That ever spider twisted from her womb,
Will ftrangle thee; a rush will be a beam

To hang thee on : or would't thou drown thyself,
Put but a little water in a fpoon,

And it fhall be as all the ocean,
Enough to ftifle fuch a villain up.
I do fufpect thee very grievously.

Hub. If I in act, confent, or fin of thought,
Be guilty of the stealing that sweet breath,
Which was embounded in this beauteous clay,
Let hell want pains enough to torture me!
I left him well.

Faulc. Go, bear him in thine arms.
I am amaz'd, methinks, and lose my way
Among the thorns and dangers of this world.
How eafy doft thou take all England up!
From forth this morfel of dead royalty,
The life, the right, and truth of all this realm
Is fled to heav'n; and England now is left
To tug and scramble, and to part by th' teeth
The un-owed intereft of proud-fwelling state.
Now for the bare-pick'd bone of Majefty,
Doth dogged War briftle his angry creft,
And fnarleth in the gentle eyes of Peace.
Now pow'rs from home and difcontents at home
Meet in one line: and vaft confufion waits
(As doth a raven on a fick, fall'n beaft)
The imminent decay of wrefted
pomp.
Now happy he whofe cloak and cincture can
Hold out this tempeft. Bear away the child,
And follow me with fpeed; I'll to the King;
A thoufand bufineffes are brief at hand,
And heav'n itself doth frown upon the land.

A CT V.

SCENE I.

The court of England.

Enter King John, Pandulph, and Attendants.

K. John. Hus I have yielded up into your hand The circle of my glory.

Pand. Take again

[Giving the crown.

From this my hand, as holding of the Pope,

Your fovereign greatnefs and authority.

K. John. Now keep your holy word; go meet the
French,

And from his Holinefs ufe all your power
To ftop the marches 'fore we are inflam'd.
Our difcontented counties do revolt;
Our people quarrel with obedience;
Swearing allegiance, and the love of foul,
To ftranger blood, to foreign royalty;
This inundation of miftemper'd humour
Refts by you only to be qualify'd.

Then paufe not; for the prefent time's fo fick,
That prefent medicine must be miniftred,

Or overthrow incurable enfues.

Pand. It was my breath that blew this tempeft up,

Upon your ftubborn ufage of the Pope:

But fince you are a gentle convertite,

My tongue fhall hufh again this form of war;

And make fair weather in your bluft'ring land.
On this Afcenfion-day, remember well,

Upon your oath of fervice to the Pope,

Go I to make the French lay down their arms. [Exit.
K. John. Is this Afcenfion-day? did not the prophet
Say, that before Afcenfion-day at noon

My crown I fhould give off? Even fo I have.
I did fuppofe it fhould be on conftraint;

But, heav'n be thank'd, it is but voluntary.

Enter Faulconbridge.

Faule. All Kent hath yielded, nothing there holds out But Dover cafle: London hath receiv'd,

Like a kind hoft, the Dauphin and his powers.
Your nobles will not hear you, but are gone
To offer fervice to your enemy;

And wild amazement hurries up and down
The little number of your doubtful friends.

K. John. Would not my Lords return to me again, After they heard young Arthur was alive?

Faulc. They found him dead, and caft into the ftreets,

An empty cafkket, where the jewel, life,

By fome dama'd hand was robb'd and ta'en away.
K. John. That villain Hubert told me he did live.
Faulc. So on my foul he did, for aught he knew.
But wherefore do you droop? why look you fad?
Be great in act, as you have been in thought:
Let not the world fee fear and fad diftruft
Govern the motion of a kingly eye:

Be ftirring as the time; be fire with fire;
Threaten the threat'ner, and outface the brow
Of bragging horror: fo fhall inferior eyes,
That borrow their behaviours from the great,
Grow great by your example, and put on
The dauntlefs fpirit of refolution.
Away, and glifter like the god of war,
When he intendeth to become the field;
Shew boldness and afpiring confidence.
What, fhall they seek the lion in his den,
And fright him there? and make him tremble there?
Oh, let it not be faid! Forage, and run
To meet difpleafure farther from the doors;
And grapple with him ere he come fo nigh.

