Henry VIII by William Shakespeare
Act 2 - Scene 2
An ante-chamber in the palace.
Lord Chamberlain : 'My lord, the horses your lordship sent for, with
[p]all the care I
had, I saw well chosen, ridden, and
[p]furnished. They were young and
handsome, and of the
[p]best breed in the north. When they were ready
to
[p]set out for London, a man of my lord cardinal's,
by
[p]commission and main power, took 'em from me; with
[p]this
reason: His master would be served before a
[p]subject, if not before
the king; which stopped our
[p]mouths, sir.'
[p]I fear he will indeed:
well, let him have them:
[p]He will have all, I think.
Duke of Norfolk : Well met, my lord chamberlain.
Lord Chamberlain : Good day to both your graces.
Duke of Suffolk : How is the king employ'd?
Lord Chamberlain : I left him private,
[p]Full of sad thoughts and troubles.
Duke of Norfolk : What's the cause?
Lord Chamberlain : It seems the marriage with his brother's wife
[p]Has crept too near
his conscience.
Duke of Suffolk : No, his conscience
[p]Has crept too near another lady.
Duke of Norfolk : 'Tis so:
[p]This is the cardinal's doing, the king-cardinal:
[p]That
blind priest, like the eldest son of fortune,
[p]Turns what he list.
The king will know him one day.
Duke of Suffolk : Pray God he do! he'll never know himself else.
Duke of Norfolk : How holily he works in all his business!
[p]And with what zeal! for,
now he has crack'd the league
[p]Between us and the emperor, the
queen's great nephew,
[p]He dives into the king's soul, and there
scatters
[p]Dangers, doubts, wringing of the conscience,
[p]Fears, and
despairs; and all these for his marriage:
[p]And out of all these to
restore the king,
[p]He counsels a divorce; a loss of her
[p]That,
like a jewel, has hung twenty years
[p]About his neck, yet never lost
her lustre;
[p]Of her that loves him with that excellence
[p]That
angels love good men with; even of her
[p]That, when the greatest
stroke of fortune falls,
[p]Will bless the king: and is not this
course pious?
Lord Chamberlain : Heaven keep me from such counsel! 'Tis most true
[p]These news are
every where; every tongue speaks 'em,
[p]And every true heart weeps
for't: all that dare
[p]Look into these affairs see this main
end,
[p]The French king's sister. Heaven will one day open
[p]The
king's eyes, that so long have slept upon
[p]This bold bad man.
Duke of Suffolk : And free us from his slavery.
Duke of Norfolk : We had need pray,
[p]And heartily, for our deliverance;
[p]Or this
imperious man will work us all
[p]From princes into pages: all men's
honours
[p]Lie like one lump before him, to be fashion'd
[p]Into what
pitch he please.
Duke of Suffolk : For me, my lords,
[p]I love him not, nor fear him; there's my
creed:
[p]As I am made without him, so I'll stand,
[p]If the king
please; his curses and his blessings
[p]Touch me alike, they're breath
I not believe in.
[p]I knew him, and I know him; so I leave him
[p]To
him that made him proud, the pope.
Duke of Norfolk : Let's in;
[p]And with some other business put the king
[p]From these
sad thoughts, that work too much upon him:
[p]My lord, you'll bear us
company?
Lord Chamberlain : Excuse me;
[p]The king has sent me otherwhere: besides,
[p]You'll find
a most unfit time to disturb him:
[p]Health to your lordships.
Duke of Norfolk : Thanks, my good lord chamberlain.
[p][Exit Chamberlain; and KING HENRY
VIII draws the]
[p]curtain, and sits reading pensively]
Duke of Suffolk : How sad he looks! sure, he is much afflicted.
Henry VIII : Who's there, ha?
Duke of Norfolk : Pray God he be not angry.
Henry VIII : Who's there, I say? How dare you thrust yourselves
[p]Into my private
meditations?
[p]Who am I? ha?
Duke of Norfolk : A gracious king that pardons all offences
[p]Malice ne'er meant: our
breach of duty this way
[p]Is business of estate; in which we
come
[p]To know your royal pleasure.
Henry VIII : Ye are too bold:
[p]Go to; I'll make ye know your times of
business:
[p]Is this an hour for temporal affairs, ha?
[p][Enter
CARDINAL WOLSEY and CARDINAL CAMPEIUS, with]
[p]a commission]
[p]Who's
there? my good lord cardinal? O my Wolsey,
[p]The quiet of my wounded
conscience;
[p]Thou art a cure fit for a king.
