Till your strong hand shall help to give him strength

To make a more requital to your love.

AUSTRIA

The peace of heaven is theirs that lift their swords

In such a just and charitable war.

KING PHILIP

Well then, to work! Our cannon shall be bent

Against the brows of this resisting town.

Call for our chiefest men of discipline

To cull the plots of best advantages.

We’ll lay before this town our royal bones,

Wade to the market-place in Frenchmen’s blood,

But we will make it subject to this boy.

CONSTANCE

Stay for an answer to your embassy,

Lest unadvised you stain your swords with blood.

My lord Châtillon may from England bring

That right in peace which here we urge in war,

And then we shall repent each drop of blood

That hot rash haste so indirectly shed.

Enter Châtillon

KING PHILIP

A wonder, lady:lo upon thy wish

Our messenger Châtillon is arrived.—

What England says, say briefly, gentle lord;

We coldly pause for thee. Châtillon, speak.

CHÂTILLON

Then turn your forces from this paltry siege,

And stir them up against a mightier task. 55

England, impatient of your just demands,

Hath put himself in arms. The adverse winds,

Whose leisure I have stayed, have given him time

To land his legions all as soon as I.

His marches are expedient to this town, 60

His forces strong, his soldiers confident.

With him along is come the Mother-Queen,

An Ate stirring him to blood and strife;

With her her niece, the Lady Blanche of Spain;

With them a bastard of the King’s deceased; 65

And all th‘unsettled humours of the land—

Rash, inconsiderate, fiery voluntaries,

With ladies’ faces and fierce dragons’ spleens—

Have sold their fortunes at their native homes,

Bearing their birthrights proudly on their backs, 70

To make a hazard of new fortunes here.

In brief, a braver choice of dauntless spirits

Than now the English bottoms have waft o’er

Did never float upon the swelling tide

To do offence and scathe in Christendom. 75

Drum beats

The interruption of their churlish drums

Cuts off more circumstance. They are at hand;

To parley or to fight therefore prepare.

KING PHILIP

How much unlooked-for is this expedition I

AUSTRIA

By how much unexpected, by so much 80

We must awake endeavour for defence,

For courage mounteth with occasion.

Let them be welcome then: we are prepared.

Enter, ⌈marching,⌉ King John of England, the Bastard, Queen Eleanor, Lady Blanche, the Earl of Pembroke, and soldiers

KING JOHN

Peace be to France, if France in peace permit

Our just and lineal entrance to our own. 85

If not, bleed France, and peace ascend to heaven,

Whiles we, God’s wrathful agent, do correct

Their proud contempt that beats his peace to heaven.

KING PHILIP

Peace be to England, if that war return

From France to England, there to live in peace.

England we love, and for that England’s sake

With burden of our armour here we sweat.

This toil of ours should be a work of thine;

But thou from loving England art so far

That thou hast underwrought his lawful king, 95

Cut off the sequence of posterity,

Outfaced infant state, and done a rape

Upon the maiden virtue of the crown.

(Pointing to Arthur)

Look here upon thy brother Geoffrey’s face.

These eyes, these brows, were moulded out of his; 100

This little abstract doth contain that large

Which died in Geoffrey; and the hand of time

Shall draw this brief into as huge a volume.

That Geoffrey was thy elder brother born,

And this his son; England was Geoffrey’s right, 105

And this is Geoffrey’s. In the name of God,

How comes it then that thou art called a king,

When living blood doth in these temples beat,

Which owe the crown that thou o’ermasterest?

KING JOHN

From whom hast thou this great commission, France,

To draw my answer from thy articles? 111

KING PHILIP

From that supernal judge that stirs good thoughts

In any breast of strong authority

To look into the blots and stains of right.

That judge hath made me guardian to this boy, 115

Under whose warrant I impeach thy wrong,

And by whose help I mean to chastise it.

KING JOHN

Alack, thou dost usurp authority.

KING PHILIP

Excuse it is to beat usurping down.

QUEEN ELEANOR

Who is it thou dost call usurper, France? 120

CONSTANCE

Let me make answer: thy usurping son.

QUEEN ELEANOR

Out, insolent! Thy bastard shall be king

That thou mayst be a queen and check the world.

CONSTANCE

My bed was ever to thy son as true

As thine was to thy husband; and this boy 125

Liker in feature to his father Geoffrey

Than thou and John in manners, being as like

As rain to water, or devil to his dam.

My boy a bastard? By my soul I think

His father never was so true begot. 130