THE FAMOUS HISTORY OF THE LIFE OF KING HENRY THE EIGHT

I

THE PROLOGUE.

COME no more to make you laugh, Things now, That beare a Weighty, and a Serious Brow, Sad, high, and working, full of State and woe: Such Noble Scones, as draw the Eye to flow We now present. Those that can Pitty, heere May (if they thinke it well) let fall a Teare, The Subject will deserve it. Such as give

Their Money out of hope they may beleeve,

May beere finde Truth too. Those that come to see 10 Onely a show or two, and so a gree,

The Play may passe: If they be still, and willing,

Ile undertake may see away their shilling
Richly in two short houres. Onely they
That come to heare a Merry, Bawdy Play,
A noyse of Targets: Or to see a Fellow

In a long Motley Coate, garded1 with Yellow,

Will be decey' d. For gentle Hearers, know 1trimmed To ranke our chosen Truth with such a show

As Foole, and Fight is, beside forfeyting

Our owne Braines, and the Opinion that we bring
II. a gree: agree-2-4F.

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To make that onely true, we now intend,

Will leave us never an understanding Friend. Therefore, for Goodnesse sake, and as you are knowne The First and Happiest Hearers of the Towne,

Be sad, as we would make ye.

Thinke

The very Persons of our Noble Story,

ye see

As they were Living: Thinke you see them Great,
And follow'd with the generall throng, and sweat
Of thousand Friends: Then, in a moment, see
How soone this Mightinesse, meets Misery:
And if you can be merry then, Ile say,

A Man may weepe upon his Wedding day.

Actus Primus. Scona Prima.

[London. An ante-chamber in the palace.]

30

Enter the Duke of Norfolke at one doore. At the other, the Duke of Buckingham, and the Lord Aburgavenny.

G

Buckingham.

OOD morrow, and well met. How have ye done

Since last we saw in France?

Norf. I thanke your Grace:

Healthfull, and ever since a fresh Admirer

Of what I saw there.

Buck. An untimely Ague

Staid me a Prisoner in my Chamber, when

Those Sunnes of Glory, those two Lights of Men
Met in the vale of Andren.

Nor. 'Twixt Guynes and Arde,

I was then present, saw them salute on Horsebacke,
Beheld them when they lighted, how they clung
In their Embracement, as they grew together,

Which had they,

What foure Thron'd ones could have weigh'd

Such a compounded one?

Buck. All the whole time

I was my Chambers Prisoner.
Nor. Then you lost

The view of earthly glory: Men might say

20

Till this time Pompe was single, but now married
To one above it selfe. Each following day
Became the next dayes master, till the last
Made former Wonders, it's. To day the French,
All Clinquant1 all in Gold, like Heathen Gods
Shone downe the English; and to morrow, they
Made Britaine, India: Every man that stood,1 glittering
Shew'd like a Mine. Their Dwarfish Pages were

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As Cherubins, all gilt: the Madams too,
Not us'd to toyle, did almost sweat to beare
The Pride upon them, that their very labour
Was to them, as a Painting. Now this Maske
Was cry'de incompareable; and th'ensuing night
Made it a Foole, and Begger. The two Kings
Equall 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 wagge his Tongue in censure, when these Sunnes
(For so they phrase 'em) by their Heralds challeng'd
The Noble Spirits to Armes, they did performe
Beyond thoughts Compasse, that former fabulous Storie
Being now seene, possible enough, got credit
That Bevis was beleev'd.

Buc. Oh

you go farre.

Nor. As I belong to worship, and affect

In Honor, Honesty, the tract of ev'ry thing,

19-20. 11.-2RowE.

50

44. period after censure-Rowe.

Would by a good Discourser loose some life,
Which Actions selfe, was tongue too.

Buc. All was Royall,

To the disposing of it nought rebell'd,
Order gave each thing view.

The Office did

Distinctly his full Function: [Buc.] who did guide,
I meane who set the Body, and the Limbes
Of this great Sport together?

Nor. As you guesse:

[Nor.] One certes, that promises no Element In such a businesse.

Buc. I pray you who, my Lord?

Nor. All this was ordred by the good Discretion

Of the right Reverend Cardinall of Yorke.

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Buc. The divell speed him: No mans Pye is freed From his Ambitious finger. What had he To do in these fierce Vanities? I wonder, That such a Keech can with his very bulke Take up the Rayes o'th' beneficiall Sun, And keepe it from the Earth.

Nor. Surely Sir,

There's in him stuffe, that put's him to these ends:
For being not propt by Auncestry, whose grace
Chalkes Successors their way; nor call'd upon
For high feats done to'th' Crowne; neither Allied
To eminent Assistants; but Spider-like
Out of his Selfe-drawing Web. O gives us note,
The force of his owne merit makes his way
A guift that heaven gives for him, which buyes.
A place next to the King.

Abur. I cannot tell

53. loose: lose-2-4F.

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80

55. Buc.: out-THEOBALD. 58-61. speech 61. Nor.: out; As you guesse: As

given to Buc.-THEOBALD. you guess?-THEOBALD.

79. Web. 0: web, he-CAPELL.

What Heaven hath given him: let some Graver eye Pierce into that, but I can see his Pride

Peepe through each part of him: whence ha's he that, If not from Hell? The Divell is a Niggard,

Or ha's given all before, and he begins

A new Hell in himselfe.

Buc. Why the Divell,

Upon this French going out, tooke he upon him (Without the privity o'th' King) t'appoint

Who should attend on him? He makes up the File
Of all the Gentry; for the most part such

To whom as great a Charge, as little Honor
He meant to lay upon: and his owne Letter
The Honourable Boord of Councell, out
Must fetch him in, he Papers.

Abur. I do know

Kinsmen of mine, three at the least, that have

By this, so sicken'd their Estates, that never
They shall abound as formerly.

Buc. O many

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100

Have broke their backes with laying Mannors on 'em

For this great Journey.

What did this vanity

But minister communication of

A most poore issue.

Nor. Greevingly I thinke,

The Peace betweene the French and us, not valewes

The Cost that did conclude it.

Buc. Every man,

After the hideous storme that follow'd, was
A thing Inspir'd, and not consulting, broke
Into a generall Prophesie; That this Tempest
Dashing the Garment of this Peace, aboaded
The sodaine breach on't.

Nor. Which is budded out,

ΠΙΟ