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[Mufick. Dance.

King. The faireft hand I ever touch'd! O, beauty,

Till now I never knew thee.

Wol. My lord,—

Cham. Your grace?

Wol. Pray, tell them thus much from me:
There should be one amongst them, by his perfon,
More worthy this place than myself; to whom,
If I but knew him, with my love and duty

I would furrender it.

Cham, I will, my lord.

[Cham. goes to the company, and returns.

Wol. What fay they?

Cham, Such a one, they all confefs,

There is, indeed; which they would have your grace

Find out, and he will take it.

Wol. Let me fee then.

[comes from his ftate.

By all your good leaves, gentlemen ;-Here I'll make

My royal choice.

King. You have found him, cardinal':

You hold a fair affembly; you do well, lord:

[unmaking.

You are a churchman, or, I'll tell you, cardinal,
I should judge now unhappily 2.

Wol. I am glad,

Your grace is grown fo pleasant,

King. My lord chamberlain,

Pry'thee, come hither: What fair lady's that?

Cham. An't please your grace, fir Thomas Bullen's daughter,

The Viscount Rochford, one of her highness' women. King. By heaven, fhe is a dainty one.-Sweet heart,

9-take it.] That is, take the chief place. JOHNSON.

You bave found him, cardinal:] Holinfhed fays the cardinal mif took, and pitched upon fir Edward Neville; upon which the king only laughed, and pulled off both his own mask and fir Edward's. Edward's MSS. STEEVENS.

2 — unhappily.] That is, unluckily, mischievously. JOHNSON. So, in A merye Feft of a Man called Howleglas, bl. 1. no-date:

""in fuch manner colde he cloke and hyde his unhappinesse and falfneffe." STEEVENS.

See Vol. II. p. 234, n. 2.

MALONE.

D 3

I were

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I were unmannerly, to take you out,

And not to kiss you 3.-A health, gentlemen,
Let it go round,

Wol. Sir Thomas Lovel, is the banquet ready
I' the privy chamber?
Lov. Yes, my lord.

Wol. Your grace,

I fear, with dancing is a little heated.
King. I fear, too much.

Wol. There's fresher air, my lord,

In the next chamber.

King. Lead in your ladies, every one.-Sweet partner. I must not yet forfake you :-Let's be merry ;

Good my lord cardinal, I have half a dozen healths
To drink to these fair ladies, and a measure

To lead them once again; and then let's dream
Who's beft in favour.-Let the mufick knock it *.
[Exeunt, with trumpets.

3 I were unmannerly, to take you out,

And not to kiss you.] A kits was anciently the established fee of a lady's partner. So, in A Dialogue between Cuftom and Veritie, concerning the Ufe and Abuse of Dauncing and Minftrelfie, bl. 1. no date. "Imprinted at London, at the long shop adjoining unto saint Mildred's church in the Pultrie, by John Allde."

But fome reply, what foole would daunce,

"If that when daunce is doon,

"He may not have at ladyes lips

That which in daunce he woon?" STEEVENS.

See Vol. I. p. 26, n. 1. MALONE.

4 a little beated.] The king on being difcovered and defired by Wolfey to take his place, faid that he would "first go and shift him; and, thereupon went into the Cardinal's bedchamber, where was a great fire prepared for him, and there he new appareled himselfe with rich and princely garments. And in the king's abfence the dishes of the banquet were cleane taken away, and the tables covered with new and perfumed clothes.-Then the king took his feat under the cloath of eftate, commanding every perfon to fit ftill as before; and then came in a new banquet before his majeftie of two hundred dishes, and fo they pafled the night in banqueting and dancing untill morning.” Cavendish's Life of Wolfey. MALONE.

Let the mufick knock it.] So, in Antonio and Mellida, P. I. 1602 ;
"Fla. Faith, the fong will feem to come off hardly.
"Catz. Troth, not a whit, if you feem to come off quickly.
Fla. Pert Catzo, knock it then." STEEVENS,

ACT

SCENE I.

ACT II.

A Street.

Enter two Gentlemen, meeting.

1. Gen. Whither away so fast?

2. Gen. O,-God fave you!

Even to the hall, to hear what shall become

Of the great duke of Buckingham.

1. Gen. I'll fave you

That labour, fir. All's now done, but the ceremony Of bringing back the prisoner.

