These news are everywhere; every tongue speaks them,
And every true heart weeps for 't: All that dare
Look into these affairs see this main end,—

The French king's sister. Heaven will one day open
The king's eyes, that so long have slept upon

This bold bad man.

Suf.

And free us from his slavery.

Nor. We had need pray,

And heartily, for our deliverance;

Or this imperious man will work us all
From princes into pages: all men's honours

Lie likea one lump before him, to be fashion'd
Into what pitch he please.

Suf.
For me, my lords,
I love him not, nor fear him; there's my creed:
As I am made without him, so I'll stand,

If the king please; his curses and his blessings
Touch me alike, they are breath I not believe in.
I knew him, and I know him; so I leave him
To him that made him proud, the pope.

Nor.

Let's in;

And, with some other business, put the king

From these sad thoughts, that work too much upon him: My lord, you'll bear us company?

Cham.

Excuse me;

The king hath sent me other-where besides,
You'll find a most unfit time to disturb him :

Health to your lordships.

Nor. Thanks, my good lord chamberlain.

NORFOLK opens a folding-door.

[Exit Lord Chamberlain.

The KING is discovered

sitting, and reading pensively."

Suf. How sad he looks! sure, he is much afflicted.
K. Hen. Who is there? ha?

a In the same way like has been changed into in-" in one lump."

b The old stage-direction is, "The king draws the curtain, and sits reading pensively."-See Note on the construction of the ancient stage, Othello,' Act V., Illustration.

Nor.

'Pray God he be not angry.

K. Hen. Who's there, I say? How dare you thrust your

selves

Into my private meditations?

Who am I? ha?

Nor. A gracious king, that pardons all offences Malice ne'er meant: our breach of duty, this way, Is business of estate; in which, we come

To know your royal pleasure.

K. Hen.

Ye are too bold;

Go to; I'll make ye know your times of business :
Is this an hour for temporal affairs? ha?

Enter WOLSEY and Campeius.

Who's there? my good lord cardinal?—O my Wolsey,
The quiet of my wounded conscience,

Thou art a cure fit for a king.-You 're welcome, [To CAMP.
Most learned reverend sir, into our kingdom;

Use us,' and it :—My good lord, have great care

I be not found a talker.

Wol.

Sir, you cannot.

I would your grace would give us but an hour

Of private conference.

[TO WOLSEY.

K. Hen. We are busy; go. [To NORFOLK and SUFFOLK.
Nor. This priest has no pride in him?
Suf.

Not to speak of;

Aside.

I would not be so sick though, for his place:
But this cannot continue.

Nor.

If it do,

I another.

I'll venture one;-have at him.a

Suf.

[Exeunt NORFOLK and SUFFOLK.

Wol. Your grace has given a precedent of wisdom Above all princes, in committing freely

a This is ordinarily printed, "I'll venture one have at him." Have at you, as Douce properly says, is a common phrase; and it is used in two other passages of this play. But in following the old punctuation it is not less a common phrase. It appears to us that Norfolk means by "I'll venture one "-I'll risk myself; and that Suffolk is ready to encounter the same danger-"I another." Steevens reads, "I'll venture one heave at him "—a metaphor of the wharfs.

Your scruple to the voice of Christendom:
Who can be angry now ? what envy reach you?
The Spaniard, tied by blood and favour to her,
Must now confess, if they have any goodness,
The trial just and noble. All the clerks,

I mean the learned ones, in christian kingdoms,
Have their free voices a-Rome, the nurse of judgment,
Invited by your noble self, hath sent

One general tongue unto us, this good man,
This just and learned priest, cardinal Campeius;
Whom, once more, I present unto your highness.

K. Hen. And, once more, in mine arms I bid him wel

come,

And thank the holy conclave for their loves;

They have sent me such a man I would have wish'd for. Cam. Your grace must needs deserve all strangers' loves, You are so noble: To your highness' hand

I tender my commission; by whose virtue,

(The court of Rome commanding,) you, my lord Cardinal of York, are join'd with me their servant,

In the unpartial judging of this business.

K. Hen. Two equal men. The queen shall be acquainted, Forthwith, for what you come :-Where's Gardiner ? Wol. I know your majesty has always lov'd her

So dear in heart, not to deny her that

A woman of less place might ask by law,

Scholars allow'd freely to argue for her.

K. Hen. Ay, and the best she shall have; and my favour To him that does best: God forbid else. Cardinal,

Prithee call Gardiner to me, my new secretary ;

I find him a fit fellow.

[Exit WOLSEY.

Re-enter WOLSEY, with GARdiner.

Wol. Give me your hand: much joy and favour to you; You are the king's now.

Gard.

But to be commanded

For ever by your grace, whose hand has rais'd me. [Aside.

a By a great freedom of construction the verb sent applies to this first member of the sentence, as well as to the second.

K. Hen. Come hither, Gardiner.

[They converse apart.

Cam. My lord of York, was not one doctor Pace

In this man's place before him?

Wol.

Cam. Was he not held a learned man?

Wol.

Yes, he was.

Yes, surely.

Cam. Believe me, there's an ill opinion spread then Even of yourself, lord cardinal.

Wol.

How! of me?

Cam. They will not stick to say you envied him;
And fearing he would rise, he was so virtuous,
Kept him a foreign man still; which so griev'd him,
That he ran mad, and died.

Heaven's peace

Wol.
be with him
That's christian care enough: for living murmurers
There's places of rebuke. He was a fool;

For he would needs be virtuous: That good fellow,
If I command him, follows my appointment;

I will have none so near else. Learn this, brother,
We live not to be grip'd by meaner persons.

K. Hen. Deliver this with modesty to the queen.

[Exit GARDINER.

The most convenient place that I can think of,
For such receipt of learning, is Blackfriars;
There ye shall meet about this weighty business:
My Wolsey, see it furnish'd. O my lord,
Would it not grieve an able man, to leave

So sweet a bedfellow? But, conscience, conscience,

O, 't is a tender place, and I must leave her.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.—An Antechamber in the Queen's Apartments.

Enter ANNE BULLEN and an old Lady.

Anne. Not for that neither: :

pinches :

Here's the pang that

:

His highness having liv'd so long with her and she
So good a lady, that no tongue could ever
Pronounce dishonour of her,—by my life,

VOL. VII.

N

She never knew harm-doing;-O now, after
So many courses of the sun enthron'd,

Still growing in a majesty and pomp,-the which
To leave a thousand-fold more bitter than

"T is sweet at first to acquire,—after this process,
To give her the avaunt! it is a pity

Would move a monster.

Old L.

Melt and lament for her.

Anne.

Hearts of most hard temper

O, God's will! much better

She ne'er had known pomp: though it be temporal,
Yet, if that quarrel, fortune, do divorce

It from the bearer, 't is a sufferance, panging

As soul and body's severing.

Old L.

She's a stranger now again.

Anne.

Must pity drop upon her.

Alas, poor lady!

So much the more

Verily,

I swear, 't is better to be lowly born,
And range with humble livers in content,
Than to be perk'd up in a glistering grief,
And wear a golden sorrow.

And venture maidenhead for 't; and so would you,

For all this spice of your hypocrisy :

You, that have so fair parts of woman on you,

Have too a woman's heart: which ever yet

Affected eminence, wealth, sovereignty;

Which, to say sooth, are blessings: and which gifts (Saving your mincing) the capacity

a The ordinary reading is "to leave is a thousand-fold," &c. The verb is understood.

b Quarrel. Some would read quarreller. The expression is metaphorical: Quarrel is an arrow.

c She is a foreigner again.