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

Jout.
K. Philip. I am perplext, and know not what to say.
Pand. What can't thou say, but will perplex thee

more, If thou stand excommunicate and curst? K. Philip. Good rev'rend father; make my person

yours; And tell me how you would bestow yourself. This royal hand and mine are newly knit, And the conjunction of our inward souls Marry'd in league, coupled and link'd together With all religious strength of sacred vows. The lateit breath, that gave the sound of words, Was deep sworn 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 wash our hands To clap this royal bargain up of peace, Heav'n knows, they were besmear'd and over-stain'd With slaughter's pencil; where revenge did paint The fearful diff'rence of incensed Kings. And shall thele hands, so lately purg'd of blood, So newly join’d in love, ? so strong in both, Unyoke this seizure, and this kind regreet ? Play fast and loose with faith? so, jest with heav'n? Make such unconftant children of ourselves, As now again to snatch our palm from palm? Un-swear faich sworn, and on the marriage-bed Of smiling-peace to march a bloody hoft, And make a riot on the gentle brow Of true sincerity ? O holy Sir, My reverend father, let it not be fo; Out of your grace, devise, ordain, impose Sone gentle order, and we shall be blest

7 Soprong in both.] I believe the meaning is, were so frong in both parties.

To

To do your pleasure, and continue friends.

Pand. All form is formless, order orderless,
Save what is opposice 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 serpent by the tongue,
A chafed lyon by the mortal paw,

A fafting tyger safer by the tooth,
Than keep in peace that hand, which thou doit hold:

K. Phil. I may dis-join my hand, but not my faith.

Pand. So mak'st thou faith an enemy to faith; And, like a civil war, see'st oath to oath, Thy tongue against thy tongue. O, let thy vow First made to heav'n, first be to heav'n perform’d; That is, to be the champion of our Church. What since thou swor’st, is sworn against thyself ; And may not be performed by thyself. For that, which thou hast sworn to do amiss, s Is't not amiss, 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 chereby grows direct, And falfhood falfhood cures; as fire cools fire, Within the scorched veins of one new-burn'd. It is religion that doth make vows kept, 9 But what thou haft sworn against religion: But what thou swear'st, againit the thing thou swear'it:

And 8 Is not amiss, when it is I rather read,

truly done :] This is a con- Is't not amiss, when it is truly clusion de travers. We should done? read,

as the alteration is less, and the Is yet amiss,

sense which Dr. Warburton first The Oxford Editor, according to discovered is preserved. his usual custom, will improve it 9 But thou hast sworn againft further, and reads, most amiss.

religion, &c.] In this long WARBURTON. speech, the legate is made to VOL. III.

Thew

G8

And mak’st an oath the surety for thy truth,
Against an oath. The truth thou art unsure
To swear, swear only not to be forsworn;

shew his skill in cafuiftry; and which. That is, t bou wear A the strange heap of quibble and against the thing, by which thou nonsense of which it consists, swear'A ; that is, against religion. was intended to ridicule that of The most formidable diffithe schools. For when he as- culty is in these lines. sumes the politician, at the con- And mak’f an oath the furety clusion of the third act, the au

for thy Truth, thor makes him talk at another Against an oath the truth theu sate. I mean in that beautiful art unsure passage wbere he speaks of the To swear, &c. mischiefs following the King's This Sir T. Hanmer reforms loss of his subjects hearts. This thus, conduct is remarkable, and was And mak' an oath the furety intended, I suppose, to few us for thy truth, how much better politicians the

Agairft an oath; this truth Roman courtiers are, than divines. thou art unsure

WARBURTON. To swear, &c. I am not able to discover here Dr. Warburton writes it thus, any thing inconfequent or ridicu- Against an oath tbe trub tbou loufly fubtle. The propofitions art unsure that ilie woice of the church is the which leaves the passage to me voice of heaven, and that the as obscure as before. Pope uiters the voice of the church, I know not whether there is neither of which Pandulpb's au. any corruption beyond the omifditors would deny, being once fion of a point. The sense, af. granted, the argument here used terlhad confidered it, appeared to is irresistible ; nor is it easy, not- me only this: In fwearing by rewithitanding the gingle, to en- ligion against religion, to which force it with greater brevity or thou haft already sworn, tbou propriety.

makest an oath the security for the

faith against an oath already taken. But thou haft fuorn againft re- I will give, says ke, a rule for conligion:

science in these cases. Thou may ft By what thou swear's, against be in doubt about the matter of the thing thou swear'st:

an oath; when thon fweareft thou And makit an oath the surety Wayfl not be always sure to swear for thy truth,

rigblty, but let this be thy settled Against an oath the truth thou principle, fwrar only not to be art unsure

forsworn; let not thy latter oaths To futar, swear only not to be be at variance with thy former.

for/wern.] By wbar. Sir Truth, through this whole T. Hanmer reads, by that. I speech, means rectitude of conthink it should be rather by duct.

Elle

Else what a mockery should it be to swear?
But thou doft swear, only to be forsworn,
And most forsworn, to keep what thou dost swear.
Therefore thy latter vows, against thy first,
Is in thyself rebellion to thyself.
And better conquest never canit thou make,
Than arm thy constant and thy nobler parts
Against these giddy, loose suggestions:
Upon which better part, our pray’rs come in,
If chou vouchsafe them. But if nor, then know,
The peril of our curses light on thee
So heavy, as thou shalt not Thake 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 hast married?
What, shall our feast be kept with Naughter'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 shall I see thy love; what motive may Be stronger with thee than the name of wife?

Conjt. That which upholdeth him, that thee upholds, His honour. Oh, thine honour, Lewis, chine ho

nour! Lewis. I muse, your Majesty doth seem so cold, When such profound respects do pull you on?

Panda

Pand. I will denounce a curse upon his head.
K. Pbil. Thou shalt not need. England, I'll fall

from thee.
Const. O fair return of banish's Majesty!
Eli. O foul revolt of French inconstancy!
K. John. France, thou shalt rue this hour within

this hour. Faul. Old time the clock-setter, that bald sexton

time, Is it, as he will ? well then, France shall rue. Blanch. The sun's o'ercast with blood : fair day,

adieu! Which is the side 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 asunder, and dismember me.
Husband, I cannot pray that thou may'st win:
Uncle, I needs must pray that thou may'st lose:
Facher, I may not wish the fortune thine:
Grandam, I will not with thy wishes thrive:
Whoever wins, on that side shall I lose :
Assured loss, 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. Cousin, go draw our puissance 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 shall burn thee up, and thou

shalt turn

To alhes, 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 hic.

[Exeunt.