The Reign of 2King Edward the Third

1.36Robert of Artois, banished though thou be

1.47From France, thy native country, yet with us

1.58Thou shalt retain as great a seigniory,

1.69For we create thee Earl of Richmond here.

1.710And now go forwards with our pedigree,

1.811Who next succeeded Philip le Beau?

Three sons of his, which all successively

1.1013Did sit upon their father's regal throne,

1.1114Yet died and left no issue of their loins.

But was my mother sister unto those?

She was, my lord, and only Isabel

1.1417Was all the daughters that this Philip had,

1.1518Whom afterward your father took to wife;

1.1619And from the fragrant garden of her womb

1.1720Your gracious self, the flower of Europe's hope,

1.1821Derivèd is inheritor to France.

1.1922But note the rancor of rebellious minds:

1.2023When thus the lineage of le Beau was out,

1.2124The French obscured your mother's privilege,

1.2225And though she were the next of blood, proclaimed

1.2326John of the house of Valois now their king.

1.2427The reason was, they say the realm of France,

1.2528Replete with princes of great parentage,

1.2629Ought not admit a governor to rule,

1.2730Except he be descended of the male;

1.2831And that's the special ground of their contempt,

1.2932Wherewith they study to exclude your grace.

But they shall find that forgèd ground of theirs

1.3134To be but dusty heaps of brittle sand.

Perhaps it will be thought a heinous thing

1.3336That I, a Frenchman, should discover this;

1.3437But heaven I call to record of my vows,

1.3538It is not hate nor any private wrong,

1.3639But love unto my country and the right

1.3740Provokes my tongue thus lavish in report.

1.3841You are the lineal watchman of our peace,

1.3942And John of Valois indirectly climbs.

1.4043What then should subjects but embrace their king?

1.4144Ah, wherein may our duty more be seen

1.4245Than striving to rebate a tyrant's pride,

1.4346And place the true shepherd of our commonwealth?

This counsel, Artois, like to fruitful showers,

1.4548Hath added growth unto my dignity;

1.4649And by the fiery vigor of thy words

1.4750Hot courage is engendered in my breast,

1.4851Which heretofore was racked in ignorance,

1.4952But now doth mount with golden wings of fame

1.5053And will approve fair Isabel's descent,

1.5154Able to yoke their stubborn necks with steel

1.5255That spurn against my sovereignty in France.

1.5456A messenger. -- Lord Audley, know from whence.

The Duke of Lorraine, having crossed the seas,

1.5759Entreats he may have conference with your highness.

Admit him, lords, that we may hear the news. --

1.5961Say, Duke of Lorraine, wherefore art thou come?

The most renownèd prince, King John of France,

1.6163Doth greet thee Edward, and by me commands

1.6264That for so much as by his liberal gift

1.6365The Guienne dukedom is entailed to thee,

1.6466Thou do him lowly homage for the same.

1.6567And for that purpose here I summon thee:

1.6668Repair to France within these forty days,

1.6769That there, according as the custom is,

1.6870Thou mayst be sworn true liegeman to our king;

1.6971Or else thy title in that province dies,

1.7072And he himself will repossess the place.

See how occasion laughs me in the face:

1.7274No sooner minded to prepare for France,

1.7375But straight I am invited, nay with threats,

1.7476Upon a penalty enjoined to come!

1.7577'Twere but a childish part to say him nay.

1.7678Lorraine, return this answer to thy lord:

1.7779I mean to visit him as he requests,

1.7880But how? Not servilely disposed to bend,

1.7981But like a conqueror to make him bow;

1.8082His lame unpolished shifts are come to light,

1.8183And truth hath pulled the vizard from his face

1.8284That set a gloss upon his arrogance.

1.8385Dare he command a fealty in me?

1.8486Tell him the crown that he usurps is mine,

1.8587And where he sets his foot he ought to kneel;

1.8688'Tis not a petty dukedom that I claim,

1.8789But all the whole dominions of the realm,

1.8890Which if with grudging he refuse to yield,

1.8991I'll take away those borrowed plumes of his

1.9092And send him naked to the wilderness.

