King John
Act V, Scene 6
An open place in the neighborhood of Swinstead Abbey.
From: Costume designs for King John
John Miller, George Scharf, 1823
- Enter Bastard and Hubert severally.
Hubert de Burgh
1- Who’s there? Speak ho! Speak quickly, or I shoot.
Bastard
2- A friend. What art thou?
Hubert de Burgh
3- Of the part of England.
Bastard
4- Whither dost thou go?
Hubert de Burgh
5 - 6- What’s that to thee? Why may not I demand
- Of thine affairs, as well as thou of mine?
Bastard
7- Hubert, I think.
Hubert de Burgh
8 - 11- Thou hast a perfect thought.
- I will upon all hazards well believe
- Thou art my friend that know’st my tongue so well.
- Who art thou?
Bastard
12 - 14- Who thou wilt; and if thou please,
- Thou mayst befriend me so much as to think
- I come one way of the Plantagenets.
Hubert de Burgh
15 - 18- Unkind remembrance! Thou and endless night
- Have done me shame. Brave soldier, pardon me
- That any accent breaking from thy tongue
- Should scape the true acquaintance of mine ear.
Bastard
19- Come, come; sans compliment, what news abroad?
Hubert de Burgh
20 - 21- Why, here walk I in the black brow of night,
- To find you out.
Bastard
22- Brief then; and what’s the news?
Hubert de Burgh
23 - 24- O my sweet sir, news fitting to the night,
- Black, fearful, comfortless, and horrible.
Bastard
25 - 26- Show me the very wound of this ill news;
- I am no woman, I’ll not swound at it.
Hubert de Burgh
27 - 31- The King, I fear, is poison’d by a monk.
- I left him almost speechless, and broke out
- To acquaint you with this evil, that you might
- The better arm you to the sudden time
- Than if you had at leisure known of this.
Bastard
32- How did he take it? Who did taste to him?
Hubert de Burgh
33 - 35- A monk, I tell you, a resolved villain,
- Whose bowels suddenly burst out. The King
- Yet speaks, and peradventure may recover.
Bastard
36- Who didst thou leave to tend his Majesty?
Hubert de Burgh
37 - 40- Why, know you not? The lords are all come back,
- And brought Prince Henry in their company,
- At whose request the King hath pardon’d them,
- And they are all about his Majesty.
Bastard
41 - 48- Withhold thine indignation, mighty heaven,
- And tempt us not to bear above our power!
- I’ll tell thee, Hubert, half my power this night,
- Passing these flats, are taken by the tide—
- These Lincoln Washes have devoured them;
- Myself, well mounted, hardly have escap’d.
- Away before; conduct me to the King;
- I doubt he will be dead or ere I come.
- Exeunt.