'Gainst me, that I can't take peace with: no black envy Shall make my grave 1.-Commend me to his grace; Yet are the king's; and, 'till my foul forfake me, Lov. To the water-fide I must conduct your Then give my charge up to Sir Nicholas Vaux, Who undertakes you to your end. Vaux. Prepare there, The duke is coming: fee, the barge be ready; Buck. Nay, Sir Nicholas, Let it alone; my ftate now but will mock me. When I came hither, I was lord high conftable, And duke of Buckingham; now, poor Edward Bohun: Yet I am richer than my bafe accufers, That never knew what truth meant: I now feal it; And with that blood, will make 'em one day groan for't. My noble father, Henry of Buckingham, A most unnatural and faithless service! And give your hearts to, when they once perceive hour Of my long weary life is come upon me. Farewel : aft And when you would fay fomething that is fad, Speak how I fell.--I have done; and God forgive me! [Exeunt Buckingham, and Train. 1 Gen. Let me have it; I do not talk much. 2 Gen. I am confident; You fhall, fir: Did you not of late days hear Between the king and Katharine? 1 Gen. Yes, but it held not: For when the king once heard it, out of anger 2 Gen. But that flander, fir, I Gen. 'Tis the cardinal; And meerly to revenge him on the emperor, For not beftowing on him, at his asking, The archbishoprick of Toledo, this is purpos'd. 2 Gen. I think, you have hit the mark: But is't not cruel, That the fhould feel the fmart of this? The cardinal Will have his will, and the muft fall. We are too open here to argue this; SCENE II. Ain Antichamber in the Palace. Enter the Lord Chamberlain, reading a Letter. My Lord, the horses your lardikap fent for, with all the care I had, i far well erojën, ridden, and furnished. They were young, and handsome; and of the best breed in the north. When they were ready to jet out for London, a man of my lord cardinal's, by commiffion, and main power, took 'em from me; with this region,His mafter would be fova'd before a fubject, if not before the king; which flopp'd our mouths, fir. I fear, he will, indeed: Well, let him have them ; He will have all, I think. Enter the Dukes of Norfolk, and Suffolk. Nor. Well met, my lord chamberlain. Cham. Good day to both your graces. the league King. Who's there, I fay? How dare you thrust yourselves Into my private meditations? Nor. A gracious king, that pardons all offences, Between us and the emperor, the queen's great Go to; I'll make ye know your times of bufinefs: nephew, He dives into the king's foul; and there scatters ['em, Suf. And free us from his flavery. And heartily, for our deliverance; I The duch fs of Alencon. Pitch here implies height. Is this an hour for temporal affairs? ha ? Wolfey, - my The quiet of my wounded confcience, Most learned reverend fir, into our kingdom; Wol. Sir, you cannot. I would, your grace would give us but an hour Of private conference. [To Norf. and Suf. King. We are busy; go. I would not be fo fick though 3, for his place: But this cannot continue. Nor. If it do, I'll venture one heave at him. Afide Saf. I another. [Exeunt Norf. and Suf.J wifdom Above all princes, in committing freely I mean, the learned ones, in chriftian kingdoms, Have their free voices: Rome, the nurfe of judgment, Invited by your noble felf, hath fent And thank the holy conclave for their loves; 2 Meaning, that the cardinal can, as he pleafes, make high or low. 3 i. e. fo fick as he is proud. You You are fo noble: To your highness' hand King. Two equal men. The queen fhall be Forthwith, for what you come :--Where's Gardiner and my Cardinal goes out, and re-enters with Gardiner, Wol. Give me your hand; much joy and favour You are the king's now. Gard. But to be commanded [to you; For ever by your grace, whofe hand has raifed me. Cam. Was he not held a learned man? [then Cam. Believe me, there's an ill opinion ipread Even of yourself, lord cardinal. Wol. How! of me? [him; Cam. They will not ftick to fay, you envy'd And, fearing he would rife, he was fo virtuous, Kept him