Thefe flags of France, that are advanced here
Before the eye and profpect of your town,
Have hither march'd to your endamagement,
The cannons have their bowels full of wrath;
And ready mounted are they, to spit forth
Their iron indignation 'gainst your walls :
All preparation for a bloody fiege

And merciless proceeding, by thefe French,
Confront your city's eyes, your winking gates;
And, but for our approach, those sleeping stones,
That as a waist do girdle you about,
By the compulfion of their ordinance
By this time from their fixed beds of lime
Had been difhabited, and wide havock made
For bloody power to rufh upon your peace.
But on the fight of us your lawful king,
(Who, painfully, with inuch expedient march
Have brought a counter-check before your gates,
To fave unfcratch'd your city's threatned cheeks)
Behold, the French, amaz'd, vouchsafe a parle :
And now, instead of bullets wrap'd in fire,
To make a fhaking fever in your walls,
They fhoot but calin words, folded up in fmoak,
To make a faithlefs error in your ears:
Which truft accordingly, kind citizens,
And let in us, your king; whofe labour'd fpirits,
Fore-weary'd in this action of fwift fpeed,

Crave harbourage within your city-walls.

K. Phil. When I have faid, make anfwer to us both. Lo! in this right hand, whofe protection

Is moft divinely vow'd upon the right

Of him it holds, ftands young Plantagenet ;
Son to the elder brother of this man,
And king o'er him, and all that he enjoys.
For this down-trodden equity, we tread

In warlike march these greens before your town;
Being no further enemy to you,

Than the constraint of hospitable zeal,
In the relief of this oppreffed child,

Religiously

Religiously provokes. Be pleased then
To pay that duty, which you truly owe
To him that owns it; namely, this young prince :
And then our arms, like to a muzzled bear,
Save in afpect, have all offence feal'd up;
Our cannons' malice vainly fhall be spent
Against the invulnerable clouds of heaven;
And, with a bleffed, and unvex'd retire,
With unhack'd fwords, and helmets all unbruis'd,
We will bear home that lufty blood again,
Which here we came to fpout against your town;
And leave your children, wives, and you in
peace.
But if you fondly pafs our proffer'd offer,
'Tis not the roundure 4 of your old-fac❜d walls
Can hide you from our meffengers of war;
Tho' all these English, and their difcipline,
Were harbour'd in their rude circumference.
Then, tell us, fhall your city call us lord,
In that behalf which we have challeng'd it;
Or fhall we give the fignal to our rage,
And ftalk in blood to our poffeffion?

Cit. In brief, we are the king of England's fubjects; For him, and in his right, we hold this town.

K. John. Acknowledge then the king, and let me in. Cit. That can we not: but he that proves the king, To him will we prove loyal; till that time, Have we ramm'd up our gates against the world. K. John. Doth not the crown of England prove the king?

And if not that, I bring you witneffes,

Twice fifteen thoufand hearts of England's breedFaule. (Baftards, and elfe).

• 'Tis not the roundure, &c.] Roundure means the fame as the French rondeur, i. e. the circle.

The word is used by Decker in his Comedy of old Fortunatus, 1600.

your cries to me are mufick

"And fill the facred roundure of mine ears," &c. STEEVENS.

K. John.

K. John. To verify our title with their lives.

K. Phil. As many, and as well born bloods as thofe

Faul. (Some bastards too).

K. Phil.-Stand in his face to contradict his claim. Cit. 'Till you compound whofe right is worthieft, We, for the worthiest, hold the right from both.

K. John. Then God forgive the fin of all those fouls, That to their everlasting refidence,

Before the dew of evening fall, fhall fleet,

In dreadful trial of our kingdom's king!

K. Phil. Amen, Amen.Mount, chevaliers! to arms!

Faulc. Saint George, that fwing'd the dragon, and e'er fince

Sits on his horseback at mine hoftefs' door,
Teach us fome fence! Sirrah, were I at home
At your den, firrah, with your lionefs,

I'd fet an ox-head to your lion's hide,

And make a monster of you.