K. John. The Legate of the Pope hath been with me,
And I have made a happy peace with him ;
And he hath promis'd to difmifs the powers
Led by the Dauphin.

Faule. Oh inglorious league!

Shall we, upon the footing of our land,
Send fair-play-orders, and make compromife,
Infinuation, parley, and bafe truce,

To arms invafive? fhall a beardlefs boy,
A cocker'd, filken wanton brave our fields,
And fleth his fpirit in a warlike foil,

Mocking the air with colours idly spread,

And find no check? Let us, my Liege, to arms:
Perchance the Cardinal can't make your peace;
Or if he do, let it at leaft be faid,

They faw we had a purpofe of defence.

K. John. Have thou the ord'ring of this prefent time. Faulc. Away then, with good courage; yet I know Our party may well meet a prouder foe. [Exeunt.

SCENE II. Changes to the Dauphin's camp.

Enter, in arms, Lewis, Salisbury, Melun, Pembroke,
Bigot, and Soldiers.

Lewis. My Lord Melun, let this be copied out,
And keep it fafe for our remembrance :
Return the prefident to thefe Lords again,
That having our fair order written down,
Both they and we, perufing o'er these notes,
May know wherefore we took the facrament,
And keep our faiths firm and inviolable.

Sal. Upon our fides it never shall be broken.
And, Noble Dauphin, albeit we fwear
A voluntary zeal and unurg'd faith.

To your proceedings; yet believe me, Prince,
I am not glad that fuch a fore of time
Should feek a plaister by contemn'd revolt;
And heal th' invetrate canker of one wound,
By making many. Oh, it grieves my foul,
That I muft draw this metal from my fide
To be a widow-maker: oh, and there,
Where honourable rescue and defence
Cries out upon the name of Salisbury.
But fuch is the infection of the time,
That, for the health and phyfic of our right,
We cannot deal but with the very hand
Of ftern injuftice, and confufed wrong.
And is 't not pity, oh, my grieved friends!
That we the fons and children of this ifle,
Were born to fee fo fad an hour as this,
Wherein we step after a ftranger-march
Upon her gentle bofom, and fill up

Her enemies ranks ? (I must withdraw and weep

Upon the fpot of this enforced cause);
To grace the gentry of a land remote,
And follow unacquainted colours here?

What, here? O nation, that thou could'ft remove!
That Neptune's arms, who clippeth thee about,
Would bear thee from the knowledge of thyfelf,
And grapple thee unto a Pagan fhore!

Where thefe two Chriftian armies might combine
The blood of malice in a vein of league,
And not to fpend it fo unneighbourly.

Lewis. A noble temper doft thou fhew in this;
And great affection, wrestling in thy bofom,
Doth make an earthquake of nobility.
Oh, what a noble combat haft thou fought,
Between compulfion, and a brave refpeét!
Let me wipe off this honourable dew,
That filverly doth progrefs on thy checks.
My heart hath melted at a lady's tears,
"Being an ordinary inundation :

66

"But this effufion of fuch manly drops,
"This show'r blown up by tempeft of the foul,
"Startles mine eyes, and makes me more amaz
"Than had I feen the vaulty top of heav'n
Figur'd quite o'er with burning meteors."
Lift up thy brow, renowned Salisbury,

And with a great heart heave away this ftorm.
"Commend thefe waters to thofe baby-eyes,
"That never faw the giant world enrag'd;
"Nor met with fortune, other than at feafts,

Full warm of blood, of mirth, of goffipping." Come, come; for thou shalt thruft thy hand as deep Into the purfe of rich profperity,

As Lewis himfelf; fo, Nobles, fhall you all,
That knit your finews to the ftrength of mine.

SCENE HI. Enter Pandulph.

And even there methinks an angel fpeeds;
Look where the holy Legate comes apace,
To give us warrant from the hand of heav'n,
And on our actions fet the name of right
With holy breath.

Pand. Hail, Noble Prince of France!