The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare (moboreader .TXT) 📕

Enter the LORD CHAMBERLAIN

CHAMBERLAIN. Mercy o’ me, what a multitude are here!

They grow still too; from all parts they are coming, As if we kept a fair here! Where are these porters, These lazy knaves? Y’have made a fine hand, fellows.

There’s a trim rabble let in: are all these Your faithful friends o’ th’ suburbs? We shall have Great store of room, no doubt, left for the ladies, When they pass back from the christening.

PORTER. An’t please your honour,

We are but men; and what so many may do, Not being torn a pieces, we have done.

An army cannot rule ‘em.

CHAMBERLAIN. As I live,

If the King blame me for’t, I’ll lay ye an By th’ heels, and suddenly; and on your heads Clap round fines for neglect. Y’are lazy knaves; And here ye lie baiting of bombards, when Ye should do service. Hark! the trumpets sound; Th’ are come already from the christening.

Go break among the press and find a way out To let the troops pass fairly, or I’ll find A Marshalsea shall hold ye play these two months.

PORTER. Make way there for the Princess.

MAN. You great fellow,

Stand close up, or I’ll make your head ache.

PORTER. You i’ th’ camlet, get up o’ th’ rail; I’ll peck you o’er the pales else. Exeunt

ACT V. SCENE 5.

The palace

Enter TRUMPETS, sounding; then two ALDERMEN, LORD MAYOR, GARTER, CRANMER, DUKE OF NORFOLK, with his marshal’s staff, DUKE OF SUFFOLK, two Noblemen bearing great standing-bowls for the christening gifts; then four Noblemen bearing a canopy, under which the DUCHESS OF NORFOLK, godmother, bearing the CHILD richly habited in a mantle, etc., train borne by a LADY; then follows the MARCHIONESS DORSET, the other godmother, and LADIES. The troop pass once about the stage, and GARTER speaks

GARTER. Heaven, from thy endless goodness, send prosperous life, long and ever-happy, to the high and mighty Princess of England, Elizabeth!

Flourish. Enter KING and guard CRANMER. [Kneeling] And to your royal Grace and the good Queen!

My noble partners and myself thus pray: All comfort, joy, in this most gracious lady, Heaven ever laid up to make parents happy, May hourly fall upon ye!

KING. Thank you, good Lord Archbishop.

What is her name?

CRANMER. Elizabeth.

KING. Stand up, lord. [The KING kisses the child]

With this kiss take my blessing: God protect thee!

Into whose hand I give thy life.

CRANMER. Amen.

KING. My noble gossips, y’have been too prodigal; I thank ye heartily. So shall this lady, When she has so much English.

CRANMER. Let me speak, sir,

For heaven now bids me; and the words I utter Let none think flattery, for they’ll find ‘em truth.

This royal infant-heaven still move about her!-

Though in her cradle, yet now promises Upon this land a thousand blessings,

Which time shall bring to ripeness. She shall be-But few now living can behold that goodness-A pattern to all princes living with her, And all that shall succeed. Saba was never More covetous of wisdom and fair virtue Than this pure soul shall be. All princely graces That mould up such a mighty piece as this is, With all the virtues that attend the good, Shall still be doubled on her. Truth shall nurse her, Holy and heavenly thoughts still counsel her; She shall be lov’d and fear’d. Her own shall bless her: Her foes shake like a field of beaten corn, And hang their heads with sorrow. Good grows with her; In her days every man shall eat in safety Under his own vine what he plants, and sing The merry songs of peace to all his neighbours.

God shall be truly known; and those about her From her shall read the perfect ways of honour, And by those claim their greatness, not by blood.

Nor shall this peace sleep with her; but as when The bird of wonder dies, the maiden phoenix Her ashes new create another heir

As great in admiration as herself,

So shall she leave her blessedness to one-When heaven shall call her from this cloud of darkness-Who from the sacred ashes of her honour Shall star-like rise, as great in fame as she was, And so stand fix’d. Peace, plenty, love, truth, terror, That were the servants to this chosen infant, Shall then be his, and like a vine grow to him; Wherever the bright sun of heaven shall shine, His honour and the greatness of his name Shall be, and make new nations; he shall flourish, And like a mountain cedar reach his branches To all the plains about him; our children’s children Shall see this and bless heaven.

KING. Thou speakest wonders.

CRANMER. She shall be, to the happiness of England, An aged princess; many days shall see her, And yet no day without a deed to crown it.

Would I had known no more! But she must die-She must, the saints must have her-yet a virgin; A most unspotted lily shall she pass

To th’ ground, and all the world shall mourn her.

KING. O Lord Archbishop,

Thou hast made me now a man; never before This happy child did I get anything.

This oracle of comfort has so pleas’d me That when I am in heaven I shall desire To see what this child does, and praise my Maker.

I thank ye all. To you, my good Lord Mayor, And you, good brethren, I am much beholding; I have receiv’d much honour by your presence, And ye shall find me thankful. Lead the way, lords; Ye must all see the Queen, and she must thank ye, She will be sick else. This day, no man think Has business at his house; for all shall stay.

This little one shall make it holiday. Exeunt KING_HENRY_VIII|EPILOGUE

THE EPILOGUE.

