Henry VIII by William Shakespeare
Act 5 - Scene 1
London. A gallery in the palace.
Gardiner : It's one o'clock, boy, is't not?
Page : It hath struck.
Gardiner : These should be hours for necessities,
[p]Not for delights; times to
repair our nature
[p]With comforting repose, and not for us
[p]To
waste these times. Good hour of night, Sir Thomas!
[p]Whither so
late?
Sir Thomas Lovell : Came you from the king, my lord
Gardiner : I did, Sir Thomas: and left him at primero
[p]With the Duke of
Suffolk.
Sir Thomas Lovell : I must to him too,
[p]Before he go to bed. I'll take my leave.
Gardiner : Not yet, Sir Thomas Lovell. What's the matter?
[p]It seems you are in
haste: an if there be
[p]No great offence belongs to't, give your
friend
[p]Some touch of your late business: affairs, that walk,
[p]As
they say spirits do, at midnight, have
[p]In them a wilder nature than
the business
[p]That seeks dispatch by day.
Sir Thomas Lovell : My lord, I love you;
[p]And durst commend a secret to your ear
[p]Much
weightier than this work. The queen's in labour,
[p]They say, in great
extremity; and fear'd
[p]She'll with the labour end.
Gardiner : The fruit she goes with
[p]I pray for heartily, that it may
find
[p]Good time, and live: but for the stock, Sir Thomas,
[p]I wish
it grubb'd up now.
Sir Thomas Lovell : Methinks I could
[p]Cry the amen; and yet my conscience says
[p]She's
a good creature, and, sweet lady, does
[p]Deserve our better wishes.
Gardiner : But, sir, sir,
[p]Hear me, Sir Thomas: you're a gentleman
[p]Of mine
own way; I know you wise, religious;
[p]And, let me tell you, it will
ne'er be well,
[p]'Twill not, Sir Thomas Lovell, take't of me,
[p]Till
Cranmer, Cromwell, her two hands, and she,
[p]Sleep in their graves.
Sir Thomas Lovell : Now, sir, you speak of two
[p]The most remark'd i' the kingdom. As for
Cromwell,
[p]Beside that of the jewel house, is made master
[p]O' the
rolls, and the king's secretary; further, sir,
[p]Stands in the gap
and trade of moe preferments,
[p]With which the time will load him.
The archbishop
[p]Is the king's hand and tongue; and who dare
speak
[p]One syllable against him?
Gardiner : Yes, yes, Sir Thomas,
[p]There are that dare; and I myself have
ventured
[p]To speak my mind of him: and indeed this day,
[p]Sir, I
may tell it you, I think I have
[p]Incensed the lords o' the council,
that he is,
[p]For so I know he is, they know he is,
[p]A most arch
heretic, a pestilence
[p]That does infect the land: with which they
moved
[p]Have broken with the king; who hath so far
[p]Given ear to
our complaint, of his great grace
[p]And princely care foreseeing
those fell mischiefs
[p]Our reasons laid before him, hath
commanded
[p]To-morrow morning to the council-board
[p]He be
convented. He's a rank weed, Sir Thomas,
[p]And we must root him out.
From your affairs
[p]I hinder you too long: good night, Sir Thomas.
Sir Thomas Lovell : Many good nights, my lord: I rest your servant.
Henry VIII : Charles, I will play no more tonight;
[p]My mind's not on't; you are
too hard for me.
Duke of Suffolk : Sir, I did never win of you before.
Henry VIII : But little, Charles;
[p]Nor shall not, when my fancy's on my
play.
[p]Now, Lovell, from the queen what is the news?
Sir Thomas Lovell : I could not personally deliver to her
[p]What you commanded me, but by
her woman
[p]I sent your message; who return'd her thanks
[p]In the
great'st humbleness, and desired your highness
[p]Most heartily to
pray for her.
Henry VIII : What say'st thou, ha?
[p]To pray for her? what, is she crying out?
Sir Thomas Lovell : So said her woman; and that her sufferance made
[p]Almost each pang a
death.
Henry VIII : Alas, good lady!
Duke of Suffolk : God safely quit her of her burthen, and
[p]With gentle travail, to the
gladding of
[p]Your highness with an heir!
Henry VIII : 'Tis midnight, Charles;
[p]Prithee, to bed; and in thy prayers
remember
[p]The estate of my poor queen. Leave me alone;
[p]For I must
think of that which company
[p]Would not be friendly to.
Duke of Suffolk : I wish your highness
[p]A quiet night; and my good mistress
will
[p]Remember in my prayers.
Henry VIII : Charles, good night.
[p][Exit SUFFOLK]
[p][Enter DENNY]
[p]Well, sir,
what follows?
Sir Anthony Denny : Sir, I have brought my lord the archbishop,
[p]As you commanded me.
Henry VIII : Ha! Canterbury?
Sir Anthony Denny : Ay, my good lord.
Henry VIII : 'Tis true: where is he, Denny?
Sir Anthony Denny : He attends your highness' pleasure.
Sir Thomas Lovell : [Aside] This is about that which the bishop spake:
[p]I am happily
come hither.