2. Gen. Were you there?

1. Gen. Yes, indeed, was I.

2. Gen. Pray, speak, what has happen'd? 1. Gen. You may guefs quickly what.

2. Gen. Is he found guilty?

1. Gen. Yes, truly, is he, and condemn'd upon it. 2. Gen. I am forry for't.

1. Gen. So are a number more.

2. Gen. But, pray, how pass'd it?

1. Gen. I'll tell you in a little. The great duke

Came to the bar; where, to his accufations,
He pleaded ftill, not guilty, and alledg'd
Many sharp reasons to defeat the law.
The king's attorney, on the contrary,
Urg'd on the examinations, proofs, confeffions
Of divers witneffes; which the duke defir'd
To him brought, viva voce, to his face :
At which appear'd against him, his furveyor;
Sir Gilbert Peck his chancellor; and John Court,
Confeffor to him; with that devil-monk,

Hopkins, that made this mischief.

2. Gen. That was he,

That fed him with his prophecies?

1. Gen. The fame,

All these accus'd him ftrongly; which he fain

Would have flung from him, but, indeed, he could not: And fo his peers, upon this evidence,

Have found him guilty of high treason.

Much

He fpoke, and learnedly, for life; but all
Was either pitied in him, or forgotten.

2. Gen. After all this, how did he bear himfelf?

1. Gen. When he was brought again to the bar,-to hear His knell rung out, his judgment,-he was stirr'd With fuch an agony, he fweat extremely 6, And fomething fpoke in choler, ill, and hafty: But he fell to himfelf again, and, fweetly, In all the reft fhew'd a most noble patience. 2. Gen. I do not think, he fears death. 1. Gen. Sure, he does not,

He never was so womanish; the cause
He may a little grieve at.

2. Gen. Certainly,

The cardinal is the end of this.

1. Gen. 'Tis likely,

By all conjectures: First, Kildare's attainder,
Then deputy of Ireland; who remov'd,
Earl Surrey was fent thither, and in haste too
Left he should help his father.

2. Gen. That trick of state

Was a deep envious one.

1. Gen. At his return,

No doubt, he will requite it. This is noted,
And generally; whoever the king favours,
The cardinal inftantly will find employment,
And far enough from court too:

2. Gen. All the commons

Hate him perniciously, and, o' my conscience,
Wish him ten fathom deep: this duke as much

They love and dote on; call him, bounteous Buckingham,
The mirrour of all courtesy ;-

1. Gen. Stay there, fir,

And fee the noble ruin'd man you speak of.

5 Was either pitied in bim, or forgotten.] Either produced no effect, or produced only ineffectual pity. MALONE.

6

be feat extremely,] This circumftance is taken from Holinfhed: After he was found guilty, the duke was brought to the bar, fore-chafing, and fweat marvelously." STEEVENS.

Enter

Enter BUCKINGHAM from his arraignment; Tipftaves before him, the axe with the edge towards him; halberds on each fide: with him, Sir Thomas LovEL, Sir Nicholas VAUX, Sir William SANDS7, and common people. 2. Gen. Let's ftand clofe, and behold him. Buck. All good people,

You that thus far have come to pity me,

Hear what I fay, and then go home and lofe me.
I have this day receiv'd a traitor's judgment,

And by that name muft die; Yet, heaven bear witnefs,
And, if I have a confcience, let it fink me,
Even as the axe falls, if I be not faithful!
The law I bear no malice for my death,
It has done, upon the premises, but juftice;
But thofe, that fought it, I could wish more christians:
Be what they will, I heartily forgive them :

8

Yet let them look they glory not in mischief,
Nor build their evils on the graves of great men;
For then my guiltless blood muft cry against them.
For further life in this world I ne'er hope,
Nor. will I fue, although the king have mercies

More than I dare make faults. You few that lov'd me",
And dare be bold to weep for Buckingham,

His noble friends, and fellows, whom to leave
Is only bitter to him, only dying,

Go with me, like good angels, to my end;

? Sir William Sands,] The old copy reads-Sir Walter. STEEV. The correction is juftified by Holinfhed's Chronicle, in which it is faid, that Sir Nicholas Vaux, and Sir William Sands received Buckingham at the Temple, and accompanied him to the Tower. Sir W. Sands was at this time, (May 1521,) only a baronet, not being created Lord Sands till April 27, 1527. Shakspeare' probably did not know that he was the fame perfon whom he has already introduced with that title. He fell into the error by placing the king's vifit to Wolfey, (at which time Sir William was Lord Sands,) and Buckingham's condemnation in the fame year; whereas that vifit was made fome years afterwards. MALONE.

Nor build their evils-] The word evil appears to have been fometimes ufed in our author's time in the fenfe of forica. See Vol. II. P. 44, n. I. MALONE.

9-You few that lov'd me, &c.] Thefe lines are remarkably tender and pathetick. JOHNSON.

And

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