Yet I, alone, alone do me oppofe

Against the pope, and count his friends my foes.
Pand. Then, by the lawful power that I have,
Thou shalt ftand curft, and excommunicate:
And bleffed fhall he be, that doth revolt
From his allegiance to an heretic;

And meritorious fhall that hand be call'd,
Canonized, and worship'd as a faint,
That takes away by any fecret course
Thy hateful life.

Conft. O, lawful let it be,

That I have room with Rome to curfe a while!
Good father cardinal, cry thou, amen,

To my keen curfes; for, without my wrong,

There is no tongue hath power to curse him right.
Pand. There's law and warrant, lady, for my curfe.
Conft. And for mine too; when law can do no right,
Let it be lawful, that law bar no wrong:

W

Law cannot give my child his kingdom here;
For he, that holds his kingdom, holds the law:
Therefore, fince law itfelf 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 fubmit himself to Rome.

Eli. Look'ft thou pale, France? do not let go thy hand.
Conft. Look to that, devil! left that France repent,
And, by disjoining hands, hell lose a foul.
Auft. King Philip, liften to the cardinal.

Faulc. And hang a calf's-skin on his recreant limbs. Auft. Well, ruffian, I muft pocket up Becaufe

thefe wrongs,

room with Rome]-JULIUS CESAR, A& III. S. 1. Ant.
bar]-obstruct.

Faulc.

Faulc. Your breeches best may carry them.

K. John. Philip, what fay'ft thou to the cardinal?
Conft. What should he say, but as the cardinal?
Lewis. Bethink you, father; for the difference
Is, purchase of a heavy curfe from Rome,
Or the light lofs of England for a friend :
Forego the easier.

Blanch. That's the curfe of Rome.

Conft. O Lewis, ftand faft; the devil tempts thee here, In likeness of a new untrimmed bride.

Blanch. The lady Conftance speaks not from her faith, But from her need.

Conft. Oh, if thou grant my need,

Which only lives but by the death of faith,

That need must needs infer this principle,-
That faith will 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 mov'd, and answers not to this.
Conft. O, be remov'd from him, and answer well.
Auft. Do fo, king Philip; hang no more in doubt.
Faulc. Hang nothing but a calf's-fkin, moft fweet lout.
'K. Phil. I am perplex'd, and know not what to say.
Pand. What can'ft thou fay, but will perplex thee more,
If thou ftand excommunicate, and curst?

K. Phil. Good reverend father, make my perfon yours, And tell me, how you would bestow yourself.

This royal hand and mine are newly knit ;
And the conjunction of our inward fouls
Marry'd in league, coupled and link'd together
With all religious strength of facred vows;
The latest breath, that gave the found of words,

* untrimmed]-in a deshabille, difencumbered of the formalities of drefs, of all nuptial pomp.-and trimmed-adorned, decked out to the utmoft. y faith,]-belief. 2 of faith,]-fidelity.

X 2

Was

Was deep-fworn faith, peace, amity, true love,
Between our kingdoms, and our royal felves;
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 befmear'd and over-stain'd
With flaughter's pencil; where revenge did paint
The fearful difference of incenfed kings:

And fhall these hands, fo lately purg'd of blood,
So newly join'd in love, fo strong in both,
Unyoke this feizure, and this kind 'regreet?
Play fast and loose with faith? fo jeft with heaven,
Make fuch unconftant children of ourselves,
As now again to fnatch our palm from palm;
Unfwear faith fworn; and on the marriage bed
Of smiling peace to march a bloody hoft,
And make a riot on the gentle brow
Of true fincerity? O holy fir,

My reverend father, let it not be fo:
Out of your grace, devife, ordain, impose
Some gentle order; and then we shall be bleft
To do your pleasure, and continue friends.

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

France, thou may'st hold a ferpent by the tongue,
A cafed lion by the mortal paw,

A fafting tyger safer by the tooth,

Than keep in peace that hand which thou doft hold.

a in both,]-the former enmity, and prefent reconciliation. regreet ?]-interchange of falutations.

cafed]-caged, pent up, irritated by confinement.

K. Phil.

e

K. Phil. I may disjoin my hand, but not my faith.
Pand. So mak'ft thou faith an enemy to faith;
And, like a civil war, fet'ft oath to oath,

Thy tongue againft 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 fince thou fwor'ft, is fworn against thyself,
And may not be performed by thyfelf:

For that, which thou haft fworn to do amifs,

d

Is not amifs, 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 miftook

Is, to mistake again; though indirect,
Yet indirection thereby grows direct,

And falfhood falfhood cures; as fire cools fire,
Within the fcorched veins of one new burn'd.
It is religion, that doth make vows kept;
But thou haft fworn against religion:

By which thou swear'st against the thing thou swear'st;
And mak'st an oath the furety for thy truth

g

Against an oath: The truth thou art unfure

To fwear, fwear only not to be forfworn;

Elfe, what a mockery should it be to fwear?
But thou doft fwear only to be forfworn;
And most forfworn, to keep what thou doft fwear.
Therefore, thy latter vows, against thy first,
Is in thyself rebellion to thyself:

And better conqueft never canft thou make,

when it is truly done :]-i. e. (as he explains it)" when it is not "done at all,”—Is most amifs.

The truth]-This phrafe implies, throughout this fpeech, rectitude of conduct. f though indirect,]-though this course be fo. The truth thou art unfure to fwear, fwear only not to be forfworn ;]In all matters of doubt, let not thy latter oaths contradict thy former.

Than arm thy conftant and thy nobler parts
Against these giddy loofe fuggeftions :
Upon which better part our prayers come in,
If thou vouchfafe them: but, if not, then know,
The peril of our curfes light on thee;

So heavy, as thou shalt not shake them off,
But, in defpair, die under their black weight.
Auft. Rebellion, flat rebellion!

Faulc. Will't not be?

Will not a calf's-fkin ftop that mouth of thine?
Lewis. Father, to arms!

Blanch. Upon thy wedding day?

Against the blood that thou haft married?

h

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

O husband, hear me !-ah! alack, how new
Is husband in my mouth!-even for that name,
Which 'till this time my tongue did ne'er pronounce,
Upon my knee I beg, go not to arms

Against mine uncle.

Conft. Oh, upon my knee,

Made hard with kneeling, I do pray to thee,
Thou virtuous Dauphin, alter not the doom
Fore-thought by heaven.

Blanch. Now fhall I fee thy love; What motive may Be ftronger with thee than the name of wife?

Conft. That which upholdeth him that thee upholds, His honour: Oh, thine honour, Lewis, thine honour! Lewis. I muse, your majesty doth seem so cold, When fuch profound refpects do pull you on. Pand. I will denounce a curfe upon his head.

K. Phil. Thou shalt not need :-England, I'll fall from

thee.

braying]-harsh.

I mufe,]-I wonder, am furprifed.
Conft.