christening of Elizabeth in 1533. The Poet has deviated from history in placing the death of queen Katharine before the birth of Elizabeth, for in fact Katharine did not die till 1536. In constructing his scenes he has availed himself largely of the eloquent narrative of Wolsey's faithful servant and biographer, George Cavendish, as copied by the Chronicles; and, indeed, the pathos of the cardinal's dying scene is almost as effective in the simple narrative of Cavendish as in the play. The fine picture which the Poet has drawn of the suffering and defenceless virtue of queen Katharine, and the just and spirited, though softened, portrait he has exhibited of the impetuous and sensual character of Henry, are above all praise. It has been justly said that "this play contains little action or violence of passion; yet it has considerable interest of a more mild and thoughtful cast, and some of the most striking passages that are to be found in the Poet's works."

PERSONS REPRESENTED.

KING HENRY THE EIGHTH.

CARDINAL WOLSEY. CARDINAL CAMPEIUS.
CAPUCIUS, Ambassador from the Emperor Charles V.
CRANMER, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Duke of Norfolk. Duke of Buckingham.

Duke of Suffolk. Earl of Surrey.

Lord Chamberlain. Lord Chancellor.

GARDINER, Bishop of Winchester.

Bishop of Lincoln.

LORD ABERGAVENNY. LORD SANDS.

SIR HENRY GUILDFORD. SIR THOMAS Lovell.

SIR ANTHONY DENNY. SIR NICHOLAS VAUX.

Secretaries to Wolsey.

CROMWELL, Servant to Wolsey.

GRIFFITH, Gentleman Usher to Queen Katharine.

Three other Gentlemen.

DOCTOR BUTTS, Physician to the King.

Garter, King at Arms.

Surveyor to the Duke of Buckingham.

BRANDON, and a Sergeant at Arms.

Door-keeper of the Council Chamber. Porter, and his Man.
Page to Gardiner. A Crier.

QUEEN KATHARINE, Wife to King Henry, afterwards divorced. ANNE BULLEN, her Maid of Honor; afterwards Queen.

An old Lady, Friend to Anne Bullen.

PATIENCE, Woman to Queen Katharine.

Several Lords and Ladies in the Dumb Shows; Women attending upon the Queen; Spirits, which appear to her; Scribes, Officers, Guards, and other Attendants.

SCENE, chiefly in London and Westminster; once, at Kimbolton.

KING HENRY THE EIGHTH.

PROLOGUE.

I COME no more to make you laugh; things now, That bear a weighty and a serious brow, Sad, high, and working, full of state and woe, Such noble scenes as draw the eye to flow, We now present. Those that can pity, here May, if they think it well, let fall a tear; The subject will deserve it. Such as give Their money out of hope they may believe, May here find truth too.

Those that come to see

Only a show or two, and so agree,

The play may pass; if they be still, and willing,
I'll undertake, may see away their shilling
Richly in two short hours. Only they
That come to hear a merry, bawdy play,
A noise of targets, or to see a fellow
In a long, motley coat, guarded' with yellow,
Will be deceived; for, gentle hearers, know,
To rank our chosen truth with such a show
As fool and fight is, beside forfeiting

Our own brains, and the opinion that we bring,
(To make that only true we now intend,)

Will leave us never an understanding friend. Therefore, for goodness' sake, and as you are known The first and happiest hearers of the town,

2

Be sad, as we would make ye: think ye see
The very persons of our noble story,

1 i. e. faced or trimmed.

2 Happiest being here used in a Latin sense for propitious or favorable.

As they were living; think you see them great,
And followed with the general throng and sweat
Of thousand friends; then, in a moment, see
How soon this mightiness meets misery!
And, if you can be merry then, I'll say,
A man may weep upon his wedding-day.

ACT I.

SCENE I. London. An Antechamber in the Palace.

Enter the DUKE of NORFOLK, at one door; at the other, the DUKE of BUCKINGHAM, and the LORD ABERGAVENNY.1

Buckingham. GOOD morrow, and well met. How have you done,

Since last we saw in France?

Nor.

I thank your grace; Healthful; and ever since a fresh admirer Of what I saw there.

Buck.

An untimely ague

Stayed me a prisoner in my chamber, when
Those suns of glory, those two lights of men,
Met in the vale of Arde.

'Twixt Guynes and Arde: 2

Nor. I was then present, saw them salute on horseback; Beheld them, when they lighted, how they clung In their embracement, as they grew together; Which had they, what four throned ones could have weighed

Such a compounded one?

1 George Nevill, who married Mary, daughter of Edward Stafford, duke of Buckingham.

2 Guynes then belonged to the English, and Arde (Ardres) to the French; they are towns of Picardy. The valley where Henry VIII. and Francis I. met lies between them.

3 As for as if.

Buck.

All the whole time

I was my chamber's prisoner.
Nor.

Then you lost
The view of earthly glory. Men might say,
Till this time, pomp was single; but now married
To one above itself. Each following day
Became the next day's master, till the last
Made former wonders it's. To-day, the French,
All clinquant,' all in gold, like heathen gods,
Shone down the English; and, to-morrow, they
Made Britain, India; every man, that stood,
Showed like a mine. Their dwarfish pages were
As cherubins, all gilt: the madams too,
Not used to toil, did almost sweat to bear
The pride upon them, that their very labor
Was to them as a painting. Now this mask
Was cried incomparable; and the ensuing night
Made it a fool and beggar. The two kings,
Equal in lustre, were now best, now worst,
As presence did present them; him in eye,
Still him in praise; and, being present both,
'Twas said, they saw but one; and no discerner

Durst wag his tongue in censure. When these suns

(For so they phrase them) by their heralds challenged The noble spirits to arms, they did perform

Beyond thought's compass; that former fabulous story,
Being now seen possible enough, got credit,
That Bevis2 was believed.

Buck.

O, you go far.

Nor. As I belong to worship, and affect
In honor honesty, the tract of every thing
Would by a good discourser lose some life,
Which action's self was tongue to. All was royal;
To the disposing of it nought rebelled;

Order gave each thing view; the office did
Distinctly his full function.

Buck.

1 i. e. glittering, shining.

Who did guide,

2 The old romantic legend of Bevis of Hampton. VOL. V.

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