In the divorce, his contrary proceedings
Are all unfolded; wherein he appears,
As I would wish mine enemy.

Sur. How came

His practices to light?

Suf. Most strangely.

Sur. O, how, how?

Suf. The cardinal's letter to the pope miscarried,
And came to the eye o'the king: wherein was read,
How that the cardinal did intreat his holiness
To stay the judgment o' the divorce; for if
It did take place, I do, quoth he, perceive,
My king is tangled in affection to

A creature of the queen's, lady Anne Bullen.
Sur. Has the king this?

Suf. Believe it.

Sur. Will this work?

Cham. The king in this perceives him, how he coasts, And hedges, his own way.3

But in this point

All his tricks founder, and he brings his physic

After his patient's death; the king already
Hath married the fair lady.

Sur. 'Would he had!

Suf. May you be happy in your wish, my lord ! For, I profess, you have it.

Sur. Now all my joy

Trace the conjunction !4
Suf. My amen to't!

Nor. All men's.

Suf. There's order given for her coronation :
Marry, this is yet but young, and may be left
To some ears unrecounted.-But, my lords,
She is a gallant creature, and complete

In mind and feature: 1 persuade me, from her
Will fall some blessing to this land, which shall
In it be memoriz❜d.

Sur. But, will the king

Digest this letter of the cardinal's ?

'The lord forbid !

Nor. Marry, Amen!

Suf. No, no ;

There be more wasps that buz about his nose,

[2] Private practices opposite to his public proceedure. JOHNS.

[3] To hedge, is to creep along by the hedge: not to take the direct and open path, but to steal covertly through cicumvolutions. JOHNS. [4] To trace, is to fellow.

JOHN'S,

Will make this sting the sooner.

Cardinal Campeius

Is stol'n away to Rome; hath ta'en no leave ;
Has left the cause o'the king unhandled; and
Is posted, as the agent of our cardinal,

To second all his plot. I do assure you,
The king cry'd, ha! at this.

Cham. Now, God incense him,

And let him cry ha, louder !
Nor. But, my lord,

When returns Cranmer ?

Suf. He is return'd in his opinions; which
Have satisfy'd the king for his divorce,
Together with all famous colleges

Almost in Christendom: shortly, I believe,
His second marriage shall be publish'd, and
Her coronation. Katharine no more

Shall be call'd, queen; but princess dowager,
And widow to prince Arthur.

Nor. This same Cranmer's

A worthy fellow, and hath ta'en much pain
In the king's business.

Suf. He has ; and we shall see him

For it, an archbishop.

Nor. So I hear.

Suf. 'Tis so.

The cardinal

Enter WOLSEY and CROMWELL.

Nor. Observe, observe, he's moody.

Wol. The packet, Cromwell,

Gave it you the king?

Crom. To his own hand, in his bedchamber.
Wol. Look'd he o' the inside of the paper?
Crom. Presently

He did unseal them: and the first he view'd,
He did it with a serious mind; a heed
Was in his countenance: You, he bade
Attend him here this morning.

Wol. Is he ready

To come abroad?

Crom. I think, by this he is.

Wol. Leave me a while.

It shall be to the duchess of Alençon,

[Exit CROMWELL.

The French king's sister : he shall marry her.

Anne Bullen! No; I'll no Anne Bullens for him :-
There is more in it than fair visage.-Bullen

No, we'll no Bullens.-Speedily I wish

To hear from Rome.-The marchioness of Pembroke !

Nor. He's discontented.

Suf. May be, he hears the king

Does whet his anger to him."
Sur. Sharp enough,

Lord, for thy justice!

Wol. The late queen's gentlewoman; a knight's daughter,

To be her mistress' mistress! the queen's queen !— This candle burns not clear: 'tis I must snuff it; Then, out it goes.-What though I know her virtuous, And well-deserving? yet I know her for

A spleeny Lutheran; and not wholesome to

Our cause, that she should lie i' the bosom of

Our hard-rul'd king. Again, there is sprung up
An heretic, an arch one, Cranmer; one

Hath crawl'd into the favour of the king,

And is his oracle.

Nor. He is vex'd at something.

Suf.I would,'twere something that would fret the string, The master-cord of his heart!

Enter the King, reading a schedule ;5 and LOVEL Suf. The king, the king.

K.Hen. What piles of wealth hath he accumulated To his own portion! and what expence by the hour Seems to flow from him! How, i'the name of thrift, Does he rake this together!-Now, my lords; Saw you the cardinal?