‘Tis ten to one this play can never please All that are here. Some come to take their ease And sleep an act or two; but those, we fear, W’have frighted with our trumpets; so, ‘tis clear, They’ll say ‘tis nought; others to hear the city Abus’d extremely, and to cry ‘That’s witty!’

Which we have not done neither; that, I fear, All the expected good w’are like to hear For this play at this time is only in The merciful construction of good women; For such a one we show’d ‘em. If they smile And say ‘twill do, I know within a while All the best men are ours; for ‘tis ill hap If they hold when their ladies bid ‘em clap.

THE END

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1597

KING JOHN

by William Shakespeare

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

KING JOHN

PRINCE HENRY, his son

ARTHUR, DUKE OF BRITAINE, son of Geffrey, late Duke of Britaine, the elder brother of King John EARL OF PEMBROKE

EARL OF ESSEX

EARL OF SALISBURY

LORD BIGOT

HUBERT DE BURGH

ROBERT FAULCONBRIDGE, son to Sir Robert Faulconbridge PHILIP THE BASTARD, his half-brother

JAMES GURNEY, servant to Lady Faulconbridge PETER OF POMFRET, a prophet

KING PHILIP OF FRANCE

LEWIS, the Dauphin

LYMOGES, Duke of Austria

CARDINAL PANDULPH, the Pope’s legate

MELUN, a French lord

CHATILLON, ambassador from France to King John QUEEN ELINOR, widow of King Henry II and mother to King John

CONSTANCE, Mother to Arthur

BLANCH OF SPAIN, daughter to the King of Castile and niece to King John

LADY FAULCONBRIDGE, widow of Sir Robert Faulconbridge Lords, Citizens of Angiers, Sheriff, Heralds, Officers, Soldiers, Executioners, Messengers, Attendants

<<THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM

SHAKESPEARE IS COPYRIGHT 1990-1993 BY WORLD LIBRARY, INC., AND IS

PROVIDED BY PROJECT GUTENBERG ETEXT OF ILLINOIS BENEDICTINE COLLEGE

WITH PERMISSION. ELECTRONIC AND MACHINE READABLE COPIES MAY BE

DISTRIBUTED SO LONG AS SUCH COPIES (1) ARE FOR YOUR OR OTHERS

PERSONAL USE ONLY, AND (2) ARE NOT DISTRIBUTED OR USED

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SCENE:

England and France

ACT I. SCENE 1

KING JOHN’s palace

Enter KING JOHN, QUEEN ELINOR, PEMBROKE, ESSEX, SALISBURY, and others, with CHATILLON

KING JOHN. Now, say, Chatillon, what would France with us?

CHATILLON. Thus, after greeting, speaks the King of France In my behaviour to the majesty,

The borrowed majesty, of England here.

ELINOR. A strange beginning- ‘borrowed majesty’!

KING JOHN. Silence, good mother; hear the embassy.

CHATILLON. Philip of France, in right and true behalf Of thy deceased brother Geffrey’s son, Arthur Plantagenet, lays most lawful claim To this fair island and the territories, To Ireland, Poictiers, Anjou, Touraine, Maine, Desiring thee to lay aside the sword

Which sways usurpingly these several titles, And put the same into young Arthur’s hand, Thy nephew and right royal sovereign.

KING JOHN. What follows if we disallow of this?

CHATILLON. The proud control of fierce and bloody war, To enforce these rights so forcibly withheld.

KING JOHN. Here have we war for war, and blood for blood, Controlment for controlment-so answer France.

CHATILLON. Then take my king’s defiance from my mouth-The farthest limit of my embassy.

KING JOHN. Bear mine to him, and so 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 shall be heard.

So hence! Be thou the trumpet of our wrath And sullen presage of your own decay.

An honourable conduct let him have—

Pembroke, look to ‘t. Farewell, Chatillon.

Exeunt CHATILLON and PEMBROKE

ELINOR. What now, my son! Have I not ever said How that ambitious Constance would not cease Till she had kindled France and all the world Upon the right and party of her son?

This might have been prevented and made whole With very easy arguments of love,

Which now the manage of two kingdoms must With fearful bloody issue arbitrate.

KING JOHN. Our strong possession and our right for us!

ELINOR. Your strong possession much more than your right, Or else it must go wrong with you and me; So much my conscience whispers in your ear, Which none but heaven and you and I shall hear.

Enter a SHERIFF

ESSEX. My liege, here is the strangest controversy Come from the country to be judg’d by you That e’er I heard. Shall I produce the men?

KING JOHN. Let them approach. Exit SHERIFF

Our abbeys and our priories shall pay This expedition’s charge.

Enter ROBERT FAULCONBRIDGE and PHILIP, his bastard brother

What men are you?

BASTARD. Your faithful subject I, a gentleman Born in Northamptonshire, and eldest son, As I suppose, to Robert Faulconbridge-A soldier by the honour-giving hand

Of Coeur-de-lion knighted in the field.

KING JOHN. What art thou?

ROBERT. The son and heir to that same Faulconbridge.

KING JOHN. Is that the elder, and art thou the heir?

You came not of one mother then, it seems.

BASTARD. Most certain of one mother, mighty king-That is well known-and, as I think, one father; But for the certain knowledge of that truth I put you o’er to heaven and to my mother.

Of that I doubt, as all men’s children may.

ELINOR. Out on thee, rude man! Thou dost shame thy mother, And wound her honour with this diffidence.

BASTARD. 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, ‘a