Enter King John, Pandulph with the crown, and Attendants.
KING JOHN.
Thus have I yielded up into your hand
The circle of my glory.
PANDULPH.
[Giving King John the crown.]
Take again
From this my hand, as holding of the pope,
Your sovereign greatness and authority.
KING JOHN.
Now keep your holy word. Go meet the French,
And from his holiness use all your power
To stop their marches ’fore we are inflam’d.
Our discontented counties do revolt;
Our people quarrel with obedience,
Swearing allegiance and the love of soul
To stranger blood, to foreign royalty.
This inundation of mistemper’d humour
Rests by you only to be qualified.
Then pause not; for the present time’s so sick
That present med’cine must be minist’red
Or overthrow incurable ensues.
PANDULPH.
It was my breath that blew this tempest up,
Upon your stubborn usage of the pope;
But since you are a gentle convertite,
My tongue shall hush again this storm of war
And make fair weather in your blust’ring land.
On this Ascension-day, remember well,
Upon your oath of service to the pope,
Go I to make the French lay down their arms.
[Exit.]
KING JOHN.
Is this Ascension-day? Did not the prophet
Say that before Ascension-day at noon
My crown I should give off? Even so I have.
I did suppose it should be on constraint;
But, heaven be thank’d, it is but voluntary.
Enter the Bastard.
BASTARD.
All Kent hath yielded. Nothing there holds out
But Dover Castle. London hath receiv’d,
Like a kind host, the Dauphin and his powers.
Your nobles will not hear you, but are gone
To offer service to your enemy;
And wild amazement hurries up and down
The little number of your doubtful friends.
KING JOHN.
Would not my lords return to me again
After they heard young Arthur was alive?