ACT III., SCENE I.

    Enter PRINCE JOHN, and his Lords, with Soldiers.

JOHN.  Now is this comet shot into the sea,
Or lies like slime upon the sullen earth. 
Come, he is dead, else should we hear of him.

SAL.  I know not what to think herein, my lord.

FITZ.  Ely is not the man I took him for: 
I am afraid we shall have worse than he.

JOHN.  Why, good Fitzwater, whence doth spring your fear.

FITZ.  Him for his pride we justly have suppress’d;
But prouder climbers are about to rise.

SAL.  Name them, Fitzwater:  know you any such?

JOHN.  Fitzwater means not anything, I know;
For if he did, his tongue would tell his heart.

FITZ.  An argument of my free heart, my lord. 
That lets the world be witness of my thought. 
When I was taught, true dealing kept the school;
Deeds were sworn partners with protesting words;
We said and did; these say and never mean. 
This upstart protestation of no proof—­
This, “I beseech you, sir, accept my love;
Command me, use me; O, you are to blame,
That do neglect, my everlasting zeal,
My dear, my kind affect;” when (God can tell)
A sudden puff of wind, a lightning flash,
A bubble on the stream doth longer ’dure,
Than doth the purpose of their promise bide. 
A shame upon this peevish, apish age,
These crouching, hypocrite, dissembling times! 
Well, well, God rid the patrons of these crimes
Out of this land:  I have an inward fear,
This ill, well-seeming sin will be bought dear.

SAL.  My Lord Fitzwater is inspired, I think.

JOHN.  Ay, with some devil:  let the old fool dote.

    Enter QUEEN MOTHER, CHESTER, SHERIFF of Kent, Soldiers.

QU.  MO.  From the pursuing of the hateful priest
And bootless search of Ely are we come.

JOHN.  And welcome is your sacred majesty;
And, Chester, welcome too against your will.

CHES.  Unwilling men come not without constraint;
But uncompell’d comes Chester to this place,
Telling thee, John, that thou art much to blame,
To chase hence Ely, chancellor to the king;
To set thy footsteps on the cloth of state,
And seat thy body in thy brother’s throne.

SAL.  Who should succeed the brother but the brother?

CHES.  If one were dead, one should succeed the other.

QU.  MO.  My son is king, my son then ought to reign.

FITZ.  One son is king; the state allows not twain.

SAL.  The subjects many years the king have miss’d.

CHES.  But subjects must not choose what king they list.

QU.  MO.  Richard hath conquer’d kingdoms in the east.

FITZ.  A sign he will not lose this in the west.

SAL.  By Salisbury’s honour, I will follow John.