Be done in this and all things!-I obey.-
Oh, my Lord Aberga'ny, fare you well!

BRANDON.

Nay, he must bear you company. (To Abergavenny.)

The king

Is pleas'd you shall to the Tower, till you know

How he determines further.

ABERGAVENNY.

As the duke said,

The will of heaven be done, and the king's pleasure
By me obey'd!

BRANDON.

Here is a warrant from

The king to attach Lord Montacute; and the bodies
Of the duke's confessor, John de la Car,
One Gilbert Peck, his chancellor...
BUCKINGHAM.

So, so;

These are the limbs o' the plot: no more, I hope. BRANDON.

A monk o' the Chartreux.

BUCKINGHAM.

BRANDON.

Oh, Nicholas Hopkins?

He.

BUCKINGHAM.

My surveyor is false; the o'er-great cardinal
Hath show'd him gold; my life is spann'd already:
I am the shadow of poor Buckingham,

Whose figure even this instant cloud puts on,
By darkening my clear sun. My lord, farewell.

(Exeunt.)

SCENE II. The same. The council-chamber. Cornets. Enter King Henry, leaning on the Cardinal's shoulder; the Nobles, and Sir Thomas Lovell: the Cardinal places himself under the King's feet on his right side. KING.

My life itself, and the best heart of it,

Thanks you for this great care: I stood i' the level
Of a full-charg'd confederacy, and give thanks
Το you that chok'd it. Let be call'd before us
That gentleman of Buckingham's; in

person

I'll hear him his confessions justify;
And point by point the treasons of his master
He shall again relate.

(A noise within, crying 'Room for the Queen!'
Enter Queen Katharine, ushered by the Duke
of Norfolk, & the Duke of Suffolk: she kneels.
The King riseth from his state, takes her up,
kisses & placeth her by him.)G

QUEEN KATHARINE.

Nay, we must longer kneel: I am a suitor.
KING.

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

QUEEN KATHARINE.

Thank your majesty.

That you would love yourself, and in that love

Not unconsider'd leave your honour nor

The dignity of your office, is the point

Of my petition.

KING.

Lady mine, proceed.

QUEEN KATHARINE.

I am solicited, not by a few,

And those of true condition, that your subjects
Are in great grievance: there have been commissions
Sent down among 'em, which hath flaw'd the heart
Of all their loyalties: wherein although,

My good lord cardinal, they vent reproaches

Most bitterly on you as putter on

Of these exactions, yet the king our master

(Whose honour heaven shield from soil!) even he
Escapes not

Language unmannerly, yea, such which breaks
The sides of loyalty, and almost appears

In loud rebellion.

NORFOLK.

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 desperate manner
Daring the event to the teeth, are all in uproar,
And danger serves 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?

WOLSEY.

Please you, sir,

I know but of a single part in aught

Pertains to the state, and front but in that file
Where others tell steps with me.

QUEEN KATHARINE.

No, my lord,

You know no more than others: but you frame
Things that are known alike, which are not wholesome
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 pestilent to the hearing: and, to bear 'em,
The back is sacrifice to the load. They say
They are devis'd by you; or else you suffer
Too hard an exclamation.

KING.

Still exaction!

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

QUEEN KATHARINE.

I am much too venturous

In tempting of your patience, but am bolden'd
Under your promis'd pardon. The subjects' grief
Comes through commissions, which compel from each
The sixth part of his substance, to be levied

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; their curses now

Live where their prayers did; and it's come to pass,
This tractable obedience is a slave

To each incensed will. I would your highness

Would give it quick consideration, for
There is no primer business.

KING.

This is against our pleasure. WOLSEY.

By my life,

And for me,

I have no further gone in this than by

A single voice, and that not pass'd me but
By learned approbation of the judges.

If I am

Traduc'd by ignorant 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 stint Our necessary actions, in the fear

To cope malicious censurers; which ever,
As ravenous fishes, do a vessel follow
That is new-trimm'd, but benefit no further
Than vainly longing. What we oft do best,
By sick interpreters (once weak ones) is
Not ours or not allow'd; what worst, as oft,
Hitting a grosser quality, is cried up
For our best act.

If we shall stand still,

In fear our notion will be mock'd or carp'd at,
We should take root here where we sit, or sit
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 commission? I believe, not any.
We must not rend our subjects from our laws,
And stick them in our will. Sixth part of each?
A trembling contribution! Why, we take
From every tree lop, bark, and part o' the timber,
And though we leave it with a root, thus hack'd,
The air will drink the sap. To every county
Where this is question'd send our letters, with
Free pardon to each man that has denied
The force of this commission: pray, look to 't:
I put it to your care.

WOLSEY. (To the Secretary.)

A word with you.

Let there be letters writ to every shire,

Of the king's grace and pardon. The griev'd commons
Hardly conceive of me: let it be nois'd

That through our intercession this revokement
And pardon comes; I shall anon advise
Further in the proceeding.

Enter Surveyor.)

QUEEN KATHARINE.

I am sorry that the Duke of Buckingham
Is run in your displeasure.

KING.

you

(Exit Secretary.)

It grieves many:

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

Yet see,

When these so noble benefits shall prove

Not well dispos'd, the mind growing once corrupt,
They turn to vicious forms, ten times more ugly
Than ever they were fair. This man so complete,
Who was enroll'd 'mongst wonders, and when we,
Almost with ravish'd list'ning, 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 besmear'd in hell.

Sit by us; you shall hear

(This was his gentleman in trust) of him

Things to strike honour sad.-Bid him recount

The fore-recited practices; whereof

We cannot feel too little, hear too much.

WOLSEY.

Stand forth, and with bold spirit relate what you,

Most like a careful subject, have collected

Out of the Duke of Buckingham.

KING.

SURVEYOR.

Speak freely.

First, it was usual with him, every day
It would infect his speech, that if the king
Should without issue die, he'll carry it so