That holy duty, out of dear respect, Bishop of Winchester. But know, I come not He, that dares most, but wag his finger at thee: Than but once think his place becomes thee not. K. Hen. No, sir, it does not please me. At chamber-door? and one as great as you are? Chan. Thus far, My most dread sovereign, may it like your grace K. Hen. Well, well, my lords, respect him; Am, for his love and service, so to him. I have a suit which you must not deny me; Cran. The greatest monarch now alive may glory K. Hen. Come, come, my lord, you'd spare your Two noble partners with you; the old duchess of And lady marquis Dorset ; Will these please you? Gar. With a true heart, And let Heaven Witness, how dear I hold this confirmation. |A shrewd turn, and he is your friend for ever. Port. You'll leave your noise anon, ye rascals: Do you take the court for Paris garden? ye rude slaves, leave your gaping.' [Within.] Good master porter, I belong to the larder. Port. Belong to the gallows, and be hanged, you rogue: Is this a place to roar in?-Fetch me a dozen crab-tree staves, and strong ones; these are but switches to them.-I'll scratch your heads: You must be seeing christenings? Do you look for ale and cakes here, ye rude rascals? Man. Pray, sir, be patient; 'tis as much impos sible (Unless we sweep them from the door with cannons,) Port. You did nothing, sir. Man. I am not Samson, nor sir Guy, nor Colbrand, to mow them down before me: but, if I spared any, that had a head to hit, either young or old, he or she, cuckold or cuckold-maker, let me never hope to see a chine again; and that I would not for a cow, God save her." [Within.] Do you hear, master-porter? Port. I shall be with you presently, good master puppy.-Keep the door close, sirrah. Man. What would you have me do? Port. What should you do, but knock them down by the dozens? Is this Moorfields to muster in? or have we some strange Indian with the great tool come to court, the women so besiege us? Bless me, what a fry of fornication is at door! On my Christian conscience, this one christening will beget a thousand; here will be father, godfather, and all together. Man. The spoons will be the bigger, sir. There is a fellow somewhat near the door, he should be a brazier by his face, for, o'my conscience, twenty of the dog-days now reign in's nose; all that stand about him are under the line, they need no other penance: That fire-drake did I hit three times on the head, and three times was his nose discharged against me; he stands there, like a mortar piece, to blow us. There was a haberdasher's wife of small wit near him, that railed upon me till her pink'd porringer fell off her head, for kindling such a combustion in the state. I miss'd the meteor once, and hit that woman, who cried out, Clubs! when I might see from far some forty truncheoneers draw K. Hen. Good man, those joyful tears show thy to her succour, which were the hope of the Strand, true heart. The common voice, I see, is verified where she was quartered. They fell on; I made good my place; at length they came to the broom Of thee, which says thus, Do my lord of Canter- staff with me, I defied them still; when suddenly bury (1) It was an ancient custom for sponsors to present spoons to their god-children. (The bear-garden on the Bank-side. (3) Roaring. a file of boys behind them, loose shot, delivered mine honour in, and let them win the work: The | With this kiss take my blessing: God protect thee! devil was amongst them, I think, surely. Into whose hands I give thy life. Cran. Port. These are the youths that thunder at a play-house, and fight for bitten apples; that no audience, but the Tribulation of Tower-hill, or the limbs of Limehouse, their dear brothers, are able to endure. I have some of them in limbo patrum,' and there they are like to dance these three days; besides the running banquet of two beadles, that is to come. Enter the Lord Chamberlain. Cham. Mercy o'me, what a multitude are here! They grow still too, from all parts they are coming, As if we kept a fair here! Where are these porters, These lazy knaves?-Ye have made a fine hand, fellows, There's a trim rabble let in: Are all these Cham. As I live, A Marshalsea, shall hold you play these two months. Port. You i'the camblet, get up o'the rail; I'll pick you o'er the pales else." SCENE IV.-The Palace. [Exeunt. I Amen. K. Hen. My noble gossips, ye have been too prodigal : thank ye heartily; so shall this lady, When she has so much English. Cran. Let me speak, sir, For Heaven now bids me; and the words I utter Let none think flattery, for they'll find them truth. This royal infant (Heaven still move about her!) Upon this land a thousand thousand blessings, Though in her cradle, yet now promises Which time shall bring to ripeness: She shall be (But few now living can behold that goodness,) pattern to all princes living with her, And all that shall succeed: Sheba was never More covetous of wisdom, and fair virtue, Than this pure soul shall be: all princely graces, That mould up such a mighty piece as this is, With all the virtues that attend the good, Shall still be doubled on her: truth shall nurse her, Holy and heavenly thoughts still counsel her: She shall be lov'd, and fear'd: Her own shall bless her; Her foes shake like a field of beaten corn, In her days, every man shall eat in safety As great in admiration as herself; So shall she leave her blessedness to one, (When heaven shall call her from this cloud of darkness,) Enter trumpets, Who, from the sacred ashes of her honour, sounding; then two Aldermen, Lord Mayor, Shall star-like rise, as great in fame as she was, Garter, Cranmer, Duke of Norfolk, with his And so stand fix'd: Peace, plenty, love, truth, termarshal's staff, Duke of