Thou wear a lion's hide!doff it for shame,And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs.AUSTRIA O,that a man should speak those words to me!BASTARD And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs.AUSTRIA Thou darest not say so,villain,for thy life.BASTARD And hang a calf's-skin on those recreant limbs.KING JOHN We like not this;thou dost forget thyself.
Enter CARDINAL PANDULPH KING PHILIP Here comes the holy legate of the pope.CARDINAL PANDULPH Hail,you anointed deputies of heaven!
To thee,King John,my holy errand is.
I Pandulph,of fair Milan cardinal,And from Pope Innocent the legate here,Do in his name religiously demand Why thou against the church,our holy mother,So wilfully dost spurn;and force perforce Keep Stephen Langton,chosen archbishop Of Canterbury,from that holy see?
This,in our foresaid holy father's name,Pope Innocent,I do demand of thee.KING JOHN What earthy name to interrogatories Can task the free breath of a sacred king?
Thou canst not,cardinal,devise a name So slight,unworthy and ridiculous,To charge me to an answer,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 heaven,are supreme head,So under Him that great supremacy,Where we do reign,we will alone uphold,Without the assistance of a mortal hand:
So tell the pope,all reverence set apart To him and his usurp'd authority.KING PHILIP Brother of England,you blaspheme in this.KING JOHN Though you and all the kings of Christendom Are led so grossly by this meddling priest,Dreading the curse that money may buy out;And by the merit of vile gold,dross,dust,Purchase corrupted pardon of a man,Who in that sale sells pardon from himself,Though you and all the rest so grossly led This juggling witchcraft with revenue cherish,Yet I alone,alone do me oppose Against the pope and count his friends my foes.CARDINAL PANDULPH Then,by the lawful power that I have,Thou shalt stand cursed and excommunicate.
And blessed shall he be that doth revolt From his allegiance to an heretic;And meritorious shall that hand be call'd,Canonized and worshipped as a saint,That takes away by any secret course Thy hateful life.CONSTANCE O,lawful let it be That I have room with Rome to curse awhile!
Good father cardinal,cry thou amen To my keen curses;for without my wrong There is no tongue hath power to curse him right.CARDINAL PANDULPH There's law and warrant,lady,for my curse.CONSTANCE And for mine too:when law can do no right,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,since law itself is perfect wrong,How can the law forbid my tongue to curse?CARDINAL PANDULPH Philip of France,on peril of a curse,Let go the hand of that arch-heretic;And raise the power of France upon his head,Unless he do submit himself to Rome.QUEEN ELINOR Look'st thou pale,France?do not let go thy hand.CONSTANCE Look to that,devil;lest that France repent,And by disjoining hands,hell lose a soul.AUSTRIA King Philip,listen to the cardinal.BASTARD And hang a calf's-skin on his recreant limbs.AUSTRIA Well,ruffian,I must pocket up these wrongs,Because--BASTARD Your breeches best may carry them.KING JOHN Philip,what say'st thou to the cardinal?CONSTANCE What should he say,but as the cardinal?LEWIS Bethink you,father;for the difference Is purchase of a heavy curse from Rome,Or the light loss of England for a friend:
Forego the easier.BLANCH That's the curse of Rome.CONSTANCE 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.CONSTANCE O,if thou grant my need,Which only lives but by the death of faith,That need must 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!KING JOHN The king is moved,and answers not to this.CONSTANCE O,be removed from him,and answer well!AUSTRIA Do so,King Philip;hang no more in doubt.BASTARD Hang nothing but a calf's-skin,most sweet lout.KING PHILIP I am perplex'd,and know not what to say.CARDINAL PANDULPH What canst thou say but will perplex thee more,If thou stand excommunicate and cursed?KING PHILIP 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 linked 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 over-stain'd With slaughter's pencil,where revenge did paint The fearful difference of incensed kings:
And shall these hands,so lately purged 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,Make such unconstant children of ourselves,As now again to snatch our palm from palm,Unswear faith sworn,and on the marriage-bed Of smiling peace to march a bloody host,And make a riot on the gentle brow Of true sincerity?O,holy sir,My reverend father,let it not be so!
Out of your grace,devise,ordain,impose Some gentle order;and then we shall be blest To do your pleasure and continue friends.CARDINAL PANDULPH All form is formless,order orderless,Save what is opposite to England's love.
Therefore to arms!be champion of our church,Or let the church,our mother,breathe her curse,A mother's curse,on her revolting son.