A Select Collection of Old English Plays Volume Viii Part 27

Six times six several brigantines he boarded, And in the greedy waves flung wounded Turks; And three times thrice the winged galley's banks (Wherein the Soldan's son was admiral) In his own person royal Richard smooth'd, And left no heathen hand to be upheav'd Against the Christian soldiers.

JOHN. Leicester, so?

Did he all this?

LEI. Ay, by G.o.d he did, And more than this: nay, jest [not] at it, John; I swear he did, by Leicester's faith he did, And made the green sea red with Pagan blood, Leading to Joppa glorious victory, And following fear, that fled unto the foe.

JOHN. All this he did! perchance all this was so!

LEI. Holy G.o.d, help me! soldiers, come away!

This carpet-knight[219] sits carping at our scars, And jests at those most glorious, well-fought wars.

JOHN. Leicester, you are too hot: stay; go not yet.

Methinks, if Richard won those victories, The wealthy kingdoms he hath conquered May, better than poor England, pay his ransom.

He left this realm, as a young orphan-maid, To Ely, the step-father of this state, That stripp'd the virgin to her very skin; And, Leicester, had not John more careful been Than Richard, At this hour England had not England been.

Therefore, good warlike lord, take this in brief; We wish King Richard well, but can send no relief.

LEI. O, let not my heart break with inward grief!

JOHN. Yes, let it, Leicester: it is not amiss, That twenty such hearts break as your heart is.

LEI. Are you a mother? were you England's queen?

Were Henry, Richard, Geoffery, your sons?

All sons but Richard--sun of all those sons And can you let this little meteor, This _ignis fatuus_, this same wandering fire, This goblin of the night, this brand, this spark, Seem through a lanthorn greater than he is?

By heaven, you do not well: by earth, you do not?

Chester, nor you, nor you, Earl Salisbury; Ye do not, no, ye do not what ye should.

QUEEN. Were this bear loose, how he would tear our maws.

CHES. Pale death and vengeance dwell within his jaws.

SAL. But we can muzzle him, and bind his paws: If King John say we shall, we will indeed.

JOHN. Do, if you can.

LEI. It's well thou hast some fear.

No, curs! ye have no teeth to bait this bear.[220]

I will not bid mine ensign-bearer wave My tattered colours in this worthless air, Which your vile breaths vilely contaminate.

Bearer,[221] thou'st been my ancient-bearer long, And borne up Leicester's bear in foreign lands; Yet now resign these colours to my hands, For I am full of grief and full of rage.

John, look upon me: thus did Richard take The coward Austria's colours in his hand, And thus he cast them under Acon walls, And thus he trod them underneath his feet.

Rich colours, how I wrong ye by this wrong!

But I will right ye. Bear[er], take them again, And keep them ever, ever them maintain: We shall have use for them, I hope, ere long.

JOHN. Dar'st thou attempt this proudly in our sight?

LEI. What is't a subject dares, that I dare not?

SAL. Dare subjects dare, their sovereign being by?

LEI. O G.o.d, that my true sovereign were nigh!

QUEEN. Leicester, he is.

LEI. Madam, by G.o.d, you lie.

CHES. Unmanner'd man.

LEI. A plague of reverence, Where no regard is had of excellence. [_Sound drum_.

But you will quite[222] me now: I hear your drums: Your princ.i.p.ality hath stirr'd up men, And now you think to muzzle up this bear.

Still they come nearer, but are not the near.

JOHN. What drums are these?

SAL. I think, some friends of yours Prepare a power to resist this wrong.

LEI. Let them prepare, for Leicester is prepar'd, And thus he wooes his willing men to fight.

Soldiers,[223] ye see King Richard's open wrong; Richard, that led ye to the glorious East, And made ye tread upon the blessed land, Where he, that brought all Christians blessedness, Was born, lived, wrought his miracles, and died, From death arose, and then to heaven ascended; Whose true religious faith ye have defended.

Ye fought, and Richard taught ye how to fight Against profane men, following Mahomet; But, if ye note, they did their kings their right: These more than heathen sacrilegious men, Professing Christ, banish Christ's champion hence, Their lawful lord, their home-born sovereign, With petty quarrels and with slight pretence.

_Enter_ RICHMOND, _Soldiers_.

O, let me be as short as time is short, For the arm'd foe is now within our sight.

Remember how 'gainst ten one man did fight, So hundreds against thousands have borne head!

You are the men that ever conquered: If mult.i.tudes oppress ye that ye die, Let's sell our lives, and leave them valiantly.

Courage! upon them! till we cannot stand.

JOHN. Richmond is yonder.

QUEEN. Ay, and, son, I think, The king is not far off.

CHES. Now heaven forfend!

LEI. Why smite ye not, but stand thus cowardly?

RICH. If Richmond hurt good Leicester, let him die.

LEI. Richmond! O, pardon mine offending eye, That took thee for a foe: welcome, dear friend!

Where is my sovereign Richard? Thou and he Were both in Austria. Richmond, comfort me, And tell me where he is, and how he fares.

O, for his ransom, many thousand cares Have me afflicted.

RICH. Leicester, he is come to London, And will himself to faithless Austria, Like a true king, his promis'd ransom bear.

LEI. At London, say'st thou, Richmond? is he there?

Farewell: I will not stay to tell my wrongs To these pale-colour'd, heartless, guilty lords.

Richmond, you shall go with me: do not stay, And I will tell you wonders by the way.

RICH. The king did doubt you had some injury, And therefore sent this power to rescue ye.

LEI. I thank his grace. Madam, adieu, adieu.

I'll to your son, and leave your shade with you.