The meagre cloddy earth to glitt'ring gold.
The yearly course, that brings this day about,
Shall never fee it, but a holy-day.

Conft. A wicked day, and not an holy-day.

[Rifing.

What hath this day deferv'd? what hath it done,
That it in golden letter fhould be fet

Among the high tides in the kalendar?
Nay, rather turn this day out of the week,
This day of fhame, oppreffion, perjury:
Or, if it must ftand ftill, let wives with child
Pray, that their burthens may not fall this day,
Left that their hopes prodigiously be croft:
But on this day, let feamen fear no wreck;
No bargains break, that are not this day made;
This day, all things begun come to ill end,
Yea, faith itself to hoilow falfhood change!

K. Philip. By heaven, lady, you shall have no cause
To curfe the fair proceedings of this day:
Have I not pawn'd to you my Majesty?

Conft. You have beguil'd me with a counterfeit
Refembling Majesty, which, touch'd and try'd,
Proves valueless: you are forfworn, forfworn,
You came in arms to fpill my enemies blood,
But now in arms, you ftrengthen it with yours.
The grapling vigour, and rough frown of war,
Is cold in amity and painted peace,

And our oppreffion hath made up this league:
Arm, arm, ye heav'ns, against these perjur❜d Kings:
A widow cries, be husband to me, heav'n!
Let not the hours of this ungodly day

Wear out the day in peace; but ere fun-fet,

But on this day,- -] That is, except on this day.

9 You came in arms to Spill my enemies' blood, But now in arms, you ftrengthen

it with yours.] I am afraid here is a clinch intended; You came in war to deftroy my enemies, but now you ftrengthen them in embraces.

Set

Set armed difcord 'twixt these perjur'd Kings.
Hear me, oh, hear me!

Auft. Lady Conftance, peace.

Conft. War, war, no peace; peace is to me a war. O Lymoges, O Auftria! thou doft shame

That bloody fpoil: thou flave, thou wretch, thou coward,

Thou little valiant, great in villainy!

Thou ever ftrong upon the ftronger fide
Thou fortune's champion, that doft never fight
But when her humourous ladyfhip is by
To teach thee fafety! thou art perjur'd too,
And footh'ft up greatnefs. What a fool art thou,
A ramping fool, to brag, to ftamp, and fwear,
Upon my party; thou cold-blooded slave,
Haft thou not spoke like thunder on my fide?
Been fworn my foldier, bidding me depend
Upon thy ftars, thy fortune, and thy strength?
And doft thou now fall over to my foes?
Thou wear a lion's hide! doff it for shame,
And hang a calve's-fkin on those recreant limbs.

Auft. O, that a man would speak those words to me!
Faule. And hang a calve's-fkin on those recreant
limbs.

Auft. Thou dar'ft not fay fo, villain, for thy life. Faulc. And hang a calve's fkin on those recreant limbs.

2

Auft. Methinks, that Richard's pride and Richard's fall

Shakespeare makes this bitter curfe effectual.

Methinks, that Richard's pride, &c.] What was the ground of this quarrel of the Ballard to Auftria is no where fpecify'd in the prefent play: nor is there in this place, or the fcene where it is first hinted at (namely the fe

Should

cond of Act 2.) the leaft mention of any reafon for it. But the story is, that Auftria, who kill'd King Richard Coeur-de-lion, wore as the spoil of that Prince, a lion's hide which had belong'd to him. This circumftance renders the anger of the Baftard very natural, and ought not to

Should be a precedent to fright you, Sir.

Faulc. What words are thefe? how do my finews

fhake!

My father's foe clad in my father's spoil!
How doth Aleto whisper in my ears,

Delay not, Richard, kill the villain strait; "Difrobe him of the matchlefs monument, "Thy father's triumph o'er the favages.' Now by his foul I fwear, my father's foul, Twice will I not review the morning's rife, Till I have torn that trophy from thy back; And split thy heart, for wearing it fo long. K. John. We like not this, thou doft forget thyfelf.

