Act II, Scene V. The royal chamber at Windsor.

Earl John rages into the room.

Falconberg—seething but in control—follows him.

JOHN. ’Twas stolen! Stolen! All these monies, gone!

Two thousand marks purloined by rustic thieves?

Call me a madcap, to entrust my goods

To England’s most acclaimed Man of law!

God’s light! What say you, sir? Hast thou a word,

A single word to give me that might name

A cause for this mischance, and reason why

That I should ever trust in thee again?

FALC. South Yorkshire, good my lord, is plagued by

A daring thief, who is not what he’d seem.

This “Robin Hood” but feigns the name: I’ll strike

That vizard[1] down—and so its bearer too.

JOHN. Here come brave words, well tardy of the test!

For howsoe’er thou’dst shake thy clenched fist

To spite[2] the heat, it shall not daunt[3] the sun:

So idle threats may salve thy bruised pride,

But little shall they help thee to enslave

He who has master’d thee.

FALC. It matters not,

My lord, an you will place no faith in me.

No need, nor debt, nor love nor labor shall

Intrude on my resolve: For now I have

No purpose but the death of Robin Hood.

JOHN. I care not for thy vengeance.

FALC. Nay, my lord,

You should; for though his pending death is sure,

His prior life may profit thee.

JOHN. How so?

FALC. First, know the news I gained at Nottingham:

The King thy brother shall be freed ere long.

JOHN. It cannot be! We have not raised the ransom!

FALC. His keeper settled on a lesser sum

With pledges for the rest.

JOHN. Dost know how soon

My brother may return?

FALC. A fortnight, lord.

JOHN. Who told you so?

FALC. The earl of Arundel,

Who seeks my service to secure the king

A safe arrival: Furthermore, my lord,

He bade me swear to keep this news from thee,

As he and others doubt thy purposes.

The king sets out from Antwerp, planning to

Avoid the Cinque-ports,[4] sailing north instead

Toward the Wash, to land at Bishop’s Lynn.[5]

JOHN. Indeed? ’Tis well I am informed, and ill

That Arundel would keep me ignorant.

And yet, I cannot help but wonder at

How easily his trust hath been betrayed.

FALC. He gave his trust, and as no fool, I took it.

I’ll swear an oath to anyone, my lord,

If it will furnish furtherance[6] to me—

And haply[7] so, so as to thee as well.

I know the earls of Arundel and Warren

Bespoke of parley: Pray, lord, tell me what

Demands they put to thee.

JOHN. They urge me to

Let go my hold on Windsor.

FALC. Do, my lord;

And peacefully withdraw to Nottingham—

From whence, note, Bishop’s Lynn is soon achieved.

I have in mind a scheme which would result

In Robin’s death, and Richard’s doom, and wealth

For thee, far greater than the sum you’ve lost.

To work this plan, I must catch Robin Hood—

And here’s the nature of the net would do:

An Archer’s Contest, open unto all.

His skill and vanity would bring him there

Without a doubt: And further, he affects[8]

King Richard’s ward, the lady Marian:

Thou’dst be advised, my lord, to bid the maid

To honor thee by her attendance there.

With both these lures, our fish is sure to bite.

I must make way at once to Nottingham,

To set this fell[9] machine in fatal motion:

Wilt join me, lord, in this conspiracy?

JOHN. Thou troublest me, sir knight, for thou art true

In nought[10] but in thine own dishonesty.

Have I thy loyalty, so long as I

Ne’er dare compel thee swear an oath to it?

FALC. Nay, good my lord, I’ll pledge this unto thee:

I swear I never shall abuse thine ear

With sycophancy’s song of deathless love,

Nor grant to thee, at mine own grave expense,[11]

My soul’s devotion to thy purposes.

And thou art wise to distrust those who yoke

Their own mortality to other’s ends:

No man should be moved but by his own cause.

Trust unto him that’s loyal to himself;

On His motives, you ever may depend.

[Falconberg exits.]

JOHN. This sheriff’s a unique commodity;

Allegiant—like myself—but to himself,

And subject but to profiles pressed in gold.[12]

’Tis well he is my ally, for a time:

For howsome’er[13] he is untrustworthy,

I would not have him for mine enemy.

[John exits.]

Back to synopsis

[1] mask (“Robin Hood” is such a commonplace name among the peasantry that Falconberg assumes it is an alias.)

[4] the five English ports nearest France (Hastings, Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich)

[5] a port city on the Wash in Norfolk, now called King’s Lynn

[12] money (coins impressed with the image of a face)