Look into these affairs, fee this main end',—

The French king's fifter. Heaven will one day open
The king's eyes, that fo long have flept upon

This bold bad man.

Suf. And free us from his flavery.
Nor. We had need pray,

And heartily, for our deliverance;
Or this imperious man will work us all
From princes into pages: all men's honours
Lie like one lump before him, to be fashion'd
Into what pitch he please ".

Suf. For me, my lords,

I love him not, nor fear him; there's my creed:
As I am made without him, so I'll stand,

If the king please; his curfes and his bleffings
Touch me alike, they are breath I not believe in.
I knew him, and I know him; fo I leave him
To him, that made him proud, the pope.

Nor. Let's in;

And, with fome other bufinefs, put the king
From these fad thoughts, that work too much upon him ;-
My lord, you'll bear us company?

Cham. Excufe me;

The king hath fent me other-where: befides,

8-fee this main end,] Thus the old copy. All, &c. perceive this main end of these counfels, namely, the French king's fifter. The editor of the fourth folio and all the fubfequent editors read-bis; but ys or this were not likely to be confounded with bis. Befides, the king, not Wolfey, is the perfon last mentioned; and it was the main end or object of Wolfey to bring about a marriage between Henry and the French king's fifter. End has already been used for caufe, and may be fo here. See p. 40: "The cardinal is the end of this." MALONE. 9 The French king's fifter.] i. e. the duchefs of Alençon. STEEV. 1 From princes into pages:] This may allude to the retinue of the cardinal, who had feveral of the nobility among his menial fervants. JOHNS. 2 Into what pitch be pleafe.] The mafs must be fashioned into pitch or height, as well as into particular form. The meaning is, that the cardinal can, as he pleafes, make high or low. JOHNSON.

The allufion feems to be to the 21ft verfe of the 9th chapter of the Epiftle of St. Paul to the Romans: "Hath not the potter power over the clay of the fame lump, to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" COLLINS,

You'

You'll find a moft unfit time to disturb him:
Health to your lordships.

Nor. Thanks, my good lord chamberlain.

[Exit Lord Chamberlain:

Norfolk opens a folding-door. The king is difcovered fittings and reading penfively 3.

Suf. How fad he looks! fure, he is much afflicted.
King. Who's there? ha?

Nor. 'Pray God, he be not angry.

King. Who's there, I fay? How dare you thrust your

felves

Into my private meditations?

Who am I? ha?

Nor. A gracious king, that pardons all offences Malice ne'er meant: our breach of duty, this way, Is business of eftate; in which, we come

To know your royal pleasure.

King. You are too bold;

Go to; I'll make ye know your times of business:
Is this an hour for temporal affairs? ha?—

Enter WOLSEY, and CAMPEIUS.

Who's there? my good lord cardinal ?-O my Wolfey,

Exit Lord 3 The ftage-direction in the old copy is a fingular one. Chamberlain, and the King draws the curtain, and fits reading penfively.

STEEVENS.

This stage direction was calculated for, and afcertains precifely the ftate of, the theatre in Shakspeare's time. When a perfon was to be difcovered in a different apartment from that in which the original fpeakers in the scene are exhibited, the artless mode of our author's time, was to place fuch perfon in the back part of the flage behind the curtains, which were occafionally fufpended acrofs it. Thefe the perfon, who was to be difcovered, (as Henry, in the prefent cafe,) drew back just at the proper time. Mr. Rowe, who feems to have looked no further than the modern ftage, changed the direction thus: "The fcene opens, and difcovers the king," &c. but, befides the impropriety of introducing scenes, when there were none, fuch an exhibition would not be proper here, for Norfolk has juft faid-" Let's in," and therefore fhould himfelf do fome act, in order to vifit the king. This indeed, in the fimple ftate of the old ftage, was not attended to; the king very civilly difcovering himfelf. See An Account of our old Theatres, Vol. I. MALONE.

The

The quiet of my wounded confcience,
Thou art a cure fit for a king.-You're welcome,

[To Campeius.

Moft learned reverend fir, into our kingdom;
Use us, and it:-My good lord, have great care
I be not found a talker+.

Wol. Sir, you cannot.

I would, your grace would give us but an hour

Of private conference.

King. We are bufy; go.

[To Wolfey.

[To Norf, and Suf.

Nor. This priest has no pride in him?

Suf. Not to speak of;

I would not be fo fick though, for his place:
But this cannot continue.

Nor. If it do,

I'll venture one have at him.

SUF.j

Suf. I another. [Exeunt NOR, and SUF.J

Afide.

