| 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 | |
