To clap this royal bargain up of peace,—— Heaven knows, they were besmear'd and over stain'd With slaughter's pencil; where revenge did paint And shall these hands, so lately purg'd of blood, My reverend father, let it not be so: Out of your grace, devise, ordain, impose Pand. All form is formless, order orderless, 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. Pand. So mak'st 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 swor'st, is sworn against thyself, may not be performed by thyself: And For that, which thou hast sworn to do amiss, And being not done, where doing tends to ill, 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, By what thou swear'st, against the thing thou swear❜st; And mak'st an oath the surety for thy truth And better conquest never canst thou make, So heavy, as thou shalt not shake them off, But, in despair, die under their black weight. Bast. Will't not be? Will not a calf's-skin stop that mouth of thine? Lew. 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? O husband, hear me!-ah, alack, how new nounce, Upon my knee I beg, go not to arms Against mine uncle. Const. O, upon my knee, Made hard with kneeling, I do pray to thee, Blanch. Now shall I see thy love; What motive may Be stronger with thee than the name of wife? Const. That which upholdeth him that thee up holds, His honour: O, thine honour, Lewis, thine honour! Const. O fair return of banish'd majesty! Bast. Old time the clock-setter, that bald sex 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? life dies. K. John. Cousin, go draw our puissance together.— [Exit Bastard. France, I am burn'd A up with inflaming wrath; rage, whose heat hath this condition, Than nothing can allay, nothing but blood, The blood, and dearest-valu'd blood, of France. K. Phil. Thy rage shall burn thee up, and thou To ashes, shalt turn ere our blood shall quench that fire: Look to thyself, thou art in jeopardy. K. John. No more than he that threats. To arms let's hie! SCENE II. [Exeunt. THE SAME. PLAINS NEAR ANGIERS. Alarums, Excursions. Enter the Bastard, with Austria's head. Bast. 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. K. John. Hubert, keep this boy:-Philip, make up: My mother is assailed in our tent, And ta'en, I fear. Bast. My lord, I rescu'd 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. |