Faule. Hang nothing but a calve's-skin, most sweet

lout.

K. Philip. I am perplext, and know not what to fay.
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 beflow 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 cur kingdoms and our royal Selves. 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, 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 thefe hands, fo lately purg'd of blood, So newly join'd in love, fo ftrong in both, Unyoke this feizure, and this kind regreet? Play fat and loofe with faith? fo, jeft with heav'n? Make fuch unconftant 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, devife, ordain, impose Some gentle order, and we fhall be blest

7 So frong in both.] I believe the meaning is, were fo frong in both parties.

Το

To do your pleasure, and continue friends.
Pand. All form is formlefs, 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 curse on her revolting fon.

France, thou may'st hold a ferpent by the tongue,
A chafed lyon by the mortal paw,

A fafting tyger fafer by the tooth,

Than keep in peace that hand, which thou doft hold:
K. Phil. 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
Firft 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 thyfelf;
And may not be performed by thyfelf.
For that, which thou haft fworn to do amifs,
* Is't 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 miftake 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 what thou haft fworn against religion:

But what thou fwear'ft, against the thing thou fwear'ft:

8 Is NOT amifs, when it is truly done:] This is a conclufion de travers. We should read,

Is YET amifs, The Oxford Editor, according to his ufual cuftom, will improve it further, and reads, most amifs.

VOL. III.

WARBURTON.

I rather read,

And

as the alteration is lefs, and the fenfe which Dr. Warburton first discovered is preferved.

9 But thou haft fworn against religion, &c.] In this long fpeech, the legate is made to G &

fhew

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 forsworn;

fhew his fkill in cafuiftry; and the ftrange heap of quibble and nonfenfe of which it confifts, was intended to ridicule that of the schools. For when he affumes the politician, at the conclufion of the third act, the author makes him talk at another rate. I mean in that beautiful paffage where he speaks of the mifchiefs following the King's lofs of his fubjects hearts. This conduct is remarkable, and was intended, 1 fuppofe, to fhew us how much better politicians the Roman courtiers are, than divines. WARBURTON.

I am not able to discover here any thing inconfequent or ridiculoufly fubtle. The propofitions that the voice of the church is the voice of heaven, and that the Pope utters the voice of the church, neither of which Pandulph's auditors would deny, being once granted, the argument here ufed is irrefiftible; nor is it easy, notwithstanding the gingle, to enforce it with greater brevity or propriety.

But thou haft fworn against re-
ligion:

By what thou fear'ft, against
the thing thou fwear'ft:
And mak't an oath the furety
for thy truth,
Against an oath the truth thou
art unfure

To fwear, fwear only not to be forfwern.] By what. Sir T. Hanmer reads, by that. I think it should be rather by

which. That is, thou fwear'ft against the thing, by which thou wear'ft; that is, against religion. The moft formidable difficulty is in these lines.

And mak'ft an oath the furety
for thy truth,

Against an oath the truth thou
art unfure
To fwear, &c.

This Sir T. Hanmer reforms thus,

And mak'ft an oath the Surety
for thy truth,

Against an oath; this truth
thou art unfure
To fwear, &c.

Dr. Warburton writes it thus,
Against an oath the truth thou
art unfure —
which leaves the paffage to me
as obfcure as before.

I know not whether there is any corruption beyond the omiffion of a point. The sense, after I had confidered it, appeared to me only this: In fwearing by religion against religion, to which thou haft already worn, thou makeft an oath the fecurity for thy faith against an oath already taken. I will give, fays ke, a rule for confcience in thefe cafes. Thou mayft be in doubt about the matter of an oath; when thou fweareft thou way not be always fure to wear righlty, but let this be thy fettled principle, fwear only not to be forfworn; let not thy latter oaths be at variance with thy former.

Truth, through this whole fpeech, means rectitude of conduct.

Elfe

Elfe what a mockery should it be to fwear?
But thou doft fwear, only to be forfworn,
And moft 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,
Than arm thy conftant and thy nobler parts
Against these giddy, loofe fuggeftions:
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 despair, 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, 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?) 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 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 ho

nour!

Lewis. I muse, your Majefty doth feem fo cold, When fuch profound refpects do pull you on? Gg 2

- Pand

Pand. I will denounce a curfe upon his head.

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

Conft. O fair return of banish'd Majesty!

Eli. O foul revolt of French inconstancy!

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 difmember me.
Husband, I cannot pray that thou may'st win :
Uncle, I needs muft pray that thou may'st lose:
Father, I may not with the fortune thine :
Grandam, I will not wish thy wishes thrive:
Whoever wins, on that fide fhall I lose :
Affured lofs, before the match be play'd.

Lewis. Lady, with me, with me thy fortune lies. 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, whofe 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 afhes, ere our blood fhall quench that fire:

Look to thyself, thou art in jeopardy.

K. John. No more than he that threats. To arms,

I

let's hie.

[Exeunt.

SCENE