K. Philip. Here comes the holy Legate of the Pope. Pand. Hail, you anointed Deputies of heav'n! To thee, King John, my holy errand is;

I Pandulph, of fair Milain Cardinal,

And from Pope Innocent the Legate here,
Do in his name religioufly demand

Why thou againft the Church, our holy Mother,
So wilfully doft fpurn, and force perforce
Keep Stephen Langton, chofen Archbishop

have been omitted. In the first fketch of this play (which Shakespeare is faid to have had a hand in, jointly with William Rowley) we accordingly find this infiited upon. and I have ventured to place a few of thofe veries here. POPE.

To the infertion of thefe lines I have nothing to object. There are many other paffages in the old play, of great value. The

omiffion of this incident, in the fecond draught, was natural. Shakespeare, having familiarised the ftory to his own imagination, forgot that it was obfcure to his audience; or, what is equally probable, the ftory was then fo popular that a hint was fufficient at that time to bring it to mind, and these plays were written with very little care for the approbation of pofterity.

Of

Of Canterbury, from that holy See?
This in our 'forefaid holy Father's name,
Pope Innocent, I do demand of thee.

K. John. What earthly name to interrogatorics?
Can tafk the free breath of a facred King?
Thou canst not, Cardinal, devife a name
So flight, unworthy, and ridiculous,

To charge me to an anfwer, 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 heav'n are fupreme head,
So, under him, that great Supremacy,
Where we do reign, we will alone uphold;
Without th' affistance of a mortal hand.
So tell the Pope, all rev'rence fet apart
To him and his ufurp'd authority.

K. Philip. Brother of England, you blafpheme in this. K. John. Tho' you, and all the Kings of Christendom Are led fo grofly by this medling Priest,

Dreading the curfe, that mony may buy out;
And by the merit of vile gold, drofs, dust,
Purchase corrupted pardon of a man,
Who in that sale fells pardon from himself:
Tho' you, and all the rest, so grofly led,
This jugling witch-craft with revenue cherish;
Yet I alone, alone, do me oppofe

Against the Pope, and count his friends my foes.
Pand. Then by the lawful power that I have,
Thou shalt ftand curft, and excommunicate;

3 This must have been at the time when it was written, in our ftruggles with popery, a very captivating scene.

So many paffages remain in which Shakespeare evidently takes his advantage of the facts then recent, and of the paffions then in

motion, that I cannot but fufpect that time has obfcured much of his art, and that many allufions yet remain undiscovered which perhaps may be gradually retrieved by fucceeding commentators.

And

And bleffed fhall he be, that doth revolt
From his allegiance to an heretick ;
And meritorious fhall that hand be call'd,
Canoniz'd and worshipp'd as a Saint,
That takes away by any fecret course *
Thy hateful life.

Conft. O, lawful let it be,

That I have room with Rome to curfe a while.
Good father Cardinal, cry thou, Amen,

right,

To my keen curfes; for without my wrong
There is no tongue hath power to curfe him right.
Pand. There's law, and warrant, Lady, for my curfe.
Conft. And for mine too; when law can do no
Let it be lawful that law bar no wrong:
Law cannot give my child his kingdom here;
For he, that holds his kingdom, holds the law;
Therefore, fince law itself is perfect wrong,
How can the law forbid my tongue to curfe?
Pand. Philip of France, on peril of a curse,
Let go the hand of that arch-heretick;
And raise the pow'r of France upon his head,
Unless he do fubmit himfelf to Rome.

Eli. Look'ft 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. Aust. Well, ruffian, I muft pocket up these wrongs, Becaufe

Faulc. Your breeches best
may carry them.
K. John. Philip, what fay'ft thou to the Cardinal?

4 This may allude to the bull published againft Queen Elizabeth. Or we may fuppofe, fince we have no proof that this play appeared in its prefent ftate, before the reign of King James, 4

that it was exhibited foon after the popifh plot. I have seen a Spanish book in which Garnet, Faux, and their accomplices are regiftred as faints.

Conft.