That I have room with Rome to curse a while! To my keen curses: for, without my wrong, There is no tongue hath power to curse him right. And raise the power of France upon his head, ELI. Look'st thou pale, France? do not let go thy hand. AUST. King Philip, listen to the cardinal. BAST. And hang a calf's-skin on his recreant limbs. BAST. Your breeches best may carry them. Is, purchase of a heavy curse from Rome, BLANCH. That's the curse of Rome. BLANCH. The lady Constance speaks not from her faith, • Room with Rome. Rome was formerly pronounced room,—and Shakspere indulges in a play upon words, even when the utterer is strongly moved. Mr. Dyce holds that untrimmed means virgin; which he supports by an example of trimm'd from Fletcher. That need must needs infer this principle,— K. JOHN. The king is mov'd, and answers not to this. So newly join'd in love, so strong in both, As now again to snatch our palm from palm; 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 France, thou mayst hold a serpent by the tongue, A fasting tiger safer by the tooth, Than keep in peace that hand which thou dost hold. And, like a civil war, sett'st oath to oath, 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, And falsehood falsehood cures; as fire cools fire, 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 most forsworn, to keep what thou dost swear. Is in thyself rebellion to thyself: A chafed lion. The original reads, "a cased lion," which is supposed to mean a lion in a cage. The image is, strictly taken, weakened, if not destroyed, by this epithet; for the paw of a confined lion is often held with impunity. Some would read "chafed." We were, in former editions, led to read chased, upon the principle that the very pardonable insertion of an h presents us a noble picture of a hunted lion at bay. But in 'Henry VIII.' Shakspere has "the chafed lion." Swears only. The entire speech of Pandulph is full of verbal subtleties, which render the intricate reasoning more intricate. The poet unquestionably meant to produce this effect. We have restored the reading of one of the most difficult passages: "The truth thou art unsure "To swear, swears only not to be forsworn." All the modern editions read swear. The meaning seems to be this:-The truth-that is, the troth, for which you have made an oath the surety, against thy former oath to heaven-this troth, which it was unsure to swear-which you violate your surety in swearing-has only been sworn-swears only-not to be forsworn; but it is sworn against a former oath, which is more binding, because it was an oath to religion-to the principle upon which all oaths are made. And better conquest never canst thou make, So heavy, as thou shalt not shake them off, Will not a calf's-skin stop that mouth of thine? LEW. Father, to arms! BLANCH. Upon thy wedding-day? What, shall our feast be kept with slaughter'd men? O husband, hear me !-ah, alack, how new Against mine uncle. Made hard with kneeling, I do pray to thee, BLANCH. Now shall I see thy love. What motive may 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. 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! K. JOHN. France, thou shalt rue this hour within this hour. BLANCH. The sun's o'ercast with blood: Fair day adieu! • Measures-solemn dances. They whirl asunder, and dismember me. 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. France, I am burn'd up with inflaming wrath; A rage whose heat hath this condition, The blood, and dearest-valued blood, of France. K. PHI. Thy rage shall burn thee up, and thou shalt turn [Exit Bastard. K. JOHN. No more than he that threats.-To arms let's hie! [Exeunt. 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. While Philip breathes. Austria's head, lie there; 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 rescued 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; Excursions; Retreat. Enter KING JOHN, ELINOR, ARTHUR, the Bastard, HUBERT, and Lords. K. JOHN. So shall it be; your grace shall stay behind, [TO ELINOR. |