The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Part 228

Flourish. Enter KING EDWARD, QUEEN ELIZABETH, CLARENCE, GLOUCESTER, HASTINGS, NURSE, with the Young PRINCE, and attendants

KING EDWARD. Once more we sit in England's royal throne, Repurchas'd with the blood of enemies.

What valiant foemen, like to autumn's corn, Have we mow'd down in tops of all their pride!

Three Dukes of Somerset, threefold renown'd For hardy and undoubted champions; Two Cliffords, as the father and the son; And two Northumberlands- two braver men Ne'er spurr'd their coursers at the trumpet's sound; With them the two brave bears, Warwick and Montague, That in their chains fetter'd the kingly lion And made the forest tremble when they roar'd.

Thus have we swept suspicion from our seat And made our footstool of security.

Come hither, Bess, and let me kiss my boy.

Young Ned, for thee thine uncles and myself Have in our armours watch'd the winter's night, Went all afoot in summer's scalding heat, That thou might'st repossess the crown in peace; And of our labours thou shalt reap the gain.

GLOUCESTER. [Aside] I'll blast his harvest if your head were laid; For yet I am not look'd on in the world.

This shoulder was ordain'd so thick to heave; And heave it shall some weight or break my back.

Work thou the way- and that shall execute.

KING EDWARD. Clarence and Gloucester, love my lovely queen; And kiss your princely nephew, brothers both.

CLARENCE. The duty that I owe unto your Majesty I seal upon the lips of this sweet babe.

KING EDWARD. Thanks, n.o.ble Clarence; worthy brother, thanks.

GLOUCESTER. And that I love the tree from whence thou sprang'st, Witness the loving kiss I give the fruit.

[Aside] To say the truth, so Judas kiss'd his master And cried 'All hail!' when as he meant all harm.

KING EDWARD. Now am I seated as my soul delights, Having my country's peace and brothers' loves.

CLARENCE. What will your Grace have done with Margaret?

Reignier, her father, to the King of France Hath p.a.w.n'd the Sicils and Jerusalem, And hither have they sent it for her ransom.

KING EDWARD. Away with her, and waft her hence to France.

And now what rests but that we spend the time With stately triumphs, mirthful comic shows, Such as befits the pleasure of the court?

Sound drums and trumpets. Farewell, sour annoy!

For here, I hope, begins our lasting joy. Exeunt

THE END

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1611

KING HENRY THE EIGHTH

by William Shakespeare

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

KING HENRY THE EIGHTH CARDINAL WOLSEY CARDINAL CAMPEIUS CAPUCIUS, Amba.s.sador from the Emperor Charles V CRANMER, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY DUKE OF NORFOLK DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM DUKE OF SUFFOLK EARL OF SURREY LORD CHAMBERLAIN LORD CHANCELLOR GARDINER, BISHOP OF WINCHESTER BISHOP OF LINCOLN LORD ABERGAVENNY LORD SANDYS SIR HENRY GUILDFORD SIR THOMAS LOVELL SIR ANTHONY DENNY SIR NICHOLAS VAUX SECRETARIES to Wolsey CROMWELL, servant to Wolsey GRIFFITH, gentleman-usher to Queen Katharine THREE GENTLEMEN DOCTOR b.u.t.tS, physician to the King GARTER KING-AT-ARMS SURVEYOR to the Duke of Buckingham BRANDON, and a SERGEANT-AT-ARMS DOORKEEPER Of the Council chamber PORTER, and his MAN PAGE to Gardiner A CRIER

QUEEN KATHARINE, wife to King Henry, afterwards divorced ANNE BULLEN, her Maid of Honour, afterwards Queen AN OLD LADY, friend to Anne Bullen PATIENCE, woman to Queen Katharine

Lord Mayor, Aldermen, Lords and Ladies in the Dumb Shows; Women attending upon the Queen; Scribes, Officers, Guards, and other Attendants; Spirits

SCENE:

London; Westminster; Kimbolton

KING HENRY THE EIGHTH

THE PROLOGUE.

I come no more to make you laugh; things now That bear a weighty and a serious brow, Sad, high, and working, full of state and woe, Such n.o.ble scenes as draw the eye to flow, We now present. Those that can pity here May, if they think it well, let fall a tear: The subject will deserve it. Such as give Their money out of hope they may believe May here find truth too. Those that come to see Only a show or two, and so agree The play may pa.s.s, if they be still and willing, I'll undertake may see away their s.h.i.+lling Richly in two short hours. Only they That come to hear a merry bawdy play, A noise of targets, or to see a fellow In a long motley coat guarded with yellow, Will be deceiv'd; for, gentle hearers, know, To rank our chosen truth with such a show As fool and fight is, beside forfeiting Our own brains, and the opinion that we bring To make that only true we now intend, Will leave us never an understanding friend.

