AUSTRIA O, that a man should speak those words to me!
BASTARD And hang a calf’s-skin on those recreant limbs.
AUSTRIA Thou dar’st not say so, villain, for thy life.
BASTARD And hang a calf’s-skin on those recreant limbs.
KING JOHN We like not this: thou dost forget thyself.
Enter Pandulph
KING PHILIP Here comes the holy legate62 of the Pope.
CARDINAL PANDULPH Hail, you anointed deputies of heaven.—
To thee, King John, my holy errand is:
I Pandulph, of fair Milan cardinal,
And from Pope Innocent66 the legate here,
Do in his name religiously67 demand
Why thou against the Church, our holy mother,
So wilfully dost spurn; and force perforce69
Keep Stephen Langton70, chosen archbishop
Of Canterbury, from that holy see71:
This, in our foresaid72 holy father’s name,
Pope Innocent, I do demand of thee.
KING JOHN What earthy name to interrogatories74
Can test75 the free breath of a sacred king?
Thou canst not, cardinal, devise a name
So slight, unworthy, and ridiculous
To charge78 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 toll81 in our dominions:
But as we, under heaven, are supreme head,
So, under him, that great supremacy83,
Where we do reign, we will alone uphold84
Without th’assistance of a mortal hand:
So tell the Pope, all reverence set apart86
To him and his usurped authority.
KING PHILIP Brother of England, you blaspheme88 in this.
KING JOHN Though you and all the kings of Christendom
Are led so grossly by this meddling priest90,
Dreading the curse that money may buy out91,
And by the merit of vile gold, dross92, dust,
Purchase corrupted pardon of93 a man,
Who in that sale sells pardon from himself94:
Though you and all the rest so grossly led
This juggling witchcraft with revenue cherish96,
Yet I alone, alone do me oppose97
Against the Pope, and count his friends my foes.
CARDINAL PANDULPH Then by the lawful power that I have,
Thou shalt stand cursed and excommunicate100:
And blessèd shall he be that doth revolt
From his allegiance to an heretic102:
And meritorious shall that hand be called,
Canonizèd and worshipped as a saint,
That takes away by any secret course
Thy hateful life.
CONSTANCE O, lawful let it be
That I have room108 with Rome to curse awhile:
Good Father Cardinal, cry thou ‘Amen’
To my keen curses; for without my wrong110
There is no tongue hath power to curse him right111.
CARDINAL PANDULPH There’s law and warrant112, lady, for my curse.
CONSTANCE And for mine too: when law can do no right,
Let it be lawful that law bar no wrong114:
Law cannot give my child his kingdom here;
For he that holds116 his kingdom holds the law:
Therefore, since law itself is perfect117 wrong,
How can the law forbid my tongue to curse?
CARDINAL PANDULPH Philip of France, on peril of a curse,
Let go the hand of that arch-heretic120,
And raise the power of France upon his head121,
Unless he do submit himself to Rome.
QUEEN ELINOR Look’st thou pale, France? Do not let go thy hand.
CONSTANCE Look to that124, devil, lest that France repent,
And by disjoining hands, hell lose a soul.
AUSTRIA King Philip, listen to the cardinal.
BASTARD And hang a calf’s-skin on his recreant limbs.
AUSTRIA Well, ruffian, I must pocket up128 these wrongs,
Because—
BASTARD Your breeches best may carry them.
KING JOHN Philip, what say’st thou to the cardinal?
CONSTANCE What should he say, but as the cardinal132?
LEWIS Bethink you, father, for the difference133
Is purchase134 of a heavy curse from Rome,
Or the light135 loss of England for a friend:
Forgo the easier.
BLANCHE That’s the curse of Rome.
CONSTANCE O Lewis, stand fast: the devil tempts thee here
In likeness of a new untrimmèd139 bride.
BLANCHE The lady Constance speaks not from her faith,
But from her need.
CONSTANCE O, if thou grant my need142,
Which only lives but by the death of faith143,
That need must needs144 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.
KING JOHN The king is moved148, and answers not to this.
To King Philip
CONSTANCE O, be removed149 from him, and answer well!
AUSTRIA Do so, King Philip, hang no more in doubt.
BASTARD Hang151 nothing but a calf’s-skin, most sweet lout.
