Conft. What fhould he say, but as the Cardinal?
Lewis. Bethink you, father; for the difference
Is purchase of a heavy curfe from Rome, s
Or the light lofs of England for a friend;
Forgo the easier.

Blanch. That's the curfe of Rome.

Conft. Lewis, ftand faft; the Devil tempts thee here In likeness of a new and trimmed bride.

Blanch. The Lady Conftance speaks not from her faith:

But from her need.

Conft. Oh, if thou grant my need,

Which only lives but by the death of faith,
That need muft needs infer this principle,
That faith would live again by death of need:
O, then tread down my need, and faith mounts up;
Keep my need up, and faith is trodden down.

K. John. The King is mov'd, and answers not to this.
Conft. O, be remov'd from him, and anfwer well.
Auft. Do fo, King Philip; hang no more in doubt.

5 It is a political maxim, that kingdoms are never married. Lewis upon the wedding is for making war upon his new relations.

6

the Devil tempts

thee here In Likeness of a new untrimmed Bride.] Tho' all the Copies concur in this Reading, yet as untrimmed cannot bear any Signification to fquare with the Senfe required, I cannot help thinking it a corrupted Reading. I have ventur'd to throw out the Negative, and read;

In Likeness of a new and trimmed

Bride.

i. e. of a new Bride, and one deck'd and adorn'd as well by Art as Nature. THEOBALD. — a new untrimmed bride.] Mr. Theobald fays, that as un

trimmed cannot bear any fignifica tion to Square with the fenfe re quired, it must be corrupt; therefore he will cafhier it, and read, and trimmed; in which he is followed by the Oxford Editor; but they are both too hafty. It fquares very well with the fenfe, and fignifies unfteady. The term is taken from Navigation. We fay too, in a fimilar way of speaking, not well manned. WARB.

I think Mr. Theobald's correction more plaufible than Dr. Warburton's explanation. A commentator fhould be grave, and therefore I can read these notes with the proper feverity of attention, but the idea of trimming a lady to keep her flead, would be too rifible for any common power of face.

Faule. Hang nothing but a calve's-skin, most sweet lout.

K. Philip. I am perplext, and know not what to say. Pand. What can't thou fay, but will perplex thee

more,

If thou ftand excommunicate and curst?

K. Philip. Good rev'rend father, make my perfon

yours;

And tell me, how you would bestow yourself.
This royal hand and mine are newly knit,
And the conjunction of our inward fouls
Marry'd in league, coupled and link'd together
With all religious ftrength of facred vows.
The latest breath, that gave the found of words,
Was deep-fworn 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,

Heav'n knows, they were befmear'd and over-ftain'd
With flaughter's pencil; where revenge did paint
The fearful diff'rence of incenfed Kings.
And shall these hands, fo lately purg'd of blood,
So newly join'd in love, 7fo ftrong in both,
Unyoke this feizure, and this kind regreet?
Play faft and loose with faith? fo, jeft with heav'n?
Make fuch unconftant children of ourselves,

As now again to fnatch our palm from palm?
Un-fwear faith fworn, and on the marriage-bed

Of smiling peace to march a bloody host,
And make a riot on the gentle brow
Of true fincerity? O holy Sir,
My reverend father, let it not be fo;
Out of your grace, devife, ordain, impose
Some gentle order, and we fhall be bleft

7 So ftrong in both.] I believe the meaning is, were fe firong in both parties.

Το

To do your pleasure, and continue friends.
Pand. All form is formlefs, order orderless,
Save what is oppofite to England's love.

Therefore, to arms! be champion of our Church!
Or let the Church our mother breathe her curse,
A mother's curfe on her revolting fon.

France, thou may'ft hold a ferpent by the tongue,
A chafed lyon by the mortal paw,

A fafting tyger fafer by the tooth,

Than keep in peace that hand, which thou doft hold.
K. Phil. I may dif-join my hand, but not my faith.
Pand. So mak'ft thou faith an enemy to faith ;
And, like a civil war, fet'ft oath to oath,

Thy tongue against thy tongue. O, let thy vow
First made to heav'n, first be to heav'n perform'd;
That is, to be the champion of our Church.
What fince thou fwor'ft, is fworn against thyself;
And may not be performed by thy felf.

For that, which thou haft fworn to do amifs,
Is't not amifs, when it is truly done?