Then, Edward, here in spite of all thy lords,

1.9294I do pronounce defiance to thy face.

Defiance, Frenchman? We rebound it back,

1.9496Even to the bottom of thy master's throat;

1.9597And be it spoke with reverence of the King,

1.9698My gracious father, and these other lords,

1.9799I hold thy message but as scurrilous,

1.98100And him that sent thee like the lazy drone

1.99101Crept up by stealth unto the eagle's nest,

1.100102From whence we'll shake him with so rough a storm

1.101103As others shall be warnèd by his harm.

Bid him leave off the lion's case he wears

1.103105Lest, meeting with the lion in the field,

1.104106He chance to tear him piecemeal for his pride.

The soundest counsel I can give his grace

1.106108Is to surrender ere he be constrained.

1.107109A voluntary mischief hath less scorn

1.108110Than when reproach with violence is born.

Degenerate traitor, viper to the place

1.110112Where thou wast fostered in thine infancy!

1.111113Bearst thou a part in this conspiracy?

[Drawing his sword.] Lorraine, behold the sharpness of this steel:

1.114116Fervent desire that sits against my heart

1.115117Is far more thorny-pricking than this blade,

1.116118That with the nightingale I shall be scarred

1.117119As oft as I dispose myself to rest

1.118120Until my colors be displayed in France.

1.119121This is thy final answer, so be gone.

It is not that, nor any English brave,

1.121123Afflicts me so, as doth his poisoned view:

1.122124That is most false, should most of all be true.

Now, Lord, our fleeting bark is under sail,

1.125126Our gage is thrown and war is soon begun,

1.126127But not so quickly brought unto an end.

1.128129But wherefore comes Sir William Montague?

1.129130How stands the league between the Scot and us?

Cracked and dissevered, my renownèd lord:

1.131132The treacherous king no sooner was informed

1.132133Of your withdrawing of your army back,

1.133134But straight, forgetting of his former oath,

1.134135He made invasion on the bordering towns:

1.135136Berwick is won, Newcastle spoiled and lost,

1.136137And now the tyrant hath begirt with siege

1.137138The castle of Roxborough, where enclosed

1.138139The Countess Salisbury is like to perish.

That is thy daughter, Warwick, is it not?

1.140141Whose husband hath in Brittany served so long

1.141142About the planting of Lord Mountford there?

It is, my lord.

Ignoble David, hast thou none to grieve

1.144145But silly ladies with thy threat'ning arms?

1.145146But I will make you shrink your snaily horns!

1.146147First therefore, Audley, this shall be thy charge:

1.147148Go levy footmen for our wars in France;

1.148149And, Ned, take muster of our men at arms,

1.149150In every shire elect a several band,

1.150151Let them be soldiers of a lusty spirit

1.151152Such as dread nothing but dishonor's blot.

1.153Be wary, therefore, since we do commence

154A famous war and with so mighty a nation.

1.154155Derby, be thou ambassador for us

1.155156Unto our father-in-law, the Earl of Hainault;

1.156157Make him acquainted with our enterprise,

1.157158And likewise will him with our own allies

1.158159That are in Flanders, to solicit too

1.159160The Emperor of Allemagne in our name.

1.160161Myself, whilst you are jointly thus employed,

1.161162Will, with these forces that I have at hand,

1.162163March and once more repulse the traitorous Scot.

1.163164But, sirs, be resolute, we shall have wars

1.164165On every side; and Ned, thou must begin

1.165166Now to forget thy study and thy books,

1.166167And ure thy shoulders to an armor's weight.

As cheerful sounding to my youthful spleen

1.168169This tumult is of war's increasing broils,

1.169170As at the coronation of a king

1.170171The joyful clamors of the people are

1.171172When Ave Caesar they pronounce aloud;

1.172173Within this school of honor I shall learn

1.173174Either to sacrifice my foes to death,

1.174175Or in a rightful quarrel spend my breath.

1.175176Then cheerfully forward each a several way,

1.176177In great affairs 'tis naught to use delay.