Henry VIII by William Shakespeare
Act 1 - Scene 2
The same. The council-chamber.
Henry VIII : My life itself, and the best heart of it,
[p]Thanks you for this great
care: I stood i' the level
[p]Of a full-charged confederacy, and give
thanks
[p]To you that choked it. Let be call'd before us
[p]That
gentleman of Buckingham's; in person
[p]I'll hear him his confessions
justify;
[p]And point by point the treasons of his master
[p]He shall
again relate.
[p][A noise within, crying 'Room for the Queen!'
Enter]
[p]QUEEN KATHARINE, ushered by NORFOLK, and SUFFOLK:
[p]she
kneels. KING HENRY VIII riseth from his state,
[p]takes her up, kisses
and placeth her by him]
Queen Katharine : Nay, we must longer kneel: I am a suitor.
Henry VIII : Arise, and take place by us: half your suit
[p]Never name to us; you
have half our power:
[p]The other moiety, ere you ask, is
given;
[p]Repeat your will and take it.
Queen Katharine : Thank your majesty.
[p]That you would love yourself, and in that
love
[p]Not unconsider'd leave your honour, nor
[p]The dignity of your
office, is the point
[p]Of my petition.
Henry VIII : Lady mine, proceed.
Queen Katharine : I am solicited, not by a few,
[p]And those of true condition, that
your subjects
[p]Are in great grievance: there have been
commissions
[p]Sent down among 'em, which hath flaw'd the heart
[p]Of
all their loyalties: wherein, although,
[p]My good lord cardinal, they
vent reproaches
[p]Most bitterly on you, as putter on
[p]Of these
exactions, yet the king our master--
[p]Whose honour heaven shield
from soil!--even he
[p]escapes not
[p]Language unmannerly, yea, such
which breaks
[p]The sides of loyalty, and almost appears
[p]In loud
rebellion.
Duke of Norfolk : Not almost appears,
[p]It doth appear; for, upon these
taxations,
[p]The clothiers all, not able to maintain
[p]The many to
them longing, have put off
[p]The spinsters, carders, fullers,
weavers, who,
[p]Unfit for other life, compell'd by hunger
[p]And lack
of other means, in desperate manner
[p]Daring the event to the teeth,
are all in uproar,
[p]And danger serves among then!
Henry VIII : Taxation!
[p]Wherein? and what taxation? My lord cardinal,
[p]You that
are blamed for it alike with us,
[p]Know you of this taxation?
Cardinal Wolsey : Please you, sir,
[p]I know but of a single part, in aught
[p]Pertains
to the state; and front but in that file
[p]Where others tell steps
with me.
Queen Katharine : No, my lord,
[p]You know no more than others; but you frame
[p]Things
that are known alike; which are not wholesome
[p]To those which would
not know them, and yet must
[p]Perforce be their acquaintance. These
exactions,
[p]Whereof my sovereign would have note, they are
[p]Most
pestilent to the bearing; and, to bear 'em,
[p]The back is sacrifice
to the load. They say
[p]They are devised by you; or else you
suffer
[p]Too hard an exclamation.
Henry VIII : Still exaction!
[p]The nature of it? in what kind, let's know,
[p]Is
this exaction?
Queen Katharine : I am much too venturous
[p]In tempting of your patience; but am
bolden'd
[p]Under your promised pardon. The subjects' grief
[p]Comes
through commissions, which compel from each
[p]The sixth part of his
substance, to be levied
[p]Without delay; and the pretence for
this
[p]Is named, your wars in France: this makes bold
mouths:
[p]Tongues spit their duties out, and cold hearts
freeze
[p]Allegiance in them; their curses now
[p]Live where their
prayers did: and it's come to pass,
[p]This tractable obedience is a
slave
[p]To each incensed will. I would your highness
[p]Would give it
quick consideration, for
[p]There is no primer business.
Henry VIII : By my life,
[p]This is against our pleasure.
