Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

A great man fhould decline? nay, if you weep,
I'm fallen indeed.

Crom. How does your Grace?

Wol. Why, well;

Never fo truly happy, my good Cromwell.
I know my felf now, and I feel within me
A peace above all earthly dignities;

A ftill and quiet confcience. The King has cur'd me,
I humbly thank his Grace; and from thefe fhoulders,
These ruin'd pillars, out of pity taken

A load would fink a navy, too much honour.

O, 'tis a burden, Cromwell, 'tis a burden,

Too heavy for a man that hopes for heav'n.

[it.

Crom. I'm glad your Grace has made that right ufe of Wol. I hope, I have: I'm able now, methinks,

Out of a fortitude of foul I feel,

T'endure more miferies, and greater far,
Than my weak-hearted enemies dare offer.
What news abroad?

Crom. The heavieft, and the worst,

Is your displeasure with the King.

Wol. God bless him!

Crom. The next is, that Sir Thomas Moor is chofen Lord Chancellor in your place.

Wol. That's fomewhat fudden

But he's a learned man. May he continue
Long in his Highness' favour, and do justice
For truth's fake and his confcience; that his bones,
When he has run his courfe, and fleeps in bleffings,
May have a tomb of orphans tears wept on him!
What more?

Crom. That Cranmer is return'd with welcome;
Install❜d lord Archbishop of Canterbury.

Wol. That's news, indeed.

Crom. Laft, that the lady Anne,

Whom the King hath in fecrecy long married,
This day was view'd in open, as his Queen,
Going to chappel; and the voice is now
Only about her Coronation.

[Cromwell,

Wol. There was the weight, that pull'd me down. O

The

The King has gone beyond me: all my glories"
In that one woman I have loft for ever.
No fun fhall ever ufher forth my honours,
Or gild again the noble troops, that waited

Upon my fmiles. Go, get thee from me, Cromwell;
I am a poor fall'n man, unworthy now

7

To be thy lord and mafter. Seek the King;
(That fun, I pray, may never set) I've told him
What and how true thou art; he will advance thee:
Some little memory of me will ftir him,

I know his noble nature, not to let

Thy hopeful fervice perifh too. Good Cromwell,
Neglect him not; make ufe now, and provide
For thine own future fafety.

Crom. O my lord,

Must I then leave you? muft I needs forego
So good, fo noble, and fo true a master?
Bear witness, all that have not hearts of iron,
With what a forrów Cromwell leaves his lord.
The King fhall have my fervice; but my prayers
For ever, and for ever, fhall be yours.

Wol. Cromwell, I did not think to shed a tear
In all my miferies; but thou haft forc'd me,
Out of thy honeft truth, to play the woman. —
Let's dry our eyes: and thus far hear me, Cromwell;
And when I am forgotten, as I shall be,

And fleep in dull cold marble, where no mention
Of me must more be heard: fay then, I taught thee;
Say, Wolfey, that once trod the ways of glory, (25)
And founded all the depths and fhoils of honour,
Found thee a way, out of his wreck, to rife in :
A fure and fafe one, though thy master miss'd it.
Mark but my fall, and that which ruin'd me:

(25) trod the ways of Glory,] Mr. Warburton, who thinks the Metaphor here miserably mangled, conjectures the Poet wrote; rode the Waves of Glory.

'Tis certain, the Words, Sounded, Depths, Shoals, Wreck, which follow, all countenance this Emendation; and therefore tho' I have not ventur'd to disturb the Text, ftill I think it very worthy of confideration.

[blocks in formation]

Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition;
By that fin fell the angels; how can man then
(The image of his maker) hope to win by't?
Love thy felf laft; cherish thofe hearts, that hate thee: (26)
Corruption wins not more than honesty.

Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace,

To filence envious tongues. Be juft, and fear not.
Let all the ends, thou aim'ft at, be thy country's,

Thy God's, and Truth's; then if thou fall'ft, O Cromwell,
Thou fall'ft a bleffed martyr. Serve the King;
And, pr'ythee, lead me in

There, take an inventory of all I have;

To the last penny, 'tis the King's. My robe,
And my integrity to heav'n, is all

I dare now call mine own. O Cromwell, Cromwell,
Had I but ferv'd my God with half the zeal
I ferv'd my King, he would not in mine age
Have left me naked to mine enemies.