[p][To CARDINAL
CAMPEIUS]
[p]You're welcome,
[p]Most learned reverend sir, into our
kingdom:
[p]Use us and it.
[p][To CARDINAL WOLSEY]
[p]My good lord,
have great care
[p]I be not found a talker.
Cardinal Wolsey : Sir, you cannot.
[p]I would your grace would give us but an hour
[p]Of
private conference.
Henry VIII : [To NORFOLK and SUFFOLK]
[p]We are busy; go.
Duke of Norfolk : [Aside to SUFFOLK]
[p]This priest has no pride in him?
Duke of Suffolk : [Aside to NORFOLK] Not to speak of:
[p]I would not be so sick though
for his place:
[p]But this cannot continue.
Duke of Norfolk : [Aside to SUFFOLK] If it do,
[p]I'll venture one have-at-him.
Duke of Suffolk : [Aside to NORFOLK] I another.
Cardinal Wolsey : Your grace has given a precedent of wisdom
[p]Above all princes, in
committing freely
[p]Your scruple to the voice of Christendom:
[p]Who
can be angry now? what envy reach you?
[p]The Spaniard, tied blood and
favour to her,
[p]Must now confess, if they have any goodness,
[p]The
trial just and noble. All the clerks,
[p]I mean the learned ones, in
Christian kingdoms
[p]Have their free voices: Rome, the nurse of
judgment,
[p]Invited by your noble self, hath sent
[p]One general
tongue unto us, this good man,
[p]This just and learned priest,
Cardinal Campeius;
[p]Whom once more I present unto your highness.
Henry VIII : And once more in mine arms I bid him welcome,
[p]And thank the holy
conclave for their loves:
[p]They have sent me such a man I would have
wish'd for.
Cardinal Campeius : Your grace must needs deserve all strangers' loves,
[p]You are so
noble. To your highness' hand
[p]I tender my commission; by whose
virtue,
[p]The court of Rome commanding, you, my lord
[p]Cardinal of
York, are join'd with me their servant
[p]In the unpartial judging of
this business.
Henry VIII : Two equal men. The queen shall be acquainted
[p]Forthwith for what you
come. Where's Gardiner?
Cardinal Wolsey : I know your majesty has always loved her
[p]So dear in heart, not to
deny her that
[p]A woman of less place might ask by law:
[p]Scholars
allow'd freely to argue for her.
Henry VIII : Ay, and the best she shall have; and my favour
[p]To him that does
best: God forbid else. Cardinal,
[p]Prithee, call Gardiner to me, my
new secretary:
[p]I find him a fit fellow.
Cardinal Wolsey : [Aside to GARDINER] Give me your hand much joy and
[p]favour to
you;
[p]You are the king's now.
Gardiner : [Aside to CARDINAL WOLSEY]
[p]But to be commanded
[p]For ever by your
grace, whose hand has raised me.
Henry VIII : Come hither, Gardiner.
Cardinal Campeius : My Lord of York, was not one Doctor Pace
[p]In this man's place before
him?
Cardinal Wolsey : Yes, he was.
Cardinal Campeius : Was he not held a learned man?
Cardinal Wolsey : Yes, surely.
Cardinal Campeius : Believe me, there's an ill opinion spread then
[p]Even of yourself,
lord cardinal.
Cardinal Wolsey : How! of me?
Cardinal Campeius : They will not stick to say you envied him,
[p]And fearing he would
rise, he was so virtuous,
[p]Kept him a foreign man still; which so
grieved him,
[p]That he ran mad and died.
Cardinal Wolsey : Heaven's peace be with him!
[p]That's Christian care enough: for
living murmurers
[p]There's places of rebuke. He was a fool;
[p]For he
would needs be virtuous: that good fellow,
[p]If I command him,
follows my appointment:
[p]I will have none so near else. Learn this,
brother,
[p]We live not to be grip'd by meaner persons.
Henry VIII : Deliver this with modesty to the queen.
[p][Exit GARDINER]
[p]The most
convenient place that I can think of
[p]For such receipt of learning
is Black-Friars;
[p]There ye shall meet about this weighty
business.
[p]My Wolsey, see it furnish'd. O, my lord,
[p]Would it not
grieve an able man to leave
[p]So sweet a bedfellow? But, conscience,
conscience!
[p]O, 'tis a tender place; and I must leave her.
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Next: Act 2 - Scene 3