a foreign man ftill: which fo griev'd That he ran mad, and dy'd. Lhim, Wol. Heaven's peace be with him! That's chriftian care enough: for living murmurers, There's places of rebuke. He was a fool; For he would needs be virtuous: that good fellow, If I command him, follows my appointment; I will have none fo near elfe. Learn this, brother, We live not to be grip'd by meaner perfons. King. Deliver this with modefty to the queen. [Exit Gardiner. The most convenient place that I can think of, For fuch receipt of learning, is Black-friars; There ye shall meet about this weighty bufinefs:My Wolfey, fee it furnish'd.-O my lord, Would it not grieve an able man, to leave So fweet a bedfellow? but, confcience, confcience,O, 'tis a tender place, and I must leave her. [Exeunt. His highnefs having liv'd fo long with her; and fha Would move a moniter. Old L. Hearts of moft hard temper Melt and lament for her. Anne. O, God's will! much better, She ne'er had known pomp: though it be temporal, Yet, if that quarrel 3, fortune, do divorce It from the bearer, 'tis a fufferance, panging As foul and body's fevering. Old L. Alas, poor lady! Anne. So much the more Old L. Our content, Is our best having 5. Anne. By my troth, and maidenhead, I would not be a queen. Old L. Befhrew me, I would, And venture maidenhead for't; and fo would you, You, that have fo fair parts of woman on you, Of your foft cheveril confcience would receive, Anne. Nay, good troth.- [be a queen? Old L. Yes, troth and troth,-You would not Anne. No, not for all the riches under heaven. Old L. 'Tis ftrange; a three-pence bow'd would hire me, Old as I am, to queen it: but, I pray you, What think you of a dutchefs? have you limbs To bear that load of title? i. c. kept him out of the king's prefence, by employing him in foreign embaffies. 2 i. e. to fend her away contemptuoufly. 3 Dr. Warburton fays, the calls fortune a quarrel or arrow, from her ftriking fo deep and fuddenly. Quarrel was a large arrow fo called." Dr Johnfon, however, thinks the poet may be eafily fuppofed to ufe quarrel for quarreller, as murder for murderer, the actior the agent. 4 i. c. fhe is again an alien; not only no longer queen, but no longer an Englishwoman, 5 i. e. our beft poffeffion. 6 Cheveril, kid-fkin, foft leather. 7 i. c. let us defçend full lower, and more upon a level with your own quality. . You'd venture an emballing: I myself A very fresh fish here, (fye, fye upon Would for Carnarvonthire, although there 'long'dThis compell'd fortune!) have your mouth fill'd up, No more to the crown but that. Lo, who comes Before you open it. here? Anne. This is strange to me. [no. Old L. How taftes it? is it bitter? forty pence3, What were't There was a lady once, ('tis an old story) Enter the Lord Chamberlain. Cham. Good morrow, ladies. worth, to know. The fecret of your conference? Not your demand; it values not your asking: Cham. It was a gentle bufinefs, and becoming Anne. Now I pray God, Amen! [bleffings Anne. I do not know, What kind of my obedience I should tender; Are all I can return. 'Befeech your lordship, I thall not fail to approve the fair conceit -I'll to the king, But from this lady may proceed a gem, I have been begging fixteen years in court, 4 A Hall in Black-Fryars. [Excunt. Trumpets, Sennet, and Cornets. Enter two Vergers with fhort Silver Wands; next them, two Scribes in the habits of Doctors; after them, the Archbishop of Canterbury alone; after him, the Bishops of Lincoln, Ely, Rockefter, and Saint Ajaph; next them, with fome small diftance, follows a Gentleman bearing the Purfe, with the Great Scal, and a Cardinal'. Hat; then two Prifts, bearing each a Silver Crofs; then a Gentleman-uher barebeaded, accompanied with a Serjeant at Arms, bearing a Silver Mace; then two Gentlemen, bearing two great Silver Pillars 5; after them, fide by fide, the two Cardinals; two Noblemen with the Sword and Mace. The King takes place under the Cloth of State; the two Cardinals fit under him, Judges. The Queen_takos place some distance from the King. The Bishops place themselves each fide the Court, in manner of a Contiflory; below them, the Scribes. The Lords fit next the Bijkops. as 1 The meaning, according to Dr. Johnfon, is, "You would venture to be diftinguished by the ball, the enfign of royalty." Mr. Tollet, however, fays, "Dr. Johnfon's explanation cannot be right, because a queen-confort, fuch as Anne Bullen was, is not diftinguished by the ball, the enlign of royalty, nor has the poet expreffed that she was fo diftinguished." 