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• The Life and Death of King John: Dramatis PersonÆ.
• Act I.
• Scene I.—: A Room of State In the Palace.
• Act II.
• Scene I.—: France. Before the Walls of Angiers.
• Act III.
• Scene I.—: France. the French King’s Tent.
• Scene II.—: The Same. Plains Near Angiers.
• Scene III.—: The Same.
• Scene IV.—: The Same. the French King’s Tent.
• Act IV.
• Scene I.—: Northampton. a Room In the Castle.
• Scene II.—: The Same. a Room of State In the Palace.
• Scene III.—: The Same. Before the Castle.
• Act V.
• Scene I.—: The Same. a Room In the Palace.
• Scene II.—: A Plain, Near St. Edmundsbury. the French Camp.
• Scene III.—: The Same. a Field of Battle.
• Scene IV.—: The Same. Another Part of the Same.
• Scene V.—: The Same. the French Camp.
• Scene VI.—: An Open Place In the Neighbourhood of Swinstead Abbey.
• Scene VII.—: The Orchard of Swinstead Abbey.

Scene III.—

The Same.

Alarums; excursions; retreat. EnterKing John, Elinor, Arthur,theBastard, Hubert,and Lords.

K. John.

[ToElinor.] So shall it be; your grace shall stay behind

So strongly guarded. [ToArthur.] Cousin, look not sad:

Thy grandam loves thee; and thy uncle will

As dear be to thee as thy father was.

Arth.

O! this will make my mother die with grief.

K. John.

[To theBastard.] Cousin, away for England! haste before;

And, ere our coming, see thou shake the bags

Of hoarding abbots; set at liberty

Imprison’d angels: the fat ribs of peace

Must by the hungry now be fed upon:

Use our commission in his utmost force.

Bast.

Bell, book, and candle shall not drive me back

When gold and silver becks me to come on.

I leave your highness. Grandam, I will pray,—

If ever I remember to be holy,—

For your fair safety; so I kiss your hand.

Eli.

Farewell, gentle cousin.

K. John.

Coz, farewell.

[ExitBastard.

Eli.

Come hither, little kinsman; hark, a word.

[She takesArthuraside.

K. John.

Come hither, Hubert. O my gentle Hubert,

We owe thee much: within this wall of flesh

There is a soul counts thee her creditor,

And with advantage means to pay thy love:

And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath

Lives in this bosom, dearly cherished.

Give me thy hand. I had a thing to say,

But I will fit it with some better time.

By heaven, Hubert, I am almost asham’d

To say what good respect I have of thee.

Hub.

I am much bounden to your majesty.

K. John.

Good friend, thou hast no cause to say so yet;

But thou shalt have; and creep time ne’er so slow,

Yet it shall come for me to do thee good.

I had a thing to say, but let it go:

The sun is in the heaven, and the proud day,

Attended with the pleasures of the world,

Is all too wanton and too full of gawds

To give me audience: if the midnight bell

Did, with his iron tongue and brazen mouth,

Sound one into the drowsy race of night;

If this same were a churchyard where we stand,

And thou possessed with a thousand wrongs;

Or if that surly spirit, melancholy,

Had bak’d thy blood and made it heavy-thick,

Which else runs tickling up and down the veins,

Making that idiot, laughter, keep men’s eyes

And strain their cheeks to idle merriment,

A passion hateful to my purposes;

Or if that thou couldst see me without eyes,

Hear me without thine ears, and make reply

Without a tongue, using conceit alone,

Without eyes, ears, and harmful sound of words;

Then, in despite of brooded watchful day,

I would into thy bosom pour my thoughts:

But ah! I will not: yet I love thee well;

And, by my troth, I think thou lov’st me well.

Hub.

So well, that what you bid me undertake,

Though that my death were adjunct to my act,

By heaven, I would do it.

K. John.

Do not I know thou wouldst?

Good Hubert! Hubert, Hubert, throw thine eye

On yon young boy: I’ll tell thee what, my friend,

He is a very serpent in my way;

And wheresoe’er this foot of mine doth tread

He lies before me: dost thou understand me?

Thou art his keeper.

Hub.

And I’ll keep him so

That he shall not offend your majesty.

K. John.

Death.

Hub.

My lord?

K. John.

A grave.

Hub.

He shall not live.

K. John.

Enough.

I could be merry now. Hubert, I love thee;

Well, I’ll not say what I intend for thee:

Remember. Madam, fare you well:

I’ll send those powers o’er to your majesty.

Eli.

My blessing go with thee!

K. John.

For England, cousin; go:

Hubert shall be your man, attend on you

With all true duty. On toward Calais, ho!

[Exeunt.