Auft. Peace! no more.

[To Auftria

Faulc. O, tremble; for you hear the lion roar. K. Jobn. Up higher to the plain; where we'll set forth

In best appointment all our regiments.

Faulc. Speed then to take advantage of the field. K. Phil. It fhall be fo;-and at the other hill Command the reft to stand.-God, and our right! [Exeunt.

After excurfions, enter the herald of France with trumpets to the gates.

F. Her. 5 Ye men of Angiers, open wide your gates, And let young Arthur, duke of Bretagne, in;

5 Ye men of Angiers, &c.] This speech is very poetical and fmooth, and except the conceit of the widow's husband embracing the earth, is juft and beautiful. JOHNSON.

Who,

Who, by the hand of France, this day hath made
Much work for tears in many an English mother,
Whofe fons lye fcatter'd on the bleeding ground:
And many a widow's husband groveling lies,
Coldly embracing the difcolour'd earth;
While victory with little lofs doth play
Upon the dancing banners of the French
Who are at hand triumphantly difplay'd
To enter conquerors, and to proclaim
Arthur of Bretagne, England's king, and
Enter English herald with trumpets.

yours.

E. Her. Rejoice, ye men of Angiers, ring your bells;

King John, your king and England's, doth approach,
Commander of this hot malicious day!

Their armours, that march'd hence fo filver-bright,
Hither return all gilt with Frenchmens' blood.
There stuck no plume in any English creft,
That is removed by a ftaff of France.

Our colours do return in those same hands,

That did display them, when we first march'd forth;
And, like a jolly troop of huntsmen 7, come
Our lufty English, all with purpled hands;
Dy'd in the dying flaughter of their foes.
Open your gates, and give the victors way.

Cit. Heralds, from off our towers we might behold, From first to laft, the onset and retire

Rejoice, ye men of Angiers, &c.] The English herald falls fomewhat below his antagonist. Silver armour gilt with blood is a poor image. Yet our author has it again in Macbeth,

"Here lay Duncan,

"His filver fkin lac'd with his golden blood. JOHNSON. 7 And, like a jolly troop of huntfmen,] It was, I think, one of the favage practices of the chafe, for all to ftain their hands in the blood of the deer, as a trophy. JOHNSON.

& Heralds, from off, &c.] Thefe three fpeeches feem to have been laboured. The citizen's is the beft; yet both alike we like is a poor gingle. JOHNSON.

Of

Of both your armies; whofe equality
By our beft eyes cannot be cenfured:

Blood hath bought blood, and blows have answered

blows;

Strength match'd with strength, and power

power:

Both are alike, and both alike we like.

confronted

One must prove greatest :-while they weigh fo even, We hold our town for neither; yet for both.

Enter the two kings with their powers, at feveral

doors.

K. John. France, haft thou yet more blood to caft
away ?

Say, fhall the current of our right run on ?
Whofe paffage, vext with thy impediment,
Shall leave his native channel, and o'er-fwell
With course disturb'd even thy confining fhores;
Unless thou let his filver water keep

A peaceful progrefs to the ocean.

K. Phil. England, thou haft not fav'd one drop of blood

In this hot trial, more than we of France;

Rather loft more: and by this hand I swear,
That fways the earth this climate overlooks,
Before we will lay by our juft-borne arms,

We'll put thee down, 'gainst whom these arms we bear,
Or add a royal number to the dead;

Gracing the fcrowl, that tells of this war's lofs,
With flaughter coupled to the name of kings.

Faule. Ha, majefty !-how high thy glory towers,
When the rich blood of kings is fet on fire!
Oh, how doth death line his dead chaps with fteel;
The fwords of foldiers are his teeth, his phangs;
And now he feafts, 9 mouthing the flesh of men
In undetermin'd differences of kings.-

9

mouthing the flesh of men] The old copy reads moufing STEEVENS.

Why