Arm, arm, you heavens, against these perjured Kings!

A widow cries, be husband to me, God!

Let not the hours of this ungodly day 35

Wear out the day in peace, but ere sun set

Set armed discord ’twixt these perjured Kings.

Hear me, O hear me!

AUSTRIA Lady Constance, peace.

CONSTANCE

War, war, no peace! Peace is to me a war.

O Limoges, O Austria, thou dost shame 40

That bloody spoil. Thou slave, thou wretch, thou

coward!

Thou little valiant, great in villainy;

Thou ever strong upon the stronger side;

Thou Fortune’s champion, that dost never fight

But when her humorous ladyship is by 45

To teach thee safety. Thou art perjured too,

And sooth‘st up greatness. What a fool art thou,

A ramping fool, to brag and stamp, and swear

Upon my party! Thou cold-blooded slave,

Hast thou not spoke like thunder on my side, 50

Been sworn my soldier, bidding me depend

Upon thy stars, thy fortune, and thy strength?

And dost thou now fall over to my foes?

Thou wear a lion’s hide! Doff it, for shame,

And hang a calf’s-skin on those recreant limbs. 55

AUSTRIA

O, that a man should speak those words to me!

BASTARD

And hang a calf’s-skin on those recreant limbs.

AUSTRIA

Thou dar’st not say so, villain, for thy life.

BASTARD

And hang a calf’s-skin on those recreant limbs.

KING JOHN (to the Bastard)

We like not this. Thou dost forget thyself. 60

Enter Cardinal Pandolf

KING PHILIP

Here comes the holy legate of the Pope.

PANDOLF

Hail, you anointed deputies of God.—

To thee, King John, my holy errand is.

I Pandolf, of fair Milan Cardinal,

And from Pope Innocent the legate here, 65

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. 70

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 75

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; 80

But as we, under God, are supreme head,

So, under him, that great supremacy

Where we do reign we will alone uphold

Without th’assistance of a mortal hand.

So tell the Pope, all reverence set apart

To him and his usurped 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, 90

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; 95

Yet I alone, alone do me oppose

Against the Pope, and count his friends my foes.

PANDOLF

Then by the lawful power that I have

Thou shalt stand cursed and excommunicate;

And blessed shall he be that doth revolt 100

From his allegiance to an heretic;

And meritorious shall that hand be called,

Canonized and worshipped as a saint,

That takes away by any secret course

Thy hateful life.

CONSTANCE O lawful let it be 105

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.

PANDOLF

There’s law and warrant, lady, for my curse. 110

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?

PANDOLF

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. 120

QUEEN ELEANOR

Look’st thou pale, France? Do not let go thy hand.

CONSTANCE ⌈to King John⌉

Look to it, 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. 125

AUSTRIA

Well, ruffian, I must pocket up these wrongs,

Because—

BASTARD Your breeches best may carry them.

KING JOHN

Philip, what sayst thou to the Cardinal?

CONSTANCE

What should he say, but as the Cardinal?

LOUIS THE DAUPHIN

Bethink you, Father, for the difference 130

Is purchase of a heavy curse from Rome,

Or the light loss of England for a friend.

Forgo the easier.

BLANCHE That’s the curse of Rome.