I love him not, nor fear him; there's my creed:
As I am made without him, so I'll stand,

If the king please; his curses and his blessings
Touch me alike, they are breath I not believe in.
I knew him, and I know him; so I leave him
To him that made him proud, the pope.

Nor. Let's in ;

And, with some other business, put the king

From these sad thoughts, that work too much upon him: -My lord, you'll bear us company?

Cham. Excuse me ;

The king hath sent me other-where besides

You'll find a most unfit time to disturb him:

Health to your lordships.

Nor. Thanks, my good lord chamberlain.

[Exit Lord Chamberlain,

NORFOLK opens a folding-door. The King is discovered sitting, and reading pensively.

Suf. How sad he looks! sure, he is much afflicted.
K.Hen. Who is there? ha?

Nor. 'Pray God, he be not angry.

K.Hen. Who's there, I say? How dare you thrust yourselves

Into my private meditations?

Who am I? ha?

Nor. A gracious king, that pardons all offences Malice ne'er meant: Our breach of duty, this way,

Is business of estate; in which, we come

To know your royal pleasure.

K.Hen. You are too bold;

Go to; I'll make ye know your times of business :
Is this an hour for temporal affairs? ha?-

Enter WOLSEY and CAMPEIUS.

Who's there? my good lord cardinal?-O my Wolsey, The quiet of my wounded conscience,

Thou art a cure fit for a king.-You're welcome,

[To CAMPEIUS. Most learned reverend sir, into our kingdom; Use us, and it :-My good lord, have great care I be not found a talker.9

[TO WOLSEY.

Wol. Sir, you cannot.

[9] I take the meaning to be, Let care be taken that my promise be performed, that my professions of welcome be not found empty talk. JOHNS.

I would, your grace would give us but an hour

Of private conference.

K.Hen. We are busy; go.

[To NORF. and SUF.

Nor. This priest has no pride in him?
Suf. Not to speak of;

I would not be so sick though, for his place :'

But this cannot continue.

Nor. If it do,

I'll venture one heave at him.

Suf. I another.

Aside.

[Exeunt NORF. and SUF.

Wol. Your grace has given a precedent of wisdom Above all princes, in committing freely

Your scruple to the voice of Christendom :

Who can be angry now? what envy reach you?
The Spaniard, ty'd by blood and favour to her,
Must now confess, if they have any goodness,
The trial just and noble.

All the clerks,

I mean, the learned ones, in christian kingdoms,
Have their free voices;2 Rome, the nurse of judgment,
Invited by your noble self, hath sent

One general tongue unto us, this good man,

This just and learned priest, cardinal Campeius;
Whom, once more, I present unto your highness.

K.Hen.And, once more, in mine arms I bid him welcome, And thank the holy conclave for their loves;

They have sent me such a man I would have wish'd for.
Cam. Your grace must needs deserve all strangers'loves
You are so noble: To your highness' hand

I tender my commission; by whose virtue,-
(The court of Rome commanding,) you, my lord
Cardinal of York, are join'd with me their servant,
In the unpartial judging of this business.

K.Hen.Twoequal men. The queen shall be acquainted
Forthwith, for what you come :-Where's Gardiner ?
Wol. I know, your majesty has always lov'd her
So dear in heart, not to deny her that

A woman of less place might ask by law,
Scholars, allow'd freely to argue for her.

K.Hen. Ay,and the best, she shall have; and my favour To him that does best; God forbid else. Cardinal, Pr'ythee, call Gardiner to me, my new secretary;

I find him a fit fellow.

[1] That is, so sick as he is proud. JOHNS.
[2] The construction is, have sent their free voices.

[Exit WOLSEY.

MAL..

Re-enter WOLSEY, with GARDINER.

Wol. Give me your hand: much joy and favour to you; You are the king's now.

Gard. But to be commanded

Forever by your grace, whose hand has rais'd me. [Aside.
K.Hen. Come hither, Gardiner. [They converse apart,
Cam. My lord of York, was not one doctor Pace
In this man's place before him?

Wol. Yes, he was.

Cam. Was he not held a learned man?

Wol. Yes, surely.

Cam. Believe me, there's an ill opinion spread then Even of yourself, lord cardinal.

Wol. How! of me?

Cam. They will not stick to say, you envy'd him ; And, fearing he would rise, he was so virtuous,

Kept him a foreign man still ;3 which so griev'd him, That he run mad, and dy'd.

Wol. Heaven's peace be with him!