Wol. Your grace has given a precedent of wisdom
Above all princes, in committing freely
Your fcruple to the voice of Christendom:
Who can be angry now? what envy reach you?
The Spaniard, ty'd by blood and favour to her,
Muft now confefs, if they have any goodness,
The trial juft and noble. All the clerks,

I mean, the learned ones, in christian kingdoms,
Have their free voices *; Rome, the nurfe of judgment,
Invited by your noble felf, hath fent

One general tongue unto us, this good man,

This juft and learned prieft, cardinal Campeius; Whom, once more, I prefent unto your highness. 1

King. And, once more, in mine arms I bid him welcome, And thank the holy conclave for their loves;

They have fent me fuch a man I would have wish'd for.

4- bave great care

I be not found a talker.] I take the meaning to be, Let care be taken that my promife be performed, that my profeffions of welcome be not found empty talk. JOHNSON.

5 —fo fick ] That is, fo fick as he is proud. JOHNSON.

Have their free voices ;] The conftruction is, have fent their free voices; the word fent, which occurs in the next line, being underflood here. MALONE.

Cam.

Cam. Your grace muft needs deserve all strangers' loves, You are so noble: To your highness' hand

I tender my commiffion; by whose virtue,
(The court of Rome commanding,)-you, my lord
Cardinal of York, are join'd with me their fervant,
In the unpartial judging of this business.

King. Two equal men. The queen fhall be acquainted
Forthwith, for what you come :-Where's Gardiner?
Wol. I know, your majesty has always lov'd her
So dear in heart, not to deny her that

A woman of lefs place might afk by law,
Scholars, allow'd freely to argue for her.

King. Ay, and the beft, fhe fhall have; and
my favour
To him that does beft; God forbid elfe. Cardinal,
Pr'ythee, call Gardiner to me, my new fecretary;
I find him a fit fellow.

[Exit WOLSEY,

Re-enter WOLSEY, with GARDINER.

Wol. Give me your hand; much joy and favour to you; You are the king's now.

Gard. But to be commanded

For ever by your grace, whofe hand has rais'd me. [Afide, King. Come hither, Gardiner.

[They converfe apart.

Cam. My lord of York, was not one doctor Pace

In this man's place before him?

Wol. Yes, he was.

Cam. Was he not held a learned man?

Wol. Yes, furely.

Cam. Believe me, there's an ill opinion spread then

Even of yourself, lord cardinal.

Wol. How! of me?

Cam. They will not stick to say, you envy'd him;
And, fearing he would rife, he was fo virtuous,
Kept him a foreign man ftill: which fo griev'd him,
That he ran mad, and dy'd.

Wol. Heaven's peace be with him!

That's chriftian care enough: for living murmurers,
There's places of rebuke. He was a fool;

6 Kept him a foreign man ftill:] Kept him out of the king's prefence, employed in foreign embaffies. JOHNSON.

For

For he would needs be virtuous: That good fellow,
If I command him, follows my appointment;
I will have none fo near else. Learn this, brother,
We live not to be grip'd by meaner persons.
King. Deliver this with modefty to the queen.
Exit GARDINER,
The most convenient place that I can think of,
For fuch receipt of learning, is Black-Friars;
There ye fhall meet about this weighty business :-
My Wolfey, fee it furnish'd-O my lord,
Would it not grieve an able man, to leave

So fweet a bedfellow? But, confcience, confcience,-
O, 'tis a tender place, and I must leave her.

SCENE III.

An Antechamber in the Queen's Apartments,
Enter ANNE BULLEN, and an old Lady.

[Exeunt.

Anne. Not for that neither;-Here's the pang that

pinches :

His highness having liv'd so long with her; and the
So good a lady, that no tongue could ever
Pronounce dishonour of her,-by my life,
She never knew harm-doing ;-O now, after
So many courses of the fun enthron'd,

Still growing in a majesty and pomp,-the which
To leave is a thoufand-fold more bitter, than
'Tis sweet at firft to acquire,-after this process,
To give her the avaunt?! it is a pity

Would move a monster.

Old L. Hearts of most hard temper

Melt and lament for her.

Anne. O, God's will! much better,

She ne'er had known pomp: though it be temporal,
Yet, if that quarrel, fortune, do divorce 3

8

➡To leave is—] The latter word was added by Mr. Theobald.

It

MALONE.

7 To give her the avaunt -] To fend her away contemptuously; to pronounce against her a sentence of ejection. JOHNSON. 8 Yet, if that quarrel, fortune,-] She calls Fortune a quarrel or

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