to pay tribute to his commanding love,
whose anger and matchless strength
a courageous lion would not be able to resist,
nor could he defend his princely heart against Richard's strength.
Someone who can rob hearts from lions
can easily win a woman's. Yes, my mother,
I thank you for my father with all my heart!
If there's anyone alive who dares to say that you did wrong
in conceiving me, I'll send his soul to hell.
Come, lady, I will show you to my family;
and they shall say that when Richard conceived me,
it would have been a sin for you to say no to him.
Anyone who says it's a sin is a liar, I say it wasn't.
Exeunt
France. Before Angiers
Enter, on one side, AUSTRIA and forces; on the other, KING PHILIP OF FRANCE, LEWIS the Dauphin, CONSTANCE, ARTHUR, and forces
KING PHILIP.
Before Angiers well met, brave Austria.
Arthur, that great forerunner of thy blood,
Richard, that robb'd the lion of his heart
And fought the holy wars in Palestine,
By this brave duke came early to his grave;
And for amends to his posterity,
At our importance hither is he come
To spread his colours, boy, in thy behalf;
And to rebuke the usurpation
Of thy unnatural uncle, English John.
Embrace him, love him, give him welcome hither.
Good to meet you here in front of Angiers, brave Austria.
Arthur, your great ancestor,
Richard, who stole the heart from a lion
and fought the holy wars in Palestine,
was brought to an early grave by this brave Duke;
and to make amends he has
come here at our request
to lift his banners, boy, on your behalf;
and to win back the crown stolen
by your unnatural uncle, English John.
Embrace him, love him, and make him welcome.
ARTHUR.
God shall forgive you Coeur-de-lion's death
The rather that you give his offspring life,
Shadowing their right under your wings of war.
I give you welcome with a powerless hand,
But with a heart full of unstained love;
Welcome before the gates of Angiers, Duke.
God will forgive you the death of the Lionheart
because you are giving life to his children,
protecting their rights with your armies.
I welcome you with my hand, which is weak,
but with a heart full of pure love;
welcome here in front of Angiers, Duke.
KING PHILIP.
A noble boy! Who would not do thee right?
A noble boy! Who wouldn't support you?
AUSTRIA.
Upon thy cheek lay I this zealous kiss
As seal to this indenture of my love:
That to my home I will no more return
Till Angiers and the right thou hast in France,
Together with that pale, that white-fac'd shore,
Whose foot spurns back the ocean's roaring tides
And coops from other lands her islanders-
Even till that England, hedg'd in with the main,
That water-walled bulwark, still secure
And confident from foreign purposes-
Even till that utmost corner of the west
Salute thee for her king. Till then, fair boy,
Will I not think of home, but follow arms.
I put this kiss of worship on your cheek
to seal what I contract to do for you out of love:
I shall not return to my home
until Angiers and everything else you have rights to in France,
together with that pale, white cliffed land,
which stands against the roaring tides of the ocean
and protects her islanders against attack from outside–
until that England, surrounded by the sea,
that watery defensive wall, still safe
and secure against foreign attack–
until such time as that far corner of the west
acknowledges you as her king. Until then, sweet boy,
I shall fight, and I shall not think of my home.
CONSTANCE.
O, take his mother's thanks, a widow's thanks,
Till your strong hand shall help to give him strength
To make a more requital to your love!
Oh, take the thanks of his mother, the thanks of a widow,
until your strong hand has given him the strength
to be able to give you better thanks for your love!
AUSTRIA.
The peace of heaven is theirs that lift their swords
In such a just and charitable war.
The reward of those who help to fight in such a
justified war is the peace of heaven.
KING PHILIP.
Well then, to work! Our cannon shall be bent
Against the brows of this resisting town;
Call for our chiefest men of discipline,
To cull the plots of best advantages.
We'll lay before this town our royal bones,
Wade to the market-place in Frenchmen's blood,
But we will make it subject to this boy.
Well then, let's get to work! Our cannon will be aimed
at the defences of this resistant town;
summon our chief strategists,
so that they can decide the best way to attack.
If we have to die in front of this town,
or wade through the blood of Frenchmen to get to the centre,
we will make this boy their ruler.
CONSTANCE.
