Lewis. Bethink you, father; for the difference
Is purchase 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. Lewis, ftand fast; the Devil tempts thee here (11)

In likeness of a new and trimmed bride.

Blanch. The lady Conftance fpeaks 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 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 answer well.
Auft. Do fo, King Philip; hang no more in doubt.
Faulc. Hang nothing but a calve's-skin, 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

And tell me, how you would bestow yourself.
This royal hand and mine are newly knit,
And the conjunction of our inward fouls

-the Devil tempts thee here

(11) In Likeness of a new untrimmed Bride.] Tho' all the Copies concur in this Reading, yet as untrimmed cannot bear any Signification to fquare with the Senfe required, I cannot help thinking it a corrupted Reading. 1 have ventur'd to throw out the Negative, and read;

In Likeness of a new and trimmed Bride. i. e. of a new Bride, and One, deck'd and adorn'd as well by Att as Nature.

Marry'd

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 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 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 unconftant children of ourselves,

As now again to snatch 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 so;
Out of your grace, devife, ordain, impose
Some gentle order, and we shall be bleft
To do your pleasure, and continue friends.

Pand. All form is formlefs, order orderlefs,
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'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. 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 againft 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

What fince thou fwor'ft, is fworn against thyself;
And may not be performed by thyself.
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 moft done, not doing it.
The better act of purposes miftook

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'st:
And mak'it an oath the furety for thy truth,
Against an oath the truth thou art unfure
To fwear, fwear only not to be forsworn;
Elfe what a mockery fhould it be to fwear?
But thou doft fwear, only to be forfworn,
And most forfworn, to keep what thou doft swear.
Therefore thy latter vows, against thy first,
Is in thyfelf rebellion to thyfelf.

And better conqueft never canst thou make,
Than arm thy conftant and thy nobler parts
Against thefe 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 fhalt not fhake 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 ftop that mouth of thine?
Lewis. Father, to arms.

Blanch. Upon thy wedding-day?

Against the blood that thou haft married?

What, fhall our feaft be kept with flaughter'd men?
Shall braying trumpets, and loud churlish drums,
Clamours of hell, be meafures 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.

Conf. 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 honour !-
Lewis. I mufe, your Majefty doth seem so cold,
When fuch profound refpects do pull you on?
Pand. I will denounce a curfe upon his head.
K. Philip. Thou shalt not need. England, I'll fall
from thee.

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

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

hour.

Faulc. 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'ft win:
Uncle, I needs must 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 lofe:
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,

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. Philip. Thy rage shall burn thee up, and thou fhalt turn

To afhes, ere our blood fhall quench that fire:
Look to thy felf, thou art in jeopardy.

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

[Exeunt. SCENE changes to a Field of Battle.

Alarms, Excurfions: Enter Faulconbridge, with Austria's

Faulc.

Head.

TOW, by my life, this day grows wondrous hot; (12)

Now, 'by my life, this

Some fiery devil hovers in the sky,

And pours down mischief. Auftria's head lie there.—
Thus hath King Richard's fon perform'd his vow,
And offer'd Auftria's blood for facrifice

Unto his father's ever-living foul.

Enter King John, Arthur, and Hubert.

K. John. There, Hubert, keep this boy. Richard, make up ;

My mother is affailed in our tent,

And ta'en, I fear.

Faulc. My lord, I refcu'd her:

Her highness is in fafety, fear you not.

(12)

it grows wondrous hot;

Some airy Devil hovers in the Sky.] 1have, by Mr. Wat burton's Direction, ventur'd to fubftitute, fiery Devil. It is a very unconclufive Inference, fure, that, because it grew wond'rous hot, fome airy Devil hover'd in the Sky. It is a fort of Reasoning, that carries an Air of Ridicule; unless we could determine, that the Poet meant no more by the Epithet than to exprefs the Sacred Text, in which the Devil is ftiled the Prince of the Air.

But