D. Keep. My lord archbishop;

And has done half an hour, to know your pleasures.

Chan. Let him come in.

D. Keep. Your grace may enter now 7.

[Cranmer approaches the council-table

Chan. My good lord archbishop, I am very forry
To fit here at this present, and behold

That chair stand empty: But we are all men,
In our own natures frail, incapable";

Of

7 Your grace may enter now.] It is not eafy to afcertain the mode of exhibition here. The infide and the outfide of the council-chamber feem to be exhibited at once. Norfolk wibin calls to the keeper without, who yet is on the frage, and fuppofed to be with Cranmer, &c. at the outfide of the door of the chamber. The Chancellor and counsellors probably were placed behind a curtain at the back part of the stage, and spoke, but were not seen, till Cranmer was called in. The stagedirection in the old copy, which is, "Cranmer approaches the counciltable", not, "Cranmer enters the council-chamber," feems to countenance fuch an idea.

With all the appliances and aids" that modern Scenery furnishes, it is impoffible to produce any exhibition that fhall precifely correfpond with what our author has here written. Our lefs fcrupulous ancestors were contented to be told, that the fame fpot, without any change of its appearance, (except perhaps the drawing back of a curtain,) was at once the outfide and the infide of the council-chamber. See the Account of the old theatres. Vol. I. MALONE.

8 - But we are all men,

In our own natures frail, incapable;—] The old copy reads—and capable. For the emendation now made, I am answerable. It is one of thofe concerning which, I conceive, there cannot be any difference of opinion. The word capable almost every where in Shakspeare means intelligent, of capacity to understand, or quick of apprehenfion. So, in K. Richard III.

Again, in Hamlet:

"His form and caufe conjoin'd, preaching to ftones,
"Would make them capable."

In the fame play Shakspeare has ufed incapable nearly in the fenfe required here:

As one incapable [i. e. unintelligent] of her own diftress."

Se,

Of our flesh, few are angels: out of which frailty,
And want of wisdom, you, that beft should teach us,
Have misdemean'd yourself, and not a little,
Toward the king firft, then his laws, in filling
The whole realm, by your teaching, and your chaplains,
(For fo we are inform'd,) with new opinions,
Divers, and dangerous; which are herefies,
And, not reform'd, may prove pernicious.

Gar. Which reformation must be sudden too,
My noble lords: for those, that tame wild horses,
Pace them not in their hands to make them gentle;
But ftop their mouths with ftubborn bits, and fpur them,
Till they obey the manage. If we fuffer

(Out of our eafinefs, and childish pity

To one man's honour) this contagious fickness,
Farewel all phyfick: And what follows then?
Commotions, uproars, with a general taint
Of the whole ftate: as, of late days, our neighbours,
The upper Germany, can dearly witness,

So, Marton, in his Scourge of Villanie, 1599:

"To be perus'd by all the dung-fcum rabble
"Of thin-brain'd ideots, dull, uncapable."

Minshew in his Dictionary, 1617, renders the word by indocilis. The tranfcriber's ear, I fuppofe, deceived him, in the paffage before us, as in many others; and the chancellor, I conceive, means to fay, the condition of humanity is fuch, that we are all born frail in difpofition, and weak in sur understandings. The fubfequent words appear to me to add fuch support to this emendation, that I have ventured, contrary to my general rule, to give it a place in the text; which, however, I fhould not have done, had the original reading afforded a glimmering of fenfe:

-we are all men,

In our own natures frail, incapble;

Of our flesh, few are angels: out of which frailty,

And want of wisdom, you, &c.

Mr. Pope in his licentious method printed the paffage thus, and the three fubfequent editors adopted his fuppofed reformation:

-we are all men,

In our own natures frail, and capable

Of frailty, few are angels; from which frailty, &c. MALONE. The upper Germany, &c.] Alluding to the herefy of Thomas Muntzer, which fprung up in Saxony in the years 1521 and 1522.

GREY.

Yet

Yet freshly pitied in our memories.

Cran. My good lords, hitherto, in all the progrefs
Both of my life and office, I have labour'd,
And with no little study, that my teaching,
And the ftrong courfe of my authority,
Might go one way, and fafely; and the end
Was ever, to do well: nor is there living
(I speak it with a fingle heart', my lords,)
A man, that more detefts, more ftirs against,
Both in his private confcience, and his place,
Defacers of a publick peace, than I do.
"Pray heaven, the king may never find a heart
With lefs allegiance in it! Men, that make
Envy, and crooked malice, nourishment,
Dare bite the beft. I do befeech your lordships,
That, in this case of juftice, my accufers,

Be what they will, may ftand forth face to face,
And freely urge against me.