Henry VIII : Avoid the gallery.
[p][LOVELL seems to stay]
[p]Ha! I have said. Be
gone. What!
Archbishop Cranmer : [Aside]
[p]I am fearful: wherefore frowns he thus?
[p]'Tis his aspect
of terror. All's not well.
Henry VIII : How now, my lord! you desire to know
[p]Wherefore I sent for you.
Archbishop Cranmer : [Kneeling] It is my duty
[p]To attend your highness' pleasure.
Henry VIII : Pray you, arise,
[p]My good and gracious Lord of Canterbury.
[p]Come,
you and I must walk a turn together;
[p]I have news to tell you: come,
come, give me your hand.
[p]Ah, my good lord, I grieve at what I
speak,
[p]And am right sorry to repeat what follows
[p]I have, and
most unwillingly, of late
[p]Heard many grievous, I do say, my
lord,
[p]Grievous complaints of you; which, being consider'd,
[p]Have
moved us and our council, that you shall
[p]This morning come before
us; where, I know,
[p]You cannot with such freedom purge
yourself,
[p]But that, till further trial in those charges
[p]Which
will require your answer, you must take
[p]Your patience to you, and
be well contented
[p]To make your house our Tower: you a brother of
us,
[p]It fits we thus proceed, or else no witness
[p]Would come
against you.
Archbishop Cranmer : [Kneeling]
[p]I humbly thank your highness;
[p]And am right glad to
catch this good occasion
[p]Most throughly to be winnow'd, where my
chaff
[p]And corn shall fly asunder: for, I know,
[p]There's none
stands under more calumnious tongues
[p]Than I myself, poor man.
Henry VIII : Stand up, good Canterbury:
[p]Thy truth and thy integrity is
rooted
[p]In us, thy friend: give me thy hand, stand up:
[p]Prithee,
let's walk. Now, by my holidame.
[p]What manner of man are you? My
lord, I look'd
[p]You would have given me your petition, that
[p]I
should have ta'en some pains to bring together
[p]Yourself and your
accusers; and to have heard you,
[p]Without indurance, further.
Archbishop Cranmer : Most dread liege,
[p]The good I stand on is my truth and
honesty:
[p]If they shall fail, I, with mine enemies,
[p]Will triumph
o'er my person; which I weigh not,
[p]Being of those virtues vacant. I
fear nothing
[p]What can be said against me.
Henry VIII : Know you not
[p]How your state stands i' the world, with the whole
world?
[p]Your enemies are many, and not small; their
practises
[p]Must bear the same proportion; and not ever
[p]The
justice and the truth o' the question carries
[p]The due o' the
verdict with it: at what ease
[p]Might corrupt minds procure knaves as
corrupt
[p]To swear against you? such things have been done.
[p]You
are potently opposed; and with a malice
[p]Of as great size. Ween you
of better luck,
[p]I mean, in perjured witness, than your
master,
[p]Whose minister you are, whiles here he lived
[p]Upon this
naughty earth? Go to, go to;
[p]You take a precipice for no leap of
danger,
[p]And woo your own destruction.
Archbishop Cranmer : God and your majesty
[p]Protect mine innocence, or I fall into
[p]The
trap is laid for me!
Henry VIII : Be of good cheer;
[p]They shall no more prevail than we give way
to.
[p]Keep comfort to you; and this morning see
[p]You do appear
before them: if they shall chance,
[p]In charging you with matters, to
commit you,
[p]The best persuasions to the contrary
[p]Fail not to
use, and with what vehemency
[p]The occasion shall instruct you: if
entreaties
[p]Will render you no remedy, this ring
[p]Deliver them,
and your appeal to us
[p]There make before them. Look, the good man
weeps!
[p]He's honest, on mine honour. God's blest mother!
[p]I swear
he is true--hearted; and a soul
[p]None better in my kingdom. Get you
gone,
[p]And do as I have bid you.
[p][Exit CRANMER]
[p]He has
strangled
[p]His language in his tears.
Gentleman : [Within] Come back: what mean you?
Old Lady : I'll not come back; the tidings that I bring
[p]Will make my boldness
manners. Now, good angels
[p]Fly o'er thy royal head, and shade thy
person
[p]Under their blessed wings!
Henry VIII : Now, by thy looks
[p]I guess thy message. Is the queen
deliver'd?
[p]Say, ay; and of a boy.
Old Lady : Ay, ay, my liege;
[p]And of a lovely boy: the God of heaven
[p]Both
now and ever bless her! 'tis a girl,
[p]Promises boys hereafter. Sir,
your queen
[p]Desires your visitation, and to be
[p]Acquainted with
this stranger 'tis as like you
[p]As cherry is to cherry.
Henry VIII : Lovell!
Sir Thomas Lovell : Sir?
Henry VIII : Give her an hundred marks. I'll to the queen.
Old Lady : An hundred marks! By this light, I'll ha' more.
[p]An ordinary groom
is for such payment.
[p]I will have more, or scold it out of
him.
[p]Said I for this, the girl was like to him?
[p]I will have
more, or else unsay't; and now,
[p]While it is hot, I'll put it to the
issue.
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