With th' affiftance of a mortal hand.
So tell the Pope, all rev'rence fet apart
To him and his ufurp'd authority.

K. Philip. Brother of England, you blafpheme in this. K. Jobn. Tho' you, and all the Kings of Christendom Are led fo grofly by this medling priest,

Dreading the curfe, that money may buy out;
And by the merit of vile gold, dross, duft,
Purchase corrupted pardon of a man,
Who in that fale fells pardon from himself:
Tho' you, and all the reft, fo grofty led,
This jugling witch-craft with revenue cherish;
Yet I alone, alone, do me oppofe

Againft 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 heretick;
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 (15),

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 curfe 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:

(15) 0, lawful let it be,

That I bave leave with Rome to curfe a rubile ;] Mr. Pope, in the nicety of his ear, has, against the authority of all the copies, difplaced a jingle here; (which I have made bold to refore to the text,) th' it is obvious to every knowing reader, how customary it is with our Poet, in a thousand inftances, to play on words fimilar in found, and differing in fignification. He repeats the very fame conundrum on the two words now before us, in Juliet Cafar.

Now is it Rome indeed; and rooms enough,
When there is in it but ene only man.

Law

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 curfe?
Pand. Philip of France, on peril of a curfe,
Let go the hand of that arch-heretick;
And raife the pow'r of France upon his head,
Unless he do fubmit himfelf 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.

Faule. And hang a calve's-skin on his recreant limbs,
Auft. Well, ruffian, I must pocket up thefe
Becaufe-

Faule. Your breeches beft may carry them.

wrongs,

K. John, Philip, what fay'ft thou to the Cardinal?
Conft. What fhould he fay, but as the Cardinal ?
Lewis. Bethink you, father; for the difference

Is purchace of a heavy curfe from Rome,

Or the light loss of England for a friend;
Forgo the easier.

Blanch. That's the curfe of Rome.

Conft. Leavis, ftand faft; the devil tempts thee here (16) In likeness of a new and trimmed bride.

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

(16)

the devil tempts thee bere

In likeness of a new untrimmed bride.] Tho' all the copies concur in this reading, yet as untrimmed cannot bear any fignification to square with the fe fe required, I cannot help thinking it a corrup ed-reading. It might, indeed, admit of this explanation, undrefs'd, ready to go to bed: but then that is giving in to an allufion too grofs for Lady Conftance. I have ventur'd to throw out the negative, and read;

nature.

In likeness of a new and trimmed bride.

i. e. of a new bride; and one deck'd and adorn'd as well by art as Or we might read; but it departs a little wider from the traces of the text as we find it;

In likeness of a new betrimmed bride.

But the first conjecture anfwers the fenfe and purpofe of the speaker; and requires but a very flight variation.

6

Conf.

Conft. Oh, if thou grant my need,
Which only lives but by the death of faith,
That need muft 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 mov'd, and answers not to this. Conft. O, be remov'd from him, and anfwer well. Auft. Do fo, King Philip; hang no more in doubt. Faulc. Hang nothing but a calve's-fkin, moft sweet lout. K. Philip. I am perplext, and know not what to say. Pand. What can't thou fay, but will perplex thee more, If thou ftand excommunicate and curft?

K. Philip. Good rev'rend 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 ftrength of facred vows:
The latest breath, that gave the found of words,
Was deep-fworn faith, peace, amity, true love
Between our kingdoms, and our royal felves.
And ev❜n before this truce, but new before,
No longer than we well could wash our hands
To clap this royal bargain up of peace,

Heav'n knows, they were befmear'd and over-ftain'd
With flaughter's pencil; where revenge did paint
The fearful diff'rence of incenfed Kings.
And shall these hands, fo lately purg'd of blood,
So newly join'd in love fo ftrong in both,
Unyoke this feifure, and this kind regreet?
Play faft and loose with faith? fo jeft with heav'n,
Make fuch unconstant children of ourselves,
As now again to fnatch our palm from palm ?
Un-fwear 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 Sir,
My reverend father, let it not be fo;
Out of your grace, devise, ordain, impofe

Some

Some gentle order, and 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 curse,
A mother's curfe on her revolting fon.

France, thou may'ft hold a ferpent by the tongue,
A chafed lion by the mortal paw,

A fafting tyger fafer by the tooth,

Than keep in peace that hand, which thou doft hold.
K. Philip. I may dif-join 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 heav'n, firft be to heav'n 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 thy felf.

For that, which thou haft fworn 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; tho' 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 what thou fwear'ft, against the thing thou fwear'ft i
And mak'ft an oath the furety for thy truth,
Against an oath the truth thou art unfure
To fwear, fwear only not to be forfworn,
Elfe what a mockery fhould it be to fwear?
But thou doft fwear, only to be forsworn,

And moft forfworn, to keep what thou doft swear.
Therefore thy latter vows, against thy first,
Is in thyself rebellion to thyself.

And

And better conqueft never canst thou make,
Than arm thy conftant and thy nobler parts
Against thefe giddy, loose fuggestions;
Upon which better part, our pray'rs 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 calve's skin stop that mouth of thine ?
Lewis. Father, to arms.

Blanch. Upon thy wedding-day?

Against the blood that thou haft married?
What, hall 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: (ay, alack, how new
Is husband in my mouth?) ev'n 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. O, upon my knee,

Made hard with kneeling, I do pray to thee,
Thou virtuous Dauphin, alter not the doom
Forethought by heav'n.

Blanch. Now all 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. Ch, thine honour, Lewis, thine honour !— Lewis. I mufe, your Majefty doth feem fo cold, When fuch profound respects do pull you on? Pand. I will denonce a curfe upon his head? K. Philip. Thou. falt not need. England, I'll fall

from thee.

Conf. O fair turn of bamfh'd Majefty!
El. O four revolt of French'inconftancy!

K. Job. France, thou shalt rue this hour within this hour.
Fail. Old Time the Clock-fetter, that bald Sexton Time.