Some trumpet fummon hither to the walls
These men of Angiers; let us hear them speak,
Whofe title they admit, Arthur's or John's.

Trumpets found. Enter Citizens upon the walls.

1 Cit. Who is it, that hath warn'd us to the walls? K. Fhi. 'Tis France, for England.

K. John. England, for itself: You men of Angiers, and my loving fubjects,

K. Phi. You loving men of Angiers, Arthur's fubjects, Our trumpet call'd you to this gentle parle.

K. John. For our advantage;-Therefore, hear us first.3-
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 fpit forth
Their iron indignation 'gainst your walls:
All preparation for a bloody fiege,
And mercilefs proceeding by thefe French
Confront your city's eyes, your winking gates;
And, but for our approach, thofe fleeping ftones,
That as a waist do girdle you about,

By the compulfion of their ordnance
By this time from their fixed beds of lime
Had been dishabited, and wide havock made
For bloody power to rush upon your peace.

4

But,

the old word of applause was J'aime, I love it, and that to applaud was to cry Jaime, which the English, not eafily pronouncing Fe, funk into Our exclamations of applaufe are ftill borrowed, as brave

aime, or aim.

and encore. JOHNSON.

Dr. Johnfon's first thought, I believe, is beft. So, in Beaumont and Fletcher's Love's Cure, or The Mart.al Maid:

Can I cry aim

To this against myself?.

STEEVENS.

3 If we read-For your advantage, it would be a more fpecious reafon for interrupting Philip. TYRWHITT.

4 i. e. gates haftily clofed from an apprehenfion of danger. MALONE. 5 i. e. diflodged, violently removed from their places :-a word, I believe, of our author's coinage. STEEVENS.

But, on the fight of us, your lawful king,-
Who painfully, with much expedient march,
Have brought a countercheck before your gates,
To fave unfcratch'd your city's threaten'd cheeks,-
Behold, the French, amaz'd, vouchfafe a parle :
And now, inftead of bullets wrapp'd in fire,
To make a fhaking fever in your walls,
They fhoot but calm words, folded up in fmoke,
To make a faithlefs error in your ears:
Which truft accordingly, kind citizens,
And let us in, your king; whofe labour'd fpirits,
Forwearied in this action of fwift fpeed,

Crave harbourage within your city walls.

your town;

K. Phi. When I have said, make answer to us both.
Lo, in this right hand, whofe protection
Is moft divinely vow'd upon the right
Of him it holds, flands 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
Being no further enemy to you,
Than the constraint of hofpitable zeal,
In the relief of this oppreffed child,
Religiously provokes. Be pleafed then
To pay that duty, which you truly owe,
To him that owes it; 8 namely, this young prince:
And then our arms, like to a muzzled bear,
Save in afpéct, have all offence feal'd up;
Our cannons' malice vainly fhall be spent
Against the invulnerable clouds of heaven;
And, with a blessed and unvex'd retire,

With unhack'd fwords, and helmets all unbruis'd,
We will bear home that lufty blood again,

C 4

Which

6 This, I believe, is one of the ancient terms used in the game of chefs. So, in Mucedorus, 1598:

"Poft hence thyself, thou counterchecking trull." STEEVENS.

7 i. e. worn out. Sax. STEEVENS.

9 i. e. oruns it. See our author and his contemporaries, paffim.

Ower for owns in the north of Eng. yet. STEEVENS,

Which here we came to spout 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 of your old-fac'd walls
Can hide you from our meffengers of war;
Though all thefe English, and their discipline,
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?

r 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. 1. 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 breed,

Beft. Bastards, and elfe.

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

K. Phi. As many, and as well-born bloods as thofe,
Baft. Some baftards too.

K. Phi. Stand in his face, to contradict.his claim.
Cit. Till you compound whofe right is worthieft,
We, for the worthieft, hold the right from both.
K. John. Then God forgive the fin of all thofe fouls,
That to their everlasting refidence,

Before the dew of evening fall, fhall fleet,

In dreadful trial of our kingdom's king!

K. Phi. Amen, Amen-Mount, chevaliers! to arms! Beft. St. George, that fwing'd the dragon, and e'er fince,

Sits on his horseback at mine hostess' door,

Teach us fome fence!—Sirrah, were I at home,

At your den, firrah, [To AUSTRIA,] with your lionefs,
I'd fet an ox-head to your lion's hide,

Roundure means the fame as the French kondew,

And

e. the circle. STEEVENS

Peace; no more.

And make a monster of you.

Auft.

Baft. O, tremble; for you hear the lion roar.

K. John. Up higher to the plain; where we'll fet forth, In beft appointment, all our regiments.

Baft. Speed then, to take advantage of the field.

K. Phi. It fhall be fo;-[To LEWIS.] and at the other

hill

Command the reft to ftand.-God, and our right!

[Exeunt

SCENE II.

The fame.

Alarums and Excurfions; then a Retreat.

Enter a Frenoh

Herald, with trumpets, to the gates.

F. Her. You men of Angiers, open wide your gates,*
And let young Arthur, duke of Bretagne, in;
Who, by the hand of France, this day hath made
Much work for tears in many an English mother,
Whose fons lye fcatter'd on the bleeding ground:
Many a widow's hufband groveling lies,
Coldly embracing the difcolour'd earth;
And 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 yours.

Enter an English Herald, with trumpets.

E. Her. Rejoice, you men of Angiers, ring your bells; 3 King

C 5

2 This fpeech is very poetical and smooth, and except the conceit of the widow's bufband embracing the earth, is juft and beautiful. JOHNSON. 3 The English herald falls fomewhat below his antagonist. Silver ar mour gilt with blood is a poor image. Yet our author has it again in Macbeth:

-Here lay Duncan,

"His filver skin lac'd with his golden blood." JOHNSON.

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

Their armour, that march'd hence fo filver-bright,
Hither return all gilt with Frenchmen's blood:
There ftuck no plume in any English crest,
That is removed by a staff of France;

Our colours do return in those fame hands

That did difplay them when we first march'd forth;
And, like a jolly troop of huntfmen,4

come

Our lufty English, all with purpled hands,
Died in the dying flaughter of their foes:
Open your gates, and give the victors way.

Cit. 5 Heralds, from off our towers we might behold,
From firft to laft, the onset and retire

Of both your armies; whofe equality

By our beft eyes cannot be cenfured:6

Blood hath bought blood, and blows have anfwer'd blows; Strength match'd with ftrength, and power confronted

power:

Both are alike; and both alike we like.

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

Enter, at one fide, King JOHN, with his power; ELINOR, BLANCH, and the Baftard; at the other, King PHILIP, LEWIS, AUSTRIA, and Forces.

K. John. France, haft thou yet more blood to caft away? Say, fhall the current of our right run on? Whofe paffage, vex'd with thy impediment, Shall leave his native channel, and o'erfwell

!

With

4 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. Shakspeare alludes to the fame practise in Julius Cæsar :

Here thy bunters ftand,

"Sign'd in thy fpoil, and crimson'd in thy lethe." STEEVENS. 5 These three fpeeches feem to have been laboured. The citizen's is the beft; yet both alike we like is a poor gingle. JOHNSON.

6i. e. cannot be eftimated. Our author ought rather to bave written-whofe fuperiority, or whose inequality, cannot be censured. MALONE.