Good man, [To Crau.] sit down.-'Now let me see the
'proudest,

He that dares 'most, but wag his 'finger at thee:
By all that 's holy, he had better 'starve,

Than but once 'think this place becomes thee not.
The Earl of Surrey interposes:

Sur. May it please your grace,—

K. Hen.

No, sir, it does 'not please me.
I thought, I had had men of understanding
And wisdom, of my Council; but I find none.
Was it discretion, lords, to let this man,

This 'good man,-few of 'you deserve that title !—
This 'honest man, wait like a lowly footboy
At chamber-door? and one as great as you are?
Why, what a 'shame was this! Did my commission
Bid ye so far forget yourselves? I gave ye
Power, as he was a 'Councillor to try him,
Not as a 'groom. There's some of ye, I see,
More out of 'malice than integrity,

Would try him to the 'utmost, had ye mean;
Which ye shall never have, lords, while I live!
Make me no more ado, but all 'embrace him:

Be 'friends, for shame, my lords!-My Lord of Can-
terbury,

I have a suit which you must not deny me;-
There is, a fair young maid that yet wants baptism;
You must be 'god-father, and answer for her.

Cran. The greatest 'monarch now alive may glory
In such an honour: how may 'I deserve it?

K. Hen. Come, come, my lord, you 'd spare your spoons."
You'll have

Two noble partners with you,-the old Duchess

Of Norfolk, and Lady Marquess Dorset.

Once more, my Lord of Winchester, I charge you
Embrace and love this man.

Gar.
. . With a true heart, I do it.
K. Hen. Come, lords, we trifle time away; I long
To have this young one made a Christian.
As I have made ye 'one, lords, one 'remain :
So 'I grow stronger,—you more 'honour gain.

[Exeunt.

In 1533 the King was married to Anne Bullen, and, in the same year, the Princess Elizabeth was born. The royal infant has been taken to the Church; and we are now supposed to be standing within the Palace Yard, waiting for the return of the regal pro

a Spoons were the usual gifts from god-fathers and sponsors.

cession from the christening. The Porter-who has only one man to assist him—is endeavouring to keep the crowd of lookers-on in

order.

Port. You'll leave your noise anon, ye rascals! Do you take the Court for a bear"-garden? Ye rude slaves, leave your gaping."

Some one in the crowd bawls out:

Man. [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. -I'll scratch your heads! You must be seeing 'christenings? Do you look for ale and cakes 'here, you rude rascals?

Man. Pray, sir, be patient: 't is as much impossible, (Unless we sweep them from the door with cannons,) To scatter them, as 't is to make them sleep

On May-day morning;-which will never be.

We may as well push 'gainst Saint Paul's as stir them. Port. How got they 'in, and be hanged?

Man. Alas, I know not; how gets the 'tide in?

Port. Do you hear the noise they make? Keep the door close, sirrah.

Man. What would you have me do?

Port. What 'should you do, but knock 'em down by the dozens?

Crowd. Hooray! hooray!

The Lord Chamberlain enters.

Cham. Mercy o' me, what a multitude are here,

Port.

As if we kept a fair! Where are these porters,

These lazy knaves?—Ye have made a fine hand, fellows :
There's a trim rabble let in ! Are all these

Your faithful friends o' the suburbs ? We shall have
Great store of room, no doubt, left for the 'ladies,
When they pass 'back from the christening.

An 't please your honour,
We are but 'men; and what 'two men may do,
(Not being torn a pieces,) we have done :
An 'army cannot rule 'em.

Cham.

As I live,

If the King blame 'me for 't, I'll lay ye all

By the heels, and suddenly; and on your heads

Clap round fines for neglect. Hark! the trumpets sound;

They 're come already from the christening.

a O. R. Parish.

b Opening your mouths, shouting.

Go, break among the press," and find a way out
To let the troop pass fairly, or 'I'll find

b

A Marshalsea, shall hold you play these two months! Port. Make way there for the Princess! Crowd. Hooray! hooray!

[Exeunt.

With difficulty we press forward, through the crowd, into the interior of the Palace, in time to hear Garter King at Arms make this proclamation:

Gart. Heaven, from thy endless goodness, send prosperous life, long, and ever happy, to the high and mighty Princess of England, Elizabeth!

The Archbishop of Canterbury kneels.

Cran. Sire, to your royal grace, and the good Queen,
My noble partners and myself thus pray :-

All comfort, joy, in this most gracious lady,
That Heaven e'er laid-up to make parents happy,
May hourly fall upon ye!

K. Hen. Thank you, good lord Archbishop;

K. Hen. With this kiss take my blessing: God protect thee! Into whose hand I give thy life.

Cran.

Amen.

