Promises boys hereafter. Sir, your queen Acquainted with this stranger; 'tis as like you, Lady. An hundred marks! By this light, I'll have more. An ordinary groom is for such payment. I will have more, or scold it out of him. SCENE II. Lobby before the Council-Chamber. [Exeunt. Enter CRANMER; Servants, Door-Keeper, &c. attending. Cran. I hope, I am not too late; and yet the gentle man, That was sent to me from the council, pray'd me Hoa! Who waits there? Sure, you know me? D. Keep. But yet I cannot help you. Cran. Why? Yes, my lord; D. Keep. Your grace must wait, till you be call'd for. Cran. Enter Doctor BUTTS. Butts. This is a piece of malice. I am glad, So. [Exit BUTTS. 'Tis Butts, I came this way so happily: The king Cran. [aside.] The king's physician; as he past along, How earnestly he cast his eyes upon me! Pray heaven, he sound not my disgrace! For certain, This is of purpose lay'd, by some that hate me, (God turn their hearts! I never sought their malice,) To quench mine honour: they would shame to make me Wait else at door; a fellow counsellor, Among boys, grooms, and lackeys. But their pleasures Must be fulfill'd, and I attend with patience. Enter, at a Window above, the King and BUTTS. Butts. I'll show your grace the strangest sight, Butts. K. Hen. Ha! 'Tis he, indeed: Is this the honour they do one another? 'Tis well, there's one above them yet. I had thought, They had parted so much honesty among them, (At least, good manners,) as not thus to suffer A man of his place, and so near our favour, To dance attendance on their lordships' pleasures, And at the door too, like a post with packets. 8 at a window above,] The suspicious vigilance of our ancestors contrived windows which overlooked the insides of chapels, halls, kitchens, passages, &c. Some of these convenient peepholes, may still be found in colleges, and such ancient houses as have not suffered from the reformations of modern architecture. 9 They had parted, &c.] We should now say They had shared, &c. i. e. had so much honesty among them. By holy Mary, Butts, there's knavery: Let them alone, and draw the curtain close;1 We shall hear more anon. [Exeunt. THE COUNCIL-CHAMBER. Enter the Lord Chancellor, the Duke of SUFFOLK, Earl of SURREY, Lord Chamberlain, GARDINER, and CROMWELL. The Chancellor places himself at the upper end of the table on the left hand; a seat being left void above him, as for the Archbishop of CANTERBURY. The rest seat themselves in order on each side. CROMWELL at the lower end, as secretary. Chan. Speak to the business, master secretary: Why are we met in council? Crom. Please your honours, The chief cause concerns his grace of Canterbury. Gar. Has he had knowledge of it? Crom. Nor. Yes. Who waits there? Yes. My lord archbishop; D. Keep. Without, my noble lords? Gar. D. Keep. And has done half an hour, to know your pleasures. Chan. Let him come in. D. Keep. Your grace may enter now. [CRANMER approaches the Council-table. Chan. My good lord archbishop, I am very sorry To sit here at this present, and behold That chair stand empty: But we all are men, In our own natures frail; and capable Of our flesh, few are angels2: out of which frailty, 1 draw the curtain close ;] i. e. the curtain of the balcony, or upper stage, where the king now is. 2 and capable Of our flesh, few are angels: &c.] If this passage means any thing, it may mean, few are perfect, while they remain in their mortal And want of wisdom, you, that best should teach us, The whole realm, by your teaching, and your chaplains, Gar. Which reformation must be sudden too, (Out of our easiness, and childish pity To one man's honour) this contagious sickness, Of the whole state: as, of late days, our neighbours, Cran. My good lords, hitherto, in all the progress capacity; i. e. while they are capable [in a condition] of being invested with flesh.- Mr. Malone reads thus: "In our own natures frail, incapable: Of our flesh," &c. 3 The upper Germany, &c.] Alluding to the heresy of Thomas Muntzer, which sprung up in Saxony in the years 1521 and 1522. — a single heart,] A heart void of duplicity or guile. With less allegiance in it! Men, that make Dare bite the best. I do beseech Be what they will, may stand forth face to face, Suf. Nay, my lord, That cannot be; you are a counsellor, And, by that virtue, no man dare accuse you. Gar. My lord, because we have business of more moment, We will be short with you. "Tis his highness' pleasure, And our consent, for better trial of you, From hence you be committed to the Tower; Where, being but a private man again, You shall know many dare accuse you boldly, Cran. Ah, my good lord of Winchester, I thank you, 'Tis my undoing: Love, and meekness, lord, Gar. My lord, my lord, you are a sectary, 5 · your painted gloss, &c.] Those that understand you, under this painted gloss, this fair outside, discover your empty talk and your false reasoning. |