Şet armed discord 'cwixt these perjur’d Kings !
Hear me, oh, hear me !

Aufi. Lady Confiance, peace.

Const. War, war, no peace; peace is to me a war,
O Lymoges, O Austria ! 'thou doft fhaine
That bloody spoil: thou Nave, thou wretch, thou

coward,
Thou little valiant, great in villainy!
Thou ever strong upon the stronger side;
Thou fortune's champion, that doft never fight
But when her humourous ladyship is by
To teach thee safety! thou art perjur'd too,
And sooth'st up greatness. What a fool art thou,
A ramping fool, to brag, to stamp, and swear,
Upon my party; thou cold blooded Nave,
Hast thou not spoke like thunder on my side ?
Been sworn my faldier, bidding me depend
Upon thy stars, thy fortune, and thy strength ?
And dost thou now fall over to my foes ?
Thou wear a lion's hide! doff it for shame,
And hang a calve's-skin on those recreant limbs.

Auft. O, that a man would speak those words to me!
Faulc. And hang a calve’s-skin on those recreant

limbs.
Auft. Thou dar’st not say so, villain, for thy life.
Faulo. And hang a calve's fkin on those recreant

limbs. Auft. ? Methinks, that Richard's pride and Richard's fall

Should

1

Shakespeare makes this bitter cond of Act 2.) the least men curse effectual.

tion of any reason for it. But 2 Methinks,that Richard's pride, the story is, that Aufiria, who &c.] What was the ground of kill'd King Richard Cæurde lion, this quarrel of the Bastard to wore, as the spoil of that prince, Auftria is no where specify'd in a lion's hide which had belong'd the present play: nor is there in to him. This circumstance renthis place, or the scene where it ders the anger of the Bastard is first hinted at (namely the fe- very natural, and ought not to

Should be a precedent to fright you, Sir.
Faulc. What words are these ? how do my finews

shake!
My father's foe clad in my father's fpoil !
How doth Alecto whisper in my ears,
“ Delay not, Richard, kill the villain strait ;
« Difrobe him of the matchless monument,
$6 Thy father's triumph o'er the savages.”
Now by his soul I swear, my father's soul,
Twice will I not review the morning's rise,
Till I have torn that trophy from thy back
And split thy heart, for wearing it so long.

K. John. We like not this, thou dost forget thyself.

SC EN E III.

Enter Pandulpho.

K, Philip. Here comes the holy Legate of the Pope.

Pand. Hail, you anointed Deputies of heav'n!
To thee, King John, my holy errand is ;
I Pandulph, of fair Milain Cardinal,
And froin Pepe Innocent the Legate here,
Do in his name religiously demand
Why thou against the Church, our holy Mother,
So wilfully doft spurn, and force perforce
Keep Stephen Langton, chofen Archbishop

have been omitted. In the first omission of this incident in the sketch of this play (which Shake. second draught, was natural. Speare is said to have had a hand Shakespeare, having familiarised in, jointly with William Rozwley) the story to his own imaginawe accordingly find this infifted tion, forgot that it was obicure upon, and I have ventured to to his audience ; or, what is place a few of those verses here. equally probable, the story was

Pope. then so popular that a bint was To the insertion of these lines sufficient at that time to bring it I have nothing to object. There to mind, and these plays were are many other pasiages in the written with very little care for old play, of great value. The the approbation of pofterity.

Of

3

Of Canterbury, from that holy See?
This in our 'foresaid holy Father's name,
Pope Innocent, I do demand of thee.

K. John. What earthly name to interrogatories
Can talk the free breath of a sacred King?
Thou canst not, Cardinal, devise a name
So Night, unworthy, and ridiculous,
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 heav'n are supreme head,
So, under him, that great Supremacy,
Where we do reign, we will alone uphold ;
Without th' affiftance of a mortal hand.
So tell the Pope, all rev'rence fet apart
To him and his usurp'd authority.

K. Philip. Brother of England, you blaspheme in this.

K. John. Tho’you, and all the Kings of Christendom Are led fo grofly by this medling Priest, Dreading the curse, that mony 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 rest, so grosly led, This jugling witch-craft with revenue cherish ; Yet I alone, alone, do me oppose Against the Pope, and count his friends my foes.

Pand. Then by the lawful power that I have, Thou shalt ftand curit, and excommunicate;

3 This must have been at the motion, that I cannot but fur. time when it was written, in our pect that time has obscured much struggles with popery, a very of his art, and that many allucaptivating scene.

fions yet remain undiscovered So many passages remain in which perhaps may be gradually which Shakespeare evidently takes retrieved by succeeding commenhis advantage of the facts then tators. recent, and of the passions then in

And blessed shall he be, that doth revolt
From his allegiance to an heretick;
And meritorious shall that hand be call'd,
Canoniz'd and worshipp'd as a Saint,
That takes away by any secret course +
Thy hateful life.

Const. O, lawful let it be,
That I have room with Rome to curfe a while.
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.

Conft. 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 ?

Pard. Philip of France, on peril of a curse, Let go the band of that arch-heretick; And raise the pow'r of France upon his head, Unless he do submit himself to Rome. Eli. Look'st thou pale, France ? do not let go thy

hand. Conft. Look to that, devil! left that France repent, And, by disjoining liands, hell lose a soul.

Auft. King Philip, listen to the Cardinal.
Faulc. And hang a calve's-skin on his recreant limbs.

Auft. Well, ruffian, I must pocket up these wrongs, Because

Faulc. Your breeches beft may carry them.
K. John. Philip, what fay'st thou to the Cardinai?

Conft. What Mould he say, but as the Cardinal ?

Lewis. Bethink you, fazher; for the difference Is

purchase of a heavy curse from Rome , Or the light loss of England for a friend ; Forgo the easier.

Blanch. That's the curse of Rome.

Conft. Lewis, stand fast; the Devil tempts thee here In likeness of a new and trimmed bride. Blanch. The Lady Confiance 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 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. 0, be remov'd from him, and answer well. Auft. Do so, King Philip; hang no more in doubt.

6

s It is a political maxim, that trimmid cannot bear any significakingdoms are never married. Lewis tion to quare with the sense reupon the wedding is for making quired, it must be corrupt; therewar upon his new relations. fore he will cathier it, and read.

the Devil té mols and trimmed ; in which he is folthee bere

lowed by the Oxford Editor ; but In Likeness of a new untrimmed they are both too hasty. It

Bride.) Tho' all the Co- squares very well with the sense, pies concur in this Reading, yet and fignifies unfitady. The term as untrimmid cannot bear any is taken from Navigation. We Signifcation to square with the faytoo, in a similar way of speakSense required, I cannot help ing, not will mannet.

WARB. thinking it a corrupted Reading.

I think Mr. Theobald's corI have ventured to throw out the section more plausible than Dr. Negative, and read;

Warburton's explanation. A com: In Likeness of a new and trimmed nientacor should be grave, and Bride.

therefore I can read these notes i. e. of a new Bride, and one with the proper feverity of atdeck'd and adorn'd as well by tention; but the idea of trimming Art as Nature. THEOBALD. a lady to keep her fady, would

untrimmed bride.] be too risible for any common Mr. Theobald says, that as un

a

new