Stay for an answer to your embassy,
Lest unadvis'd you stain your swords with blood;
My Lord Chatillon may from England bring
That right in peace which here we urge in war,
And then we shall repent each drop of blood
That hot rash haste so indirectly shed.
Wait until they answer your message,
to avoid any needless bloodshed;
my Lord Chatillon might bring from England
a message peacefully resigning what we were going to fight for,
and then we shall regret every drop of blood
that we spent so unnecessarily in anger.
Enter CHATILLON
KING PHILIP.
A wonder, lady! Lo, upon thy wish,
Our messenger Chatillon is arriv'd.
What England says, say briefly, gentle lord;
We coldly pause for thee. Chatillon, speak.
A miracle, lady! Look, as you said it,
our messenger Chatillon has come.
Tell us quickly, kind lord, what the English stage;
we are holding back our battle for you. Speak, Chatillon.
CHATILLON.
Then turn your forces from this paltry siege
And stir them up against a mightier task.
England, impatient of your just demands,
Hath put himself in arms. The adverse winds,
Whose leisure I have stay'd, have given him time
To land his legions all as soon as I;
His marches are expedient to this town,
His forces strong, his soldiers confident.
With him along is come the mother-queen,
An Ate, stirring him to blood and strife;
With her the Lady Blanch of Spain;
With them a bastard of the king's deceas'd;
And all th' unsettled humours of the land-
Rash, inconsiderate, fiery voluntaries,
With ladies' faces and fierce dragons' spleens-
Have sold their fortunes at their native homes,
/> Bearing their birthrights proudly on their backs,
To make a hazard of new fortunes here.
In brief, a braver choice of dauntless spirits
Than now the English bottoms have waft o'er
Did never float upon the swelling tide
To do offence and scathe in Christendom.
[Drum beats]
The interruption of their churlish drums
Cuts off more circumstance: they are at hand;
To parley or to fight, therefore prepare.
Then turn your forces away from this insignificant siege
and get them ready for a greater task.
England, unsympathetic to your justified requests,
has raised an army: the opposing winds,
which kept me waiting, have given him time
to land his armies at the same time as me;
he is marching swiftly towards this town,
his army is strong, his soldiers are confident.
Along with him has come his mother the Queen,
an Ate, urging him onto bloodshed and warfare;
with her is her granddaughter, the Lady Blanche of Spain;
with them also is a bastard of the dead king,
and all the restless men of the country;
hasty, reckless and fiery volunteers,
with the faces of ladies and the temper of dragons,
who have sold their property in their native land,
and are carrying all their possessions on their backs,
to see if they can win a new fortune here:
briefly, there was never such an army of
brave spirits ever riding across the sea
to commit crimes and harm in Christendom
as this one the English ships have carried over.
The interruption of their miserable drums
stops me saying more: they are close by,
to negotiate or to fight; so get ready.
KING PHILIP.
How much unlook'd for is this expedition!
How unexpected this invasion is!
AUSTRIA.
By how much unexpected, by so much
We must awake endeavour for defence,
For courage mounteth with occasion.
Let them be welcome then; we are prepar'd.
We must match how unexpected it is with our
efforts to defend ourselves,
for courage grows as it is needed.
So let's give them a welcome; we are ready.
Enter KING JOHN, ELINOR, BLANCH, the BASTARD,PEMBROKE, and others
KING JOHN.
Peace be to France, if France in peace permit
Our just and lineal entrance to our own!
If not, bleed France, and peace ascend to heaven,
Whiles we, God's wrathful agent, do correct
Their proud contempt that beats His peace to heaven!
Peaceful greetings to France, if France will peacefully allow
the justified entrance of we who are claiming our birthright!
If not, let France bleed and peace go up to heaven,
while we, the agent of God's anger, punish
their arrogant contempt that has sent peace away!
KING PHILIP.
Peace be to England, if that war return
From France to England, there to live in peace!
England we love, and for that England's sake
With burden of our armour here we sweat.
This toil of ours should be a work of thine;
But thou from loving England art so far
That thou hast under-wrought his lawful king,
Cut off the sequence of posterity,
Outfaced infant state, and done a rape
Upon the maiden virtue of the crown.
