Enter English Herald with trumpets."

bells:

E. Her Rejoice, you men of Angiers; ring your 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 ftuck no plume in any English creft,
That is removed by a staff 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 huntfmen come
Our lufty English, all with purpled hands,
Stain'd in the dying flaughter of their foes.
Open your gates, and give the victors way.

Cit. Heralds, from off our tow'rs we might behold,
From first to laft, the onfet and retire

Of both your armies, whofe equality

By our beft eyes cannot be cenfured;

Blood hath bought blood, and blows have answer'd blows; I Strength match'd with ftrength, and power confronted power. Both are alike, and both alike we like;

One must prove greateft. While they weigh fo even,
We hold our town for neither; yet for both.

SCENE V. 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 ev'n thy confining fhores;
Unless thou let his filver water keep.

A peaceful progrefs to the ocean..

K. Philip England, thou haft not fav'd one drop of blood In this hot tryal, more than we of France;

Rather loft more. And by this hand I fwear
That fways the earth this climate overlooks,
Before we will lay by our juft-born arms,

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

Gracing the fcroul that tells of this war's lofs,
S 2

With

With flaughter coupled to the name of Kings."
Baft Ha! Majefty; how high thy glory towers,
When the rich blood of Kings is fet on fire!

Oh, now doth Death line his dead chaps with steel;
The fwords of foldiers are his teeth, his phangs;
And now he feafts, mouthing the flesh of men
In undetermin'd diff'rences of Kings.
Why ftand these royal fronts amazed thus ?
Cry havock, Kings; back to the stained field,
You equal Potents, fiery-kindled spirits!
Then let confufion of one part confirm

The other's peace; 'till then, blows, blood, and death!
K. John. Whofe party do the townsmen yet admit?
K. Philip. Speak, citizens, for England, who's your King?
Cit. The King of England, when we know the King.
K. Philip. Know him in us, that here hold up his right.
K. Jobn. In us, that are our own great deputy,
And bear poffeffion of our perfon here,

Lord of our prefence, Angiers, and of you.

Cit. A greater pow'r than ye denies all this;

And 'till it be undoubted, we do lock
Our former fcruple in our ftrong-barr'd gates.

Baft. By heav'n, thefe fcroyles of Angiers flout you,Kings, And ftand fecurely on their battlements

As in a theatre, whence they gape and point
At your industrious foenes and acts of death.
You royal prefences, be rul'd by me;
Do like the Mutines of Jerufalem,
Be friends a while, and both conjointly bend
Your fharpeft deeds of malice on this town.
By east and weft let France and England mount
Their batt'ring cannon charged to the mouths,
Till their foul-fearing clamours have braul'd down
The flinty ribs of this contemptuous city.

I'd play inceffantly upon thefe jades ;
Even 'till unfenced defolation

* in our ftrong-barr'd gates:
Kings of our fear, until our fears refolv'd
Be by fome certain King purg'd and depos'd,
Bat. Be heav'n, &.

Leave them as naked as the vulgar air.
That done, diffever your united strengths,
And part your mingled colours once again,
Turn face to face, and bloody point to point.
Then in a moment fortune fhall cull forth
Out of one fide her happy minion,

To whom in favour fhe fhall give the day,
And kiss him with a glorious victory.

How like you this wild counfel, mighty ftates?

K. John. Now by the fky that hangs above our heads,
I like it well. France, fhall we knit our pow'rs,
And lay this Angiers even with the ground,
Then after, fight who shall be King of it?

Baft. And if thou haft the mettle of a King,
Being wrong'd as we are by this peevish town,
Turn thou the mouth of thy artillery,
As we will ours, against these sawcy walls;
And when that we have dash'd them to the ground,
Why then defie each other, and pell-mell
Make work upon our felves for heav'n or hell.

K. Philip. Let it be fo; fay, where will you affault? K. John. We from the weft will fend destruction Into this city's, bofom.

Auft. I from the north.