Suf. Nay, my lord,

That cannot be; you are a counsellor,

And, by that virtue, no man dare accuse you.

Gar. My lord, because we have bufinefs of more moment, We will be fhort with you. "Tis his highnefs' pleasure, And our concent, for better trial of you,

From hence you be committed to the Tower;
Where, being but a private man again,
You fhall know many dare accufe you boldly,
More than, I fear, you are provided for.

Cran. Ah, my good lord of Winchester, I thank you,
You are always my good friend; if your will pafs,
I fhall both find your lordship judge and juror,
You are fo merciful: I fee your end,

'Tis my undoing: Love, and meeknefs, lord,
Become a churchman better than ambition;
Win ftraying fouls with modefty again,
Caft none away. That I fhall clear myself,
Lay all the weight ye can upon my patience,
I make as little doubt, as you do conscience

I -a single beart-] A heart void of duplicity or guile. MALONE.

In doing daily wrongs. I could fay more,
But reverence to your calling makes me modeft.
Gar. My lord, my lord, you are a fectary,

That's the plain truth; your painted glofs difcovers",
To men that understand you, words and weakness.
Crom. My lord of Winchester, you are a little,
By your good favour, too fharp; men fo noble,
However faulty, yet fhould find respect
For what they have been: 'tis a cruelty,
To load a falling man 3.

Gar. Good master Secretary,

I cry your honour mercy; you may, worft
Of all this table, fay fo.

Crom. Why, my lord?

Gar. Do not I know you for a favourer

Of this new fect? ye are not found.

Crom, Not found?

Gar. Not found, I say.

Crom. 'Would you were half fo honeft!

Men's prayers then would feek you, not their fears,
Gar. I fhall remember this bold language.

Crom. Do.

Remember your bold life too.

Chan. This is too much;

Forbear, for fhame, my lords.
Gar. I have done.

Crom. And I.

Chan. Then thus for you, my lord 4,-It stands agreed,

2

1 take

your painted glofs difcovers, &c.] Thofe that underftand you, under this painted glofs, this fair outfide, difcover your empty talk and your falle reafoning. JOHNSON.

3tis a cruelty,

To load a falling man.] This fentiment had occurred before. The lord chamberlain checking the earl of Surrey for fis reproaches to Wolfey, fays:

66 •O my lord,

"Prefs not a falling man too far." STEEVENS.

4 Chan. Then thus for you, &c.] This and the little speech above<< This is too much," &c. are in the old copy given to the Lord Chamberlain. The difference between Cham and Chan, is fo flight, that I have not hesitated to give them both to the Chancellor, who on Cranmer's

entrance

I take it, by all voices, that forthwith

You be convey'd to the Tower a prisoner;
There to remain, till the king's further pleasure
Be known unto us: Are you all agreed, lords?
All. We are.

Gran. Is there no other way of mercy,

But I must needs to the Tower, my lords?

Gar. What other

Would you expect? You are ftrangely troublesome.
Let fome o' the guard be ready there.

Cran. For me?

Enter Guard.

Muft I go like a traitor thither?

Gar. Receive him,

And fee him fafe i' the Tower.

Cran. Stay, good my lords,

I have a little yet to fay. Look there, my lords;
By virtue of that ring, I take my cause

Out of the gripes of cruel men, and give it
To a most noble judge, the king my master.
Cham. This is the king's ring.

Sur. 'Tis no counterfeit.

Suf. 'Tis the right ring, by heaven: I told ye all, When we first put this dangerous stone a rolling, "Twould fall upon ourselves.

Nor. Do think, my

you

lords,

The king will fuffer but the little finger

Of this man to be vex'd?

Cham. 'Tis now too certain:

How much more is his life in value with him?
'Would I were fairly out on't.

Crom. My mind gave me,
In feeking tales, and informations,
Against this man, (whofe honefty the devil

entrance first arraigns him, and therefore, (without any confideration of his high ftation in the council,) is the perfon to whom Shakfpeare would naturally affign the order for his being committed to the Tower. The Chancellor's apologizing to the king for the committal in a subsequent paffage, likewife fupports the emendation now made, which was fuggefted by Mr. Capell. MALONE.

And