Else, what a mockery should it be to swear!
But thou dost 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 canst thou make,
Than arm thy constant and thy nobler parts
Against those giddy loose suggestions:
Upon which better part our prayers come in,
If thou vouchsafe them; but, if not, then know,
The peril of our curses light on thee;
So heavy, as thou shalt not shake them off,
But, in despair, die under their black weight.
Aust. Rebellion, flat rebellion!

Bast.

Will't not be?

Will not a calf's-skin stop that mouth of thine ?

Lew. Father, to arms!

• 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,
Clamours of hell-be measures1 to our pomp?
O husband, hear me!-ah, alack, how new
Is husband in my mouth!-even 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.

Const.

O, upon my knee, Made hard with kneeling, I do pray to thee, Thou virtuous dauphin, alter not the doom Fore-thought by heaven.

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,

His honour: O, thine honour, Lewis, thine honour!
Lew. I muse, 2 your majesty doth seem so cold,

(1) Music for dancing. (2) Wonder.

1

Of smiling peace to march a bloody host,
And make a riot on the gentle brow
Of true sincerity? O holy sir,
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
To do your pleasure, and continue friends.

Pand. All form is formless, order orderless, Save what is opposite 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 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.
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
First made to heaven, first be to heaven 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,
Is 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; though indirect,
Yet indirection thereby grows direct,
And falsehood falsehood cures; as fire cools fire,
Within the scorched veins of one new burn'd.
It is religion, that doth make vows kept;
But thou hast sworn against religion;

By what thou swear'st, against the thing thou

swear'st;

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;

KING JOHΝ.

41

Else, what a mockery should it be to swear! But thou dost 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 canst thou make, Than arm thy constant and thy nobler parts Against those giddy loose suggestions: Upon which better part our prayers come in, If thou vouchsafe them; but, if not, then know, The peril of our curses light on thee; So heavy, as thou shalt not shake them off, But, in despair, die under their black weight. Aust. Rebellion, flat rebellion!

Bast.

Will't not be?

Will not a calf's-skin stop that mouth of thine?

Lew. Father, to arms!

Blanch.

Against the blood that thou hast married? What, shall our feast be kept with slaughter'd men? Shall braying trumpets, and lond churlish drums,Clamours of hell be measures1 to our pomp? O husband, hear me!-ah, alack, how new Is husband in my mouth!-even for that name, Which till this time my tongue did ne'er pronounce, Upon my knee I beg, go not to arms

Upon thy wedding day?

Against mine uncle.

Const.

Made hard with kneeling, I do pray to thee,
O, upon my knee,
Thou virtuous dauphin, alter not the doom
Fore-thought by heaven.

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,

His honour: O, thine honour, Lewis, thine honour! Lew. I muse, 2 your majesty doth seem so cold,

(1) Music for dancing. (2) Wonder.

When such profound respects do pull you on. Pand. I will denounce a curse upon his head. K. Phi. Thou shalt not need :-England, I'll fall

from thee.

Const. O fair return of banish'd majesty!
Eli. O foul revolt of French inconstancy!
K. John. France, thou shalt rue this hour with-

in this hour.

Bast. 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;
Father, I may not wish the fortune thine;
Grandam, I will not wish thy wishes thrive:
Whoever wins, on that side shall I lose;
Assured loss, before the match be play'd.

Lew. Lady, with me; with me thy fortune lies.
Blanch. There where my fortune lives, there my

life dies.

K. John. Cousin, go draw our puissance1 together.[Exit Bastard. 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. Phi. Thy rage shall burn thee up, and thou

shalt turn

To ashes, 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 hie!

[Exeunt.

(1) Force.

SCENE II.-The same. Plains near Angiers. Alarums, Excursions. Enter the Bastard, with Austria's head.

Bast. Now, by my life, this day grows wondrous hot;

Some airy devil hovers in the sky,
And pours down mischief. Austria's head lie there;
While Philip breathes.

Enter King John, Arthur, and Hubert.

K. John. Hubert, keep this boy :-Philip, Make

up:

My mother is assailed in our tent,

And ta'en, I fear.

Bast.

My lord, I rescu'd her;

Her highness is in safety, fear you not;
But on, my liege: for very little pains
Will bring this labour to a happy end.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III. The same. Alarums; Excur

sions; Retreat. Enter King John, Elinor, Arthur, the Bastard, Hubert, and Lords.

K. John. So shall it be; your grace shall stay

behind,

[To Elinor.

So strongly guarded.--Cousin, look not sad:

[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. Cousin, [To the Bastard.] away for

England; haste before :
And, ere our coming, see thou shake the bags
Of hoarding abbots: angels1 imprisoned
Set thou at liberty: the fat ribs of peace
Must by the hungry now be fed upon :
Use our commission in his utmost force.
Bast. Bell, book, and candle, shall not drive me

back,

(1) Gold coin.