Faul. [Behind KING JOHN's Chair, L.] And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs.

Aust. Thou darest not say so, villain, for thy life. Faul. [Advancing, c.] And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs.

K. John. [Seated, L.] We like not this; thou dost forget thyself.

A Trumpet sounds, L.

Enter CARDINAL PANDULPH, attended, L.

K. Phil. Here comes the holy Legate of the Pope. Pan. (L.) 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 per force,
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 earthly name to interrogatories
Can task the free breath of a sacred king
Thou canst not, Cardinal, devise a name,
So slight, unworthy, and ridiculous,

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. Phil. 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.
Pan. Then, by the lawful power that I have,
Thou shalt stand cursed and excommunicate:
And blessed shall he be, that doth revolt
From his allegiance to a heretic ;

And meritorious shall that band be call'd,
That takes away by any secret course
Thy hateful life.

Con. O, lawful let it be,

That I have leave 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.
Pan. 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.

Aust. King Philip, listen to the Cardinal.

Faul. [Behind JOHN's Chair.] And hang a calf'sskin on his recreant limbs.

Aust. [Behind PHILIP's Chair.] Well, ruffian, I must pocket up these wrongs,

Because

Faul. Your breeches best may carry them.

K. John. Philip, what say'st thou to the Cardinal? Con. What should he say, but as the Cardinal?

K. Phil. Good reverend father, make my person yours,

And tell me how you would bestow yourself.

This royal hand and mine are newly knit :
And shall these hands, so lately purged of blood,
Unyoke this seizure, and this kind regret?
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.

Pan. 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 fasting tiger safer by the tooth,

Than keep in peace that hand which thou dost hold.
K. Phil. I may disjoin my hand, but not my faith.
Pan. So mak'st thou faith an enemy to faith;

O, let thy vow

First made to Heaven, first be to Heaven perform'd ;
That is, to be the champion of our church!

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!

Faul. Will't not be?

Will not a calf's-skin stop that mouth of thine ?
Lew. Father, to arms!

Blan. Upon my wedding-day?

Against the blood that thou hast married?

What! shall our feast be kept with slaughter'd men? O husband, hear me ;-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.

Con. O, upon my knee,

Made hard with kneeling, I do pray to thee,
Thou virtuous dauphin, alter not the doom
Forethought by heaven.

Blan. Now shall I see thy love: What motive may Be stronger with thee than the name of wife?

Con. 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. Pan. I will denounce a curse upon his head. K. Phil. Thou shalt not need:-England, I'll fall from thee.

Con. O fair return of banish'd majesty,

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

hour.

Cousin, [To FAUL.] go draw your puissance togetner
[Exit FAULCONBRIDGE, L.
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-valued blood of France

K. Phil. Look to thyself, thou art in jeopardy. K. John. No more than he that threats.-To arms, let's hie!

[A Charge.-Exeunt, French R. English L.

SCENE II.-France.-A Field of Battle.-Alarums. Enter FAULCONBRIDGE, L.

Faul. (L.) Now, my life, this day grows wondrous

hot;

Some airy devil hovers in the sky,
And pours down mischief.

[A charge.

Enter AUSTRIA, R.-FAULCONBRIDGE and AUSTRIA engage-FAULCONBRIDGE drives AUSTRIA off the Stage, R. and presently re-enters with the Lion's skin in his Hand.

Faul. Austria's head lie there,

While Philip breathes.

[A Charge.

Enter KING JOHN, ARTHUR, ENGLISH GENTLEMEN, and HUBERT, L.

K. John. Hubert, keep this boy;

Philip, make up ;'

[Exeunt HUBERT, with ARTHUR.

My mother is assailed in our tent,
And ta'en, I fear.

Faul. 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 an happy end,

[A Charge.-Exeunt, R

SCENE III.-France.-Another Part of the Field. A Retreat sounded.

Enter KING JOHN, ARTHUR, ELINOR, FAULCONBRIDGE, PEMBROKE, ESSEX, SALISBURY, HUBERT, ENGLISH GENTLEMEN, ENGLISH HERALD, and GUARDS, L. U. E.

-K. John. (c.) So shall it be; your grace shall stay

behind,

[To ELINOR.

[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.

Arth. (L. C.) O, this will make my mother die with

grief.

K. John. Cousin, away for England; haste before; [To FAULCONBRIDGE.

And, ere our coming, see thou shake the bags

Of hoarding abbots; imprison'd angels
Set at liberty: the fat ribs of peace
Must by the hungry now be fed upon.
Use our commission in his utmost force.

Faul. (L.) Bell, book, and candle shall not drive me back,

When gold and silver becks me to come on.

I leave your highness: Grandam, I will pray,
If ever I remember to be holy,

For your faith safety; so I kiss your hand.
Eli. (R. c.) Farewell, gentle cousin.

K. John. Coz, farewell.

[Exit FAULCONBRIDGE, L

Eli. Come hither, little kinsman; hark, a word.

[Taking ARTHUR aside to R. U. E.

K. John. [After musing in front, L. c.] Come hither, Hubert. [HUBERT advances, and stands L. of the King.] 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 pay thy love:
And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath
Lives in this bosom dearly cherished.
Give me thy hand. I had a thing to say-
But I will fit it with some better time.
By heaven, Hubert, am almost ashamed

To say what good respect I have of thee.

Hub. I am much bounden to your majesty.

K. 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 gauds,
To give me audience :-If the midnight bell
Did, with his iron tongue and brazen mouth,