John lays you plots;the times conspire with you;For he that steeps his safety in true blood Shall find but bloody safety and untrue.
This act so evilly born shall cool the hearts Of all his people and freeze up their zeal,That none so small advantage shall step forth To cheque his reign,but they will cherish it;No natural exhalation in the sky,No scope of nature,no distemper'd day,No common wind,no customed event,But they will pluck away his natural cause And call them meteors,prodigies and signs,Abortives,presages and tongues of heaven,Plainly denouncing vengeance upon John.LEWIS May be he will not touch young Arthur's life,But hold himself safe in his prisonment.CARDINAL PANDULPH O,sir,when he shall hear of your approach,If that young Arthur be not gone already,Even at that news he dies;and then the hearts Of all his people shall revolt from him And kiss the lips of unacquainted change And pick strong matter of revolt and wrath Out of the bloody fingers'ends of John.
Methinks I see this hurly all on foot:
And,O,what better matter breeds for you Than I have named!The bastard Faulconbridge Is now in England,ransacking the church,Offending charity:if but a dozen French Were there in arms,they would be as a call To train ten thousand English to their side,Or as a little snow,tumbled about,Anon becomes a mountain.O noble Dauphin,Go with me to the king:'tis wonderful What may be wrought out of their discontent,Now that their souls are topful of offence.
For England go:I will whet on the king.LEWIS Strong reasons make strong actions:let us go:
If you say ay,the king will not say no.Exeunt