It cannot be, an if thou wert his mother.

QUEEN ELEANOR (to Arthur)

There’s a good mother, boy, that blots thy father.

CONSTANCE (to Arthur)

There’s a good grandam, boy, that would blot thee.

AUSTRIA

Peace!

BASTARD Hear the crier!

AUSTRIA What the devil art thou?

BASTARD

One that will play the devil, sir, with you, 135

An a may catch your hide and you alone.

You are the hare of whom the proverb goes,

Whose valour plucks dead lions by the beard.

I’ll smoke your skin-coat an I catch you right—

Sirrah, look to’t—i’faith I will, i’faith!! 140

BLANCHE

O, well did he become that lion’s robe

That did disrobe the lion of that robe!

BASTARD

It lies as sightly on the back of him

As great Alcides’ shows upon an ass.

But, ass, I’ll take that burden from your back, 145

Or lay on that shall make your shoulders crack.

AUSTRIA

What cracker is this same that deafs our ears

With this abundance of superfluous breath ?—

King Philip, determine what we shall do straight.

⌈KING PHILIPI⌉

Women and fools, break off your conference.—150

King John, this is the very sum of all:

England and Ireland, Anjou, Touraine, Maine,

In right of Arthur do I claim of thee.

Wilt thou resign them and lay down thy arms?

KING JOHN

My life as soon. I do defy thee, France.—155

Arthur of Brittaine, yield thee to my hand,

And out of my dear love I’ll give thee more

Than e’er the coward hand of France can win.

Submit thee, boy.

QUEEN ELEANOR (to Arthur) Come to thy grandam, child.

CONSTANCE (to Arthur)

Do, child, go to it grandam, child. 160

Give grandam kingdom, and it grandam will

Give it a plum, a cherry, and a fig.

There’s a good grandam.

ARTHUR Good my mother, peace.

I would that I were low laid in my grave.

I am not worth this coil that’s made for me. 165

He weeps

QUEEN ELEANOR

His mother shames him so, poor boy, he weeps.

CONSTANCE

Now shame upon you, whe’er she does or no !

His grandam’s wrongs, and not his mother’s shames,

Draw those heaven-moving pearls from his poor eyes,

Which heaven shall take in nature of a fee; 170

Ay, with these crystal beads heaven shall be bribed

To do him justice and revenge on you.

QUEEN ELEANOR

Thou monstrous slanderer of heaven and earth !

CONSTANCE

Thou monstrous injurer of heaven and earth I

Call not me slanderer. Thou and thine usurp

The dominations, royalties and rights

Of this oppressed boy. This is thy eld’st son’s son,

Infortunate in nothing but in thee.

Thy sins are visited in this poor child;

The canon of the law is laid on him,

Being but the second generation

Removed from thy sin-conceiving womb.

KING JOHN

Bedlam, have done.

CONSTANCE I have but this to say:

That he is not only plagued for her sin,

But God hath made her sin and her the plague 185

On this removed issue, plagued for her

And with her plague; her sin his injury,

Her injury the beadle to her sin;

All punished in the person of this child,

And all for her. A plague upon her! 190

QUEEN ELEANOR

Thou unadvised scold, I can produce

A will that bars the title of thy son.

CONSTANCE

Ay, who doubts that? A will, a wicked will,

A woman’s will, a cankered grandam’s will!

KING PHILIP

Peace, lady; pause or be more temperate.

It ill beseems this presence to cry aim

To these ill-tunèd repetitions.—

Some trumpet summon hither to the walls

These men of Angers. Let us hear them speak

Whose title they admit, Arthur’s or John’s. 200

Trumpet sounds. Enter a Citizen upon the walls

CITIZEN

Who is it that hath warned us to the walls?

KING PHILIP

’Tis France for England.

KING JOHN England for itself.

You men of Angers and my loving subjects—

KING PHILIP

You loving men of Angers, Arthur’s subjects,

Our trumpet called you to this gentle parle—205

KING JOHN

For our advantage; therefore hear us first.

These flags of France that are advanced here

Before the eye and prospect of your town,

Have hither marched to your endamagement.

The cannons have their bowels full of wrath, 210

And ready mounted are they to spit forth

Their iron indignation ’gainst your walls.

All preparation for a bloody siege

And merciless proceeding by these French

Confront your city’s eyes, your winking gates; 215

And but for our approach, those sleeping stones

That as a waist doth girdle you about,

By the compulsion of their ordinance,

By this time from their fixèd beds of lime

Had been dishabited, and wide havoc made 220

For bloody power to rush upon your peace.

But on the sight of us your lawful king,

Who painfully, with much expedient march,

Have brought a countercheck before your gates

To save unscratched your city’s threatened cheeks,

Behold the French, amazed, vouchsafe a parle; 226

And now instead of bullets wrapped in fire

To make a shaking fever in your walls,

They shoot but calm words folded up in smoke