Shakespeare's First Folio Part 267

Bast. Thou wer't better gaul the diuell Salsbury.

If thou but frowne on me, or stirre thy foote, Or teach thy hastie spleene to do me shame, Ile strike thee dead. Put vp thy sword betime, Or Ile so maule you, and your tosting-Iron, That you shall thinke the diuell is come from h.e.l.l

Big. What wilt thou do, renowned Faulconbridge?

Second a Villaine, and a Murtherer?

Hub. Lord Bigot, I am none

Big. Who kill'd this Prince?

Hub. 'Tis not an houre since I left him well: I honour'd him, I lou'd him, and will weepe My date of life out, for his sweete liues losse

Sal. Trust not those cunning waters of his eyes, For villanie is not without such rheume, And he, long traded in it, makes it seeme Like Riuers of remorse and innocencie.

Away with me, all you whose soules abhorre Th' vncleanly sauours of a Slaughter-house, For I am stifled with this smell of sinne

Big. Away, toward Burie, to the Dolphin there

P. There tel the king, he may inquire vs out.

Ex. Lords.

Ba. Here's a good world: knew you of this faire work?

Beyond the infinite and boundlesse reach of mercie, (If thou didst this deed of death) art y d.a.m.n'd Hubert

Hub. Do but heare me sir

Bast. Ha? Ile tell thee what.

Thou'rt d.a.m.n'd as blacke, nay nothing is so blacke, Thou art more deepe d.a.m.n'd then Prince Lucifer: There is not yet so vgly a fiend of h.e.l.l As thou shalt be, if thou didst kill this childe

Hub. Vpon my soule

Bast. If thou didst but consent To this most cruell Act: do but dispaire, And if thou want'st a Cord, the smallest thred That euer Spider twisted from her wombe Will serue to strangle thee: A rush will be a beame To hang thee on. Or wouldst thou drowne thy selfe, Put but a little water in a spoone, And it shall be as all the Ocean, Enough to stifle such a villaine vp.

I do suspect thee very greeuously

Hub. If I in act, consent, or sinne of thought, Be guiltie of the stealing that sweete breath Which was embounded in this beauteous clay, Let h.e.l.l want paines enough to torture me: I left him well

Bast. Go, beare him in thine armes: I am amaz'd me thinkes, and loose my way Among the thornes, and dangers of this world.

How easie dost thou take all England vp, From forth this morcell of dead Royaltie?

The life, the right, and truth of all this Realme Is fled to heauen: and England now is left To tug and scamble, and to part by th' teeth The vn-owed interest of proud swelling State: Now for the bare-pickt bone of Maiesty, Doth dogged warre bristle his angry crest, And snarleth in the gentle eyes of peace: Now Powers from home, and discontents at home Meet in one line: and vast confusion waites As doth a Rauen on a sicke-falne beast, The iminent decay of wrested pompe.

Now happy he, whose cloake and center can Hold out this tempest. Beare away that childe, And follow me with speed: Ile to the King: A thousand businesses are briefe in hand, And heauen it selfe doth frowne vpon the Land.

Enter.

Actus Quartus, Scaena prima.

Enter King Iohn and Pandolph, attendants.

K.Iohn. Thus haue I yeelded vp into your hand The Circle of my glory

Pan. Take againe From this my hand, as holding of the Pope Your Soueraigne greatnesse and authoritie

Iohn. Now keep your holy word, go meet the French, And from his holinesse vse all your power To stop their marches 'fore we are enflam'd: Our discontented Counties doe reuolt: Our people quarrell with obedience, Swearing Allegiance, and the loue of soule To stranger-bloud, to forren Royalty; This inundation of mistempred humor, Rests by you onely to be qualified.

Then pause not: for the present time's so sicke, That present medcine must be ministred, Or ouerthrow incureable ensues

Pand. It was my breath that blew this Tempest vp, Vpon your stubborne vsage of the Pope: But since you are a gentle conuert.i.te, My tongue shall hush againe this storme of warre, And make faire weather in your bl.u.s.tring land: On this Ascention day, remember well, Vpon your oath of seruice to the Pope, Goe I to make the French lay downe their Armes.

Enter.

Iohn. Is this Ascension day? did not the Prophet Say, that before Ascension day at noone, My Crowne I should giue off? euen so I haue: I did suppose it should be on constraint, But (heau'n be thank'd) it is but voluntary.

Enter b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

Bast. All Kent hath yeelded: nothing there holds out But Douer Castle: London hath receiu'd Like a kinde Host, the Dolphin and his powers.

Your n.o.bles will not heare you, but are gone To offer seruice to your enemy: And wilde amazement hurries vp and downe The little number of your doubtfull friends

Iohn. Would not my Lords returne to me againe After they heard yong Arthur was aliue?

