Enter PANDULPH.

PAND. Hail, you anointed Deputies of Heaven!

To thee, King John, my holy errand is:

I Pandulph, of fair Milan Cardinal,

And from Pope Innocent the Legate here,

Do in his name religiously demand

Why thou against the Church, our Holy Mother,

So wilfully dost spurn, and force perforce
Keep Stephen Langton, chosen Archbishop
Of Canterbury, from that holy see?
This, in our foresaid Holy Father's name,
Pope Innocent, I do demand of thee.

K. JOHN. What earthy name to interrogatories
Can task1 the free breath of a sacred King?
Thou canst not, Cardinal, devise a name

So slight, unworthy, and ridiculous

140

150

To charge me to an answer as the Pope.

Tell him this tale; and from the mouth of England
Add thus much more: that no Italian priest

Shall tithe or toll in our dominions;

But as we, under Heaven, are supreme head,
So, under Him, that great supremacy
Where we do reign we will alone uphold
Without the assistance of a mortal hand:

So tell the Pope; all reverence set apart
To him and his usurp'd authority.

K. PHI. Brother of England, you blaspheme in this.

K. JOHN. Though you and all the Kings of Christendom

Are led so grossly by this meddling priest,

Dreading the curse that money may buy out;
And by the merit of vile gold, dross, dust,
Purchase corrupted pardon of a man,
Who in that sale sells pardon from himself;
Though you, and all the rest so grossly led,
This juggling witchcraft with revenue cherish;
Yet I, alone, alone do me oppose

Against the Pope, and count his friends my foes.
PAND. Then, by the lawful power that I have,

Thou shalt stand curs'd and excommunicate:

1 compel.

160

170

ACT III
Sc. I

ACT III
Sc. I

And blessed shall he be that doth revolt
From his allegiance to an heretic;
And meritorious shall that hand be call'd,
Canonized, and worshipp'd as a Saint,
That takes away by any secret course
Thy hateful life.

CONST.

O, lawful let it be

That I have room with Rome to curse awhile!
Good Father Cardinal, cry thou Amen

To my keen curses; for without my wrong

There is no tongue hath power to curse him right.
PAND. There's law and warrant, Lady, for my 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;
For he that holds his kingdom holds the law:
Therefore, since Law itself is perfect wrong,
How can the Law forbid my tongue to curse?
PAND. Philip of France, on peril of a curse

Let go the hand of that arch-heretic;

And raise the power of France upon his head,
Unless he do submit himself to Rome.

180

190

ELI. Look'st thou pale, France? do not let go thy hand.
CONST. Look to that, Devil; lest that France repent,

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 wrongs, 200

Because

BAST.

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:
Forego the easier.

BLANCH.

That's the curse of Rome.

CONST. O Lewis, stand fast! the Devil tempts thee

here

In likeness of a new untrimmed1 bride.

1 unhandled and undocked; i.e. virgin.

BLANCH. The Lady Constance speaks not from her faith, ACT III

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 this.
CONST. O, be remov'd from him, and answer well!
AUST. Do so, King Philip; hang no more in 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 canst thou say but will perplex thee more,
If thou stand excommunicate and curs'd?

K. PHI. Good reverend Father, make my person your's,
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 latest breath that gave the sound of words
Was deep-sworn 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,
Heaven knows, they were besmear'd and overstain'd
With Slaughter's pencil, where Revenge did paint
The fearful difference of incensed Kings:

And shall these hands, so lately purg'd of blood,

211

221

230

240

So newly join'd in love, so strong in both,
Unyoke this seizure and this kind regreet?1
Play fast-and-loose with Faith? so jest with Heaven?
Make such unconstant children of ourselves,

As now again to snatch our palm from palm?
Unswear faith sworn? and on the marriage-bed
Of smiling Peace to march a bloody host,
And make a riot on the gentle brow

Of true Sincerity? O, holy Sir,

1 renewal of greeting. 2 a cheating game; by some identified with prick-the-garter. IV E

33

Sc. I

ACT III
Sc. I

My reverend Father, let it not be so!
Out of your grace, devise, ordain, impose
Some gentle order, and then we shall be blest
To do your pleasure, and continue friends.
PAND. All form is formless, order orderless,
Save what is opposite1 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 chafed 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, sett'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 that thou swear'st against the thing thou swor'st,
And mak'st an oath the surety for thy truth
Against an oath: the truth thou art unsure
To swear swears only not to be forsworn;
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 later vow against thy first

250

260

270

280

Is in thyself rebellion to thyself;

And better conquest never canst thou make
Than arm thy constant and thy nobler parts
Against these 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 measures to our pomp?

O Husband, hear me! ay, 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.

Made hard with kneeling, I do pray to thee,
Thou virtuous Dolphin, alter not the doom
Forethought 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 your Majesty doth seem so cold,
When such profound respects' do pull you on.

PAND. I will denounce a curse upon his head.

290

300

310

K. PHI. Thou shalt not need. England, I will fall from

thee.

CONST. O fair return of banish'd majesty!

ELI. O foul revolt of French inconstancy!

320

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

hour.

1 weighty and grave conditions.

АСТ III

Sc. I