Therefore, for goodness sake, and as you are known The first and happiest hearers of the town, Be sad, as we would make ye. Think ye see The very persons of our n.o.ble story As they were living; think you see them great, And follow'd with the general throng and sweat Of thousand friends; then, in a moment, see How soon this mightiness meets misery.

And if you can be merry then, I'll say A man may weep upon his wedding-day.

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ACT I. SCENE 1.

London. The palace

Enter the DUKE OF NORFOLK at one door; at the other, the DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM and the LORD ABERGAVENNY

BUCKINGHAM. Good morrow, and well met. How have ye done Since last we saw in France?

NORFOLK. I thank your Grace, Healthful; and ever since a fresh admirer Of what I saw there.

BUCKINGHAM. An untimely ague Stay'd me a prisoner in my chamber when Those suns of glory, those two lights of men, Met in the vale of Andren.

NORFOLK. 'Twixt Guynes and Arde- I was then present, saw them salute on horseback; Beheld them, when they lighted, how they clung In their embracement, as they grew together; Which had they, what four thron'd ones could have weigh'd Such a compounded one?

BUCKINGHAM. All the whole time I was my chamber's prisoner.

NORFOLK. Then you lost The view of earthly glory; men might say, Till this time pomp was single, but now married To one above itself. Each following day Became the next day's master, till the last Made former wonders its. To-day the French, All clinquant, all in gold, like heathen G.o.ds, Shone down the English; and to-morrow they Made Britain India: every man that stood Show'd like a mine. Their dwarfish pages were As cherubins, an gilt; the madams too, Not us'd to toil, did almost sweat to bear The pride upon them, that their very labour Was to them as a painting. Now this masque Was cried incomparable; and th' ensuing night Made it a fool and beggar. The two kings, Equal in l.u.s.tre, were now best, now worst, As presence did present them: him in eye still him in praise; and being present both, 'Twas said they saw but one, and no discerner Durst wag his tongue in censure. When these suns- For so they phrase 'em-by their heralds challeng'd The n.o.ble spirits to arms, they did perform Beyond thought's compa.s.s, that former fabulous story, Being now seen possible enough, got credit, That Bevis was believ'd.

BUCKINGHAM. O, you go far!

NORFOLK. As I belong to wors.h.i.+p, and affect In honour honesty, the tract of ev'rything Would by a good discourser lose some life Which action's self was tongue to. All was royal: To the disposing of it nought rebell'd; Order gave each thing view. The office did Distinctly his full function.

BUCKINGHAM. Who did guide- I mean, who set the body and the limbs Of this great sport together, as you guess?

NORFOLK. One, certes, that promises no element In such a business.

BUCKINGHAM. I pray you, who, my lord?

NORFOLK. All this was ord'red by the good discretion Of the right reverend Cardinal of York.

BUCKINGHAM. The devil speed him! No man's pie is freed From his ambitious finger. What had he To do in these fierce vanities? I wonder That such a keech can with his very bulk Take up the rays o' th' beneficial sun, And keep it from the earth.

NORFOLK. Surely, sir, There's in him stuff that puts him to these ends; For, being not propp'd by ancestry, whose grace Chalks successors their way, nor call'd upon For high feats done to th' crown, neither allied To eminent a.s.sistants, but spider-like, Out of his self-drawing web, 'a gives us note The force of his own merit makes his way- A gift that heaven gives for him, which buys A place next to the King.

ABERGAVENNY. I cannot tell What heaven hath given him-let some graver eye Pierce into that; but I can see his pride Peep through each part of him. Whence has he that?

If not from h.e.l.l, the devil is a n.i.g.g.ard Or has given all before, and he begins A new h.e.l.l in himself.

BUCKINGHAM. Why the devil, Upon this French going out, took he upon him- Without the privity o' th' King-t' appoint Who should attend on him? He makes up the file Of all the gentry; for the most part such To whom as great a charge as little honour He meant to lay upon; and his own letter, The honourable board of council out, Must fetch him in he papers.

ABERGAVENNY. I do know Kinsmen of mine, three at the least, that have By this so sicken'd their estates that never They shall abound as formerly.

BUCKINGHAM. O, many Have broke their backs with laying manors on 'em For this great journey. What did this vanity But minister communication of A most poor issue?

NORFOLK. Grievingly I think The peace between the French and us not values The cost that did conclude it.

BUCKINGHAM. Every man, After the hideous storm that follow'd, was A thing inspir'd, and, not consulting, broke Into a general prophecy-that this tempest, Das.h.i.+ng the garment of this peace, aboded The sudden breach on't.

NORFOLK. Which is budded out; For France hath flaw'd the league, and hath attach'd Our merchants' goods at Bordeaux.

ABERGAVENNY. Is it therefore Th' amba.s.sador is silenc'd?