Henry VIII by William Shakespeare
Act 5 - Scene 3
The Council-Chamber.
Lord Chancellor : Speak to the business, master-secretary:
[p]Why are we met in
council?
Cromwell : Please your honours,
[p]The chief cause concerns his grace of
Canterbury.
Gardiner : Has he had knowledge of it?
Cromwell : Yes.
Duke of Norfolk : Who waits there?
Keeper : Without, my noble lords?
Gardiner : Yes.
Keeper : My lord archbishop;
[p]And has done half an hour, to know your
pleasures.
Lord Chancellor : Let him come in.
Keeper : Your grace may enter now.
Lord Chancellor : My good lord archbishop, I'm very sorry
[p]To sit here at this
present, and behold
[p]That chair stand empty: but we all are
men,
[p]In our own natures frail, and capable
[p]Of our flesh; few are
angels: out of which frailty
[p]And want of wisdom, you, that best
should teach us,
[p]Have misdemean'd yourself, and not a
little,
[p]Toward the king first, then his laws, in filling
[p]The
whole realm, by your teaching and your chaplains,
[p]For so we are
inform'd, with new opinions,
[p]Divers and dangerous; which are
heresies,
[p]And, not reform'd, may prove pernicious.
Gardiner : Which reformation must be sudden too,
[p]My noble lords; for those
that tame wild horses
[p]Pace 'em not in their hands to make 'em
gentle,
[p]But stop their mouths with stubborn bits, and spur
'em,
[p]Till they obey the manage. If we suffer,
[p]Out of our
easiness and childish pity
[p]To one man's honour, this contagious
sickness,
[p]Farewell all physic: and what follows
then?
[p]Commotions, uproars, with a general taint
[p]Of the whole
state: as, of late days, our neighbours,
[p]The upper Germany, can
dearly witness,
[p]Yet freshly pitied in our memories.
Archbishop Cranmer : My good lords, hitherto, in all the progress
[p]Both of my life and
office, I have labour'd,
[p]And with no little study, that my
teaching
[p]And the strong course of my authority
[p]Might go one way,
and safely; and the end
[p]Was ever, to do well: nor is there
living,
[p]I speak it with a single heart, my lords,
[p]A man that
more detests, more stirs against,
[p]Both in his private conscience
and his place,
[p]Defacers of a public peace, than I do.
[p]Pray
heaven, the king may never find a heart
[p]With less allegiance in it!
Men that make
[p]Envy and crooked malice nourishment
[p]Dare bite the
best. I do beseech your lordships,
[p]That, in this case of justice,
my accusers,
[p]Be what they will, may stand forth face to
face,
[p]And freely urge against me.
Duke of Suffolk : Nay, my lord,
[p]That cannot be: you are a counsellor,
[p]And, by that
virtue, no man dare accuse you.
Gardiner : My lord, because we have business of more moment,
[p]We will be short
with you. 'Tis his highness' pleasure,
[p]And our consent, for better
trial of you,
[p]From hence you be committed to the Tower;
[p]Where,
being but a private man again,
[p]You shall know many dare accuse you
boldly,
[p]More than, I fear, you are provided for.
Archbishop Cranmer : Ah, my good Lord of Winchester, I thank you;
[p]You are always my good
friend; if your will pass,
[p]I shall both find your lordship judge
and juror,
[p]You are so merciful: I see your end;
[p]'Tis my undoing:
love and meekness, lord,
[p]Become a churchman better than
ambition:
[p]Win straying souls with modesty again,
[p]Cast none away.
That I shall clear myself,
[p]Lay all the weight ye can upon my
patience,
[p]I make as little doubt, as you do conscience
[p]In doing
daily wrongs. I could say more,
[p]But reverence to your calling makes
me modest.
Gardiner : My lord, my lord, you are a sectary,
[p]That's the plain truth: your
painted gloss discovers,
[p]To men that understand you, words and
weakness.
Cromwell : My Lord of Winchester, you are a little,
[p]By your good favour, too
sharp; men so noble,
[p]However faulty, yet should find respect
[p]For
what they have been: 'tis a cruelty
[p]To load a falling man.
Gardiner : Good master secretary,
[p]I cry your honour mercy; you may,
worst
[p]Of all this table, say so.
Cromwell : Why, my lord?
Gardiner : Do not I know you for a favourer
[p]Of this new sect? ye are not
sound.
Cromwell : Not sound?
Gardiner : Not sound, I say.
Cromwell : Would you were half so honest!
[p]Men's prayers then would seek you,
not their fears.
Gardiner : I shall remember this bold language.
Cromwell : Do.
[p]Remember your bold life too.
Lord Chancellor : This is too much;
[p]Forbear, for shame, my lords.
Gardiner : I have done.
Cromwell : And I.
Lord Chancellor : Then thus for you, my lord: it stands agreed,
[p]I take it, by all
voices, that forthwith
[p]You be convey'd to the Tower a
prisoner;
[p]There to remain till the king's further pleasure
[p]Be
known unto us: are you all agreed, lords?
All : We are.