Nor. My lord, we have

Stood here observing him: Some strange commotion
Is in his brain: he bites his lip, and starts;
Stops on a sudden, looks upon the ground,
Then, lays his finger on his temple; straight,
Springs out into fast gait; then, stops again,6
Strikes his breast hard; and anon, he casts
His eye against the moon in most strange postures
We have seen him set himself.

K.Hen. It may well be;

[5] That the cardinal gave the king an inventory of his own private wealth, by mistake, and thereby ruined himself, is a known variation from the truth of history. Shakspeare, however, has not injudiciously represented the fall of that great man as owing to an incident which he had once improved to the

destruction of another. STEEV.

16] Sallust, describing the disturbed state of Catiline's mind, takes notice of the same circumstance: citus modo, modo tardus incessius. STEE.

There is a mutiny in his mind. This morning
Papers of state he sent me to peruse,

As I requir'd; And, wot you, what I found
There; on my conscience, put unwittingly?
Forsooth, an inventory, thus importing,-
The several parcels of his plate, his treasure,
Rich stuffs, and ornaments of household; which
I find at such proud rate, that it out-speaks
Possession of a subject.

Nor. It's heaven's will;

Some spirit put this paper in the packet,
To bless your eye withal.

K.Hen. If we did think

His contemplation were above the earth,
And fix'd on spiritual object, he should still
Dwell in his musings: but, I am afraid,

His thinkings are below the moon, not worth
His serious considering.

[He takes his seat, and whispers LoVEL, who goes to WOLSEY. Wol. Heaven forgive me!

Ever God bless your highness !

K.Hen. Good my lord,

You are full of heavenly stuff, and bear the inventory

Of your best graces in your mind; the which

You were now running o'er; you have scarce time
To steal from spiritual leisure a brief

span,

To keep your earthly audit: Sure, in that

I deem you an ill husband; and am glad
To have you therein my companion.

Wol. Sir,

For holy offices I have a time; a time
To think upon the part of business, which
I bear i'the state; and nature does require
Her times of preservation, which, perforce,
I her frail son, amongst my brethren mortal,
Must give my tendance to.

K.Hen. You have said well.

Wol. And ever may your highness yoke together, As I will lend you cause, my doing well

With my well saying!

K.Hen. 'Tis well said again;

And 'tis a kind of good deed, to say well;

And yet words are no deeds. My father lov'd you ;
He said, he did; and with his deed did crown

His word upon you. Since I had my office,

6

VOL. VI.

I have kept you next my heart; have not alone
Employ'd you where high profits might come home,
But par'd my present havings, to bestow

My bounties upon you.

Wol. What should this mean?

Sur. The Lord increase this business!
K.Hen. Have I not made you

N

[Aside.

The prime man of the state? I pray you, tell me,
If what I now pronounce, you have found true :
And, if you may confess it, say withal,
If you are bound to us, or no.

?

What say you
Wol. My sovereign, 1 confess, your royal graces,
Shower'd on me daily, have been more, than could
My studied purposes requite; which went
Beyond all man's endeavours :-my endeavours
Have ever come too short of my desires,
Yet, fil'd with my abilities :7 Mine own ends
Have been mine so, that evermore they pointed
To the good of your most sacred person, and
The profit of the state. For your great graces
Heap'd upon me, poor undeserver, I

Can nothing render but allegiant thanks;
My prayers to heaven for you; my loyalty,
Which ever has, and ever shall be growing,
Till death, that winter, kill it.

K.Hen. Fairly answer'd;

A loyal and obedient subject is
Therein illustrated: the honour of it

Does pay the act of it; as, i'the contrary,

The foulness is the punishment. I presume,
That, as my hand has open'd bounty to you,

My heart dropp'd love, my power rain'd honour, more
On you, than any; so your hand, and heart,
Your brain, and every function of your power,
Should, notwithstanding that your bond of duty,
As 'twere in love's particular, be more
To me, your friend, than any.

Wol. I do profess,

That for your highness' good I ever labour'd

8

More than mine own; that am, have, and will be.
Though all the world should crack their duty to you,

[7] My endeavours though less than my desires, have fil'd, that is, have gone an equal pace with my abilities. JOHNS.

[8] Besides the general bond of duty, by which you are obliged to be a loyal and obedient jubject, you owe a particular devotion of yourself to me, as your particular benefactor. JOHNS.