352Whose leisure I haue staid, haue giuen him time

353To land his Legions all as soone as I:

354His marches are expedient to this towne,

355His forces strong, his Souldiers confident:

356With him along is come the Mother Queene,

357An Ace stirring him to bloud and strife,

358With her her Neece, the Lady Blanch of Spaine,

359With them a Bastard of the Kings deceast,

360And all th'vnsetled humors of the Land,

361Rash, inconsiderate, fiery voluntaries,

362With Ladies faces, and fierce Dragons spleenes,

363Haue sold their fortunes at their natiue homes,

364Bearing their birth-rights proudly on their backs,

365To make a hazard of new fortunes heere:

366In briefe, a brauer choyse of dauntlesse spirits

367Then now the English bottomes haue waft o're,

368Did neuer flote vpon the swelling tide,

369To doe offence and scathe in Christendome:

370The interruption of their churlish drums

371Cuts off more circumstance, they are at hand,

373To parlie or to fight, therefore prepare.

374Kin. How much vnlook'd for, is this expedition.

375Aust. By how much vnexpected, by so much

376We must awake indeuor for defence,

377For courage mounteth with occasion,

378Let them be welcome then, we are prepar'd.

381K. Iohn. Peace be to France: If France in peace permit

382Our iust and lineall entrance to our owne;

383If not, bleede France, and peace ascend to heauen.

384Whiles we Gods wrathfull agent doe correct

385Their proud contempt that beats his peace to heauen.

386Fran. Peace be to England, if that warre returne

387From France to England, there to liue in peace:

388England we loue, and for that Englands sake,

389With burden of our armor heere we sweat:

390This toyle of ours should be a worke of thine;

391But thou from louing England art so farre,

392That thou hast vnder-wrought his lawfull King,

393Cut off the sequence of posterity,

394Out-faced Infant State, and done a rape

395Vpon the maiden vertue of the Crowne:

396Looke heere vpon thy brother Geffreyes face,

397These eyes, these browes, were moulded out of his;

398This little abstract doth containe that large,

399Which died in Geffrey: and the hand of time,

400Shall draw this breefe into as huge a volume:

401That Geffrey was thy elder brother borne,

402And this his sonne, England was Geffreys right,

403And this is Geffreyes in the name of God:

404How comes it then that thou art call'd a King,

405When liuing blood doth in these temples beat

406Which owe the crowne, that thou ore-masterest?

407K. Iohn. From whom hast thou this great commission (France,

408To draw my answer from thy Articles?

409Fra. Frō that supernal Iudge that stirs good thoughts

410In any beast of strong authoritie,

411To looke into the blots and staines of right,

412That Iudge hath made me guardian to this boy,

413Vnder whose warrant I impeach thy wrong,

414And by whose helpe I meane to chastise it.

415K. Iohn. Alack thou dost vsurpe authoritie.

416Fran. Excuse it is to beat vsurping downe.

417Queen. Who is it thou dost call vsurper France?

418Const. Let me make answer: thy vsurping sonne.

419Queen. Out insolent, thy bastard shall be King,

420That thou maist be a Queen, and checke the world.

421Con. My bed was euer to thy sonne as true

422As thine was to thy husband, and this boy

423Liker in feature to his father Geffrey

424Then thou and Iohn, in manners being as like,

425As raine to water, or deuill to his damme;

426My boy a bastard? by my soule I thinke

427His father neuer was so true begot,

428It cannot be, and if thou wert his mother.

429Queen. Theres a good mother boy, that blots thy fa-(ther

430Const. There's a good grandame boy

431That would blot thee.

432Aust. Peace.

433Bast. Heare the Cryer.

434Aust. What the deuill art thou?

435Bast. One that wil play the deuill sir with you,

436And a may catch your hide and yon alone:

437You are the Hare of whom the Prouerb goes

438Whose valour plucks dead Lyons by the beard;

439Ile smoake your skin-coat and I catch you right,

440Sirra looke too't, y faith I will, y faith.

441Blan. O well did he become that Lyons robe,

442That did disrobe the Lion of that robe.

443Bast. It lies as sightly on the backe of him

444As great Alcides shooes vpon an Asse:

445But Asse, Ile take that burthen from your backe,

446Or lay on that shall make your shoulders cracke.

447Aust. What cracker is this same that deafes our eares

448With this abundance of superfluous breath?

449King Lewis, determine what we shall doe strait.

450Lew. Women & fooles, breake off your conference.

451King Iohn, this is the very summe of all:

452England and Ireland, Angiers, Toraine, Maine,

453In right of Arthur doe I claime of thee:

454Wilt thou resigne them, and lay downe thy Armes?

455Iohn. My life as soone: I doe defie thee France,

456Arthur of Britaine, yeeld thee to my hand,

457And out of my deere loue Ile giue thee more,

458Then ere the coward hand of France can win;

459Submit thee boy.

460Queen. Come to thy grandame child.

461Cons. Doe childe, goe to yt grandame childe,

462Giue grandame kingdome, and it grandame will

463Giue yt a plum, a cherry, and a figge,

464There's a good grandame.

465Arthur. Good my mother peace,

466I would that I were low laid in my graue,

467I am not worth this coyle that's made for me.

468Qu. Mo. His mother shames him so, poore boy hee (weepes.

469Con. Now shame vpon you where she does or no,

470His grandames wrongs, and not his mothers shames

471Drawes those heauen-mouing pearles frō his poor eies,

472Which heauen shall take in nature of a fee:

473I, with these Christall beads heauen shall be brib'd

474To doe him Iustice, and reuenge on you.

475Qu. Thou monstrous slanderer of heauen and earth.

476Con. Thou monstrous Iniurer of heauen and earth,

477Call not me slanderer, thou and thine vsurpe

478The Dominations, Royalties, and rights

479Of this oppressed boy; this is thy eldest sonnes sonne,

480Infortunate in nothing but in thee: