THE (1) The LIFE and DEATH of KING JOHN. ACT T I. SCENE, The Court of England. Enter King John, Queen Elinor, Pembroke, Effex, and Salisbury, with Chatilion. King JOHN. OW, fay, Chatilion, what would France with us? Chat. Thus, after greeting, fpeaks the King of France, In my behaviour, to the Majefty, The borrow'd Majefty of England here. Eli. A ftrange beginning; borrow'd Majefty! (1) The Life and Death -] Tho' this Play have this Title, yet the Action of it begins at the thirty-fourth Year of his Life; and takes in only fome Tranfactions of his Reign to the Time of his Demise, being an Interval of about seventeen Years. P 2 Chat. Chat. Philip of France, in right and true behalf Which fways ufurpingly these feveral titles; K. John. What follows, if we disallow of this? Chat. The proud controul of fierce and bloody war, T' inforce thefe rights fo forcibly with-held. K. John. Here have we war for war, and blood for Controulment for controulment; so answer France. K. John. Bear mine to him, and fo depart in peace. [Exeunt Chat. and Pem. Eli. What now, my fon, have I not ever said, This might have been prevented, and made whole Which now the manage of two kingdoms must With fearful, bloody, iffue arbitrate. K. John. Our ftrong poffeffion, and our right for us. Eli. Your ftrong poffeffion much more than your right, Or else it must go wrong with and me; you So much my confcience whispers in your ear, Effex. My Liege, here is the ftrangest controverfie, Come from the country to be judg'd by you, That e'er I heard: fhall I produce the men? K. John. Let them approach. Our abbies and our priories fhall pay This expedition's charge-What men are you? Robert. The fon and heir to that fame Faulconbridge. K. John. Is that the elder, and art thou the heir? You came not of one mother then, it feems ? Phil. Moft certain of one mother, mighty King, Eli. Out on thee, rude man thou doft fhame thy mother, And wound her honour with this diffidence. Phil. I, Madam ? no, I have no reason for it; That is my brother's plea, and none of mine; The which if he can prove, he pops me out At least from fair five hundred pound a year: Heav'n guard my mother's honour, and my land! K. John. A good blunt fellow; why, being younger born, Doth he lay claim to thine inheritance? Phil. I know not why, except to get the land; But, once, he flander'd me with bastardy: But whether I be true begot or no, That ftill I lay upon my mother's head; (Fair fall the bones, that took the pains for me!) If old Sir Robert did beget us both, And were our father, and this fon like him; I give heav'n thanks, I was not like to thee. K. John. Why, what a mad-cap hath heav'n lent us here? Eli. He hath a trick of Coeur-de-lion's face, K. John. Mine eye hath well examined his parts, Phil. Because he hath a half-face, like my father, With that half-face would he have all my land? (2) A half-fac'd groat, five hundred pound a year! Rob. My gracious Liege, when that my father liv'd, Your brother did imploy my father much ; (2) With half that Face] But why with half that Face? There is no Question but the Poet wrote, as I have reftor'd the Text, With that half-face-Mr. Pope, perhaps, will be angry with me for discovering an Anachronism of our Poet's, in the next Line; where he alludes to a Coin not ftruck till the Year 1504, in the Reign of King Henry VII. viz. a Groat, which as well as the half Groat, bare but half-faces impress’d. Vide Stow's Survey of London, p. 47. Holingfhed, Camden's Remains, &c. The Poet fneers at the meagre sharp Visage of the elder Brother, by comparing him to a Silver Groat, that bore the King's Face in Profile, fo fhew'd but half the Face: The Groats of all our Kings of England, and, indeed, all their other Coins of Silver, one or two only excepted, had a full Face crown'd; till Henry VII. at the Time above-mention'd, coin'd Groats and half Groats, as alfo fome Shillings, with half Faces, that is, Faces in Profile, as all our Coin has now. The firft Groats of King Henry VIII. were like these of his Father; tho' afterwards he return'd to the broad Faces again. Thefe roats, with the Impreffion in Profile, are undoubtedly here alluded to: tho', as I faid, the Poet is knowingly guilty of an Anachronism in it: for, in the Time of King John there were no Groats at all they being firft, as far as appears, coin'd in the Reign of King Edward III. : Phil. Well, Sir, by this you cannot get my land. (As I have heard my father speak himself) K. John. Sirrah, your brother is legitimate; To difpoffefs that child, which is not his ? Eli. Whether hadft thou rather be a Faulconbridge, And, like thy brother, to enjoy thy land: Or the reputed fon. of Caur-de-lion, P 4 Lord: |