The assemblage is then addressed by Cranmer :

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 !—
Though in her cradle, yet now promises
Upon this land a thousand-thousand blessings,
Which time shall bring to ripeness. She shall be-
But few now living can 'behold that goodness-
A 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

Shall still be 'doubled on her: Truth shall nurse her;
Holy and heavenly Thoughts still 'counsel her:

She shall be 'loved, and feared: her 'own shall bless

her;

Her foes, shake like a field of beaten corn,

And hang their heads with sorrow. Good grows with

her:

a Throng.

b A prison in London. c Queen of the South, contemporaneous with King Solomon (see 1 Kings, X).

In 'her days, every man shall eat in 'safety,
Under his own vine, what he plants; and sing
The merry songs of 'peace to all his neighbours.
God shall be 'truly known. Our 'children's children
Shall see this, and bless Heaven!

K. Hen.

Thou speakest wonders! Cran. She shall be, to the happiness of England, An 'aged princess; 'many days shall see her, And yet no day without a deed to 'crown it. 'Would I had known no more! . . . but she 'must 'die— She must, the saints must have her ;—

A most unspotted lily shall she pass

To the ground, and all the world shall mourn her. K. Hen. O lord Archbishop,

This oracle of comfort has so pleased me,

That, when I am in heaven, I shall desire

To 'see what this child does, and praise my Maker.-
Lead the way, lords: Ye must all see the Queen,
And 'she must thank ye. This day, no man think
There's business at his 'house, for all shall 'stay:
This little one shall make it holiday.

[Exeunt.

EPILOGUE."

"T is ten to one, this play can never please
'All that are here. Some come to take their ease,
And sleep an act or two; but those, we fear,

We have frighted with our trumpets; so, 't is clear,
'They 'll say, ""T is naught:" others, to hear the city
Abused extremely, and to cry,-"That 's witty!"
Which we have not done neither; that, I fear,
All the expected good we 're like to hear
For this play, at this time, is only in

The merciful construction of good 'women;

For such a one we showed them." If they smile,
And say, ""T will do," I know, within a while,
All the best 'men are ours; for 't is ill hap,
If 'they hold, when their ladies bid them clap.

END OF KING HENRY VIII.

a Supposed to have been written by Ben Jonson.

b In the character of Queen Katharine.

THE TRAGEDY OF CORIOLANUS, THOUGH WRITTEN AFTER THE TWO OTHER ROMAN PLAYS, IS THE FIRST IN HISTORICAL ORDER: (see page 8). CORIOLANUS DIED ABOUT 448 YEARS B. C.; JULIUS CÆSAR, 44 YEARS B. C.; MARC ANTONY AND QUEEN CLEOPATRA, 30 YEARS B. C.

CORIOLANUS.

Shakespeare has written three Plays, illustrative of early Roman History-Coriolanus, Julius Cæsar, and Antony and Cleopatra.

The tragedy of Coriolanus is supposed to have been written and performed in 1610, but it was first printed in the folio of 1623. The Story is taken from Plutarch's "Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans compared together, and done into English by Thomas North." The time of the supposed events-which Niebuhr, the greatest ancient historian of our age, places among the fabulous legends of Rome-is in the third century from the Building of the City, or nearly five hundred years before the Christian era.

The old but ever-renewed struggle between Poverty and Property is the subject of this drama; its hero being considered by the Patricians a man of extraordinary valour and incorruptible integrity; by the Plebeians, the embodiment of pride and irascibility.

The Characters retained in this Condensation are:

CAIUS MARCIUS, afterwards CAIUS
MARCIUS CORIOLANUS, a noble
Roman.

TITUS LARTIUS, Generals against
COMINIUS,
the Volscians.
MENENIUS AGRIPPA, Friend to
Coriolanus.

SICINIUS VELUTUS,) Tribunes of
JUNIUS BRUTUS, the people.

Young MARCIUS, Son to Corio

lanus.

A Roman Herald.

TULLUS AUFIDIUS, General of the
Volscians.

VOLUMNIA, Mother to Coriolanus.
VIRGILIA, Wife to Coriolanus.
VALERIA, Friend to Virgilia.

Roman and Volscian Senators,
Patricians, Ediles, Lictors,
Soldiers, Citizens, Messengers,
Servants to Aufidius, and other
Attendants.

The Scene is partly in Rome and its neighbourhood; partly in Corioli and its neighbourhood; and partly in Antium; both cities being about thirty miles from Rome.

The Time comprehends about four historical years; that is, from the Secession to the Mons Sacer, in the year of Rome 262, to the death of Coriolanus A. U. C. 266.

The Play opens with a scene of tumult in the streets of Rome. The starving Citizens are clamorous against the Patricians, and chiefly against Caius Marcius, who had added to his pride of birth contemptuous disdain for the complaints of the people.

One Citizen alone speaks in extenuation of the patrician warrior.