give me your
hand;

My father gave me honour, yours gave land.—
Elinor. The very spirit of Plantagenet !—

I am thy grandame, Richard; call me so.

Bastard. Madam, by chance, but not by truth: What though?

King John. Go, Faulconbridge; now hast thou thy

desire,

A landless knight makes thee a landed 'squire.-
Come, madam, and come, Richard; we must speed
For France, for France; for it is more than need.
Bastard. Brother, adieu; good fortune come to thee!
For thou wast got i' the way of honesty.

[Exeunt all but the BASTARD.
A foot of honour better than I was;
But many a foot of land the worse.
Well, now can I make any Joan a lady :-
Good den, sir Richard,-God-a-mercy, fellow;-
And if his name be George, I'll call him Peter:
For new-made honour doth forget men's names;
"Tis too respective, and too sociable,

For your conversion. Now your traveller,-
He and his tooth-pick at my worship's mess;
And when my knightly stomach is suffic'd,
Why then I suck my teeth and catechise
My picked man of countries:5- -My dear sir,
(Thus, leaning on mine elbow, I begin,)
I shall beseech you-That is question now;
And then comes 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 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:
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,
b My travelled fop.

Good evening.