2 From this and many other artful itrokes of addrefs the poct has thrown in upon queen Elizabeth and her mother, it should feem, that this play was written and performed in his royal miftrefs's time: if fo, fome lines were added by him in the laft fcene, after the acceffion of her fucceflor, king James. 3 Mr. Steevens on this pallage remarks, " Forty pence was in thofe days the proverbial expreflion of a fmall wager, or a fmall fum. Money was then reckoned by pounds, marks, and nobles. Forty pence is half a noble, or the fixth part of a pound. Forty pence, or three and four pence, ftill remains in many offices the legal and etablished fer," 4 Dr. Burney in his General History of Mufic conjectures, that fennet may mean a flourish for the purpose of affembling chiefs, or apprizing the people of their approach. Mr. Steevens adds, that he has been informed that fenefte is the name of an antiquated French tune. 5 Pillars were fome of the enfigns of dignity carried before cardinals. Wolfey had two great filver pillars ufually borne before him by two of the tallest priefts that he could get within the realm. This remarkable piece of pageantry did not escape the notice of Shakspeare, The The rift of the Attendants fland in convenient order about the Stage. Wol. Whilst our commiffion from Rome is read, Let filence be commanded. King. What's the need? It hath already publickly been read, And on all fides the authority allow'd; You may then fpare that time. Wol. Bet fo:---Proceed. Befeech you, fir, to spare me, 'till I may Be by my friends in Spain advis'd; whofe counfel will implore: If not; i'the name of God, Your pleature be fulfill'd! Wol. You have here, lady, (And of your choice) these reverend fathers; men Yea, the elect of the land, who are affembled Scribe. Say, Henry king of England, come into That longer you defer the court; as well Crier. Katharine, queen of England, &c. [The Queen makes no answer, rifes out of her chair, goes about the Court, comes to the King, and kneels at bis fect; then fspeaks.] Queen. Sir, I defire you, do me right and justice; And to beftow your pity on me : for I am a most poor woman, and a stranger, Born out of your dominions; having here No judge indifferent, nor no more aífurance Of equal friendship and proceeding. Alas, fir, In what have I offended you? what caufe Hath my behaviour given to your difpleasure, That thus you should proceed to put me off, And take your good grace from me? Heaven witnefs, I have been to you a true and humble wife, At all times to your will conformable : Ever in fear to kindle your diflike, For your own quiet, as to rectify What is unfettled in the king. Cam. His grace Hath ipoken well, and juftly: Therefore, madam, And that, without delay, their arguments Queen. I will, when you are humble; nay, before, You are mine enemy; and make my challenge 1, Yea, fubject to your countenance; glad, or forry, Which God's dew quench!-Therefore, I fay agair, As I faw it inclin'd. When was the hour, I ever contradicted your defire, Or made it not mine too? Or which of your friends To the fharpeft kind of juftice. Please you, fir, Challenge is he e a verbum juris, a law term. 1 challenge him. 2 ie, deny. I utterly abhor, yea, from my foul Refule you for my judge; whom, yet once more, hold my moft malicious foe, and think not At all a friend to truth. Wol. 1 do profefs," You fpeak not like yourfelf; who ever yet Queen. My lord, my lord, I am a fimple woman, much too weak The criminal, when he refufes a juryinan, favs, To |