King John by William Shakespeare
Act 3 - Scene 3
The same.
King John : [To QUEEN ELINOR] So shall it be; your grace shall
[p]stay
behind
[p]So strongly guarded.
[p][To ARTHUR]
[p]Cousin, look not
sad:
[p]Thy grandam loves thee; and thy uncle will
[p]As dear be to
thee as thy father was.
Arthur : O, this will make my mother die with grief!
King John : [To the BASTARD] Cousin, away for England!
[p]haste before:
[p]And,
ere our coming, see thou shake the bags
[p]Of hoarding abbots;
imprisoned angels
[p]Set at liberty: the fat ribs of peace
[p]Must by
the hungry now be fed upon:
[p]Use our commission in his utmost
force.
Philip the Bastard : Bell, book, and candle shall not drive me back,
[p]When gold and
silver becks me to come on.
[p]I leave your highness. Grandam, I will
pray,
[p]If ever I remember to be holy,
[p]For your fair safety; so, I
kiss your hand.
Queen Elinor : Farewell, gentle cousin.
King John : Coz, farewell.
Queen Elinor : Come hither, little kinsman; hark, a word.
King John : Come hither, Hubert. O my gentle Hubert,
[p]We owe thee much! within
this wall of flesh
[p]There is a soul counts thee her creditor
[p]And
with advantage means to pay thy love:
[p]And my good friend, thy
voluntary oath
[p]Lives in this bosom, dearly cherished.
[p]Give me
thy hand. I had a thing to say,
[p]But I will fit it with some better
time.
[p]By heaven, Hubert, I am almost ashamed
[p]To say what good
respect I have of thee.
Hubert de Burgh : I am much bounden to your majesty.
King John : Good friend, thou hast no cause to say so yet,
[p]But thou shalt have;
and creep time ne'er so slow,
[p]Yet it shall come from me to do thee
good.
[p]I had a thing to say, but let it go:
[p]The sun is in the
heaven, and the proud day,
[p]Attended with the pleasures of the
world,
[p]Is all too wanton and too full of gawds
[p]To give me
audience: if the midnight bell
[p]Did, with his iron tongue and brazen
mouth,
[p]Sound on into the drowsy race of night;
[p]If this same were
a churchyard where we stand,
[p]And thou possessed with a thousand
wrongs,
[p]Or if that surly spirit, melancholy,
[p]Had baked thy blood
and made it heavy-thick,Which else runs tickling up and down the
veins,
[p]Making that idiot, laughter, keep men's eyes
[p]And strain
their cheeks to idle merriment,
[p]A passion hateful to my
purposes,
[p]Or if that thou couldst see me without eyes,
[p]Hear me
without thine ears, and make reply
[p]Without a tongue, using conceit
alone,
[p]Without eyes, ears and harmful sound of words;
[p]Then, in
despite of brooded watchful day,
[p]I would into thy bosom pour my
thoughts:
[p]But, ah, I will not! yet I love thee well;
[p]And, by my
troth, I think thou lovest me well.
Hubert de Burgh : So well, that what you bid me undertake,
[p]Though that my death were
adjunct to my act,
[p]By heaven, I would do it.
King John : Do not I know thou wouldst?
[p]Good Hubert, Hubert, Hubert, throw
thine eye
[p]On yon young boy: I'll tell thee what, my friend,
[p]He
is a very serpent in my way;
[p]And whereso'er this foot of mine doth
tread,
[p]He lies before me: dost thou understand me?
[p]Thou art his
keeper.
Hubert de Burgh : And I'll keep him so,
[p]That he shall not offend your majesty.
King John : Death.
Hubert de Burgh : My lord?
King John : A grave.
Hubert de Burgh : He shall not live.
King John : Enough.
[p]I could be merry now. Hubert, I love thee;
[p]Well, I'll
not say what I intend for thee:
[p]Remember. Madam, fare you
well:
[p]I'll send those powers o'er to your majesty.
Queen Elinor : My blessing go with thee!
King John : For England, cousin, go:
[p]Hubert shall be your man, attend on
you
[p]With all true duty. On toward Calais, ho!
Previous: Act 3 - Scene 2
Next: Act 3 - Scene 4
