KING JOHN

by William Shakespeare

PERSONS REPRESENTED

KING JOHN. PRINCE HENRY, his son; afterwards KING HENRY III. ARTHUR, Duke of Bretagne, son to GEFFREY, late Duke of Bretagne, the elder brother to King John. WILLIAM MARSHALL, Earl of Pembroke. GEOFFREY FITZ-PETER, Earl of Essex, Chief Justiciary of England. WILLIAM LONGSWORD, Earl of Salisbury. ROBERT BIGOT, Earl of Norfolk. HUBERT DE BURGH, Chamberlain to the King. ROBERT FALCONBRIDGE, son to Sir Robert Falconbridge. PHILIP FALCONBRIDGE, his half-brother, bastard son to King Richard I. JAMES GURNEY, servant to Lady Falconbridge. PETER OF POMFRET, a prophet

PHILIP, King of France. LOUIS, the Dauphin. ARCHDUKE OF AUSTRIA. CARDINAL PANDULPH, the Pope's legate. MELUN, a French lord. CHATILLON, Ambassador from France to King John.

ELINOR, Widow of King Henry II and Mother to King John. CONSTANCE, Mother to Arthur. BLANCH OF SPAIN, Daughter to Alphonso, King of Castile, and Niece to King John. LADY FALCONBRIDGE, Mother to the Bastard and Robert Falconbridge.

Lords, Citizens of Angiers, Sheriff, Heralds, Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, Attendants and other Attendants.

SCENE: Sometimes in England, and sometimes in France.

ACT I.

SCENE 1. Northampton. A Room of State in the Palace.

[Enter KING JOHN, QUEEN ELINOR, PEMBROKE, ESSEX, SALISBURY, and others, with CHATILLON.]

KING JOHN. Now, say, Chatillon, what would France with us?

CHATILLON. Thus, after greeting, speaks the King of France, In my behaviour, to the majesty, The borrow'd majesty of England here.

ELINOR. A strange beginning:--borrow'd majesty!

KING JOHN. Silence, good mother; hear the embassy.

CHATILLON. Philip of France, in right and true behalf Of thy deceased brother Geffrey's son, Arthur Plantagenet, lays most lawful claim To this fair island and the territories,-- To Ireland, Poictiers, Anjou, Touraine, Maine; Desiring thee to lay aside the sword Which sways usurpingly these several titles, And put the same into young Arthur's hand, Thy nephew and right royal sovereign.

KING JOHN. What follows if we disallow of this?

CHATILLON. The proud control of fierce and bloody war, To enforce these rights so forcibly withheld.

KING JOHN. Here have we war for war, and blood for blood, Controlment for controlment;--so answer France.

CHATILLON. Then take my king's defiance from my mouth, The farthest limit of my embassy.

KING JOHN. Bear mine to him, and so depart in peace: Be thou as lightning in the eyes of France; For ere thou canst report I will be there, The thunder of my cannon shall be heard: So, hence! Be thou the trumpet of our wrath, And sullen presage of your own decay.-- An honourable conduct let him have:-- Pembroke, look to 't. Farewell, Chatillon.

[Exeunt CHATILLON and PEMBROKE.]

ELINOR. What now, my son! Have I not ever said How that ambitious Constance would not cease Till she had kindled France and all the world Upon the right and party of her son? This might have been prevented and made whole With very easy arguments of love; Which now the manage of two kingdoms must With fearful bloody issue arbitrate.

KING JOHN. Our strong possession and our right for us.

ELINOR. Your strong possession much more than your right, Or else it must go wrong with you and me: So much my conscience whispers in your ear, Which none but heaven and you and I shall hear.

[Enter the Sheriff of Northamptonshire, who whispers to Essex.]

ESSEX. My liege, here is the strangest controversy, Come from the country to be judg'd by you, That e'er I heard: shall I produce the men?

KING JOHN. Let them approach.--

[Exit SHERIFF.]

Our abbeys and our priories shall pay This expedition's charge.

[Re-enter Sheriff, with ROBERT FAULCONBRIDGE and PHILIP, his bastard Brother.]

What men are you?

BASTARD. Your faithful subject I, a gentleman Born in Northamptonshire, and eldest son,