That's Christian 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 so near else. Learn this, brother,
We live not to be grip'd by meaner persons.

K.Hen. Deliver this with modesty to the queen.
[Exit GARDINER.

The most convenient place that I can think of,
For such receipt of learning, is Black-Friars ;
There ye shall meet about this weighty business :-
My Wolsey, see it furnish'd.-O my lord,
Would it not grieve an able man, to leave

So sweet a bed-fellow? But, conscience, conscience,-
O, 'tis a tender place, and I must leave her.

SCENE III..

[Exeunt.

An Ante-chamber in the Queen's Apartments. Enter ANNE BULLEN, and an old Lady.

Anne. Not for that neither ;-Here's the pang that pinches :

His highness having liv'd so long with her; and she
So good a lady, that no tongue could ever

Pronounce dishonour of her,-by my life,

3) Kept him out of the king's presence, employed in foreign embassies,

4*

VOL. VI.

JOHNS.

She never knew harm-doing ;-O now,
So many courses of the sun enthron'd,

after

Still growing in a majesty and pomp,-the which
To leave is a thousand-fold more bitter, than
"Tis sweet at first to acquire,-after this process,
To give her the avaunt !4 it is a pity

Would move a monster.

Old L. Hearts of most 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, fortune, 5 do divorce

It from the bearer, it is a sufferance, panging
As soul and body's severing.

Old L. Alas, poor lady!
She's a stranger now again.
Anne. So much the more

Must pity drop upon her. Verily,

I swear, 'tis better to be lowly born,
And range with humble livers in content,
Than to be perk'd up in a glistering grief,
And wear a golden sorrow.

Old L. Our content

Is our best having.7

Anne. By my troth, and maidenhead,

I would not be a queen.

Old L. Beshrew me, I would,

And venture maidenhead for't; and so would you,
For all this spice of your hypocrisy :

You, that have so fair parts of woman on you,
Have too a woman's heart; which ever yet

Affected eminence, wealth, sovereignty;

Which, to say sooth, are blessings: and which gifts (Saving your mincing) the capacity

8

Of your soft cheveril conscience would receive, 3
If you might please to stretch it.

Anne. Nay, good troth,

Old L. Yes,troth, and troth,-You would not be a queen?

[4] To send her away contemptuously: to pronounce against her a sentence of ejection. JOHNS.

[5] She calls Fortune a quarrel or arrow, from her striking so deep and suddenly. Quarrel was a large arrow so called. Thus Fairfax:

-twang'd the string, out few the quarrel long." WARB. [6] Again an alien; not only no longer queen, but no longer an English woman. JOHNS.

17] That is, our best possession. In Spanish, hazienda, [8] Cheveril-is kid-skin, soft leather, JOHNS

JOHNS.

Anne. No, not for all the riches under heaven.

Old L.'Tis strange; a three-pence bowed would hire me, Old as I am, to queen it: But, I pray you,

What think you of a duchess? have you limbs

To bear that load of title ?

Anne. No, in truth.

Old L. Then you are weakly made: Pluck off a little;

I would not be a young count in your way,

For more than blushing comes to: if your back
Cannot vouchsafe this burden, 'tis too weak
Ever to get a boy.

Anne. How you do talk!

I swear again, I would not be a queen
For all the world.

Old L. In faith, for little England

You'd venture an emballing: I myself

Would for Carnarvonshire, although there 'long'd
No more to the crown but that. Lo, who comes here?
Enter the Lord Chamberlain.

Cham.Good morrow, ladies. What wer't worth to know. The secret of your conference?

Anne. My good lord,

Not your demand; it values not your asking :

Our mistress' sorrows we were pitying.

Cham. It was a gentle business, and becoming

The action of good women: there is hope,

All will be well.

Anne. Now I pray God, amen!

Cham. You bear a gentle mind, and heavenly blessings Follow such creatures. That you may, fair lady,

Perceive I speak sincerely, and high note's

Ta'en of your many virtues, the king's majesty
Commends his good opinion to you,

and

Does purpose honour to you no less flowing
Than marchioness of Pembroke ; to which title
A thousand pound a year, annual support,
Out of his grace he adds.

Anne. I do not know,

What kind of my obedience I should tender;
More than my all is nothing: nor my prayers
Are not words duly hallow'd, nor my wishes

More worth than empty vanities; yet prayers, and wishes,

Are all I can return. 'Beseech your lordship,
Vouchsafe to speak my thanks, and my obedience,