Partake to every one: "I, an old turtle,
"Will wing me to fome wither'd bough, and there
"My mate, that's never to be found again,
"Lament till I am loft."
Leo. O peace, Paulina:
Thou shouldst a husband take by my confent,
As I by thine a wife. This is a match,
And made between's by vows. Thou haft found mine;
But how, is to be queftion'd; for I faw her,
As I thought, dead; and have, in vain, faid many
A prayer upon her grave. I'll not feek far
(For him, I partly know his mind) to find thee
An honourable hufband, Come, Camillo,
And take her by the hand; whofe worth and honefty
Is richly noted; and here juftified
By us, a pair of Kings. Let's from this place.
What? look upon my brother: both your pardons,
That e'er I put between your holy looks
My ill fufpicion: this your fon-in-law,
And fon unto the King-whom heav'ns directing,
Is troth-plight to your daughter. Good Paulina,
Lead us from hence, where we may leifurely
Each one demand, and answer to his part
Perform'd in this wide gap of time, fince first
We were diffever'd. Haftily lead
Prince Henry, fon to the King. Arthur, Duke of Bretagne, and nephew to the King.
Philip Faulconbridge, baftard fon
to Richard I.
Robert Faulconbridge, fuppofed
brother to the baftard.
James Gurney, fervant to the
Lady Faulconbridge.
Peter of Pomfret, a prophet.
Philip, King of France.
Lewis, the Dauphin.
Archduke of Auftria.
Cardinal Pandulpho, the Pope's
Legate.
Melun, a French Lord.
Chatillon, Ambassador from France
to King John.
Elinor, Queen-mother of England.
Conftance, mother to Arthur.
Blanch, daughter to Alphonfo King
of Caftile, and niece to K. John.
Lady Faulconbridge, mother to the
baftard and Robert Faulcon-
bridge.
Citizens of Angiers, Heralds, Ex-
ecutioners, Meffengers, Soldi-
ers, and other Attendants.
The SCENE, fometimes in England, and sometimes in France.
Enter King John, Queen Elinor, Pembroke, Effex, and Salisbury, with Chatillon.
K. John. Now, fay Chatillon, what would
Chat. Thus, after greeting, fpeaks the King of France,
*The troublesome reign of King John was written in two parts by W. Shakespeare and W. Rowley, and printed 1611. But the prefent play is entirely different, and infinitely superior to it. Mr. Pope.
In my behaviour, to the Majefty,
The borrow'd Majefty of England here.
Eli. A ftrange beginning; borrow'd Majefty!
K. John. Silence, good mother; hear the embaffy.
Chat. Philip of France, in right and true behalf
Of thy deceased brother Geffrey's fon,
Arthur Plantagenet, lays lawful claim
To this fair ifland and the territories;
To Ireland, Poitiers, Anjou, Touraine, Maine;
Defiring thee to lay afide the fword,
Which fways ufurpingly these feveral titles,
And put the fame into young Arthur's hand,
Thy nephew, and right-royal fovereign
K. John. What follows if we difallow of this?
Chat. The proud controul of fierce and bloody war,
T'inforce thefe rights fo forcibly with held.
K. John. Here have we war for war, and blood for
blood,
Controulment for controulment; fo anfwer France.
Chat. Then take my King's defiance from my mouth,
The fartheft limit of my embaffy.
K. John. Bear mine to him, and fo 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 fhall be heard.
So, hence! be thou the trumpet of our wrath,
And fullen prefage of your own decay.
An honourable conduct let him have;
Pembroke, look to't; farewell Chatillon.
[Exeunt Chat. and Pem
Eli. What now, my son, have I not ever said,
How that ambitious Conftance would not cease,
Till fhe had kindled France and all the world,
Upon the right and party of her fon?
This might have been prevented, and made whole
With very eafy arguments of love;
Which now the manage of two kingdoms must
With fearful bloody iffue arbitrate.
K. John. Our ftrong poffeffion, and our right for us—
Eli. Your ftrong poffeffion much more than your right,
Or else it muft go wrong with
you and me;
Bb
So much my confcience whifpers in your ear,
Which none but heav'n, and you, and I shall hear.
Effex. My Liege, here is the strangest controversy
Come from the country to be judg'd by you,
That e'er I heard: fhall I produce the men?
K. John. Let them approach.
Our abbies and our priorics fhall pay
This expedition's charge. What men are you?
Enter Robert Faulconbridge, and Philip his brother,
the baftard.
Phil. Your faithful fubject, 1, a gentleman
Born in Northamptonshire, and eldest fon,
As I fuppofe, to Robert Faulconbridge,
A foldier, by the honour-giving hand
Of Cœur-de-lion knighted in the field.
K. John. What art thou?
Robert. The fon and heir to that fame Faulconbridge. K. John. Is that the elder, and art thou the heir? You came not of one mother, then, it seems.
Phil. Moft certain of one mother, mighty King,
That is well known; and, as I think, one father:
But, for the certain knowledge of that truth,
put you o'er to heav'n, and to my mother;
Of that I doubt, as all mens' children may.
Eli. Out on thee, rude man! thou doft shame thy mother,
And wound her honour with this diffidence.
Phil. 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, he pops me out
At leaft from fair five hundred pound a-year.
Heav'n guard my mother's honour, and my land!
K. John. A good blunt fellow; why, being younger
Doth he lay claim to thine inheritance?
Phil. I know not why, except to get my
But once he flander'd me with baftardy:
But whether I be true begot or no,
That fill 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 his fon like him;
O old Sir Robert, father, on my knee
I give heav'n thanks I was not like to thee.
K. John. Why, what a mad cap hath heav'n lent us..
here?
Eli. He hath a trick of Cœur-de-lion's face,
The accent of his tongue affecteth him::
Do you not read fome tokens of my fon..
In the large compofition of this man?:
K. John. Mine eye hath. well examined his parts,
And finds them perfect Richard. Sirrah, fpeak,
What doth move you to claim your brother's land?
Phil. Because he hath a half-face like my father,
With that half-face would he have all my land?
A half-fac'd groat, five hundred pound a-year!
Rob. My gracious Liege, when that my father liv'd,
Your brother did employ my father much?,
Phil. Well, Sir, by this you cannot get my land.
Your tale muft be, how he employ'd my mother.
Rob. And once dispatch'd him in an embassy
To Germany; there with the Emperor.
To treat of high affairs touching that time:
Th' advantage of his abfence took the King,
And in the mean time fojourn'd at my father's;
Where, how he did prevail, I fhame to fpeak:
But truth is truth; large lengths of feas and shores »
Between my father and my mother lay,
(As I have heard my father speak himself,)
When this fame lufty 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 fon, 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:..
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