To land his legions all as foon as I. With ladies' faces, and fierce dragons' fpleens,. To parly, or to fight, therefore prepare. [Drums beate K. Philip. How much unlook'd for is this expedition!! Auft. By how much unexpected, by fo much. We must awake endeavour for defence; For courage mounteth with occafion : Let them be welcome then, we are prepar'd. Enter King of England, Faulconbridge, Elinor,. Blanch, Pembroke, and others. K. John. Peace be to France, if France in peace permit Our juft and lineal entrance to our own: If not, bleed France, and peace ascend to heav'n.. Their proud contempt that beats his peace to heav'n.' Cut Cut off the fequence of pofterity; K. John. From whom haft thou this great commiffion, To draw my answer to thy articles? K. Philip. From that fupernal judge, that ftirs good thoughts In any breast of strong authority, To look into the blots and ftains of right.. K. John. Alack, thou doft ufurp authority. As thine was to thy husband; and this boy, Than thou and John, in manners being as like My boy a baftard! by my foul, I think, His father never was so true-begot; It cannot be, an if thou wert his mother. Eli. There's a good mother, boy, that blots thy father. Conft. There's a good grandam, boy, that would blot thee. Auft. Peace. Faulc. Hear the crier. Auft. What the devil art thou? Faulc. One that will play the devil, Sir, with you, An a' may catch your hide and you alone. You are the hare, of whom the proverb goes, Whofe valour plucks dead Lions by the beard; I'll fmoak your skin-coat, an I catch you right; Sirrah, look to't; i'faith, I will, i'faith. Blanch. O, well did he become that Lion's robe, That did difrobe the Lion of that robe... Faule. It lyes as fightly on the back of him, (6) But, afs, I'll take that burthen from your back, England, and Ireland, Anjou, Touraine, Maine, Wilt thou refign them, and lay down thy arms? (6) It lyes as fightly on the Back of him, "That As great Alcides' Shoes upon an Afs.] But why his Shoes in the Name of Propriety? For let Hercules and his Shoes have been really as big as they were ever fuppos'd to be, yet they (I mean, the Shoes) would not have been an Overload for an Afs. I am perfuaded, I have retriev'd the true Reading; and let us obferve the Juftnefs of the Comparifon now. Faulconbridge in his Refentment would fay this to Auftria, "Lion's Skin, which my great Father King Ricband once wore, 'looks as uncouthly on thy Back; as that other noble Hide, " which was borne by Hercules, would look on the Back of an “Afs.” A double Allufion was intended; first, to the Fable of the Afs in the Lion's Skin: then Richard I. is finely fet in Competition with Alcides ; as Auftria is fatirically coupled with the Afs, K. John. K. John. My life as foon-I do defie thee, France. Eli. Come to thy grandam, child. Conf. Do, child, go to it grandam, child. Arth. Good my mother, peace; I would, that I were low laid in my grave; Eli. His mother fhames him fo, poor boy, he weeps. Conft. Now fhame upon you, whe're fhe does or no! His grandam's wrong, and not his mother's fhames, Draws thofe heav'n-moving pearls from his poor eyes, Which heav'n fhall take in nature of a fee: Ay, with these crystal beads heav'n fhall be brib'd Eli. Thou monftrous flanderer of heav'n and earth ! Of this oppreffed boy; this is thy eldest fon's fon, Thy fins are vifited in this poor child 1; The canon of the law is laid on him; That he is not only plagued for her fin, Eli. Thou unadvised fcold, I can produce A < A will, that bars the title of thy fon. Conft. Ay, who doubts that? a will!will; A woman's will, a cankred grandam's will. a wicked K. Philip. Peace, Lady; paufe, or be more temperate : It ill befeems this prefence to cry Aim To thefe ill-tuned repetitions. Some trumpet fummon hither to the walls Thefe men of Angiers; let us hear them fpeak, [Trumpet founds Enter a Citizen upon the Walls. Cit. Who is it, that hath warn'd us to the walls K. John. England for itself; You men of Angiers and my loving fubjects. K. Philip. You loving men of Angiers, Arthur's fubjects, Our trumpet call'd you to this gentle parle K. John. For our advantage; therefore hear us firft: And merciless proceeding, by thefe French, Behold |