Look here upon thy brother Geffrey's face:
These eyes, these brows, were moulded out of his;
This little abstract doth contain that large
Which died in Geffrey, and the hand of time
Shall draw this brief into as huge a volume.
That Geffrey was thy elder brother born,
And this his son; England was Geffrey's right,
And this is Geffrey's. In the name of God,
How comes it then that thou art call'd a king,
When living blood doth in these temples beat
Which owe the crown that thou o'er-masterest?
Peaceful greetings to England, if they take back their army
from France to England, to live peacefully there.
We love England; it is for the sake of England
that we are sweating here in our armour.
This work we're doing you should be doing yourselves;
but you have so little love for England
that you have undermined its lawful King,
cut off the rightful succession,
defied the infant majesty, and raped
the maidenly virtue of the Crown.
You can see your brother Geoffrey's face here;
these eyes, this forehead, were copied from his:
this little sketch contains everything
which Geoffrey had: in time it will
become a picture as great as him.
That Geoffrey was born your elder brother,
and this is his son; England was his by right,
and this belongs to Geoffrey; how in the name of God
do you come to be called the King,
when living blood still runs through the head
of the one who should be wearing the crown which you have stolen.
KING JOHN.
From whom hast thou this great commission, France,
To draw my answer from thy articles?
Where do you get this great authority, France,
to demand that I answer your accusations?
KING PHILIP.
From that supernal judge that stirs good thoughts
In any breast of strong authority
To look into the blots and stains of right.
That judge hath made me guardian to this boy,
Under whose warrant I impeach thy wrong,
And by whose help I mean to chastise it.
From the celestial judge which inspires good thoughts
in anyone who holds authority, making them
look into injustices.
That judge made me guardian of this boy,
and with his authority I bring charges against you,
and with his help I mean to punish you for them.
KING JOHN.
Alack, thou dost usurp authority.
Alas, you are exceeding your authority.
KING PHILIP.
Excuse it is to beat usurping down.
It's justified to revenge a theft.
ELINOR.
Who is it thou dost call usurper, France?
Who are you calling a thief, France?
CONSTANCE.
Let me make answer: thy usurping son.
Let me answer you: your thieving son.
ELINOR.
Out, insolent! Thy bastard shall be king,
That thou mayst be a queen and check the world!
Damn you, you insolent woman! You want your bastard to be King
so that you can be a queen and rule the world!
CONSTANCE.
My bed was ever to thy son as true
As thine was to thy husband; and this boy
Liker in feature to his father Geffrey
Than thou and John in manners-being as Eke
As rain to water, or devil to his dam.
My boy a bastard! By my soul, I think
His father never was so true begot;
It cannot be, an if thou wert his mother.
I was always as faithful to your son
as you were to your husband; and this boy
is more like his father in looks
than you and John are in manners–and you are
like rain an
d water, or the devil and his mother.
My boy a bastard! I swear, even
his father wasn't so faithfully conceived;
he can't have been, if you were his mother.
ELINOR.
There's a good mother, boy, that blots thy father.
That's a good mother, boy, who insults your father.
CONSTANCE.
There's a good grandam, boy, that would blot thee.
That's a good grandmother, boy, who wants to
insult you.
AUSTRIA.
Peace!
Quiet!
BASTARD.
Hear the crier.
Listen to the bailiff.
AUSTRIA.
What the devil art thou?
Who the devil are you?
BASTARD.
One that will play the devil, sir, with you,
An 'a may catch your hide and you alone.
You are the hare of whom the proverb goes,
Whose valour plucks dead lions by the beard;
I'll smoke your skin-coat an I catch you right;
Sirrah, look to 't; i' faith I will, i' faith.
Someone who will play the devil with you, sir,
who might have the skin off your back.
You are like the hare in the proverb,
who is so brave that he pulls the beards of dead lions;
I'll give you a good thrashing when I get my hands on you;
be warned, sir; I swear I will, I swear.
BLANCH.
O, well did he become that lion's robe
That did disrobe the lion of that robe!
The one who stole the skin off a lion
would certainly be suited to a lion's skin!
BASTARD.
It lies as sightly on the back of him
As great Alcides' shows upon an ass;
But, ass, I'll take that burden from your back,
Or lay on that shall make your shoulders crack.
It looks as good on his back
as the great Alcides looked riding on an ass;
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 3