Suffolk, two Noblemen ror, bearing great standing-bowls, for the christen-That were the servants to this chosen infant, ing gifts; then four Noblemen bearing a can- Shall then be his, and like a vine grow to him; opy, under which the Duchess of Norfolk, god- Wherever the bright sun of heaven shall shine, mother, bearing the Child, richly habited in a His honour and the greatness of his name mantle, &c. Train borne by a Lady; then fol- Shall be, and make new nations: He shall flourish, lows the Marchioness of Dorset, the other god- And, like a mountain cedar, reach his branches mother, and Ladies. The troop pass once about To all the plains about him:-Our children's the stage, and Garter speaks. children Gart. Heaven, from thy endless goodness, send prosperous life, long, and ever happy, to the high and mighty princess of England, Elizabeth. Flourish. Enter King, and Train. Shall see this, and bless Heaven. K. Hen. Cran. [Kneeling.] And to your royal grace, and 'Would I had known no more! but she must die, the good queen, My noble partners, and myself, thus pray :- K. Hen. Thank you, good lord archbishop; What is her name? Cran. K. Hen. Elizabeth. She must, the saints must have her; yet a virgin, To the ground, and all the world shall mourn her. Thou hast made me now a man; never, before (1) Place of confinement. (2) A dessert of whipping. (3) Black leather vessels to hold beer. Pitch. (5) At Greenwich, (6) This and the following seventeen lines were probably written by B. Jonson, after the accession of king James. 'TIS ten to one, this play can never please For such a one we show'd them: If they smile, The play of Henry the Eighth is one of those which still keeps possession of the stage by the splendor of its pageantry. The coronation, about forty years ago, drew the people together in multitudes for a great part of the winter. Yet pomp is not the only merit of this play. The meek sorrows, and virtuous distress of Katharine, have furnished some scenes, which may be justly numbered among the greatest efforts of tragedy. But the genius of Shakspeare comes in and goes out with Katharine. Every other part may be easily conceived and easily written. JOHNSON. Antenor, Eneas, Trojan commanders. Greeks. Thersites, a deformed and scurrillous virgin. Servant to Troilus; Servant to Paris; Servant to Helen, wife to Menelaus. Andromache, wife to Hector. Calchas, a Trojan priest, taking part with the Cassandra, daughter to Priam; a prophetess Cressida, daughter to Calchas. Trojan and Greek Soldiers, and Attendants. Scene, Troy, and the Grecian camp before it. Ulysses, Grecian commanders. Nestor, Diomedes, Patroclus, PROLOGUE. ACT I. IN Troy, there lies the scene. From isles of SCENE I.-Troy. Before Priam's palace. En Greece The princes orgulous,' their high blood chaf'd, And the deep-drawing barks do there disgorge Now expectation, tickling skittish spirits, Proud, disdainful. (2) Freight. (S3) Shut. ter Troilus armed, and Pandarus. you must stay the cooling too, or you may chance to burn your lips. Fools on both sides! Helen must needs be fair, Tro. Patience herself, what goddess ere she be, I cannot fight upon this argument; At Priam's royal table do I sit; And when fair Cressid comes into my thoughts, Pan. Well, she looked yesternight fairer than ever I saw her look, or any woman else. Tro. I was about to tell thee,-When my heart, Pan. An her hair were not somewhat darker than Helen's, (well, go to,) there were no more comparison between the women,-But, for my part, she is my kinswoman; I would not, as they term it, praise her,-But I would somebody had heard her talk yesterday, as I did. I will not dispraise your sister Cassandra's wit; but Tro. O Pandarus! I tell thee, Pandarus- Her eyes, her hair, her cheek, her gait, her voice; As true thou tell'st me, when I say I love her; Pan. I speak no more than truth. Tro. Good Pandarus! How now, Pandarus? Pan. I have had my labour for my travail; illthought on of her, and ill-thought on of you: gone between and between, but small thanks for my labour. Tro. What, art thou angry, Pandarus? what, with me? Pan. Because she is kin to me, therefore, she's not so fair as Helen: an she were not kin to me, she would be as fair on Friday, as Helen is on Sunday. But what care I? I care not, an she were a black-a-moor; 'tis all one to me. Tro. Say I, she is not fair? Pan. I do not care whether you do or no. She's a fool to stay behind her father; let her to the Greeks; and so I'll tell her the next time I see her: for my part, I'll meddle nor make no more in the matter. Tro. Pandarus, Pan. Not I. Tro. Sweet Pandarus,Pan. Pray you, speak no more to me; I will leave all as I found it, and there an end. [Exit Pandarus. An Alarum. Tro. Peace, you ungracious clamours! peace, rude sounds! It is too starv'd a subject for my sword. Ene. How now, prince Troilus? wherefore not Tro. Because not there; This woman's answer For womanish it is to be from thence. Ene. day! Tro. Better at home, if would I might, were But, to the sport abroad;-Are ye bound thither ? Come, go we then together. [Exe. 1 SCENE II.-The same. A street. Enter Cres- Cres. Who were those went by? Up to the eastern tower, Cres. Cres. So do all men; unless they are drunk, sick, or have no legs. Alex. This man, lady, hath robb'd many beasts of their particular additions; he is as valiant as the lion, churlish as the bear, slow as the elephant: whom nature hath so crowded humours, a mabur is crush'd into folly, his folly sauced that lis with discretion: there is no man hath a virtue that he hath not a glimpse of; nor any man an attaint, but he carries some stain of it: he is melancholy without cause, and merry against the hair: He hath the joints of every thing: but every thing so |