97K. Iohn. Mine eye hath well examined his parts,

98And findes them perfect Richard: sirra speake,

99What doth moue you to claime your brothers land.

100Philip. Because he hath a half-face like my father?

101With halfe that face would he haue all my land,

102A halfe-fac'd groat, fiue hundred pound a yeere?

103Rob. My gracious Liege, when that my father liu'd,

104Your brother did imploy my father much.

105Phil. Well sir, by this you cannot get my land,

106Your tale must be how he employ'd my mother.

107Rob. And once dispatch'd him in an Embassie

108To Germany, there with the Emperor

109To treat of high affaires touching that time:

110Th' aduantage of his absence tooke the King,

111And in the meane time soiourn'd at my fathers;

112Where how he did preuaile, I shame to speake:

113But truth is truth, large lengths of seas and shores

114Betweene my father, and my mother lay,

115As I haue heard my father speake himselfe

116When this same lusty gentleman was got:

117Vpon his death-bed he by will bequeath'd

118His lands to me, and tooke it on his death

119That this my mothers sonne was none of his;

120And if he were, he came into the world

121Full fourteene weekes before the course of time:

122Then good my Liedge let me haue what is mine,

123My fathers land, as was my fathers will.

124K. Iohn. Sirra, your brother is Legittimate,

125Your fathers wife did after wedlocke beare him:

126And if she did play false, the fault was hers,

127Which fault lyes on the hazards of all husbands

128That marry wiues: tell me, how if my brother

129Who as you say, tooke paines to get this sonne,

130Had of your father claim'd this sonne for his,

131In sooth, good friend, your father might haue kept

132This Calfe, bred from his Cow from all the world:

133In sooth he might: then if he were my brothers,

134My brother might not claime him, nor your father

135Being none of his, refuse him: this concludes,

136My mothers sonne did get your fathers heyre,

137Your fathers heyre must haue your fathers land.

138Rob. Shal then my fathers Will be of no force,

139To dispossesse that childe which is not his.

140Phil. Of no more force to dispossesse me sir,

141Then was his will to get me, as I think.

142Eli. Whether hadst thou rather be a Faulconbridge,

143And like thy brother to enioy thy land:

144Or the reputed sonne of Cordelion,

145Lord of thy presence, and no land beside.

146Bast. Madam, and if my brother had my shape

147And I had his, sir Roberts his like him,

148And if my legs were two such riding rods,

149My armes, such eele-skins stuft, my face so thin,

150That in mine eare I durst not sticke a rose,

151Lest men should say, looke where three farthings goes,

152And to his shape were heyre to all this land,

153Would I might neuer stirre from off this place,

154I would giue it euery foot to haue this face:

155It would not be sir nobbe in any case.

156Elinor. I like thee well: wilt thou forsake thy fortune,

157Bequeath thy land to him, and follow me?

158I am a Souldier, and now bound to France.

159Bast. Brother, take you my land, Ile take my chance;

160Your face hath got fiue hundred pound a yeere,

161Yet sell your face for fiue pence and 'tis deere:

162Madam, Ile follow you vnto the death.

163Elinor. Nay, I would haue you go before me thither.

164Bast. Our Country manners giue our betters way.

165K. Iohn. What is thy name?

166Bast. Philip my Liege, so is my name begun,

167Philip, good old Sir Roberts wiues eldest sonne.

168K. Iohn. From henceforth beare his name

169Whose forme thou bearest:

170Kneele thou downe Philip, but rise more great,

171Arise Sir Richard, and Plantagenet.

172Bast. Brother by th' mothers side, giue me your hand,

173My father gaue me honor, yours gaue land:

174Now blessed be the houre by night or day

175When I was got, Sir Robert was away.

176Ele. The very spirit of Plantaginet:

177I am thy grandame Richard, call me so.

178Bast. Madam by chance, but not by truth, what tho;

179Something about a little from the right,

180In at the window, or else ore the hatch:

181Who dares not stirre by day, must walke by night,

182And haue is haue, how euer men doe catch:

183Neere or farre off, well wonne is still well shot,

184And I am I, how ere I was begot.

185K. Iohn. Goe, Faulconbridge, now hast thou thy desire,

186A landlesse Knight, makes thee a landed Squire:

187Come Madam, and come Richard, we must speed

188For France, for France, for it is more then need.

189Bast. Brother adieu, good fortune come to thee,

190For thou wast got i'th way of honesty.

192Bast. A foot of Honor better then I was,

193But many a many foot of Land the worse.

194Well, now can I make any Ioane a Lady,

195Good den Sir Richard, Godamercy fellow,

196And if his name be George, Ile call him Peter;

197For new made honor doth forget mens names:

198'Tis two respectiue, and too sociable

199For your conuersion, now your traueller,

200Hee and his tooth-picke at my worships messe,

201And when my knightly stomacke is suffis'd,

202Why then I sucke my teeth, and catechize

203My picked man of Countries: my deare sir,

204Thus leaning on mine elbow I begin,

205I shaIl beseeeh you; that is question now,

206And then comes answer like an Absey booke:

207O sir, sayes answer, at your best command,

208At your employment, at your seruice sir:

209No sir, saies question, I sweet sir at yours,

210And so ere answer knowes what question would,

211Sauing in Dialogue of Complement,

212And talking of the Alpes and Appenines,

213The Perennean and the riuer Poe,

214It drawes toward fupper in conclusion so.

215But this is worshipfull society,

216And fits the mounting spirit like my selfe;

217For he is but a bastard to the time

218That doth not smoake of obseruation,

219And so am I whether I smacke or no:

220And not alone in habit and deuice,

221Exterior forme, outward accoutrement;

222But from the inward motion to deliuer

223Sweet, sweet, sweet poyson for the ages tooth,

224Which though I will not practice to deceiue,

225Yet to auoid deceit I meane to learne;

226For it shall strew the footsteps of my rising:

227But who comes in such haste in riding robes?