Lew. Bethink you, father; for the difference Blanch. That's the curse of Rome. Const. O Lewis, stand fast; the devil tempts thee here, In likeness of a new untrimmed bride. Blanch. The lady Constance speaks not from her faith, But from her need. Const. O, if thou grant my need, Which only lives but by the death of faith, K. John. The king is mov'd, and answers not to this. K. Phil. Good reverend father, make my person yours, And tell me, how you would bestow yourself. This royal hand and mine are newly knit; And the conjunction of our inward souls Married in league, coupled and link'd together With all religious strength of sacred vows; The latest breath that gave the sound of words, Was deep-sworn faith, peace, amity, true love, Between our kingdoms, and our royal selves ; And even before this truce, but new before,No longer than we well could wash our hands, To clap this royal bargain up of peace, Heaven knows, they were besmear'd and overstain'd With slaughter's pencil; where revenge did paint The fearful difference of incensed kings: And shall these hands, so lately purg'd of blood, So newly join'd in love, so strong in both, Unyoke this seizure, and this kind regreet? Play fast and loose with faith? so jest with heaven, [6] It is a political maxim, that kingdoms are never married. Lewis, upon the wedding is for making war upon his new relations. JOHNSON, Make such unconstant children of ourselves, My reverend father, let it not be so : Pand. All form is formless, order orderless, France, thou may'st hold a serpent by the tongue, A fasting tyger safer by the tooth, Than keep in peace that hand which thou dost hold. Thy tongue against thy tongue. O, let thy vow For that, which thou hast sworn to do amiss, Is not amiss when it is truly done; And being not done, where doing tends to ill, Is, to mistake again; though indirect, Yet indirection thereby grows direct, And falsehood falsehood cures; as fire cools fire, It is religion, that doth make vows kept; By what thou swear'st, against the thing thou swear'st; And most forsworn, to keep what thou dost swear. And better conquest never canst thou make, So heavy, as thou shalt not shake them off, Bast. Will't not be ? Will not a calf's-skin stop that mouth of thine? Blanch. Upon thy wedding day? Against the blood that thou hast married? What, shall our feast be kept with slaughter'd men? O husband, hear me !-ah, alack, how new ? Is husband in my mouth!-even for that name, Against mine uncle. Const. O, upon my knee, Made hard with kneeling, I do pray to thee, Blanch. Now shall I see thy love; What motive may Be stronger with thee than the name of wife? Const. That whicn upholdeth him that thee upholds, His honour: 0, thine honour, Lewis, thine honour! Lew. I muse, your majesty doth seem so cold, When such profound respects do pull you on. Pand. I will denounce a curse upon his head. K. Phil. Thou shalt not need :-England, I'll fall from thee. Const. O fair return of banish'd majesty ! Eli. O foul revolt of French inconstancy! K. John. France, thou shalt rue this hour within this hour. Bast. Old time the clock-setter, that bald sexton time, Is it as he will? well then, France shall rue. Blanch. The sun's o'ercast with blood: Fair day, adieu ! Which is the side that I must go withal? I am with both: each army hath a hand ; And, in their rage, I having hold of both, They whirl asunder, and dismember me. Husband, I cannot pray that thou may'st win Uncle, I needs must pray that thou may'st lose ; Father, I may not wish the fortune thine ; Grandam, I will not wish thy wishes thrive : Whoever wins, on that side shall I lose ; Assured loss, before the match be play'd. Lew. Lady, with me; with me thy fortune lies. dies. K. John. Cousin, go draw our puissance together. [Exit Bastard. France, I am burn'd up with inflaming wrath ; A rage, whose heat hath this condition, That nothing can allay, nothing but blood, The blood, and dearest-valu'd blood, of France. K. Phil. Thy rage shall burn thee up, and thou shal turn To ashes, ere our blood shall quench that fire: K. John. No more than he that threats. let's hie! SCENE II. To arms [Exeunt. The same. Plains near Angiers. Alarums, Excursions. Enter the Bastard, with AUSTRIA's Head. Bast. Now, by my life, this day grows wondrous hot; Some airy devil hovers in the sky,7 And pours down mischief. Austria's head lie there; [7] Shakespeare here probably alludes to the distinctions and divisions of demonologists, so much regarded in his time. They distributed the devils into different tribes and classes, each of which had its peculiar qualities, attributes, &c. These are described at length in Burton's Anatomie of Melancholy, Part I. sect. ii. p. 45, 1632: “Of these sublunary devils-Psellus makes six kinds; fiery, aeriall, terrestriall, watery, and subterranean devils, besides those faieries, satyres, иуmphes," &c. Fiery spirits or divells are such as commonly worke by blazing starres, fire-drakes, and counterfeit sunnes and moones, and sit on ships' masts,' &c. &c. "Aeriall spirits or divells are such as keep quarter most part in the aire, cause many tempests, thunder and lightnings, teare oakes, fire steeples, houses, strike men and beasts, make it rain stones," &c. PERCY. My mother is assailed in our tent, Enter King JOHN, ARTHUR, and HUBERT. K. John. Hubert, keep this boy : -Philip, make up: Bast. My lord, I rescu'd her; The same. [Exeunt. Alarums; Excursions; Retreat. Enter King JOHN, ELINOR, ARTHUR, the Bastard, HUBERT, and Lords. K. John. So shall it be; your grace shall stay behind, So strongly guarded.-Cousin, look not sad: Thy grandam loves thee; and thy uncle will [TO ELINOR. [To ARTHUR. Arth. O, this will make my mother die with grief. K. John. Cousin, [To the Bastard.] away for England ; haste before : And, ere our coming, see thou shake the bags Of hoarding abbots; angels imprisoned Use our commission in his utmost force. Bast. Bell, book, and candle shall not drive me back, When gold and silver becks me to come on. I leave your highness :-Grandam, I will pray (If ever I remember to be holy,) For your fair safety; so I kiss your hand. K. John. Coz, farewell. [Exit Bastard. Eli. Come hither, little kinsman; hark, a word. [She takes ARTHUR aside. K. John. Come hither, Hubert. O my gentle Hubert, We owe thee much; within this wall of flesh There is a soul, counts thee her creditor, [8] This expression like many other of our author's, is taken from the sacred writings" And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation." 107th Psalm.-Again: "He hath filled the hungry with good things," &c. St. Luke, i. 53. MALONE. [9] In an account of the Romish curse given by Dr. Grey, it appears that three candles were extinguished, one by one, in different parts of the execration. JOHNSON. |