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King John: Act III, Scene 3

King John
Act III, Scene 3

The plains near Angiers.

  1. Alarums, excursions, retreat. Enter King John, Elinor,
  2. Arthur, Bastard, Hubert, Lords.

King John

1 - 5
  1. To Elinor.
  2. So shall it be; your Grace shall stay behind
  3. So strongly guarded.
  4. To Arthur.
  5.                      Cousin, look not sad,
  6. Thy grandame loves thee, and thy uncle will
  7. As dear be to thee as thy father was.

Arthur

6
  1. O, this will make my mother die with grief!

King John

7 - 12
  1. To the Bastard.
  2. Cousin, away for England! Haste before,
  3. And ere our coming see thou shake the bags
  4. Of hoarding abbots, imprisoned angels
  5. Set at liberty. The fat ribs of peace
  6. Must by the hungry now be fed upon.
  7. Use our commission in his utmost force.

Bastard

13 - 17
  1. Bell, book, and candle shall not drive me back,
  2. When gold and silver becks me to come on.
  3. I leave your Highness. Grandame, I will pray
  4. (If ever I remember to be holy)
  5. For your fair safety; so I kiss your hand.

Queen Elinor

18
  1. Farewell, gentle cousin.

King John

19
  1.                          Coz, farewell.
  1. Exit Bastard.

Queen Elinor

20
  1. Come hither, little kinsman, hark, a word.
  1. Takes Arthur aside.

King John

21 - 30
  1. Come hither, Hubert. O my gentle Hubert,
  2. We owe thee much! Within this wall of flesh
  3. There is a soul counts thee her creditor,
  4. And with advantage means to pay thy love;
  5. And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath
  6. Lives in this bosom, dearly cherished.
  7. Give me thy hand. I had a thing to say,
  8. But I will fit it with some better time.
  9. By heaven, Hubert, I am almost asham’d
  10. To say what good respect I have of thee.

Hubert de Burgh

31
  1. I am much bounden to your Majesty.

King John

32 - 57
  1. Good friend, thou hast no cause to say so yet,
  2. But thou shalt have; and creep time ne’er so slow,
  3. Yet it shall come for me to do thee good.
  4. I had a thing to say, but let it go.
  5. The sun is in the heaven, and the proud day,
  6. Attended with the pleasures of the world,
  7. Is all too wanton and too full of gawds
  8. To give me audience. If the midnight bell
  9. Did with his iron tongue and brazen mouth
  10. Sound on into the drowsy race of night;
  11. If this same were a churchyard where we stand,
  12. And thou possessed with a thousand wrongs;
  13. Or if that surly spirit, melancholy,
  14. Had bak’d thy blood and made it heavy, thick,
  15. Which else runs tickling up and down the veins,
  16. Making that idiot, laughter, keep men’s eyes
  17. And strain their cheeks to idle merriment
  18. A passion hateful to my purposes;
  19. Or if that thou couldst see me without eyes,
  20. Hear me without thine ears, and make reply
  21. Without a tongue, using conceit alone,
  22. Without eyes, ears, and harmful sound of words
  23. Then, in despite of brooded watchful day,
  24. I would into thy bosom pour my thoughts.
  25. But, ah, I will not! Yet I love thee well,
  26. And by my troth I think thou lov’st me well.

Hubert de Burgh

58 - 60
  1. So well, that what you bid me undertake,
  2. Though that my death were adjunct to my act,
  3. By heaven, I would do it.

King John

61 - 67
  1.                           Do not I know thou wouldst?
  2. Good Hubert, Hubert, Hubert, throw thine eye
  3. On yon young boy. I’ll tell thee what, my friend,
  4. He is a very serpent in my way,
  5. And wheresoe’er this foot of mine doth tread,
  6. He lies before me. Dost thou understand me?
  7. Thou art his keeper.

Hubert de Burgh

68 - 69
  1.                      And I’ll keep him so,
  2. That he shall not offend your Majesty.

King John

70
  1.                                        Death.

Hubert de Burgh

71
  1. My lord?

King John

72
  1.          A grave.

Hubert de Burgh

73
  1.          He shall not live.

King John

74 - 78
  1.                    Enough.
  2. I could be merry now. Hubert, I love thee.
  3. Well, I’ll not say what I intend for thee.
  4. Remember. Madam, fare you well,
  5. I’ll send those powers o’er to your Majesty.

Queen Elinor

79
  1. My blessing go with thee!

King John

80 - 82
  1.                           For England, cousin, go.
  2. Hubert shall be your man, attend on you
  3. With all true duty. On toward Callice, ho!
  1. Exeunt.
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