Good father cardinal, cry thou amen

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,

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?

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,
Unless he do submit himself to Rome.

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.

Bast. And hang a calf's-skin on his recreant limbs.

Aust. Well, ruffian, I must pocket up these wrongs,

Because

Bast. Your breeches best may carry them.

K. John. Philip, what say'st thou to the cardinal?

Const. What should he say, but as the cardinal?

Lew. Bethink you, father; for the difference
Is purchase of a heavy curse from Rome,
Or the light loss of England for a friend:
Forego the easier.

190

200

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,
That need must needs infer this principle,
That faith would live again by death of need.

O then, tread down my need, and faith mounts

up;

Keep my need up, and faith is trodden down!

K. John. The king is moved, and answers not to this.

Const. O, be removed from him, and answer well!

Aust. Do so, King Philip; hang no more in doubt.

Bast. Hang nothing but a calf's-skin, most sweet lout.

K. Phi. I am perplex'd, and know not what

to say.

Pand. What canst thou say but will perplex thee more,

If thou stand excommunicate and cursed?

K. Phi. 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

209. untrimmed, disarrayed (i.e. either divested of her wedding-robe,' or 'with her

hair hanging loose').

213. infer, prove.
225. bestow yourself, act.

2IC

220

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 over-
stain'd

With slaughter's pencil, where revenge did paint
The fearful difference of incensed kings:

And shall these hands, so lately purged 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?

heaven,

so jest with

Make such unconstant children of ourselves,
As now again to snatch our palm from palm,
Unswear faith sworn, and on the marriage-bed
Of smiling peace to march a bloody host,
And make a riot on the gentle brow
Of true sincerity? O, holy sir,
My reverend father, let it not be so !
Out of your grace, devise, ordain, impose
Some gentle order; and then we shall be blest
To do your pleasure and continue friends.

Pand. All form is formless, order orderless,
Save what is opposite to England's love.
Therefore to arms! be champion of our church,
Or let the church, our mother, breathe her curse,
A mother's curse, on her revolting son.

France, thou mayst hold a serpent by the tongue,

230

240

250

the

254. opposite, adverse. 258. the tongue, as supposed seat of the serpent's poison.

A chafed lion by the mortal paw,

A fasting tiger safer by the tooth,
Than keep in peace that hand which thou dost hold.
K. Phi. I may disjoin my hand, but not my
faith.

Pand. So makest thou faith an enemy to faith;
And like a civil war set'st oath to oath,

Thy tongue against thy tongue.

O, let thy vow
First made to heaven, first be to heaven perform'd,

That is, to be the champion of our church!
What since thou sworest is sworn against thyself
And may not be performed by thyself,

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,
The truth is then most done not doing it :
The better act of purposes mistook
Is to mistake again; though indirect,
Yet indirection thereby grows direct,

And falsehood falsehood cures, as fire cools fire
Within the scorched veins of one new-burn'd.
It is religion that doth make vows kept;
But thou hast sworn against religion,

By what thou swear'st against the thing thou
swear'st,

259. chafed; Theobald's emendation for Ffcased.'

267. champion of our church; in reference to the official title of the French kings: eldest son of the church.'

270. that. . . amiss, the unlawful act which you have sworn to do.

271. when it is truly done, when it is done in a lawful manner, i.e. when it is not done; truth,' as the legate proceeds to explain, being in such a case 'most done

260

270

280

by 'not doing' that which 'tends to ill.'

275. indirect, contrary to law, unjust.

281. By what thou swear'st against the thing thou swear'st, by the oath you swear against your oath (viz. to be the champion of our church, v. 267). This is preferable to supposing the omission of 'by' after 'swear'st,' since the next line is parallel. A probable emendation is swar'st' for 'swear'st.'

And makest an oath the surety for thy truth
Against an oath the truth thou art unsure
To swear, swears only not to be forsworn ;
Else what a mockery should it be to swear!
But thou dost swear only to be forsworn ;
And most forsworn, to keep what thou dost swear.
Therefore thy later vows against thy first
Is in thyself rebellion to thyself;

And better conquest never canst thou make
Than arm thy constant and thy nobler parts
Against these giddy loose suggestions :
Upon which better part our prayers come in,
If thou vouchsafe them. But if not, then know
The peril of our curses light on thee

So heavy as thou shalt not shake them off,

But in despair die under their black weight.
Aust. Rebellion, flat rebellion!

Bast.

Will't not be?

Will not a calf's-skin stop that mouth of thine?
Lew. Father, to arms!

Blanch.

290

Upon thy wedding-day? 300

Against the blood that thou hast married?

What, shall our feast be kept with slaughter'd men?
Shall braying trumpets and loud churlish drums,
Clamours of hell, be measures to our pomp?

283, 284. the truth thou art unsure, etc. Ff have these three lines:

And mak'st an oath the suretie for thy truth

Against an oath the truth, thou art

unsure

To sweare, sweares onely not to be forsworne.

Johnson put a stop at 'oath' in v. 283. The construction is in any case difficult, but the meaning is clear. Pandulph argues that Philip's oath to John is perjury,

as a violation of his primary vow to heaven; that perjured oath he takes as a surety of his good faith. But to take an oath of good faith (otherwise insecure) is a mere mockery, unless it implies that he who takes it is not thereby forsworn, whereas Philip is forsworn in the very act of swearing.

292. suggestions, temptations. 304. measures, musical accompaniment (to a dance; more commonly, the dance itself).