KING Henry the Eighth.
Cardinal Wolfey, his firft Minifter and Favourite
Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Duke of Norfolk.
Duke of Buckingham.
Duke of Suffolk.
Earl of Surrey.
Lord Chamberlain.
Cardinal Campeius, the Pope's Legat.
Capucius, Ambassador from the Emperor Charles the Fifth. Sir Thomas Audleie, Lord Keeper after Sir Tho. More
and then Lord Chancellor.
Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester.
Bifhop of Lincoln.
Lord Abergavenny."
Lord Sands.
Sir Henry Guildford.
Sir Thomas Lovel.
Sir Anthony Denny.
Sir Nicholas Vaux.
Sir William Sands.
Cromwell, firft Servant to Wolfey, afterwards to the King. Griffith, Gentleman-Ufher to Queen Catharine.
Doctor Butts, Phyfician to the King.
Garter, King at Arms.
Surveyor to the Duke of Buckingham..
Brandon, and Serjeant at Arms.
Door-keeper of the Council-Chamber
Porter, and his Man.
Queen Catherine, firft Wife to King Henry, afterwards
Anne Bullen, beloved by the King, and afterwards married to him.
An old Lady, friend to Anne Bullen.
Patience, Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen Catherine.
Several Lords and Ladies in the Dumb Shervs. Women attending upon the Queen; Spirits, which appear to her. Scribes, Officers, Guards, and other Attendants.
The SCENE lies mostly in London and Westminster; once at Kimbolton.
Come no more to make you laugh; things now,
That bear a weighty and a ferious brow,
Sad, high, and working, full of state and woe;
Such noble fcenes, as draw the eye to flow,
We fhall present. Thofe, that can pity, here
May, if they think it well, let fall a tear;
The fubject will deferve it. Such, as give
Their money out of hope they may believe,
May here find truth too. Thofe, that come to fee
Only a fhow or two, (and fo agree,
The play may pafs) if they be ftill and willing,
I'll undertake, may fee away their fhilling
Richly in two fhort hours. Only they,
That come to hear a merry, bawdy play;
A noife of targets; or to fee a fellow (1)
In a long motley coat, guarded with yellow;
Will be deceiv'd; for, gentle hearers, know,
To rank out chofen truth with fuch a show
As fool and fight is, (befides forfeiting
Our own brains, and th' opinion that we bring
To make that only true we now intend)
Will leave us ne'er an understanding friend.
Therefore, for goodness fake, as you are known
The firft and happiest hearers of the town,
Be fad, as we would make ye. Think before
ye (2)
The very perfons of our noble story,
As they were living: think, you see them great,
And follow'd with the gen'ral throng, and fweat
Of thousand friends; then, in a moment fee
How foon this mightinefs meets mifery!
And, if you can be merry then, I'll fay,
A man may weep upon his wedding day.
(1)
--or to fee a Fellow
In a long motley coat,] Alluding to the Fools and Buffoons, introduc'd for the generality in the plays a little before our author's time: and of whom he has left us a fmall tafte in his own.
The very perfons of our noble ftory,] Why the rhyme should have been interrupted here, when it was fo eafily to be fupplied, I cannot conceive. It can only be accounted for from the negligence of the prefs, or the transcribers: and therefore I have made no fcruple to replace it.
SCENE, An Anti-chamber in the Palace.
Enter the Duke of Norfolk, at one door; at the other, the Duke of Buckingham, and the Lord Abergavenny.
OOD-morrow, and well met. How have you done,
Since laft we saw in France ?
Nor. I thank your Grace:
Healthful, and ever fince a fresh admirer
Of what I faw there.
Buck. An untimely ague
Staid me a prifoner in my chamber, when
Thofe funs of glory, thofe two lights of men,
Met in the vale of Arde.
Nor. "Twixt Guynes and Arde:
I was then prefent, faw 'em falute on horfe-back,
Beheld them when they lighted, how they clung
In their embracement, as they grew together:
Which had they, what four thron'd ones could have weigh'd
Such a compounded one ?
Buck. All the whole time,
I was my chamber's prifoner.
Nor. Then you lost
The view of earthly glory: men might say,
"Till this time pomp was fingle, but now marry'd
To one above itfelf. Each following day
Became the next day's mafter, 'till the last
Made former wonders, its. To-day the French,
All linquant, all in gold, like heathen Gods,
Shone down the English; and to-morrow they
Made Britain, India: every man that flood,
Shew'd like a mine. Their dwarfish pages were
As Cherubins, all gilt; the Madams too,
Not us'd to toil, did almoft sweat to bear
The pride upon them; that their very labour
Was to them as a painting. Now this mask
Was cry'd, incomparable; and th' enfuing night
Made it a fool and beggar. The two Kings,
Equal in luftre, were now beft, now worst,
As prefence did prefent them; him in eye,
Still him in praife; and being present both,
'Twas faid, they faw but one; and no difcerner
Durst wag
his tongue in cenfure. When these funs
(For fo they phrase 'em) by their heralds challeng'd
The noble fpirits to arms, they did perform
Beyond thought's compafs; that old fabulous ftory
(Being now feen poffible enough) got credit;
That Bevis was believ'd.
Nor. As I belong to worship, and affectTM
In honour, honefty; the tract of every thing
Would by a good difcourfer lofe some life,
Which Action's felf was tongue to. All was royal; (3)
+ The old romantic legend of Bevis of Southampton." (3) Which Action's felf was tongue to.
Buck. All was royal.
To the difpofing of it nought rebell'd;
Order gave each thing view. The office did
Diftinctly bis full function. Who did, &c.
Thus hitherto thefe fpeeches have been regulated: but, I think,
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