Enter, in arms, ⌜Louis the⌝ Dauphin, Salisbury, Melun,
Pembroke, Bigot, ⌜and French and English⌝ Soldiers.DAUPHIN, ⌜handing a paper to Melun⌝ My Lord Melun, let this be copied out, And keep it safe for our remembrance. Return the precedent to these lords again, That having our fair order written down,5 Both they and we, perusing o’er these notes, May know wherefore we took the Sacrament, And keep our faiths firm and inviolable.SALISBURY Upon our sides it never shall be broken. And, noble dauphin, albeit we swear10 A voluntary zeal and unurged faith To your proceedings, yet believe me, prince, I am not glad that such a sore of time Should seek a plaster by contemned revolt And heal the inveterate canker of one wound15 By making many. O, it grieves my soul That I must draw this metal from my side To be a widow-maker! O, and there Where honorable rescue and defense Cries out upon the name of Salisbury!20 But such is the infection of the time That for the health and physic of our right, We cannot deal but with the very hand Of stern injustice and confusèd wrong.
179
King John
ACT 5. SC. 2
And is ’t not pity, O my grievèd friends,25 That we, the sons and children of this isle, Was born to see so sad an hour as this, Wherein we step after a stranger, march Upon her gentle bosom, and fill up Her enemies’ ranks? I must withdraw and weep30 Upon the spot of this enforcèd cause, To grace the gentry of a land remote, And follow unacquainted colors here. What, here? O nation, that thou couldst remove, That Neptune’s arms, who clippeth thee about,35 Would bear thee from the knowledge of thyself And ⌜grapple⌝ thee unto a pagan shore, Where these two Christian armies might combine The blood of malice in a vein of league, And not to spend it so unneighborly.⌜He weeps.⌝DAUPHIN 40 A noble temper dost thou show in this, And great affections wrestling in thy bosom Doth make an earthquake of nobility. O, what a noble combat hast ⌜thou⌝ fought Between compulsion and a brave respect!45 Let me wipe off this honorable dew That silverly doth progress on thy cheeks. My heart hath melted at a lady’s tears, Being an ordinary inundation, But this effusion of such manly drops,50 This shower, blown up by tempest of the soul, Startles mine eyes and makes me more amazed Than had I seen the vaulty top of heaven Figured quite o’er with burning meteors. Lift up thy brow, renownèd Salisbury,55 And with a great heart heave away this storm. Commend these waters to those baby eyes That never saw the giant world enraged, Nor met with fortune other than at feasts
181
King John
ACT 5. SC. 2
Full warm of blood, of mirth, of gossiping.60 Come, come; for thou shalt thrust thy hand as deep Into the purse of rich prosperity As Louis himself.—So, nobles, shall you all, That knit your sinews to the strength of mine. And even there, methinks, an angel spake.Enter Pandulph.65 Look where the holy legate comes apace To give us warrant from the hand of ⌜God,⌝ And on our actions set the name of right With holy breath.PANDULPH Hail, noble prince of France.70 The next is this: King John hath reconciled Himself to Rome; his spirit is come in That so stood out against the holy Church, The great metropolis and See of Rome. Therefore thy threat’ning colors now wind up,75 And tame the savage spirit of wild war That, like a lion fostered up at hand, It may lie gently at the foot of peace And be no further harmful than in show.DAUPHIN Your Grace shall pardon me; I will not back.80 I am too high-born to be propertied, To be a secondary at control, Or useful servingman and instrument To any sovereign state throughout the world. Your breath first kindled the dead coal of wars85 Between this chastised kingdom and myself And brought in matter that should feed this fire; And now ’tis far too huge to be blown out With that same weak wind which enkindled it. You taught me how to know the face of right,90 Acquainted me with interest to this land, Yea, thrust this enterprise into my heart.
183
King John
ACT 5. SC. 2
And come you now to tell me John hath made His peace with Rome? What is that peace to me? I, by the honor of my marriage bed,95 After young Arthur claim this land for mine. And now it is half conquered, must I back Because that John hath made his peace with Rome? Am I Rome’s slave? What penny hath Rome borne? What men provided? What munition sent100 To underprop this action? Is ’t not I That undergo this charge? Who else but I, And such as to my claim are liable, Sweat in this business and maintain this war? Have I not heard these islanders shout out105 “Vive le Roi” as I have banked their towns? Have I not here the best cards for the game To win this easy match played for a crown? And shall I now give o’er the yielded set? No, no, on my soul, it never shall be said.PANDULPH 110 You look but on the outside of this work.DAUPHIN Outside or inside, I will not return Till my attempt so much be glorified As to my ample hope was promisèd Before I drew this gallant head of war115 And culled these fiery spirits from the world To outlook conquest and to win renown Even in the jaws of danger and of death.⌜A trumpet sounds.⌝ What lusty trumpet thus doth summon us?Enter Bastard.BASTARD According to the fair play of the world,120 Let me have audience. I am sent to speak, My holy lord of Milan, from the King.
185
King John
ACT 5. SC. 2
I come to learn how you have dealt for him, And, as you answer, I do know the scope And warrant limited unto my tongue.PANDULPH 125 The Dauphin is too willful-opposite And will not temporize with my entreaties. He flatly says he’ll not lay down his arms.BASTARD By all the blood that ever fury breathed, The youth says well! Now hear our English king,130 For thus his royalty doth speak in me: He is prepared—and reason too he should. This apish and unmannerly approach, This harnessed masque and unadvisèd revel, This unheard sauciness and boyish troops,135 The King doth smile at, and is well prepared To whip this dwarfish war, these pigmy arms, From out the circle of his territories. That hand which had the strength, even at your door, To cudgel you and make you take the hatch,140 To dive like buckets in concealèd wells, To crouch in litter of your stable planks, To lie like pawns locked up in chests and trunks, To hug with swine, to seek sweet safety out In vaults and prisons, and to thrill and shake145 Even at the crying of your nation’s crow, Thinking this voice an armèd Englishman— Shall that victorious hand be feebled here That in your chambers gave you chastisement? No! Know the gallant monarch is in arms,150 And like an eagle o’er his aerie towers To souse annoyance that comes near his nest.— And you degenerate, you ingrate revolts, You bloody Neroes, ripping up the womb Of your dear mother England, blush for shame!155 For your own ladies and pale-visaged maids
187
King John
ACT 5. SC. 2
Like Amazons come tripping after drums, Their thimbles into armèd gauntlets change, Their needles to lances, and their gentle hearts To fierce and bloody inclination.DAUPHIN 160 There end thy brave and turn thy face in peace. We grant thou canst outscold us. Fare thee well. We hold our time too precious to be spent With such a brabbler.PANDULPH Give me leave to speak.BASTARD 165 No, I will speak.DAUPHIN We will attend to neither. Strike up the drums, and let the tongue of war Plead for our interest and our being here.BASTARD Indeed, your drums being beaten will cry out,170 And so shall you, being beaten. Do but start An echo with the clamor of thy drum, And even at hand a drum is ready braced That shall reverberate all as loud as thine. Sound but another, and another shall,175 As loud as thine, rattle the welkin’s ear And mock the deep-mouthed thunder. For at hand, Not trusting to this halting legate here, Whom he hath used rather for sport than need, Is warlike John, and in his forehead sits180 A bare-ribbed Death, whose office is this day To feast upon whole thousands of the French.DAUPHIN Strike up our drums to find this danger out.BASTARD And thou shalt find it, dauphin, do not doubt.They exit.
King John: 
