Law cannot give my child his kingdom here; Eli. Look'st thou pale, France? do not let go thy hand. Conft. Look to that, devil! left that France repent, And, by disjoining hands, hell lofe a foul. Auft. King Philip, liften to the Cardinal. Faulc. And hang a calve's-fkin on his recreant limbs. Auft. Well, ruffian, I muft pocket up thefe wrongs, Becaufe Faulc. Your breeches beft may carry them. K. John. Philip, what fay'it thou to the Cardinal? Or the light lofs of England for a friend; Blanch. That's the curfe of Rome, Conft. Lewis, ftand faft; the devil tempts thee here(16) In likeness of a new and trimmed bride. Blanch. The lady Conftance speaks not from her faith: But from her need. (16) the devil tempts thec-bere In likeness of a new untrimmed bride.] Tho' all the copies concur in this reading, yet as untrimmed cannot bear any fignification to fquare with the fenfe required, I cannot help thinking it a corrupted reading. It might, indeed, admit of this explanation, undrefs'd, ready to go to bed: but then that is giving in to an allufion too grois for Lady Conftance. I have ventur'd to throw out the negative, and read; nature. In likeness of a net and trimmed bride. i. e. of a new bride; and one deck'd and adorn'd as well by art as Or we might read; but it departs a little wider from the traces of the text as we find it; In likeness of a nero betrimmed bride. But the first conjecture anfwers the fenfe and purpose of the speaker; and requires but a very flight variation. Conft. Conft. Oh, if thou grant my need, Which only lives but by the death of faith, That need muft 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. Conft. O, be remov'd from him, and anfwer well. Auft. Do fo, King Philip; hang no more in doubt. Faule. Hang nothing but a calve's-fkin, moft fweet lout. K. Philip. I am perplext, and know not what to say. Pand. What can't thou fay, but will perplex thee more, If thou ftand excommunicate and curst? K. Philip. Good rev'rend father, make my perfon yours Heav'n knows, they were befmear'd and over-stain’d Of true fincerity holy Sir, Some Some gentle order, and we shall be bleft Therefore, to arms! be champion of our church! France, thou may'ft hold a ferpent by the tongue, A fafting tyger fafer by the tooth, Than keep in peace that hand, which thou dost hold. Thy tongue againft thy tongue. O, let thy vow And being not done, where doing tends to ill, Is to mistake again; tho' indirect, And falfhood falfhood cures, as fire cools fire, It is religion that doth make vows kept, By what thou fwear'ft, against the thing thou fwear'st: Against an oath the truth thou art unfure And And better conqueft never canft thou make, So heavy, as thou shalt not shake them off; Faulc. Will't not be ? Will not a calve's-skin stop that mouth of thine ? Blanch. Upon thy wedding-day? Against the blood that thou haft married? Against mine uncle. Conft. O, upon my knee, Made hard with kneeling, I do pray to thee, 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!→→ Lervis. I mufe, your Majefty doth feem fo cold, When fuch profound respects do pull you on? Pand. I will denounce a curfe upon his head ? K. Philip. Thou shalt not need. England, I'll fall from thee. Conft. O fair return of banifh'd Majefty! Elifeul revolt of French inconftancy! K.Job.France, thou shalt rue this hour within this hour. Faul. OldTime the Clock-fette,that baldSextonTime. Is Is it, as he will well then, France fhall rue. Lewis. Lady, with me, with me thy fortune lies. 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 Faulc. N (17) head. JOW, by my life, this day grows wond'roes hot; (17) it grows wondrous bot ; Some airy Devil hovers in the fky.] have, by Mr. Warbu ton's direction, venter'd to fubftitite, fiery Devil. It is a very unconclufive inference, fure, that, because it grew wond'rous hot, fome airy Devil hovered in the fky. It is a fort of reafening, that carries an air of ridicule; unless we could determine, that the Poet meant no more by the epithet than to exprefs the Sacred Text, in which the Devil is filed the Prince of the Air. / VOL. III. |