Crom. Good Sir, have patience.

[blocks in formation]

The hopes of Court! my hopes in heav'n do dwell.

[Exeunt.

(26) cherish thofe Hearts that hate thee.] Tho this be an admirable Precept in private Life, and full of the Divinity that firft infpired it; yet it was never calculated, nor defign'd, for the Direction of the Magiftrate or Publick Minifter. Nor could this be the Precept of an experienced Statefman for his Pupil's future Conduct. This would make a good Chriftian, but a very ill and very unjust Statefman and we have nothing fo infamous on Record as the fuppos'd Advice given to K. Charles the 2d, to cherish his Enemies, and be in no pain for his Friends. I am of Opinion, that our Poet wrote;

cherish thofe Hearts, that wait thee:

i. e. thy Dependants. For the contrary Practice had been Wolfey's Ruin. He was not follicitous enough of making Dependants by his Bounty, but too intent on amaffing Wealth for himself. The following Line likewise feems to confirm the Emendation:

Corruption ins not more than Honesty.

i. e. You will never find Men won over to your temporary Occafions by Bribery, of fo much Ufe to You, as Friends made by a juft and generous Munificence.

Mr. Warburton.

ACT

Y

ACT IV.

SCENE, a Street in Weftminster.

Enter two Gentlemen, meeting one another.

I GENTLEMAN.

OU'RE well met once again.
2 Gen. And fo are you.

I Gen. You come to take your ftand here,
and behold

The lady Anne pass from her Coronation.

2 Gen. 'Tis all my bufinefs. At our last encounter,

The Duke of Buckingham came from his tryal.

1 Gen. 'Tis very true. But that time offer'd forrow: This, general joy.

2 Gen. 'Tis well; the citizens,

I'm fure, have fhewn at full their loyal minds,

And let 'em have their rights, they're ever forward
In celebration of this day with fhews,

Pageants, and fights of honour.

I Gen. Never greater,

Nor, I'll affure you, better taken, Sir.

2 Gen. May I be bold to ask what that contains, That paper in your hand?

1 Gen. Yes, 'tis the lift

Of thofe that claim their offices this day,

By cuftom of the Coronation.

The Duke of Suffolk is the firft, and claims

To be High Steward; next the Duke of Norfolk,

To be Earl Marshal; you may read the rest.

[stoms, 2 Gen. I thank you, Sir; had I not known thofe cuI should have been beholden to your paper.

E 4

But,

But, I beseech you, what's become of Catharine,
The Princess Dowager? how goes her business?

I

1 Gen. That I can tell you too; the Archbishop Of Canterbury, accompanied with other

Learned and rev'rend fathers of his order,
Held a late Court at Dunstable, fix miles
From Ampthil, where the Princefs lay; to which
She oft was cited by them, but appear'd not:
And, to be fhort, for not appearance and
The King's late fcruple, by the main affent
Of all these learned men fhe was divorc'd,
And the late marriage made of none effect:
Since which, fhe was remov'd to Kimbolton,
Where she remains now fick.

2 Gen. Alas, good lady!

The trumpets found; ftand close, the Queen is coming.

The Order of the Coronation.

[Hautboys.

1. A lively flourish of trumpets.

2. Then, two Judges.

3. Lord Chancellor, with the purfe and mace before him.

4. Choristers finging.

5. Mayor of London, bearing the mace.

[Mufick.

Then Garter in his coat of arms, and on his head a gilt copper crown. 6. Marquefs of Dorfet, bearing a Scepter of gold, on his bead a demi-coronal of gold. With him, the Earl of Surrey, bearing the rod of filver with the dove, crown'd with an Earl's coronet. Collars of SS. 7. Duke of Suffolk, in his robe of eftate, his coronet on his bead, bearing a long white wand, as Higb Steward. With him the Duke of Norfolk, with the rod of marfhalfhip, a coronet on his head. Collars of SS.

2. A canopy born by four of the Cinque-ports, under it the Queen in her robe; in her hair richly adorned with pearl, crowned. On each fide her, the bishops of London and Winchester.

« ZurückWeiter »