Bast. They found him dead, and cast into the streets, An empty Casket, where the Iewell of life By some d.a.m.n'd hand was rob'd, and tane away

Iohn. That villaine Hubert told me he did liue

Bast. So on my soule he did, for ought he knew: But wherefore doe you droope? why looke you sad?

Be great in act, as you haue beene in thought: Let not the world see feare and sad distrust Gouerne the motion of a kinglye eye: Be stirring as the time, be fire with fire, Threaten the threatner, and out-face the brow Of bragging horror: So shall inferior eyes That borrow their behauiours from the great, Grow great by your example, and put on The dauntlesse spirit of resolution.

Away, and glister like the G.o.d of warre When he intendeth to become the field: Shew boldnesse and aspiring confidence: What, shall they seeke the Lion in his denne, And fright him there? and make him tremble there?

Oh let it not be said: forrage, and runne To meet displeasure farther from the dores, And grapple with him ere he come so nye

Iohn. The Legat of the Pope hath beene with mee, And I haue made a happy peace with him, And he hath promis'd to dismisse the Powers Led by the Dolphin

Bast. Oh inglorious league: Shall we vpon the footing of our land, Send fayre-play-orders, and make comprimise, Insinuation, parley, and base truce To Armes Inuasiue? Shall a beardlesse boy, A c.o.c.kred-silken wanton braue our fields, And flesh his spirit in a warre-like soyle, Mocking the ayre with colours idlely spred, And finde no checke? Let vs my Liege to Armes: Perchance the Cardinall cannot make your peace; Or if he doe, let it at least be said They saw we had a purpose of defence

Iohn. Haue thou the ordering of this present time

Bast. Away then with good courage: yet I know Our Partie may well meet a prowder foe.

Exeunt.

Scoena Secunda.

Enter (in Armes) Dolphin, Salisbury, Meloone, Pembroke, Bigot, Souldiers.

Dol. My Lord Melloone, let this be coppied out, And keepe it safe for our remembrance: Returne the president to these Lords againe, That hauing our faire order written downe, Both they and we, perusing ore these notes May know wherefore we tooke the Sacrament, And keepe our faithes firme and inuiolable

Sal. Vpon our sides it neuer shall be broken.

And n.o.ble Dolphin, albeit we sweare A voluntary zeale, and an vn-urg'd Faith To your proceedings: yet beleeue me Prince, I am not glad that such a sore of Time Should seeke a plaster by contemn'd reuolt, And heale the inueterate Canker of one wound, By making many: Oh it grieues my soule, That I must draw this mettle from my side To be a widdow-maker: oh, and there Where honourable rescue, and defence Cries out vpon the name of Salisbury.

But such is the infection of the time, That for the health and Physicke of our right, We cannot deale but with the very hand Of sterne Iniustice, and confused wrong: And is't not pitty, (oh my grieued friends) That we, the sonnes and children of this Isle, Was borne to see so sad an houre as this, Wherein we step after a stranger, march Vpon her gentle bosom, and fill vp Her Enemies rankes? I must withdraw, and weepe Vpon the spot of this inforced cause, To grace the Gentry of a Land remote, And follow vnacquainted colours heere: What heere? O Nation that thou couldst remoue, That Neptunes Armes who clippeth thee about, Would beare thee from the knowledge of thy selfe, And cripple thee vnto a Pagan sh.o.r.e, Where these two Christian Armies might combine The bloud of malice, in a vaine of league, And not to spend it so vn-neighbourly

Dolph. A n.o.ble temper dost thou shew in this, And great affections wrastling in thy bosome Doth make an earth-quake of n.o.bility: Oh, what a n.o.ble combat hast fought Between compulsion, and a braue respect: Let me wipe off this honourable dewe, That siluerly doth progresse on thy cheekes: My heart hath melted at a Ladies teares, Being an ordinary Inundation: But this effusion of such manly drops, This showre, blowne vp by tempest of the soule, Startles mine eyes, and makes me more amaz'd Then had I seene the vaultie top of heauen Figur'd quite ore with burning Meteors.

Lift vp thy brow (renowned Salisburie) And with a great heart heaue away this storme: Commend these waters to those baby-eyes That neuer saw the giant-world enrag'd, Nor met with Fortune, other then at feasts, Full warm of blood, of mirth, of gossipping: Come, come; for thou shalt thrust thy hand as deepe Into the purse of rich prosperity As Lewis himselfe: so (n.o.bles) shall you all, That knit your sinewes to the strength of mine.

Enter Pandulpho.

And euen there, methinkes an Angell spake, Looke where the holy Legate comes apace, To giue vs warrant from the hand of heauen, And on our actions set the name of right With holy breath