Archbishop Cranmer : Is there no other way of mercy,
[p]But I must needs to the Tower, my
lords?
Gardiner : What other
[p]Would you expect? you are strangely troublesome.
[p]Let
some o' the guard be ready there.
Archbishop Cranmer : For me?
[p]Must I go like a traitor thither?
Gardiner : Receive him,
[p]And see him safe i' the Tower.
Archbishop Cranmer : Stay, good my lords,
[p]I have a little yet to say. Look there, my
lords;
[p]By virtue of that ring, I take my cause
[p]Out of the gripes
of cruel men, and give it
[p]To a most noble judge, the king my
master.
Lord Chamberlain : This is the king's ring.
Earl of Surrey : 'Tis no counterfeit.
Duke of Suffolk : 'Tis the right ring, by heaven: I told ye all,
[p]When ye first put
this dangerous stone a-rolling,
[p]'Twould fall upon ourselves.
Duke of Norfolk : Do you think, my lords,
[p]The king will suffer but the little
finger
[p]Of this man to be vex'd?
Lord Chancellor : 'Tis now too certain:
[p]How much more is his life in value with
him?
[p]Would I were fairly out on't!
Cromwell : My mind gave me,
[p]In seeking tales and informations
[p]Against this
man, whose honesty the devil
[p]And his disciples only envy at,
[p]Ye
blew the fire that burns ye: now have at ye!
Gardiner : Dread sovereign, how much are we bound to heaven
[p]In daily thanks,
that gave us such a prince;
[p]Not only good and wise, but most
religious:
[p]One that, in all obedience, makes the church
[p]The
chief aim of his honour; and, to strengthen
[p]That holy duty, out of
dear respect,
[p]His royal self in judgment comes to hear
[p]The cause
betwixt her and this great offender.
Henry VIII : You were ever good at sudden commendations,
[p]Bishop of Winchester.
But know, I come not
[p]To hear such flattery now, and in my
presence;
[p]They are too thin and bare to hide offences.
[p]To me you
cannot reach, you play the spaniel,
[p]And think with wagging of your
tongue to win me;
[p]But, whatsoe'er thou takest me for, I'm
sure
[p]Thou hast a cruel nature and a bloody.
[p][To CRANMER]
[p]Good
man, sit down. Now let me see the proudest
[p]He, that dares most, but
wag his finger at thee:
[p]By all that's holy, he had better
starve
[p]Than but once think this place becomes thee not.
Earl of Surrey : May it please your grace,--
Henry VIII : No, sir, it does not please me.
[p]I had thought I had had men of some
understanding
[p]And wisdom of my council; but I find none.
[p]Was it
discretion, lords, to let this man,
[p]This good man,--few of you
deserve that title,--
[p]This honest man, wait like a lousy
footboy
[p]At chamber--door? and one as great as you are?
[p]Why, what
a shame was this! Did my commission
[p]Bid ye so far forget
yourselves? I gave ye
[p]Power as he was a counsellor to try
him,
[p]Not as a groom: there's some of ye, I see,
[p]More out of
malice than integrity,
[p]Would try him to the utmost, had ye
mean;
[p]Which ye shall never have while I live.
Lord Chancellor : Thus far,
[p]My most dread sovereign, may it like your grace
[p]To let
my tongue excuse all. What was purposed
[p]Concerning his
imprisonment, was rather,
[p]If there be faith in men, meant for his
trial,
[p]And fair purgation to the world, than malice,
[p]I'm sure,
in me.
Henry VIII : Well, well, my lords, respect him;
[p]Take him, and use him well, he's
worthy of it.
[p]I will say thus much for him, if a prince
[p]May be
beholding to a subject, I
[p]Am, for his love and service, so to
him.
[p]Make me no more ado, but all embrace him:
[p]Be friends, for
shame, my lords! My Lord of
[p]Canterbury,
[p]I have a suit which you
must not deny me;
[p]That is, a fair young maid that yet wants
baptism,
[p]You must be godfather, and answer for her.
Archbishop Cranmer : The greatest monarch now alive may glory
[p]In such an honour: how may
I deserve it
[p]That am a poor and humble subject to you?
Henry VIII : Come, come, my lord, you'ld spare your spoons: you
[p]shall have two
noble partners with you; the old
[p]Duchess of Norfolk, and Lady
Marquess Dorset: will
[p]these please you?
[p]Once more, my Lord of
Winchester, I charge you,
[p]Embrace and love this man.
Gardiner : With a true heart
[p]And brother-love I do it.
Archbishop Cranmer : And let heaven
[p]Witness, how dear I hold this confirmation.
Henry VIII : Good man, those joyful tears show thy true heart:
[p]The common voice,
I see, is verified
[p]Of thee, which says thus, 'Do my Lord of
Canterbury
[p]A shrewd turn, and he is your friend for ever.'
[p]Come,
lords, we trifle time away; I long
[p]To have this young one made a
Christian.
[p]As I have made ye one, lords, one remain;
[p]So I grow
stronger, you more honour gain.
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Next: Act 5 - Scene 4
