ACT III SCENE III

King John

ACT III SCENE III	The same.
	Alarums, excursions, retreat. Enter KING JOHN, QUEEN ELINOR, ARTHUR, the BASTARD, HUBERT,and Lords.
KING JOHN	To QUEEN ELINOR
	stay behind
	So strongly guarded.
	To ARTHUR
	Cousin, look not sad:
	Thy grandam loves thee; and thy uncle will	5
	As dear be to thee as thy father was.
ARTHUR	O, this will make my mother die with grief!
KING JOHN	To the BASTARD
	haste before:
	And, ere our coming, see thou shake the bags
	Of hoarding abbots; imprisoned angels	10
	Set at liberty: the fat ribs of peace
	Must by the hungry now be fed upon:
	Use our commission in his utmost force.
BASTARD	Bell, book, and candle shall not drive me back,
	When gold and silver becks me to come on.	15
	I leave your highness. Grandam, I will pray,
	If ever I remember to be holy,
	For your fair safety; so, I kiss your hand.
ELINOR	Farewell, gentle cousin.
KING JOHN	Coz, farewell.	20
	Exit the BASTARD
QUEEN ELINOR	Come hither, little kinsman; hark, a word.
KING JOHN	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:	25
	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 ashamed	30
	To say what good respect I have of thee.
HUBERT	I am much bounden to your majesty.
KING JOHN	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 from me to do thee good.	35
	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	40
	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,	45
	Had baked 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,	50
	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,	55
	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 lovest me well.
HUBERT	So well, that what you bid me undertake,
	Though that my death were adjunct to my act,	60
	By heaven, I would do it.
KING JOHN	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;	65
	And whereso’er this foot of mine doth tread,
	He lies before me: dost thou understand me?
	Thou art his keeper.
HUBERT	And I’ll keep him so,
	That he shall not offend your majesty.	70
KING JOHN	Death.
HUBERT	My lord?
KING JOHN	A grave.
HUBERT	He shall not live.
KING JOHN	Enough.	75
	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.
ELINOR	My blessing go with thee!	80
KING JOHN	For England, cousin, go:
	Hubert shall be your man, attend on you
	With all true duty. On toward Calais, ho!
	Exeunt

Next: King John, Act 3, Scene 4