Cardinal Wolsey : And for me,
[p]I have no further gone in this than by
[p]A single
voice; and that not pass'd me but
[p]By learned approbation of the
judges. If I am
[p]Traduced by ignorant tongues, which neither
know
[p]My faculties nor person, yet will be
[p]The chronicles of my
doing, let me say
[p]'Tis but the fate of place, and the rough
brake
[p]That virtue must go through. We must not stint
[p]Our
necessary actions, in the fear
[p]To cope malicious censurers; which
ever,
[p]As ravenous fishes, do a vessel follow
[p]That is
new-trimm'd, but benefit no further
[p]Than vainly longing. What we
oft do best,
[p]By sick interpreters, once weak ones, is
[p]Not ours,
or not allow'd; what worst, as oft,
[p]Hitting a grosser quality, is
cried up
[p]For our best act. If we shall stand still,
[p]In fear our
motion will be mock'd or carp'd at,
[p]We should take root here where
we sit, or sit
[p]State-statues only.
Henry VIII : Things done well,
[p]And with a care, exempt themselves from
fear;
[p]Things done without example, in their issue
[p]Are to be
fear'd. Have you a precedent
[p]Of this commission? I believe, not
any.
[p]We must not rend our subjects from our laws,
[p]And stick them
in our will. Sixth part of each?
[p]A trembling contribution! Why, we
take
[p]From every tree lop, bark, and part o' the timber;
[p]And,
though we leave it with a root, thus hack'd,
[p]The air will drink the
sap. To every county
[p]Where this is question'd send our letters,
with
[p]Free pardon to each man that has denied
[p]The force of this
commission: pray, look to't;
[p]I put it to your care.
Cardinal Wolsey : A word with you.
[p][To the Secretary]
[p]Let there be letters writ to
every shire,
[p]Of the king's grace and pardon. The grieved
commons
[p]Hardly conceive of me; let it be noised
[p]That through our
intercession this revokement
[p]And pardon comes: I shall anon advise
you
[p]Further in the proceeding.
Queen Katharine : I am sorry that the Duke of Buckingham
[p]Is run in your displeasure.
Henry VIII : It grieves many:
[p]The gentleman is learn'd, and a most rare
speaker;
[p]To nature none more bound; his training such,
[p]That he
may furnish and instruct great teachers,
[p]And never seek for aid out
of himself. Yet see,
[p]When these so noble benefits shall
prove
[p]Not well disposed, the mind growing once corrupt,
[p]They
turn to vicious forms, ten times more ugly
[p]Than ever they were
fair. This man so complete,
[p]Who was enroll'd 'mongst wonders, and
when we,
[p]Almost with ravish'd listening, could not find
[p]His hour
of speech a minute; he, my lady,
[p]Hath into monstrous habits put the
graces
[p]That once were his, and is become as black
[p]As if
besmear'd in hell. Sit by us; you shall hear--
[p]This was his
gentleman in trust--of him
[p]Things to strike honour sad. Bid him
recount
[p]The fore-recited practises; whereof
[p]We cannot feel too
little, hear too much.
Cardinal Wolsey : Stand forth, and with bold spirit relate what you,
[p]Most like a
careful subject, have collected
[p]Out of the Duke of Buckingham.
Henry VIII : Speak freely.
Surveyor : First, it was usual with him, every day
[p]It would infect his speech,
that if the king
[p]Should without issue die, he'll carry it so
[p]To
make the sceptre his: these very words
[p]I've heard him utter to his
son-in-law,
[p]Lord Abergavenny; to whom by oath he menaced
[p]Revenge
upon the cardinal.
Cardinal Wolsey : Please your highness, note
[p]This dangerous conception in this
point.
[p]Not friended by by his wish, to your high person
[p]His will
is most malignant; and it stretches
[p]Beyond you, to your friends.
Queen Katharine : My learn'd lord cardinal,
[p]Deliver all with charity.