KING PHILIP I am perplexed, and know not what to say.
CARDINAL PANDULPH What canst thou say but will perplex thee more,
If thou stand excommunicate and cursed?
KING PHILIP Good reverend father, make my person yours155,
And tell me how you would bestow yourself156.
This royal hand and mine are newly knit,
And the conjunction of our inward souls
Married in league, coupled and linked together
With all religious strength of sacred vows:
The latest161 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 new164 before,
No longer than we well could wash our hands
To clap this royal bargain166 up of peace,
Heaven knows, they were besmeared and overstained167
With slaughter’s pencil168, where revenge did paint
The fearful difference169 of incensèd kings:
And shall these hands, so lately purged of blood,
So newly joined in love, so strong in both,
Unyoke this seizure and this kind regreet172?
Play fast and loose with faith, so173 jest with heaven,
Make such unconstant174 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 host177,
And make a riot on the gentle brow178
Of true sincerity? O holy sir,
My reverend father, let it not be so:
Out of your grace, devise, ordain181, impose
Some gentle order, and then we shall be blest
To do your pleasure and continue friends.
CARDINAL PANDULPH 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 revolting188 son:
France, thou mayst hold a serpent by the tongue189,
A casèd lion by the mortal190 paw,
A fasting tiger safer by the tooth,
Than keep in peace that hand which thou dost hold.
KING PHILIP I may disjoin my hand, but not my faith193.
CARDINAL PANDULPH So mak’st thou faith194 an enemy
to faith,
And like a civil war set’st oath to195 oath,
Thy tongue against thy tongue. O, let thy vow
First made to heaven, first be to heaven performed,
That is, to be the champion of our Church:
What since thou swor’st199 is sworn against thyself,
And may not be performèd by thyself,
For that which thou hast sworn to do amiss
Is not amiss when it is truly done202:
And being not done, where doing tends to203 ill,
The truth is then most done not doing it:
The better act of purposes mistook205
Is to mistake again: though indirect206,
Yet indirection thereby grows direct,
And falsehood falsehood cures, as fire cools fire208
Within the scorchèd veins of one new burned:
It is religion210 that doth make vows kept,
But thou hast sworn against religion:
By what thou swear’st against the thing thou swear’st212,
And mak’st an oath the surety for thy truth213
Against an oath the truth: thou art unsure214
To swear, swears only not to be forsworn215,
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 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 these giddy loose suggestions:
Upon which better part224 our prayers come in,
If thou vouchsafe them. But if not, then know
The peril of our curses light226 on thee
So heavy as227 thou shalt not shake them off,
But in despair die under their black228 weight.
AUSTRIA Rebellion, flat229 rebellion!
BASTARD Will’t not be230?
Will not a calf’s-skin stop231 that mouth of thine?
LEWIS Father, to arms!
BLANCHE Upon thy wedding day?
Against the blood that thou hast marrièd234?
What, shall our feast be kept235 with slaughtered men?
Shall braying trumpets and loud churlish drums,
Clamours of hell, be measures237 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.
She may kneel here
CONSTANCE O, upon my knee made hard with kneeling,
She may kneel
I do pray to thee, thou virtuous dauphin,
Alter not the doom forethought245 by heaven.
BLANCHE Now shall I see thy love: what motive may
Be stronger with thee than the name of wife?
CONSTANCE That which upholdeth him that thee upholds248:
To Lewis
His honour:— O, thine honour, Lewis, thine honour!
To King Philip
LEWIS I muse250 your majesty doth seem so cold,
When such profound respects251 do pull you on.
CARDINAL PANDULPH I will denounce252 a curse upon his head.
KING PHILIP Thou shalt not need. England, I will fall from253 thee.
She may rise
CONSTANCE O, fair return of banished majesty!
QUEEN ELINOR O, foul revolt of French inconstancy!
KING JOHN France, thou shalt rue256 this hour within this hour.
BASTARD Old Time the clock-setter, that bald257 sexton Time,
Is it as he will? Well then, France shall rue.
BLANCHE The sun’s o’ercast with blood: fair day, adieu259!
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 dismember263 me.
