A ftill and quiet confcience. The king has cur'd me,
I humbly thank his grace; and, from these shoulders,
These ruin'd pillars, out of pity, taken

A load would fink a navy, too much honour.
O, 'tis a burden, Cromwell, 'tis a burden,
Too heavy for man that hopes for heaven.

Crom. I am glad your grace has made that right

use of it.

Wol. I hope, I have. I am able now, methinks, (Out of a fortitude of foul I feel)

To endure more miferies, and greater far,
Than my weak-hearted enemies dare offer.
What news abroad?

Crom. The heavieft, and the worst,

Is your displeasure with the king.

Wol. God bless him!

Crom. The next is, that fir Thomas More is chofen Lord chancellor in your place.

Wol. That's fomewhat fudden :----

But he's a learned man. May he continue
Long in his highnefs' favour, and do justice
For truth's fake and his confcience; that his bones,
When he has run his courfe, and fleeps in bleffings,
May have a tomb of orphans' tears wept on them!
What more?

Crom. That Cranmer is return'd with welcome; Inftall'd lord archbishop of Canterbury.

Wol. That's news, indeed.

Crom. Laft, that the lady Anne,

Whom the king hath in fecrecy long married,
This day was view'd in open, as his queen,
Going to chapel; and the voice is now

Only about her coronation.

3 — a tomb of orphans' tears wept on them!] The chancellor is the general guardian of orphans. A tomb of tears is very harfh.

R 3

JOHNSON.

Wol.

Wol. There was the weight that pull'd me down:
O Cromwell,

The king has gone beyond me; all my glories
In that one woman I have loft for ever.

No fun fhall ever ufher forth mine honours,
Or gild again the noble troops that waited
Upon my fmiles. Go, get thee from me, Cromwell;
I am a poor fall'n man, unworthy now

To be thy lord and mafter. Seek the king;
That fun, I pray, may never fet! I have told him
What, and how true thou art: he will advance thee :
Some little memory of me will stir him,

I know his noble nature, not to let

Thy hopeful fervice perish too.

Good Cromwell,

Neglect him not; make ufe now, and provide
For thine own future fafety.

Crom. O my lord,

Muft I then leave you? muft I needs forego
So good, fo noble, and fo true a master?
Bear witness, all that have not hearts of iron,
With what a forrow Cromwell leaves his lord.
The king fhall have my fervice; but my prayers
For ever, and for ever, fhall be yours.

Wol. Cromwell, I did not think to fhed a tear
In all my miferies; but thou hast forc'd me,
Out of thy honest truth, to play the woman.
Let's dry our eyes: And thus far hear me, Cromwell;
And,-when I am forgotten, as I shall be ;

And fleep in dull cold marble, where no mention
Of me more must be heard of, say, I taught thee,
Say, Wolfey, that once trod the ways of glory,
And founded all the depths and fhoals of honour,-
Found thee a way, out of his wreck, to rife in;
A fure and fafe one, though thy mafter mifs'd it.
Mark but my fall, and that which ruin'd me.
Cromwell, I charge me, fling away ambition;
By that fin fell the angels; how can man then,

3

The image of his Maker, hope to win by't?
Love thyfelf laft; ' cherish thofe hearts, that hate thee;
Corruption wins not more than honefty.

Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace,

To filence envious tongues. Be just, and fear not. Let all the ends, thou aim'ft at, be thy country's, Thy God's, and truth's; then if thou fall'ft, O Cromwell,

Thou fall'st a bleffed martyr.

And,-Pr'ythee, lead me in:

Serve the king;

There, take an inventory of all I have,

To the last penny; 'tis the king's. My robe,
And my integrity to heaven, is all

3-cherish thofe hearts that hate thee:] Though this be good. divinity; and an admirable precept for our conduct in private life; it was never calculated or defigned for the magiftrate or public minifter. Nor could this be the direction of a man experienced in affairs to his pupil. It would make a good chriftian but a very ill and very unjuft ftatesman. And we have nothing fo infamous in tradition, as the fuppofed advice given to one of our kings, to cherish his enemies, and be in no pain for his friends. I am of opinion the poet wrote,

cherish thofe hearts that wait thee;

i. e. thy dependants. For the contrary practice had contributed to Wolfey's ruin. He was not careful enough in making dependants by his bounty, while intent in amaffing wealth to himself. The following line feems to confirm this correction,

Corruption wins not more than horefly.

i. e. You will never find men won over to your temporary occa fions by bribery fo useful to you as friends made by a juft and generous munificence. WARBURTON.

I am unwilling wantonly to contradict fo ingenious a remark, but that the reader may not be misled, and believe the emendation propofed to be abfolutely neceffary, he fhould remember that this is not a time for Wolfey to speak only as a fatejman, but as a chriftian: Shakespeare would have debafed the character, juit when he was employing his ftrongeft efforts to raise it, had he drawn it otherwife. Nothing makes the hour of difgrace more irksome, than the reflection, that we have been deaf to offers of reconciliation, and continued thofe our enemies, whom we might have converted into friends. STEEVENS. R 4

I dare

I dare now call my own. O Cromwell, Cromwell,

* Had I but ferv'd my God with half the zeal
I ferv'd my king, he would not in mine age
Have left me naked to mine enemies.
Crom. Good fir, have patience.

Wol. So I have. Farewel

The hopes of court! my hopes in heaven do dwell.

[Exeunt.

ACT IV, SCENE I.

A Street in Westminster.

Enter two Gentlemen, meeting one another.

I GENTLEMAN.

OU'RE well met 5 once again.

You

2 Gen. So are you.

I Gen You come to take your ftand here, and be

hold

The lady Anne pafs from her coronation?

2 Gen. 'Tis all my bufinefs. At our last encounter, The duke of Buckingham came from his trial.

1 Gen. 'Tis very true. But that time offer'd for

I

row;

This, general joy.

2 Gen. 'Tis well: the citizens,

I am fure, have fhewn at full their loyal minds;
As, let 'em have their rights, they are ever forward

+ Had I but fer'd my God, &c.] This fentence was really uttered by Wolfey. JOHNSON.

5

oner again.] Alluding to their former meeting in

the fecond act. JOHNSON,

In celebration of this day with fhews,
Pageants, and fights of honour,
1 Gen. Never greater,

Nor, I'll affure you, better taken, fir.

2 Gen. May I be bold to ask what that contains, That paper in your hand?

1 Gen. Yes, 'tis the lift

Of those that claim their offices this day,

By custom of the coronation.

The duke of Suffolk is the first, and claims

To be high steward; next, the duke of Norfolk, To be earl marshal: you may read the rest.

2 Gen. I thank you, fir; had I not known those customs,

I should have been beholden to your paper.
But, I beseech you, what's become of Catherine,
The princefs dowager? how goes her business?
1 Gen. That I can tell you too.
The archbishop
Of Canterbury, accompanied with other
Learned and reverend fathers of his order,
Held a late court at Dunstable, fix miles
From Ampthill, where the princefs lay; to which
She oft was cited by them, but appear'd not:
And, to be short, for not appearance, and
The king's late fcruple, by the main affent
Of all these learned men fhe was divorc'd,
And the late marriage made of none effect:
Since which, fhe was removed to Kimbolton,
Where the remains now fick.

2 Gen. Alas, good lady!

The trumpets found: ftand clofe, the queen is com

ing.

-this day-] Hanmer reads,

thefe days,

[Hautboys.

but Shakespeare meant fuch a day as this, a coronation day. And fuch is the English idiom, which our authour commonly prefers to grammatical nicety. JOHNSON.

THE