King John
Act III, Scene 3
The plains near Angiers.
Costume designs for Philip Faulconbridge
From Charles Kean's scrapbook
19th century
- Alarums, excursions, retreat. Enter King John, Elinor,
- Arthur, Bastard, Hubert, Lords.
King John
1 - 5- To Elinor.
- So shall it be; your Grace shall stay behind
- So strongly guarded.
- To Arthur.
- Cousin, look not sad,
- Thy grandame loves thee, and thy uncle will
- As dear be to thee as thy father was.
Arthur
6- O, this will make my mother die with grief!
King John
7 - 12- To the Bastard.
- Cousin, away for England! Haste before,
- And ere our coming see thou shake the bags
- Of hoarding abbots, imprisoned angels
- Set at liberty. The fat ribs of peace
- Must by the hungry now be fed upon.
- Use our commission in his utmost force.
Bastard
13 - 17- Bell, book, and candle shall not drive me back,
- When gold and silver becks me to come on.
- I leave your Highness. Grandame, I will pray
- (If ever I remember to be holy)
- For your fair safety; so I kiss your hand.
Queen Elinor
18- Farewell, gentle cousin.
King John
19- Coz, farewell.
- Exit Bastard.
Queen Elinor
20- Come hither, little kinsman, hark, a word.
- Takes Arthur aside.
King John
21 - 30- Come hither, Hubert. O my gentle Hubert,
- We owe thee much! Within this wall of flesh
- There is a soul counts thee her creditor,
- And with advantage means to pay thy love;
- And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath
- Lives in this bosom, dearly cherished.
- Give me thy hand. I had a thing to say,
- But I will fit it with some better time.
- By heaven, Hubert, I am almost asham’d
- To say what good respect I have of thee.
Hubert de Burgh
31- I am much bounden to your Majesty.
King John
32 - 57- Good friend, thou hast no cause to say so yet,
- But thou shalt have; and creep time ne’er so slow,
- Yet it shall come for me to do thee good.
- I had a thing to say, but let it go.
- The sun is in the heaven, and the proud day,
- Attended with the pleasures of the world,
- Is all too wanton and too full of gawds
- To give me audience. If the midnight bell
- Did with his iron tongue and brazen mouth
- Sound on into the drowsy race of night;
- If this same were a churchyard where we stand,
- And thou possessed with a thousand wrongs;
- Or if that surly spirit, melancholy,
- Had bak’d thy blood and made it heavy, thick,
- Which else runs tickling up and down the veins,
- Making that idiot, laughter, keep men’s eyes
- And strain their cheeks to idle merriment—
- A passion hateful to my purposes;
- Or if that thou couldst see me without eyes,
- Hear me without thine ears, and make reply
- Without a tongue, using conceit alone,
- Without eyes, ears, and harmful sound of words—
- Then, in despite of brooded watchful day,
- I would into thy bosom pour my thoughts.
- But, ah, I will not! Yet I love thee well,
- And by my troth I think thou lov’st me well.
From: Costume designs for King John
John Miller, George Scharf, 1823
Hubert de Burgh
58 - 60- So well, that what you bid me undertake,
- Though that my death were adjunct to my act,
- By heaven, I would do it.
King John
61 - 67- Do not I know thou wouldst?
- Good Hubert, Hubert, Hubert, throw thine eye
- On yon young boy. I’ll tell thee what, my friend,
- He is a very serpent in my way,
- And wheresoe’er this foot of mine doth tread,
- He lies before me. Dost thou understand me?
- Thou art his keeper.
Hubert de Burgh
68 - 69- And I’ll keep him so,
- That he shall not offend your Majesty.
King John
70- Death.
Hubert de Burgh
71- My lord?
King John
72- A grave.
Hubert de Burgh
73- He shall not live.
King John
74 - 78- Enough.
- I could be merry now. Hubert, I love thee.
- Well, I’ll not say what I intend for thee.
- Remember. Madam, fare you well,
- I’ll send those powers o’er to your Majesty.
Queen Elinor
79- My blessing go with thee!
King John
80 - 82- For England, cousin, go.
- Hubert shall be your man, attend on you
- With all true duty. On toward Callice, ho!
- Exeunt.
Costume designs for Knights
From Charles Kean's scrapbook
19th century