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 wafh our hands,
To clap this royal bargain up of peace,

Heaven knows, they were befmear'd and over-ftain'd
With flaughter's pencil; where revenge did paint
The fearful difference of incenfed kings:

a

And fhall these hands, fo lately purg'd of blood,
So newly join'd in love, fo ftrong in both,
Unyoke this seizure, 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 fmiling 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, devise, ordain, impose
Some gentle order; and then we fhall 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'ft hold a ferpent by the tongue,
A cafed lion by the mortal paw,

C

A fafting tyger fafer by the tooth,

Than keep in peace that hand which thou doft hold.

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

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

K.Phil.

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 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 fince thou fwor'ft, is fworn against thyself,

And

may not be performed by thyfelf:

For that, which thou hast sworn to do amifs,
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 mistook

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
Against an oath: The truth thou art unsure
To fwear, fwear only not to be forfworn;
Elfe, what a mockery should it be to swear?
But thou doft fwear only to be forsworn;
And most forfworn, to keep what thou doft swear.
Therefore, thy latter vows, against thy first,

Is in thyself rebellion to thyself :

And better conqueft never canst thou make,

when it is truly done :]-i. e. (as he explains it)" when it is not “ done at all.”—I's most amiss.

The truth]-This phrafe implies, throughout this fpeech, rectitude of conduct. f though indirect,]-though this course be so. 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 loose fuggestions:

Upon which better part our prayers come in,
If thou vouchsafe 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 slaughter'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 hufband 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 mufe, your majefty doth seem so cold, When fuch profound refpects 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.

h

braying]-harsh.

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

Conft. O fair return of banish'd majesty!
Eli. O foul revolt of French inconftancy!

K. John. France, thou fhalt rue this hour within this hour.

Faul. Old time the clock-fetter, that bald fexton time, *Is it as he will? well then, France fhall rue.

Blanch. The fun's o'ercaft with blood: Fair day, adieu! Which is the fide 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 afunder, 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 fide shall I lose;

Affured lofs, before the match be play'd.

Lewis. Lady, with me; with me thy fortune lives. Blanch. There where my fortune lives, there my life

dies.

K. John. Coufin, go draw our puiffance together.

[Exit Faulconbridge.

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 fhall burn thee up, and thou fhalt

turn

To ashes, ere our blood shall quench that fire:

Look to thyself, thou art in jeopardy.

K. John. No more than he that threats.-To arms let's

hie!

Is it as he will ?]-Is it referred to his decifion?

[Exeunt.

S. CE NE II.

A Field of Battle.

Alarums, Excurfions: enter Faulconbridge, with Auftria's bead.

Faulc. Now, by my life, this day grows wondrous hot; Some airy devil hovers in the sky,

And pours down mischief, Auftria's head lie there;
While Philip breathes.

Enter King John, Arthur, and Hubert.

K. John. Hubert, keep thou this boy :-Coufin, make

up;

My mother is affailed in our tent,
And ta'en, I fear.

Faulc. My lord, I rescu'd her;

Her highness is in fafety, fear you not:
But on, my liege; for very little pains
Will bring this labour to an happy end.

SCENE

[Exeunt.

III.

Alarums, excurfions, retreat. Re-enter King John, Elinor, Arthur, Faulconbridge, Hubert, and Lords.

K. John. So fhall it be; your grace shall stay behind,

[To Elinor.

So ftrongly guarded.-Coufin, look not fad:

[To Arthur.

Thy grandam loves thee; and thy uncle will

As dear be to thee as thy father was.

Arth. O, this will make my mother die with grief.

1 Hubert, keep this boy :-Philip, &c.

K. Jobu