Upon my party! Thou cold-blooded slave, And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs. 125 Aust. O, that a man should speak those words to me! 130 Enter PANDulph. K. Phi. Here comes the holy legate of the pope. To thee, King John, my holy errand is. I Pandulph, of fair Milan cardinal, And from Pope Innocent the legate here, 131. calf's skin] Capell; Calves skin Ff 1, 2, 3; Calves-skin F 4. climbing, crawling, creeping, ramping, running upwards"; and "grimper: to ramp.' "Lion rampant" in heraldry ought therefore to mean a lion climbing, and this is just the attitude of the lions "rampant given in Woodward and Burnett's Heraldry, i. plate xxi. It would require little imagination however to deem this the representation of a lion seeking whom he might devour, and there is no doubt that in this speech of Constance "ramping" bears the meaning of rushing wildly about. As Mr. Wright suggests, the lion's skin had something to do with the choice of epithet. Mr. Craig tells me 135 Do in his name religiously demand 140 Why thou against the church, our holy mother, So wilfully doth spurn; and force perforce Keep Stephen Langton, chosen archbishop 145 K. John. What earthy name to interrogatories Can task the free breath of a sacred king? Thou canst not, cardinal, devise a name So slight, unworthy and ridiculous, 150 To charge me to an answer, as the pope. Tell him this tale; and from the mouth of England Add thus much more, that no Italian priest Shall tithe or toll in our dominions; But as we, under heaven, are supreme head, 144. see] F 4; Sea Ff 1, 2, 3. taste Ff 3, 4; tax Rowe (ed. 2). 155 160 148. task] Theobald; tast Ff 1, 2; term for questions which a witness was bound to answer faithfully. "A question in legal examinations" (Coles' Dict.). John asks "whose name can sanction questions put to a sacred king?” 154. tithe or toll] Used as verbs = to exact tithe or toll. 155. heaven] Here must be equivalent to God; see "Him" next line. Collier suggests reading "God." K. Phi. Brother of England, you blaspheme in this. Are led so grossly by this meddling priest, Against the pope and count his friends my foes. Pand. Then, by the lawful power that I have, Thou shalt stand cursed and excommunicate: And blessed shall be he that doth revolt 164. Dreading out] Compare Chaucer's Prologue to Canterbury Tales, lines 654-60: "He wolde techen him to have non awe, 165 170 175 173. excommunicate] excommunicated. English words from a Latin past participle in -atus are often used without the -ed in the past. 177. Canonised... saint] Seymour In swich cas, of the erchedeknes would read "Worshipp'd and canoncurs, But-if a mannes soule were in his purs. izéd as a saint." But we may read For in his purs he sholde y-pun- Hamlet, 1. iv. 47:- 'Purs is the erchedeknes helle,' "But tell Why thy canóniz'd bones hearsed "And fame in time to come canón- and III. iv. 52 infra, where Seymour again would needlessly invert the line for the same reason. That takes away by any secret course Const. O, lawful let it be That I have room with Rome to curse awhile! 180 To my keen curses; for without my wrong There is no tongue hath power to curse him right. Pand. There's law and warrant, lady, for my curse. Const. And for mine too: when law can do no right, 185 Let it be lawful that law bar no wrong: Law cannot give my child his kingdom here, For he that holds his kingdom holds the law; Therefore, since law itself is perfect wrong, How can the law forbid my tongue to curse? 190 Pand. Philip of France, on peril of a curse, Let go the hand of that arch-heretic; And raise the power of France upon his head, 194 Eli. Look'st thou pale, France? do not let go thy hand. Const. Look to that, devil; lest that France repent, And by disjoining hands, hell lose a soul. Aust. King Philip, listen to the cardinal. 185. right,] right. Ff. "room 196. that, devil;] Pope; that devil; Ff. 180. room Rome] It seems righted then let no wrongdoing at evident that here and all be hindered. Law cannot give "Rome" were to be pronounced Arthur his kingdom, for John is alike. That "Rome" was pronounced master of the law; therefore since "room" is shown by rhymes in the law itself is "perfect wrong," how Lucrece, 715 and 717, 1644 and 1645. can I be rightfully restrained from Compare also Julius Cæsar, I. ii. 156: cursing. This mixture of quibbling "Now is it Rome indeed and room with passionate argument is characenough." teristic of this play. 185. when law can do no right, etc.] when the law cannot see people 193. raise the power... head] lead the French forces against him. Bast. And hang a calf's-skin on his recreant limbs. Bast. Your breeches best may carry them. K. John. Philip, what say'st thou to the cardinal? Is purchase of a heavy curse from Rome, Blanch. That's the curse of Rome. 200 205 Const. O Lewis, stand fast! the devil tempts thee here Blanch. The Lady Constance speaks not from her faith, 207. That's] That s Ff1; That is 199. And hang. . . recreant limbs] The Bastard takes little interest in the wrongs of either party. He seems only too delighted that mischief is afoot and takes the opportunity to worry Austria. Ff 2, 3, 4. 211 aside the trimmings in which she had "And every fair from fair some- By chance or nature's changing White says "untrimmed = in des 203. What... cardinal?] what should he say, except what the Cardinal has already said? 207. the curse of Rome] To Blanch_habille," which is hardly likely, even the curse of Rome would be the lesser though the marriage was suddenly of two evils, for if John and Philip clapped up. Others see an allusion fell out she would have to oppose her to the bride's going to church with friends to her husband and his friends. her hair dishevelled. Compare This course she has to take ulti- Webster, Vittoria Corrombona (ed. mately. Dyce, p. 27, col. 1): "Let them dangle loose as a bride's hair." The emendations are new and trimmed" (Theobald, who also conjectured 209. new untrimmed] "Trim" in Elizabethan English means gaily decked. Compare the use as a verb in Romeo and Juliet, IV. iv. 24: “Go waken Juliet, go and trim her up." Taking the passage as it stands, we may explain it by supposing Constance to mean that Blanch was a new-made bride having just laid new untamed " or "new be- 66 |