King John by William Shakespeare
page 16 of 110 (14%)
page 16 of 110 (14%)
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K.Iohn. Peace be to France: If France in peace permit
Our iust and lineall entrance to our owne; If not, bleede France, and peace ascend to heauen. Whiles we Gods wrathfull agent doe correct Their proud contempt that beats his peace to heauen Fran. Peace be to England, if that warre returne From France to England, there to liue in peace: England we loue, and for that Englands sake, With burden of our armor heere we sweat: This toyle of ours should be a worke of thine; But thou from louing England art so farre, That thou hast vnder-wrought his lawfull King, Cut off the sequence of posterity, Out-faced Infant State, and done a rape Vpon the maiden vertue of the Crowne: Looke heere vpon thy brother Geffreyes face, These eyes, these browes, were moulded out of his; This little abstract doth containe that large, Which died in Geffrey: and the hand of time, Shall draw this breefe into as huge a volume: That Geffrey was thy elder brother borne, And this his sonne, England was Geffreys right, And this is Geffreyes in the name of God: How comes it then that thou art call'd a King, When liuing blood doth in these temples beat Which owe the crowne, that thou ore-masterest? K.Iohn. From whom hast thou this great commission France, To draw my answer from thy Articles? Fra. Fro[m] that supernal Iudge that stirs good thoughts |
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