Faulc. Hang Nothing but a Calve's-Skin, moft fweet Lout.

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

If thou ftand excommunicate and curft?

K. Philip. Good rev'rend father, make my person

yours;

And tell me, how you would bestow your self.
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 our Kingdoms and our royal Selves.
And ev'n 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 Slaughter'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 unconstant children of our felves,
As now again to fnatch our palm from palm?
Un-fwear faith fworn, and on the marriage-bed
Of smiling 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, impofe
Some gentle Order, and we fhall be bleft
To do your pleasure, and continue friends.

Pand, All form is formless, 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

A mother's curfe on her revolting fon.

France, thou may'ft 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'st 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
First made to heav'n, first be to heav'n perform'd;
That is, to be the Champion of our Church.
What fince thou fwor'ft, is fworn against thy felfs
And may not be performed by thy felf.

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 most done, not doing it.
The better Act of purposes mistook

Is to mistake again; tho' indirect,

Yet indirection thereby 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,,
But thou haft fworn against religion :

By what thou fwear'ft, against the thing thou fwear'st:
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 forfworn;
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 fwear.
Therefore thy latter vows, against thy first,
Is in thy felf Rebellion to thy felf.

parts

And better Conqueft never canft thou make,
Than arm thy conftant and thy nobler
Against these giddy, loose fuggeftions:
Upon which better part; our pray'rs come in,
If thou vouchsafe them. But if not, then know,
The peril of our curfes light on thee

So

So heavy, as thou shalt 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 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: (ay, 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 honour!Lewis. I mufe, your Majefty doth feem fo cold, When fuch profound refpects do pull you on? Pand. I will denounce a Curse 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 fhalt 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 Sun's o'ercaft with blood: fair day, adieu! Which is the fide that I muft go withal? I am with Both, each army hath a hand, And in their rage, I having hold of both,

They

They whirl afunder, and difmember me.
Husband, I cannot pray that thou may'st 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 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
dies.

life

K.John. Coufin, go draw our puiffance together. [Exit Faulc. 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 deareft-valu'd blood of France.

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

To ashes, 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 Auftria's, bead.

Faulc. NOW, by my life, this day grows wond'rous

hot; (17)

Some fiery devil hovers in the sky,

And pours down mischief. Auftria's head lie there.

(17)

it grows wondrous hot;

Some airy Devil hovers in the Sky.] I have, by Mr. Warburton'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 express the Sacred Text, in which the Devil is ftiled the Prince of the Air.

Thus

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 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.
But on, my Liege; for very little pains
Will bring this labour to an happy end.

[Exeunt.

Alarms, Excurfions, Retreat. Re-enter King John, Elinor, Arthur, Faulconbridge, Hubert, and Lords.

K. John. So fhall it be; your Grace shall stay behind So ftrongly guarded: Coufin, look not fad,

[To Arthur. Thy Grandam loves thee, and thy Uncle will As dear be to thee, as thy father was. Arth. O, this will make my mother die with grief. K. John. Coufin, away for England; hafte before, [To Faulc. And, ere our Coming, fee thou shake the bags Of hoarding Abbots; their imprifon'd angels Set thou at liberty: the fat ribs of Peace (18) Muft by the hungry War be fed upon.

Use our Commiffion in its utmost force.

Faulc. Bell, Book, and Candle fhall not drive me back,

When gold and filver beck me to come on.

I leave your Highness: Grandam, I will pray,

(18)

the fat Ribs of Peace

Muft by the hungry now be fed upon.] This Word new feems a very idle Term here, and conveys no fatisfactory Idea. An Antithefis, and Oppofition of Terms, fo perpetual with our Author, requires;

Muft by the hungry War be fed upon.

War, demanding a large Expence, is very poetically faid to be hungry, and to prey on the Wealth and Fat of Peace. Mr. Warburton.

VOL. III.

P

(IF