Imatges de pàgina
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But now I am past all comforts here, but prayers. How does his highness?

CAP.

Madam, in good health.

KATH. SO may he ever do! and ever flourish, When I fhall dwell with worms, and my poor name Banish'd the kingdom!-Patience, is that letter, I caus'd you write, yet fent away?

PAT.

No, madam.

[Giving it to KATHARINE.

KATH. Sir, I most humbly pray you to deliver This to my lord the king."

CAP.

Moft willing, madam.

56

-per

6 This to my lord the king.] So, Holinfbed, p. 939: ceiving hir felfe to waxe verie weak and feeble, and to feele death approaching at hand, caufed one of hir gentlewomen to write a letter to the king, commending to him hir daughter and his, befeeching him to ftand good father unto hir; and further defired him to have fome confideration of hir gentlewomen that had ferved hir, and to fee them bestowed in marriage. Further that it would please him to appoint that hir fervants might have their due wages, and a yeares wages befide." STEEVENS.

This letter probably fell into the hands of Polydore Virgil, who was then in England, and has preferved it in the twenty-seventh book of his hiftory. The following is Lord Herbert's translation of it:

66

My most dear lord, king, and husband,

"The hour of my death now approaching, I cannot choose but, out of the love I bear you, advife you of your foul's health, which you ought to prefer before all confiderations of the world or flesh whatfoever: for which yet you have caft me into many calamities, and yourself into many troubles.—But I forgive you all, and pray God to do fo likewife. For the reft, I commend unto you Mary our daughter, befeeching you to be a good father to her, as I have heretofore defired. I muft entreat you alfo to refpect my maids, and give them in marriage, (which is not much, they being but three,) and to all my other fervants a years pay befides their due, left otherwise they should be unprovided for. Lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes defire you above all things. Farewell."

MALONE.

KATH. In which I have commended to his good

nefs

The model of our chafte loves,' his young daugh

ter:

The dews of heaven fall thick in bleffings on her!-
Beseeching him, to give her virtuous breeding;
(She is young, and of a noble modeft nature;
I hope, the will deferve well;) and a little

To love her for her mother's fake, that lov'd him,
Heaven knows how dearly. My next poor peti-

tion

Is, that his noble grace would have some pity
Upon my wretched women, that fo long,
Have follow'd both my fortunes faithfully:
Of which there is not one, I dare avow,
(And now I should not lie,) but will deserve,
For virtue, and true beauty of the foul,
For honefty, and decent carriage,

A right good husband, let him be a noble;"
And, fure, thofe men are happy that shall have them.

7 The model of our chafte loves,] Model is image or representative. See Vol. VI. p. 321, n. 5; and Vol. VIII. p. 183, n. 5.

MALONE.

A right good &c.] I would read this line (not with a semicolon, as hitherto printed,) but with only a comma:

i. e.

A right good husband, let him be a noble;
though he were even of noble extraction. WHALLEY,

Let him be, I fuppofe, fignifies, even though he should be; oradmit that he be. She means to obferve, that nobility fuperadded to virtue, is not more than each of her women deferves to meet with in a bufband. STEEVENS.

This is, I think, the true interpretation of the line; but I do not fee why the words let him be a noble, may not, confiftently with this meaning, be understood in their obvious and ordinary fenfe. We are not to confider Katharine's women like the attendants on other ladies. One of them had already been married to more than a noble husband; having unfortunately captivated a worthless king.

The laft is, for my men ;-they are the pooreft,
But poverty could never draw them from me ;-
That they may have their wages duly paid them,
And fomething over to remember me by;
If heaven had pleas'd to have given me longer life,
And able means, we had not parted thus.
These are the whole contents:And, good my lord,
By that you love the dearest in this world,
As you wish chriftian peace to fouls departed,
Stand these poor people's friend, and urge the king
To do me this last right.

CAP.

By heaven, I will; Or let me lose the fashion of a man!

KATH. I thank you, honeft lord. Remember me In all humility unto his highness:

Say, his long trouble now is paffing

Out of this world: tell him, in death I blefs'd him,.
For fo I will.-Mine eyes grow dim.-Farewell,
My lord.-Griffith, farewell.-Nay, Patience,
You must not leave me yet. I muft to bed;
Call in more women.-When I am dead, good
wench,

Let me be us'd with honour; ftrew me over
With maiden flowers, that all the world may know
I was a chafte wife to my grave: embalm me,
Then lay me forth: although unqueen'd, yet like
A queen, and daughter to a king, inter me.
I can no more.- [Exeunt, leading KATHARINE.

ACT V. SCENE I.

A Gallery in the Palace.

Enter GARDINER Bishop of Winchester, a Page with a torch before him, met by Sir THOMAS LOVELL.

GAR. It's one o'clock, boy, is't not?

Bor.

It hath ftruck.

GAR. These fhould be hours for neceffities, Not for delights; times to repair our nature With comforting repofe, and not for us

To wafte these times.-Good hour of night, fir Thomas!

Whither fo late?

Lov.

Came you from the king, my lord?

GAR. I did, fir Thomas; and left him at primero With the duke of Suffolk.

Lov.

I must to him too,

Before he go to bed. I'll take my leave.

9 Not for delights;] Gardiner himself is not much delighted. The delight at which he hints, feems to be the king's diverfion, which keeps him in attendance. JOHNSON.

2

at primero-] Primero and Primavifta, two games at cards, H. I. Primera, Primavifta. La Primiere, G. Prime, f. Prime veue. Primum, et primum vifum, that is, firft, and first feen: because he that can fhow fuch an order of cards firft, wins the game. Minfheu's Guide into Tongues, col. 575. GREY.

So, in Woman's a Weathercock, 1612:

"Come will your worship make one at primero?" Again, in the Preface to The Rival Friends, 1632:

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when

it may be, fome of our butterfly judgements expected a fet at maw or primavista from them." STEEVENS.

GAR. Not yet, fir Thomas Lovell. What's the matter?

It seems, you are in hafte: an if there be

No great offence belongs to't, give your friend Some touch of your late bufinefs: Affairs, that

walk

(As, they fay, fpirits do,) at midnight, have In them a wilder nature, than the business That feeks defpatch by day.

Lov.

My lord, I love you;

The queen's in

And durft commend a fecret to your ear
Much weightier than this work.

labour,

They fay, in great extremity; and fear'd,
She'll with the labour end.

GAR.

The fruit, fhe goes with,

I pray for heartily; that it may find

Good time, and live: but for the stock, fir Thomas, I wish it grubb'd up now.

Lov.

Methinks, I could

Cry the amen; and yet my confcience fays
She's a good creature, and, fweet lady, does
Deferve our better wishes.

GAR.

But, fir, fir,

Hear me, fir Thomas: You are a gentleman.

Of mine own way; I know you wife, religious;
And, let me tell you, it will ne'er be well,—
'Twill not, fir Thomas Lovell, take't of me,
Till Cranmer, Cromwell, her two hands, and fhe,
Sleep in their graves.

Lov.

Now, fir, you speak of two

3 Some touch of your late bufinefs:] Some hint of the business that keeps you awake fo late. JOHNSON.

mine own way;] Mine own opinion in religion.

JOHNSON.

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