CHAM. Now, God incense him, But, my lord, And let him cry ha, louder! Nor. When returns Cranmer? SUF. He is return'd, in his opinions; which Almost in Chriftendom: fhortly, I believe, NOR. This fame Cranmer's A worthy fellow, and hath ta'en much pain He is return'd, in his opinions; which Together with all famous colleges Almoft in Christendom:] Thus the old copy. The meaning is this: Cranmer, fays Suffolk, is returned in his opinions, i. e. with the fame fentiments, which he entertained before he went abroad, which (fentiments) have fatisfied the king, together with all the famous colleges referred to on the occafion.- -Or, perhaps the paffage (as Mr. Tyrwhitt obferves) may mean-He is return'd in effect, having fent his opinions, i. e. the opinions of divines, &c. collected by him. Mr. Rowe altered thefe lines as follows, and all fucceeding editors have filently adopted his unneceflary change: He is return'd with his opinions, which Have fatisfy'd the king for his divorce, Gather'd from all the famous colleges Almoft in Chriftendom: STEEVENS. Nor. Enter WOLSEY and CROMWELL. Observe, obferve, he's moody. WOL. The packet, Cromwell, gave it you the king? CROM. To his own hand, in his bedchamber." WOL. Look'd he o'the infide of the paper? CROM. Presently He did unfeal them: and the first he view'd, He did it with a ferious mind; a heed Was in his countenance: You, he bade Attend him here this morning. WOL. To come abroad? CROM. Is he ready I think, by this he is. [Exit CROMWELL. WOL. Leave me a while. It fhall be to the duchefs of Alençon, The French king's fifter: he shall marry her.- To hear from Rome.-The marchionefs of Pem broke! NOR. He's difcontented. SUF. May be, he hears the king Does whet his anger to him. 7 To his own hand, in his bedchamber.] Surely, both the fyllable wanting in this line, and the refpect due from the speaker to Wolfey, fhould authorize us to read: To his own hand, fir, in his bedchamber. And again, in Cromwell's next fpeech: Was in his countenance: you, fir, he bade-. or with Sir Thomas Hanmer : and you be bade. STEEVENS. SUR. Lord, for thy justice! Sharp enough, WOL. The late queen's gentlewoman; a knight's daughter, To be her mistress' miftrefs! the queen's queen!This candle burns not clear: 'tis I muft fnuff it; Then, out it goes.-What though I know her virtuous, And well-deferving? yet I know her for A spleeny Lutheran; and not wholesome to Hath crawl'd into the favour of the king, NOR. He is vex'd at something. SUR. I would, 'twere something that would fret the string, The mafter-cord of his heart! Enter the King, reading a schedule; and LovELL. SUF. The king, the king, K. HEN. What piles of wealth hath he accumu lated Enter the King, reading a schedule;] That the Cardinal gave the King an inventory of his own private wealth, by mistake, and thereby ruined himfelf, is a known variation from the truth of hiftory. Shakspeare, however, has not injudiciously reprefented the fall of that great man, as owing to an incident which he had once improved to the deftruction of another. See Holingbed, Vol. II. p. 796 and 797: "Thomas Ruthall, bishop of Durham, was, after the death of king Henry VII. one of the privy council to Henry VIII. to whom the king gave in charge to write a book of the whole estate of the kingdom, &c. Afterwards, the king commanded cardinal Wolfey To his own portion! and what expence by the hour Nor. to go to this bishop, and to bring the book away with him.-This bishop having written two books (the one to anfwer the king's command, and the other intreating of his own private affairs) did bind them both after one fort in vellum, &c. Now, when the cardinal came to demand the book due to the king, the bishop unadvisedly commanded his fervant to bring him the book bound in white vellum, lying in his ftudy, in fuch a place. The fervant accordingly brought forth one of the books fo bound, being the book intreating of the ftate of the bishop, &c. The cardinal having the book, went from the bishop, and after, (in his study by himfelf) understanding the contents thereof, he greatly rejoiced, having now occafion (which he long fought for) offered unto him, to bring the bishop into the king's difgrace. "Wherefore he went forthwith to the king, delivered the book into his hands, and briefly informed him of the contents thereof; putting further into the king's head, that if at any time he were deftitute of a mafs of money, he fhould not need to feek further therefore than to the coffers of the bishop. Of all which when the bishop had intelligence, &c. he was ftricken with fuch grief of the fame, that he shortly, through extreme forrow, ended his life at London, in the year of Chrift 1523. After which, the cardinal, who had long before gaped after his bifhoprick, in fingular hope to attain thereunto, had now his wifh in effect," &c. STEEVENS. 9then, flops again,] Salluft defcribing the difturbed state of Catiline's mind, takes notice of the fame circumftance: citus modo, modo tardus inceffus." STEEVENS. 2 Strikes his breaft hard; and anon, he cafts-] Here I think we fhould be at liberty to complete a defective verfe, by reading, with Sir Thomas Hanmer: and then, anon, he cafts-. STEEVENS. His eye against the moon: in most strange poftures We have feen him fet himself. K. HEN. As I requir'd; And, wot you, what I found His contemplation were above the earth, [He takes his feat; and whispers LOVELL, who WOL. Heaven forgive me! Ever God bless your highness! K. HEN. Good my lord, You are full of heavenly ftuff, and bear the inven tory Of your best graces in your mind; the which You were now running o'er: you have scarce time To steal from fpiritual leifure a brief fpan, To keep your earthly audit: Sure, in that I deem you an ill hufband; and am glad To have you therein my companion. WOL. Sir, |