Wear out the day in peace; but, ere sunset, Aust. Lady Constance, peace. Const. War! war! no peace! peace is to me a war. Ó Lymoges! O Austria! thou dost shame That bloody spoil: Thou slave, thou wretch, thou coward; Thou little valiant, great in villany! Thou ever strong upon the stronger side! [1] O Lymoges! O Austria!] The propriety or impropriety of these titles, which every editor has suffered to pass unnoted, deserves a little consideration. Shakespeare has, on this occasion, followed the old play, which at once furnished him with the character of Faulconbridge, and ascribed the death of Richard I. to the duke of Austria. In the person of Austria, he has conjoined the two wellknown enemies of Coeur-de-lion. Leopold, duke of Austria, threw him into prison, in a former expedition; (in 1193) but the castle of Chaluz, before which he fell (1199) belonged to Vidomar, viscount of Limoges; and the archer who pierced his shoulder with an arrow (of which wound he died) was Bertrand de Gourdon. The editors seem hitherto to have understood Lymoges as being an appendage to the title of Austria, and therefore inquired no further about it. STEEVENS. [2] When fools were kept for diversion in great families, they were distinguished by a calf's-skin-coat, which had the buttons down the back; and this they wore that they might be known for fools, and escape the resentment of those whom they provoked with their waggeries. This fact will explain the sarcasm of Constance and Faulconbridge, who mean to call Austria a fool. SIR J. HAWKINS. [3] Here Mr. Pope inserts the following speeches from the old play of King John, printed 1591, before Shakespeare appears to have commenced a writer: "Aust. Methinks, that Richard's pride, and Richard's fall, Should be a precedent to fright you all. Faule. What words are these? how do my sinews shake! Enter PANDUlph. K. Phil. Here comes the holy legate of the pope. I Pandulph, of fair Milan cardinal, Why thou against the church, our holy mother, K. John. What earthly name to interrogatories, Can task the free breath of a sacred king? To charge me to an answer, as the pope. Tell him this tale; and from the mouth of England, Shall tithe or toll in our dominions; But as we under heaven are supreme head, K. Phil. Brother of England, you blaspheme in this. K. John. Tho' you, and all the kings of Christendom, Are led so grossly by this meddling priest, Dreading the curse that money may buy out; My father's foe clad in my father's spoil! Till I have torn that trophy from thy back, And split thy heart for wearing it so long." STEEVENS. [4] This must have been, at the time when it was written, in our struggles with popery, a very captivating scene. So many passages remain in which Shakespeare evidently takes his advantage of the facts then recent, and of the passions then in motion, that I cannot but suspect that time has obscured much of his art, and that many allusions yet remain undiscovered, which perhaps may be gradually retrieved by succeeding commentators. JOHNSON. Purchase corrupted pardon of a man, Who, in that sale, sells pardon from himself: Against the pope, and count his friends my foes. Const. O, lawful let it be, That I have room with Rome to curse a while! To my keen curses; for, without my wrong, And raise the power of France upon his head, Eli. Look'st thou pale, France ? do not let go thy hand. And, by disjoining hands, hell lose a soul. Aust. King Philip, listen to the cardinal. Bast. And hang a calf's-skin on his recreant limbs. Aust. Well, ruffian, I must pocket up these wrongs, Because Bast. Your breeches best may carry them. K. John. Philip, what say'st thou to the cardinal? [5] This may allude to the bull published against Queen Elizabeth. Or we may suppose, since we have no proof that this play appeared in its present state before the reign of King James, that it was exhibited soon after the popish plot. I have seen a Spanish book in which Garnet, Faux and their accomplices, are registered as saints. JOHNSON. Lew. Bethink you, father; for the difference Blanch. That's the curse of Rome. Const. O Lewis, stand fast; the devil tempts thee here, In likeness of a new untrimmed bride. Blanch. The lady Constance speaks not from her faith, But from her need. Const. O, if thou grant my need, Which only lives but by the death of faith, O, then, tread down my need, and faith mounts up; K. John. The king is mov'd, and answers not to this. 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 the conjunction of our inward souls Married in league, coupled and link'd together With all religious strength of sacred vows; · The latest breath that gave the sound of words, Was deep-sworn faith, peace, amity, true love, Between our kingdoms, and our royal selves; And even before this truce, but new before,― No longer than we well could wash our hands, To clap this royal bargain up of peace,Heaven knows, they were besmear'd and overstain'd With slaughter's pencil; where revenge did paint The fearful difference of incensed kings : And shall these hands, so lately purg'd of blood, So newly join'd in love, so strong in both, Unyoke this seizure, and this kind regreet? Play fast and loose with faith? so jest with heaven, [6] It is a political maxim, that kingdoms are never married. Lewis, upon the wedding is for making war upon his new relations. JOHNSON. Make such unconstant children of ourselves, My reverend father, let it not be so : Pand. All form is formless, order orderless, France, thou may'st hold a serpent by the tongue, A fasting tyger safer by the tooth, Than keep in peace that hand which thou dost hold. Thy tongue against thy tongue. O, let thy vow 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, Yet indirection thereby grows direct, And falsehood falsehood cures; as fire cools fire, 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; |