Husband, I cannot pray that thou mayst win:—
Uncle, I needs must pray that thou mayst lose:—
Father266, I may not wish the fortune thine:—
Grandam, I will not wish thy wishes thrive:
Whoever wins, on that side shall I lose:
Assurèd loss before the match be played.
He may help her rise
LEWIS Lady, with me, with me thy fortune lies.
BLANCHE There where my fortune lives, there my life dies.
KING JOHN Cousin, go draw our puissance272 together.
[Exit the Bastard]
France, I am burned up with inflaming wrath,
A rage whose heat hath this condition274:
That nothing can allay, nothing but blood,
The blood, and dearest-valued276 blood, of France.
KING PHILIP 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.
KING JOHN No more than he that threats. To arms let’s hie280!
Exeunt
Act 3 Scene 2
running scene 4
Alarums, excursions. Enter [the] Bastard, with Austria’s head
BASTARD Now, by my life, this day grows wondrous hot:
Some airy devil2 hovers in the sky
And pours down mischief. Austria’s head lie there,
He puts down Austria’s head
Enter [King] John, Arthur [and] Hubert
KING JOHN Hubert, keep this boy.— Philip, make up5:
My mother is assailèd6 in our tent,
And ta’en7, I fear.
BASTARD My lord, I rescued her:
Her highness is in safety, fear you not:
But on, my liege, for very little pains10
Will bring this labour to an happy end11.
Exeunt
Alarums, excursions, retreat. Enter King John, Queen Elinor, Arthur, [the] Bastard, Hubert, [and] Lords
To Queen Elinor
KING JOHN So shall it be: your grace shall stay behind12
To Arthur
So strongly guarded:— Cousin, look not sad:
Thy grandam loves thee; and thy uncle will
As dear be to thee as thy father was.
ARTHUR O, this will make my mother die with grief.
To Bastard
KING JOHN Cousin, away for England! Haste before17,
And ere our coming see thou shake the bags
Of hoarding abbots: imprisoned angels19
Set at liberty: the fat ribs of peace
Must by the hungry now be fed upon:
Use our commission in his22 utmost force.
BASTARD Bell, book and candle23 shall not drive me back,
When gold and silver becks24 me to come on.
I leave your highness:— grandam, I will pray,
If ever I remember to be holy,
For your fair safety: so I kiss your hand.
ELINOR Farewell, gentle28 cousin.
KING JOHN Coz29, farewell.
[Exit the Bastard]
To Arthur
QUEEN ELINOR Come hither, little kinsman: hark, a word.
He takes Hubert aside
KING JOHN Come hither, Hubert.
O my gentle Hubert,
We owe thee much: within this wall of flesh
There is a soul counts thee her creditor
And with advantage means to pay34 thy love:
And, my good friend, thy voluntary35 oath
Lives in this bosom36, dearly cherishèd.
Give me thy hand: I had a thing to say,
But I will fit it with some better tune38.
By heaven, Hubert, I am almost ashamed
To say what good respect40 I have of thee.
HUBERT I am much bound
en41 to your majesty.
KING JOHN Good friend, thou hast no cause to say so yet,
But thou shalt have: and creep time ne’er so slow,
Yet it shall come for me to do thee good.
I had a thing to say, but let it go:
The sun is in the heaven, and the proud day,
Attended with the pleasures of the world,
Is all too wanton and too full of gauds48
To give me audience: if the midnight bell49
Did with his iron tongue and brazen50 mouth
Sound on into the drowsy race51 of night:
If this same were a churchyard where we stand,
And thou possessèd with a thousand wrongs:
Or if that surly spirit, melancholy,
Had baked thy blood and made it heavy, thick,
Which else56 runs tickling up and down the veins,
Making that idiot, laughter, keep57 men’s eyes
And strain their cheeks to idle merriment,
A passion59 hateful to my purposes:
Or if that thou couldst see me without eyes,
Hear me without thine ears, and make reply
Without a tongue, using conceit62 alone,
Without eyes, ears and harmful sound of words:
Then, in despite of broad-eyed watchful64 day,
I would into thy bosom pour my thoughts.
But, ah, I will not: yet I love thee well,
And by my troth67, I think thou lov’st me well.
HUBERT So well, that what68 you bid me undertake,
Though that my death were adjunct to69 my act,
By heaven, I would do it.
KING JOHN Do not I know thou wouldst?