France,thou mayst 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.KING PHILIP I may disjoin my hand,but not my faith.CARDINAL PANDULPH So makest thou faith an enemy to faith;And like a civil war set'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 sworest 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 what thou swear'st against the thing thou swear'st,And makest 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 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 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.AUSTRIA Rebellion,flat rebellion!BASTARD Will't not be?
Will not a calfs-skin stop that mouth of thine?LEWIS 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.CONSTANCE O,upon my knee,Made hard with kneeling,I do pray to thee,Thou virtuous Dauphin,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?CONSTANCE That which upholdeth him that thee upholds,His honour:O,thine honour,Lewis,thine honour!LEWIS I muse your majesty doth seem so cold,When such profound respects do pull you on.CARDINAL PANDULPH I will denounce a curse upon his head.KING PHILIP Thou shalt not need.England,I will fall from thee.CONSTANCE O fair return of banish'd majesty!QUEEN ELINOR O foul revolt of French inconstancy!KING JOHN France,thou shalt rue this hour within this hour.BASTARD Old Time the clock-setter,that bald ***ton Time,Is it as he will?well then,France shall rue.BLANCH The sun's o'ercast with blood:fair day,adieu!
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 swirl asunder and dismember me.
Husband,I cannot pray that thou mayst win;
Uncle,I needs must pray that thou mayst lose;Father,I may not wish the fortune thine;
Grandam,I will not wish thy fortunes thrive:
Whoever wins,on that side shall I lose Assured loss before the match be play'd.LEWIS Lady,with me,with me thy fortune lies.BLANCH There where my fortune lives,there my life dies.KING JOHN Cousin,go draw our puissance together.
Exit BASTARD
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.KING PHILIP Thy rage sham 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 hie!
Exeunt
SCENE II.France.Plains near Angiers
Alarums,excursions.Enter the BASTARD,with AUSTRIA'S head BASTARD Now,by my life,this day grows wondrous hot;Some airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief.Austria's head lie there,While Philip breathes.
Enter KING JOHN,ARTHUR,and HUBERT KING JOHN Hubert,keep this boy.Philip,make up:
My mother is assailed in our tent,And ta'en,I fear.BASTARD 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.
Exeunt
SCENE III.France.Plains near Angiers
Alarums,excursions,retreat.Enter KING JOHN,QUEEN ELINOR,ARTHUR,the BASTARD,HUBERT,and Lords KING JOHN [To QUEEN ELINOR]So shall it be;your grace shall stay behind So strongly guarded.
To ARTHUR
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!KING JOHN [To the BASTARD]Cousin,away for England!
haste before:
And,ere our coming,see thou shake the bags Of hoarding abbots;imprisoned angels Set at liberty:the fat ribs of peace Must by the hungry now be fed upon:
Use our commission in his utmost force.BASTARD 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 fair safety;so,I kiss your hand.ELINOR Farewell,gentle cousin.KING JOHN Coz,farewell.
Exit the BASTARD QUEEN ELINOR Come hither,little kinsman;hark,a word.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 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.