And blessed shall he be, that doth revolt Const. O, lawful let it be, That I have room with Rome to curse a while! To my keen curses: for, without my wrong, curse. Const. 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; Eli. Look'st thou pale, France? do not let go thy hand. Const. Look to that, devil! lest that France re pent, And, by disjoining hands, hell lose a soul. Aust. King Philip, listen to the cardinal. Bast. And hang a calf's-skin on his recreant limbs. Aust. Well, ruffian, I must pocket up these Because Bast. wrongs, Your breeches best may carry them. K. John. Philip, what say'st thou to the cardinal? Const. What should he say, but as the cardinal? Lew. Bethink you, father; 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. Const. O Lewis, stand fast; the devil tempts thee here, In likeness of a new untrimmed bride.2 Blanch. The lady Constance speaks not from her faith, But from her need. Const. O, 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 Const. O, be remov'd from him, and answer well. doubt. Bast. Hang nothing but a calf's-skin, most sweet lout. K. Phi. I am perplex'd, and know not what to say. Pand. What can'st thou say, but will perplex thee more, If thou stand excommunicate, and curs'd? K. Phi. Good reverend 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 a new untrimmed bride.] i. e. undressed. Married in league, coupled and link'd together My reverend father, let it not be so: Out of your grace, devise, ordain, impose Some gentle order; and then we shall be bless'd Pand. All form is formless, order orderless, Therefore, to arms! be champion of our church! Or let the church, our mother, breathe her curse, A mother's curse, on her revolting son. France, thou may'st hold a serpent by the tongue, A cased lion by the mortal paw, A fasting tiger safer by the tooth, Than keep in peace that hand which thou dost hold. K. Phi. I may disjoin my hand, but not my faith. 3 this kind regreet?] A regreet is an exchange of salutation. Pand. So mak'st thou faith an enemy to faith; And, like a civil war, set'st oath to oath, Thy tongue against thy tongue. O, let thy vow For that, which thou hast sworn to do amiss, And being not done, where doing tends to ill, And falsehood falsehood cures; as fire cools fire, By what thou swear'st, against the thing thou swear'st; And mak'st an oath the surety for thy truth And better conquest never canst thou make, Is not amiss when it is truly done;] i. e. that, which you have sworn to do amiss, is not amiss, (i. e. becomes right) when it is done truly (that is, as he explains it, not done at all;) and being not done, where it would be a sin to do it, the truth is most done when you do it not: Other parts of this speech have puzzled the commentators, who have, in turn, puzzled their readers. Upon which better part our prayers come in, So heavy, as thou shalt not shake them off, Bast. Will't not be? Will not a calf's-skin stop that mouth of thine? Blanch. Upon thy wedding day? Against the blood that thou hast married? What, shall our feast be kept with slaughter'd men? Shall braying trumpets, and loud churlish drums,- Against mine uncle. Const. O, upon my knee, Made hard with kneeling, I do pray to thee, Blanch. Now shall I see thy love; What motive may Be stronger with thee than the name of wife? Const. That which upholdeth him that thee upholds, 6 His honour: O, thine honour, Lewis, thine honour! 5 be measures-] The measures, it has already been more than once observed, were a species of solemn dance in our author's time. |