If Heaven had pleas'd to have given me longer life,
And able means, we had not parted thus.

These are the whole contents:-And, good my lord,
By that you love the dearest in this world,
As you wish christian peace to souls departed,
Stand these poor people's friend, and urge the king
To do me this last right.

Cap.

By Heaven, I will; Or let me lose the fashion of a man!

Kath. I thank you, honest lord. Remember me In all humility unto his highness:

Say, his long trouble now is passing

Out of this world: tell him, in death I bless'd him,
For so I will.-Mine eyes grow dim.—Farewell,
My lord.-Griffith, farewell.-Nay, Patience,
You must not leave me yet. I must to bed;
Call in more women.- -When I am dead, good wench,
Let me be us'd with honour; strew me over
With maiden flowers, that all the world may know
I was a chaste wife to my grave: embalm me,
Then lay me forth: although unqueen'd, yet like
A queen, and daughter to a king, inter me.
I can no more.

[Exeunt, leading KATHARINE.

THE ceremonies attending the coronation of Anne Bullen are most minutely described by Hall. From that source Shakspere derived not only the narration in the first scene of this act, hut " the Order of the Procession." Sir Thomas More was the chancellor on this occasion; and he is introduced again in the fifth act.

We have only space for a fragment of Hall's description; nor, indeed, would it afford any illustration of the text to transcribe his somewhat tedious exposition of the magnificent homage of the court and the city to one upon whom the axe fell within three years :

"When she was thus brought to the high place made in the middes of the church between the choir and the high altar, she was set in a rich chair. And after that she had rested awhile she descended down to the high altar and there prostrate herself, while the Archbishop of Canterbury said certain collects; then she rose, and the bishop anointed her on the head and on the breast; and then she was led up again, where, after divers orisons said, the archbishop set the crown of St. Edward on her head, and then delivered her the sceptre of gold in her right hand, and the rod of ivory with the dove in the left hand, and then all the choir sang Te Deum," &c.

The circumstances which preceded the death of Wolsey are described by Cavendish :

"And the next day he took his journey with Master Kingston and the guard. And as soon as they espied their old master in such a lamentable estate, they lamented him with weeping eyes, whom my lord took by the hands, and divers times by the way, as he rode, he would talk with them, sometime with one and sometime with another. At night he was lodged at a house of the Earl of Shrewsbury's, called Hardwick Hall, very ill at ease. The next day he rode to Nottingham, and there lodged that night, more sicker, and the next day we rode to Leicester Abbey ; and by the way he waxed so sick that he was divers times likely to have fallen from his mule; and being night before we came to the Abbey of Leicester, where, at his coming in at the gates, the abbot of the place, with all his convent, met him with the light of many torches; whom they right honourably received with great reverence. To whom my lord said, 'Father Abbot, I am come hither to leave my bones among you;' whom they brought on his mule to the stairs' foot of his chamber, and there alighted; and Master Kingston then took him by the arm and led him up the stairs, who told me afterwards that he never carried so heavy a burden in all his life. And as soon as he was in his chamber he went incontinent to his bed, very sick. This was upon Saturday at night; and there he continued sicker and sicker.

6

"Upon Monday in the morning, as I stood by his bedside, about eight of the clock, the windows being close shut, having wax-lights burning upon the cupboard, I beheld him, as me seemed, drawing fast to his end. He, perceiving my shadow upon the wall by his bedside, asked who was there? Sir, I am here,' quoth I. • How do you?' quoth he to me. 'Very well, sir,' quoth I, ' if I might see your grace well.' "What is it of the clock?' said he to me. 'Forsooth, sir,' said I, it is past eight of the clock in the morning.' 'Eight of the clock?' quoth he; that cannot be rehearsing divers times eight of the clock-eight of the clock. Nay, nay,' quoth he at the last, it cannot be eight of the clock, for by eight of the clock ye shall lose your master, for my time draweth near that I must depart out of this world.'"

6

The letter of Katharine to the king, of which the substance is in Holinshed, was first published by Polydore Virgil, and was translated by Lord Herbert :"My most dear lord, king, and husband,—

"The hour of my death now approaching, I cannot choose but, out of the love I bear you, advise you of your soul's health, which you ought to prefer before all considerations of the world or flesh whatsoever for which yet you have cast me into many calamities, and yourself into many troubles. But I forgive you all, and pray God to do so likewise. For the rest, I commend unto you Mary our daughter, beseeching you to be a good father to her, as I have heretofore desired. I must entreat you also to respect my maids, and give them in marriage (which is not much, they being but three), and to all my other servants a year's pay besides their due, lest otherwise they should be unprovided for. Lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes desire you above all things. Farewell."

ACT V.

SCENE I.-A Gallery in the Palace.

Enter GARDINER, Bishop of Winchester, a Page with a torch before him, met by SIR THOMAS LOVELL.

Gar. It's one o'clock, boy, is 't not?

It hath struck.

Boy.
Gar. These should be hours for necessities,
Not for delights; times to repair our nature
With comforting repose, and not for us

To waste these times.-Good hour of night, sir Thomas!
Whither so late?

Lov.

Came you from the king, my lord? Gar. I did, sir Thomas; and left him at primero With the duke of Suffolk.

Lov.

I must to him too,

Before he go to bed. I'll take my leave.

Gar. Not yet, sir Thomas Lovell. What's the matter?

It seems you are in haste; an if there be

No great offence belongs to 't, give your friend

Some touch of your late business: Affairs that walk

(As, they say, spirits do) at midnight, have

In them a wilder nature, than the business
That seeks despatch by day.

Lov.

My lord, I love you;

And durst commend a secret to your ear

Much weightier than this work. The queen 's in labour,

They say, in great extremity; and fear'd,

She 'll with the labour end.

Gar.

The fruit she goes with,

I pray for heartily; that it may find

Good time, and live: but for the stock, sir Thomas,

I wish it grubb'd up now.

Lov.

Methinks, I could

Cry the amen; and yet my conscience says
She's a good creature, and, sweet lady, does
Deserve our better wishes.

Gar.
But, sir, sir,—
Hear me, sir Thomas: You are a gentleman
Of mine own way; I know you wise, religious;
And, let me tell you, it will ne'er be well,-
'T will not, sir Thomas Lovell, take 't of me,-
Till Cranmer, Cromwell, her two hands, and she,
Sleep in their graves.

Lov.

Now, sir, you speak of two
The most remark'd i' the kingdom. As for Cromwell,—
Beside that of the jewel-house, he 's made master
O' the rolls, and the king's secretary; further, sir,
Stands in the gap and tradea of more preferments,
With which the time will load him: The archbishop
Is the king's hand and tongue: And who dare speak
One syllable against him?

Gar.
Yes, yes, sir Thomas,
There are that dare; and I myself have ventur’d
To speak my mind of him: and, indeed, this day,
Sir, (I may tell it you,) I think I have

Insens'd the lords o' the council, that he is

(For so I know he is, they know he is)

A most arch heretic, a pestilence

b

That does infect the land: with which they mov'd,
Have broken with the king; who hath so far
Given ear to our complaint, (of his great grace
And princely care, foreseeing those fell mischiefs
Our reasons laid before him,) he hath commanded,
To-morrow morning to the council-board
He be convented. He's a rank weed, sir Thomas,
And we must root him out. From your affairs

I hinder you too long: good night, sir Thomas.

a Trade-habitual course, path trodden. See Richard II.,' Act III., Scene 4. b Broken with-communicated with. So in The Two Gentlemen of Verona :'"I am to break with thee of some affairs."

c Convented-summoned.