Where's your commission, lords? words cannot carry Suf. Bearing the king's will from his mouth expressly? Who dare cross 'em, 235 Wol. Till I find more than will or words to do it I mean your malice-know, officious lords, Of what coarse metal ye are moulded—envy : As if it fed ye! and how sleek and wanton Mine and your master, with his own hand gave me ; It must be himself, then. Sur. Thou art a proud traitor, priest. Within these forty hours Surrey durst better Sur. 240 245 250 Proud lord, thou liest: Thy ambition, 255 Thou scarlet sin, robb'd this bewailing land With thee and all thy best parts bound together, 260 Far from his succour, from the king, from all That might have mercy on the fault thou gav'st him; Absolv'd him with an axe. Wol. 265 270 That in the way of loyalty and truth Toward the king, my ever royal_master, Dare mate a sounder man than Surrey can be, Sur. By my soul, Your long coat, priest, protects you; thou shouldst feel And from this fellow? If we live thus tamely Wol. Is poison to thy stomach. Sur. Of gleaning all the land's wealth into one, 275 280 All goodness Yes, that goodness Into your own hands, cardinal, by extortion; 285 The goodness of your intercepted packets You writ to the pope against the king: your goodness, Since you provoke me, shall be most notorious. My Lord of Norfolk, as you are truly noble, As you respect the common good, the state 290 Of our despis'd nobility, our issues, Who, if he live, will scarce be gentlemen, Produce the grand sum of his sins, the articles Wol. How much, methinks, I could despise this man, 295 But that I am bound in charity against it! Nor. Those articles, my lord, are in the king's hand : But, thus much, they are foul ones. Wol. So much fairer And spotless shall mine innocence arise, This cannot save you : 300 I thank my memory, I yet remember Now, if you can blush and cry 'guilty,' cardinal, I dare your worst objections: if I blush, Suf. I'd rather want those than my head. Have at you! It is to see a nobleman want manners. First that, without the king's assent or knowledge, You wrought to be a legate; by which power 305 310 Nor. Then that in all you writ to Rome, or else To foreign princes, Ego et Rex meus Was still inscrib'd; in which you brought the king Suf. Then that, without the knowledge 315 Either of king or council, when you went Sur. Item, you sent a large commission Without the king's will or the state's allowance, 320 A league between his highness and Ferrara. Suf. That, out of mere ambition, you have caus'd Your holy hat to be stamp'd on the king's coin. Sur. Then that you have sent innumerable substance – By what means got, I leave to your own conscience 325 To furnish Rome and to prepare the ways You have for dignities, to the mere undoing Of all the kingdom. Many more there are; I will not taint my mouth with. Cham. O my lord! Press not a falling man too far; 'tis virtue : 330 His faults lie open to the laws; let them, Not you, correct him. My heart weeps to see him Sur. I forgive him. Suf. Lord cardinal, the king's further pleasure is— 335 Because all those things, you have done of late By your power legatine, within this kingdom, That therefore such a writ be sued against you; your 340 345 [Exeunt all but WOLSEY. Wol. So farewell to the little good you bear me. 350 And bears his blushing honours thick upon him; 355 360 365 At my misfortunes? can thy spirit wonder Crom. Wol. How does your grace? Why, well; 375 I know myself now; and I feel within me Never so truly happy, my good Cromwell. A peace above all earthly dignities, A still and quiet conscience. The king has cur'd me, I humbly thank his grace; and from these shoulders, A load would sink a navy, too much honour. O, 'tis a burden, Cromwell, 'tis a burden, Too heavy for a man that hopes for heaven! Crom. I am glad your grace has made that right use of it. Out of a fortitude of soul I feel, To endure more miseries and greater far 380 385 390 Crom. The heaviest and the worst Is your displeasure with the king. God bless him! Crom. The next is, that Sir Thomas More is chosen Lord chancellor in your place. Wol. That's somewhat sudden : But he's a learned man. May he continue 395 400 Crom. That Cranmer is return'd with welcome, Wol. That's news indeed. Last, that the Lady Anne, 405 Whom the king hath in secrecy long married, Only about her coronation. Wol. There was the weight that pull'd me down. O Cromwell, The king has gone beyond me: all my glories In that one woman I have lost for ever: No sun shall ever usher forth mine honours, 410 Or gild again the noble troops that waited Upon my smiles. Go, get thee from me, Cromwell; I am a poor fallen man, unworthy now To be thy lord and master: seek the king; That sun, I pray, may never set! I have told him 415 What and how true thou art: he will advance thee; Some little memory of me will stir him— I know his noble nature-not to let Thy hopeful service perish too: good Cromwell, Crom. Wol. Cromwell, I did not think to shed a tear 420 425 |