SCENE III. The same. The Life and Death of King John  Shakespeare homepage  |  King John  | Act 3, Scene 3 

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 Alarums, excursions, retreat. Enter KING JOHN,  QUEEN ELINOR, ARTHUR, the BASTARD, HUBERT, and Lords  KING JOHN  [To QUEEN ELINOR]  So shall it be; your grace shall 

 stay behind 

 So strongly guarded. 



 To ARTHUR  Cousin, look not sad: 

 Thy grandam loves thee; and thy uncle will 

 As dear be to thee as thy father was. 

 ARTHUR  O, this will make my mother die with grief! 

 KING JOHN  [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  Bell, book, and candle shall not drive me back, 

 When gold and silver becks me to come on. 

 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. 



 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: 

 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 

 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. 

 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 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, 

 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 lovest me well. 

 HUBERT  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  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 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. 

 KING JOHN  Death. 

 HUBERT  My lord? 

 KING JOHN  A grave. 

 HUBERT  He shall not live. 

 KING JOHN  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. 

 ELINOR  My blessing go with thee! 

 KING JOHN  For England, cousin, go: 

 Hubert shall be your man, attend on you 

 With all true duty. On toward Calais, ho! 



 Exeunt  Shakespeare homepage  |  King John  | Act 3, Scene 3 

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