Arreft thee of high treason, in the name
Of our most sov'reign King.

Buck. Lo you, my Lord,

The net has fall'n upon me; I shall perish
Under device and practice.

Bran. I am forry

To see you ta'en from liberty, to look on-
The business present. 'Tis his Highness? pleasure
You shall to th' Tower.

Buck. It will help me nothing

To plead mine innocence; for that dye is on me Which makes my whit'st part black. The will of

Heav'n

Be done in this and all things. I obey. my Lord Aberga'ny, fare ye well.

Bran. Nay, he muft bear you company. The [To Aberg.

King

Is pleas'd you shall to th' Tower, till you know
How he determines further.

Aber. As the Duke faid,

The will of Heav'n he done, and the King's

pleasure

By me obey'd.

Bran. Here is a warrant from

The King attach Lord Montague, and the bodies Of the Duke's Confeffor, John de la Court,

And Gilbert Peck his Chancellor.

Puck. So, fo;

7 hese are the linibs o'th' plot. No more, I hope? Bran. A rouk oth' Chartreux.

Buck. Nicholas Hopkins.

Bran. He

Buck. My Surveyor is false; the o'er-great Cardinal Hach flew'd him gold; ny life is spann'd already. I am the fhadow of poor Buckingham,

Whose figure ev'n this instant cloud puts on, By dark'ning my clear fun.- My Lord, farewell.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV.

Changes to the Council-Chamber.

Cornet. Enter King Henry, leaning on the Cardinal's Shoulder; the Nobles, and Sir Thomas Lovel. The Cardinal places himself under the King's feet, on his right-fide.

King. My life itself, and the best heart of it, Thanks you for this great care. I stood i' th level Of a full-charg'd confed'racy, and give thanks To you that choak'd it. Let be cali'd before us That gentleman of Buckingham's; in perfon I'll hear him his confessions justify, And point by point the treaions of his master He shall again relate.

A noise within, crying, Room for the Queen. Enter the Queen, ushered by the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk: She kneels; the King riseth from his state, takes her up, kisses and places her by him.

Queen. Nay, we must longer kneel; I am a suitor.
King. Arife, and take your place by us. Half your

Never name to us, you have half our power;
The other moiety, ere you ask, is given:
Repeat your will, and take it.

Queen. Thank your Majesty.

[fuit

That you would love yourself, and in that love

Not unconfider'd leave your honour, nor
The dignity of your office, is the point

Of my petition.

King. Lady mine, proceed.

Queen. I am follicited, not by a few, And those of true condition, that your subjects Are in great grievance. There have been com

miflions

Sent down among'em, which have flaw'd the heart
Of all their loyalties: wherein although, [To Wol.
My good Lord Cardinal, they vent reproaches
Most bitterly on you, as putter on

Of these exactions; yet the King our master,
VOL. VII.

B

Whose honour Heav'n fhield from foil, ev'n he

'scapes not

Language unmannerly; yea such which breaks
The fides of loyalty, and almost appears
In loud rebellion.

Nor. Not almost appears,

It doth appear; for, upon these taxations,
The clothiers all, not able to maintain
The many to them 'longing, have put off
The spinsters, carders, fullers, weavers; who,
Unfit for other life, compell'd by hunger
And lack of other means, in defp'rate manner
Daring th' event to th' teeth, are all in uproar,
And Danger ferves among them.

King. Taxation?

Wherein? and what taxation? My Lord Cardinal,
You, that are blam'd for it alike with us,
Know you of this taxation?

Wol. Please you, Sir,

I know but of a fingle part in aught
Pertains to th' state, and front but in that file
Where others tell steps with me.

Queen. No, my Lord,

You know no more than others; but you frame Things that are known alike, which are not whol-

fome

To those which would not know them, and yet must
Perforce be their acquaintance. These exactions,
Whereof my Sovereign would have note, they are
Most peftilent to th' hearing; and, to bear 'em,
The back is facrifice to th' load. They fay
They are devis'd by you, or elfe you fuffer
Too hard an exclamation.

King. Still exaction!

4

The nature of it? In what kind let's know
Is this exaction?

Queen. I am inuch too vent'rous
In tempting of your patience, but am bolden'd
Under your promis'd pardon. The subjects' grief
Comes thro' commiffions, which compel from each
The fixth part of his substance, to be levy'd
Without delay; and the pretence for this

Is nam'd, your wars in France. This makes bold

mouths,

Tongues spit their duties out, and cold hearts freeze.
Allegiance in them; all their curses now
Live where their pray'rs did; and its come to pafs
That tractable obedience is a flave

To each incensed will. I would your Highness
Would give it quick confideration, for
There is no primer business.
King. By my life

This is against our pleasure.
Wol. And for me,

I have no further gone in this, than by
A single voice; and that not past me, but
By learned approbation of the judges.
If I'm traduc'd by tongues which neither know
My faculties nor person, yet will be
The chronicles of my doing; let me say
'Tis but the fate of place, and the rough brake
That virtue must go through. We must not sting
Our neceffary actions, in the fear
To cope malicious cenfurers; which ever
As rav'nous filmes do a vessel follow
That is new trimm'd, but benefit no further
Than vainly longing. What we oft do best,
By fick interpreters, or weak ones, is
Not ours, or not allow'd; what worst, as oft
Hitting a groffer quality, is cry'd up
For our best act. If we stand still, in fear
Our motion will be mock'd or carped at,
We should take root here where we fit, or fit
State-statues only.

King. Things done well,

And with a care, exempt themselves from fear;
Things done without example, in their issue
Are to be fear'd. Have you a precedent.
Of this commiffion? I believe not any.
We must not rend our fubjects from our laws,
And stick them in our will. Sixth part of each!
A trembling contribution!-Why, we take
From ev'ry tree, lop, bark, aud part of th timber;
And though we leave it with a root, thus hack'd,.

The air will drink the fap. To ev'ry county
Where this is question'd send our letters, with
Free pardon to each man that has deny'd
The force of this commiflion.

I put it to your care.

Wol. A word with you.

Pray, look to't;

[To the Secretary,

Let there be letters writ to ev'ry shire,
Of the King's grace and pardon. The griev'd Com-

Hardly conceive of me; let it be nois'd,

That, through our interceffion, this revokement
And pardon comes; I shall anon advise you

[mons,

Further in the proceeding.

[Exit Secretary

SCENEV.

Enter Surveyor.

Queen. I'm forry that the Duke of Buckingham

Is run in your difpleasure.

King. It grieves many...

The gentleman is learn'd, a most rare speaker, To nature none more bound; his training fuch, That he may furnish and inftruct great teachers, And never feek for ad out of himself.

Yet fee, when noble benefits * fshall prove
Not well difpos'd, the mind growing once corrupt,
They turn to vicious forms, ten times more ugly
Than ever they were fair. This man fo compleat,
Who was enroll'd 'mongst wonders, and when we,
Almost with liftning ravish'd, could not find
His hour of speech a minute; he, my Lady,
Hath into monstrous habits put the graces
That once were his, and is become as black,
As if befmear'd in hell. Sit by us, you shall hear
(This was his gentleman in truft) of him
Things to ftrike honour fad. Bid him recount
The fore-recited practices, whereof
We cannot feel too little, hear too much.
Wol Stand forth, and with bold spirit relate what
[you,

Moft-like a careful subject, have collected

*Great gifts of nature and education, not joined with good dispositions. Johnfon.