Henry VIII : Speak on:
[p]How grounded he his title to the crown,
[p]Upon our fail?
to this point hast thou heard him
[p]At any time speak aught?
Surveyor : He was brought to this
[p]By a vain prophecy of Nicholas Hopkins.
Henry VIII : What was that Hopkins?
Surveyor : Sir, a Chartreux friar,
[p]His confessor, who fed him every
minute
[p]With words of sovereignty.
Henry VIII : How know'st thou this?
Surveyor : Not long before your highness sped to France,
[p]The duke being at the
Rose, within the parish
[p]Saint Lawrence Poultney, did of me
demand
[p]What was the speech among the Londoners
[p]Concerning the
French journey: I replied,
[p]Men fear'd the French would prove
perfidious,
[p]To the king's danger. Presently the duke
[p]Said, 'twas
the fear, indeed; and that he doubted
[p]'Twould prove the verity of
certain words
[p]Spoke by a holy monk; 'that oft,' says he,
[p]'Hath
sent to me, wishing me to permit
[p]John de la Car, my chaplain, a
choice hour
[p]To hear from him a matter of some moment:
[p]Whom after
under the confession's seal
[p]He solemnly had sworn, that what he
spoke
[p]My chaplain to no creature living, but
[p]To me, should
utter, with demure confidence
[p]This pausingly ensued: neither the
king nor's heirs,
[p]Tell you the duke, shall prosper: bid him
strive
[p]To gain the love o' the commonalty: the duke
[p]Shall govern
England.'
Queen Katharine : If I know you well,
[p]You were the duke's surveyor, and lost your
office
[p]On the complaint o' the tenants: take good heed
[p]You
charge not in your spleen a noble person
[p]And spoil your nobler
soul: I say, take heed;
[p]Yes, heartily beseech you.
Henry VIII : Let him on.
[p]Go forward.
Surveyor : On my soul, I'll speak but truth.
[p]I told my lord the duke, by the
devil's illusions
[p]The monk might be deceived; and that 'twas
dangerous for him
[p]To ruminate on this so far, until
[p]It forged
him some design, which, being believed,
[p]It was much like to do: he
answer'd, 'Tush,
[p]It can do me no damage;' adding further,
[p]That,
had the king in his last sickness fail'd,
[p]The cardinal's and Sir
Thomas Lovell's heads
[p]Should have gone off.
Henry VIII : Ha! what, so rank? Ah ha!
[p]There's mischief in this man: canst thou
say further?
Surveyor : I can, my liege.
Henry VIII : Proceed.
Surveyor : Being at Greenwich,
[p]After your highness had reproved the
duke
[p]About Sir William Blomer,--
Henry VIII : I remember
[p]Of such a time: being my sworn servant,
[p]The duke
retain'd him his. But on; what hence?
Surveyor : 'If,' quoth he, 'I for this had been committed,
[p]As, to the Tower, I
thought, I would have play'd
[p]The part my father meant to act
upon
[p]The usurper Richard; who, being at Salisbury,
[p]Made suit to
come in's presence; which if granted,
[p]As he made semblance of his
duty, would
[p]Have put his knife to him.'
Henry VIII : A giant traitor!
Cardinal Wolsey : Now, madam, may his highness live in freedom,
[p]and this man out of
prison?
Queen Katharine : God mend all!
Henry VIII : There's something more would out of thee; what say'st?
Surveyor : After 'the duke his father,' with 'the knife,'
[p]He stretch'd him,
and, with one hand on his dagger,
[p]Another spread on's breast,
mounting his eyes
[p]He did discharge a horrible oath; whose
tenor
[p]Was,--were he evil used, he would outgo
[p]His father by as
much as a performance
[p]Does an irresolute purpose.
Henry VIII : There's his period,
[p]To sheathe his knife in us. He is
attach'd;
[p]Call him to present trial: if he may
[p]Find mercy in the
law, 'tis his: if none,
[p]Let him not seek 't of us: by day and
night,
[p]He's traitor to the height.
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