And being not done, where doing tends to ill,
The truth is then moft done, not doing it.
The better act of purposes miftook

Is to mistake again; tho' indirect,
Yet indirection thereby grows direct,

And falfhood falfhood cures; as fire cools fire,
Within the fcorched veins of one new-burn'd.
It is religion that doth make vows kept,

9 But thou haft fworn against religion:

By what thou fwear'ft, against the thing thou fwear'ft:

And

Is't not amifs, when it is truly

done?

as the alteration is lefs, and the fenfe which Dr. Warburton first difcovered is preserved.

9 But thou hall fw.rn against religion, &c.] In this long fpeech, the Legate is made to

Gg

fhew

And mak'ft an oath the furety for thy truth,
Against an oath. The truth thou art unfure
To fwear, fwear only not to be forsworn;

fhew his fkill in cafuiftry; and
the ftrange heap of quibble and
nonfenfe of which it confifts,
was intended to ridicule that of
the schools. For when he af-
fumes the politician, at the con-
clufion of the third act, the au-
thor makes him talk at another
rate. I mean in that beautiful
paffage where he fpeaks of the
mifchiefs following the King's
lofs of his fubjects hearts. This
conduct is remarkable, and was
intended, I fuppofe, to fhew us
how much better politicians the
Roman courtiers are, than divines.

WARBURTON.

I am not able to difcover here any thing inconfequent or ridiculoufly fubtle. The propofitions, that the voice of the church is the voice of heaven, and that the Pope uiters the voice of the church, neither of which Pandulph's auditors would deny, being once granted, the argument here used is irresistible; nor is it easy, notwithstanding the gingle, to enforce it with greater brevity or propriety.

But thou haft favorn against re-
ligion :

By what thou fear'ft, against

the thing thou fear'st :
And mak't an oath the furety for

thy truth,
Against an oath the truth thou

art unfure

To fwear, fwear only not to be forfworn. By what. Sir T. Hanmer reads, by that. I think it should be rather by

which. That is, thou fwear's against the thing, by which ress wear'ft; that is, against religien.

The molt formidable dif culty is in these lines.

And mak't an oath the furety
fer thy truth,

Against an oath the truth thos
art unfure
To fwear, &c.

This Sir T. Hanmer reforms

thus,

And mak' an oath the furety
for thy truth,
Against an oath; this trath
thou art unfare
To fwear, &c.

Dr. Warburten writes it thus,
Against an oath the truth thea
art unfure
which leaves the paffage to me
as obfcure as before.

I know not whether there is any corruption beyond the omiffion of a point. The fenfe, af ter I had confidered it, appeared to me only this: In fwearing by religion against religion, to which thou haft already forn, the makeft an oath the fecurity for thy f ith against an oath already takes. I will give, fays be, a rule for confcience in thefe cafes. Thou mayf be in doubt about the matter of an oath; when thou fweareft thes mayst not be always fure to fear rightly, but let this be thy fettled principle, fear only not to be forfuorn; let not thy latter oaths be at variance with thy former.

Truth, through this whole fpeech, means rectitude of conduct

Elfe

Elfe what a mockery should it be to fwear?
But thou doft fwear, only to be forfworn,
And most forfworn, to keep what thou doft fwear.
Therefore thy latter vows, against thy first,
Is in thyfelf rebellion to thyself.

And better conqueft never canft thou make,
Than arm thy conftant and thy nobler parts
Against these giddy, loose fuggeftions:
Upon which better part, our pray'rs come in,
If thou vouchsafe them. But if not, then know,
The peril of our curfes light on thee

So heavy, as thou shalt not shake them off;
But, in defpair, die under their black weight.
Auft. Rebellion, flat rebellion.

Faulc. Will't not be?

Will not a calve's-fkin ftop that mouth of thine?
Lewis. Father, to arms!

Blanch. Upon thy wedding-day?

Against the blood that thou haft married?
What, fhall 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; (ah! alack, how new
Is husband in my mouth?) ev'n 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.

Conft. O, upon my knee,

Made hard with kneeling, I do pray to thee,
Thou virtuous Dauphin, alter not the doom
Forethought by heav'n.

Blanch. Now fhall I fee thy love; what motive may Be ftronger with thee than the name of wife?

Conft. That which upholdeth him, that thee upholds, His honour. Oh, thine honour, Lewis, thine honour!

Lewis. I muse, your Majesty doth feem fo cold, When fuch profound refpects do pull you on?

Gg, 2

Pand.