K. Philip. Our thunder from the fouth

Shall rain their drift of bullets on this town. *

Cit. Hear us, great Kings; vouchsafe a while to ftay, And I fhall fhew you peace, and fair-fac'd league ; Win you this city without ftroak or wound; Rescue those breathing lives to die in beds, That here come facrifices for the field :

Perfevere not, but hear me, mighty Kings.

K. John. Speak on; with favour we are bent to hear. Cit. That daughter there of Spain, the Lady Blanch, Is near to England; look upon the years

Of Lewis the Dauphin, and that lovely maid.

builets on this town.

Ba O prudent difcipline! from North to South; Auftria and France fhoot in each other's mouth.

I'll it: them to it; come away, away.

Cit. Hear us, great Kings, &c.

If lufty love fhould go in queft of beauty,
Where fhould he find it fairer than in Blanch?

If zealous love fhould go in fearch of virtue,
Where should he find it purer than in Blanch?
If love ambitious fought a match of birth,
Whofe veins bound richer blood than Lady Blanch?
Such as fhe is, in beauty, virtue, birth,
Is the young Dauphin every way compleat :
If not compleat, oh! fay he is not the ;
And the again wants nothing, to name want,
If want it be not, that fhe is not he.
He is the half part of a blessed man,
Left to be finifhed by fuch as fhe ;
And the a fair divided excellence,
Whofe fulness of perfection lyes in him.
O! two fuch filver currents, when they join,
Do glorifie the banks that bound them in:

And two fuch fhores to two fuch ftreams made one,
Two fuch controlling bounds fhall you be, Kings,
To these two Princes, if you marry them.
This union fhall do more than battery can,
To our faft-clofed gates: for at this match,
With swifter fpleen than powder can enforce,
The mouth of paffage fhall we fling wide ope,
And give you entrance; but without this match,
The fea enraged is not half fo deaf,

Lians fo confident, mountains and rocks

So free from motion, no not death himself
In mortal fury half so peremptory,

As we to keep this city.

Baft. Here's a ftay,

That shakes the rotten carcass of old death
Out of his rags. Here's a large mouth indeed,
That fpits forth death, and mountains, rocks and feas,
Talks as familiarly of roaring Lions,

As maids of thirteen do of puppy-dogs.
What cannoneer begot this lufty blood?

He fpeaks plain cannon-fire, and fmoak and bounce,
He gives the baftinado with his tongue :
Our ears are cudgel'd; not a word of his

But

But buffets better than a fift of France;
Zounds, I was never fo bethumpt with words,
Since I first call'd my brother's father dad.

Eli. Son, lift to this conjunction, make this match,
Give with our neice a dowry large enough;
For by this knot thou shalt fo furely tie
Thy now unfur'd affurance to the crown,
That yon green boy fhall have no fun to ripe
The bloom that promiseth a mighty fruit.
I fee a yielding in the looks of France:

Mark how they whisper, urge them while their fouls
Are capable of this ambition,

Left zeal, now melted, by the windy breath
Of foft petitions pity and remorfe

Cool and congeal again to what it was.

Cit. Why anfwer not the double Majesties

This friendly treaty of our threaten'd town?

K. Philip. Speak England firft, that hath been forward

To fpeak unto this city: what fay you?

(fir

K. John. If that the Dauphin there, thy Princely fon, Can in this book of beauty read I love; Her dowry fhall weigh equal with a Queen. For Anjou, and fair Touraine, Maine, Poitiers, And all that we upon this fide the sea, (Except this city now by us befieg'd)

Find liable to our crown and dignity,

Shall gild her bridal bed, and make her rich
In titles, honours, and promotions;

As the in beauty, education, blood,

Holds hands with any Princefs of the world.

K. Philip. What fay't thou, boy? look in the Lady's face.

Lewis. I do, my Lord, and in her eye I find

A wonder, or a wond'rous miracle, *

I do protest I never lov'd my felf

miracle,

The fhadow of my felf form'd in her eye,
Which being but the fhadow of your fon.
Becomes a fun, and makes your fon a fhadow
I do prote-iph