The Life And Death Of King John

1 Alarums, Excursions, Retreat. Enter King John, Eleanor, Arthur, the
2 Bastard, Hubert and Lords.
3 KING JOHN.
4 [_To Eleanor_] So shall it be; your grace shall stay behind
5 So strongly guarded.
6 [_To Arthur_] Cousin, look not sad.
7 Thy grandam loves thee, and thy uncle will
8 As dear be to thee as thy father was.
9 ARTHUR.
10 O, this will make my mother die with grief!
11 KING JOHN.
12 [_To the Bastard_] Cousin, away for England! Haste before,
13 And, ere our coming, see thou shake the bags
14 Of hoarding abbots; imprison’d angels
15 Set at liberty. The fat ribs of peace
16 Must by the hungry now be fed upon.
17 Use our commission in his utmost force.
18 BASTARD.
19 Bell, book, and candle shall not drive me back
20 When gold and silver becks me to come on.
21 I leave your highness. Grandam, I will pray,
22 If ever I remember to be holy,
23 For your fair safety; so, I kiss your hand.
24 QUEEN ELEANOR.
25 Farewell, gentle cousin.
26 KING JOHN.
27 Coz, farewell.
28 [_Exit Bastard._]
29 QUEEN ELEANOR.
30 Come hither, little kinsman; hark, a word.
31 [_She takes Arthur aside._]
32 KING JOHN.
33 Come hither, Hubert. O my gentle Hubert,
34 We owe thee much! Within this wall of flesh
35 There is a soul counts thee her creditor,
36 And with advantage means to pay thy love.
37 And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath
38 Lives in this bosom, dearly cherished.
39 Give me thy hand. I had a thing to say,
40 But I will fit it with some better tune.
41 By heaven, Hubert, I am almost asham’d
42 To say what good respect I have of thee.
43 HUBERT.
44 I am much bounden to your majesty.
45 KING JOHN.
46 Good friend, thou hast no cause to say so yet,
47 But thou shalt have; and creep time ne’er so slow,
48 Yet it shall come for me to do thee good.
49 I had a thing to say, but let it go.
50 The sun is in the heaven, and the proud day,
51 Attended with the pleasures of the world,
52 Is all too wanton and too full of gauds
53 To give me audience. If the midnight bell
54 Did, with his iron tongue and brazen mouth,
55 Sound on into the drowsy race of night;
56 If this same were a churchyard where we stand,
57 And thou possessed with a thousand wrongs;
58 Or if that surly spirit, melancholy,
59 Had bak’d thy blood and made it heavy, thick,
60 Which else runs tickling up and down the veins,
61 Making that idiot, laughter, keep men’s eyes
62 And strain their cheeks to idle merriment,
63 A passion hateful to my purposes;
64 Or if that thou couldst see me without eyes,
65 Hear me without thine ears, and make reply
66 Without a tongue, using conceit alone,
67 Without eyes, ears, and harmful sound of words;
68 Then, in despite of brooded watchful day,
69 I would into thy bosom pour my thoughts.
70 But, ah, I will not! Yet I love thee well;
71 And, by my troth, I think thou lov’st me well.
72 HUBERT.
73 So well that what you bid me undertake,
74 Though that my death were adjunct to my act,
75 By heaven, I would do it.
76 KING JOHN.
77 Do not I know thou wouldst?
78 Good Hubert, Hubert, Hubert, throw thine eye
79 On yon young boy. I’ll tell thee what, my friend,
80 He is a very serpent in my way;
81 And wheresoe’er this foot of mine doth tread,
82 He lies before me. Dost thou understand me?
83 Thou art his keeper.
84 HUBERT.
85 And I’ll keep him so
86 That he shall not offend your majesty.
87 KING JOHN.
88 Death.
89 HUBERT.
90 My lord?
91 KING JOHN.
92 A grave.
93 HUBERT.
94 He shall not live.
95 KING JOHN.
96 Enough.
97 I could be merry now. Hubert, I love thee.
98 Well, I’ll not say what I intend for thee.
99 Remember. Madam, fare you well.
100 I’ll send those powers o’er to your majesty.
101 QUEEN ELEANOR.
102 My blessing go with thee!
103 KING JOHN.
104 For England, cousin, go.
105 Hubert shall be your man, attend on you
106 With all true duty. On toward Calais, ho!
107 [_Exeunt._]