Whom I most hated living, thou hast made me,
With thy religious truth, and modesty,

Now in his ashes honour: Peace be with him!-
Patience, be near me still; and set me lower:
I have not long to trouble thee.-Good Griffith,
Cause the musicians play me that sad note
I nam'd my knell, whilst I sit meditating
On that celestial harmony I go to.

Sad and solemn music.

Grif. She is asleep: Good wench, let's sit down quiet, For fear we wake her;-Softly, gentle Patience. The Vision. Enter, solemnly tripping one after another, six Personages, clad in white robes, wearing on their heads garlands of bays, and golden vizards on their faces; branches of bays, or palm, in their hands. They first congee unto her, then dance; and, at certain changes, the first two hold a spare garland over her head; at which, the other four make reverend court'sies; then the two that held the garland, deliver the same to the other next two, who observe the same order in their changes, and holding the garland over her head: which done, they deliver the same garland to the last two, who likewise observe the same order; at which (as it were by inspiration) she makes in her sleep signs of rejoicing, and holdeth up her hands to heaven: and so in their dancing they vanish, carrying the garland with them. The music continues.

house of studentes (considering all the appurtenances) incomparable throughout Christendome.-He held and injoied at once the bishoprickes of Yorke, Duresme, and Winchester, the dignities of lord cardinall, legatt, and chancellor, the abbaie of St. Albans, diverse priories, sundrie fat benefices in commendam; a great preferrer of his servants, an advauncer of learning, stoute in every quarrel, never happy till this his overthrow: wherin he shewed such moderation, and ended so perfectlie, that the houre of his death did him more honour than all the pomp of his life passed. We have a similar thought in Macbeth :

nothing in his life

Became him like the leaving it.'

Kath. Spirits of peace, where are ye? Are ye all

gone?

And leave me here in wretchedness behind yell? Grif. Madam, we are here.

Kath.

It is not you I call for:

None, madam.

Saw ye none enter, since I slept?

Grif.

Kath. No? Saw you not, even now, a blessed

troop

Invite me to a banquet; whose bright faces

Cast thousand beams upon me, like the sun?
They promis'd me eternal happiness;

And brought me garlands, Griffith, which I feel
I am not worthy yet to wear: I shall,

Assuredly.

Grif. I am most joyful, madam, such good dreams

Do you note,

How much her grace is alter'd on the sudden? How long her face is drawn? How pale she

looks,

And of an earthy cold? Mark you her eyes?

Grif. She is going, wench; pray, pray.

Pat.

Heaven comfort her!

11 Gray had probably this passage in his mind when he made his bard exclaim on a similar occasion :

Stay, O stay! nor thus forlorn

Leave me unbless'd, unpitied, here to mourn.'

Knowing, she will not lose her wonted greatness, To use so rude behaviour: go to, kneel12.

Mess. I humbly do entreat your highness' pardon; My haste made me unmannerly: There is staying A gentleman, sent from the king, to see you. Kath. Admit him entrance, Griffith: But this fellow

Let me ne'er see again.

[Exeunt GRIFFITH and Messenger.

Re-enter GRIFFITH, with CAPUCIUS.

If my sight fail not,

You should be lord ambassador from the emperor,
My royal nephew, and your name Capucius.

Cap. Madam, the same, your servant.
Kath.

O my lord,
The times, and titles, now are alter'd strangely
With me, since first you knew me.
What is your pleasure with me?
Cap.

But, I pray you,

Noble lady, First, mine own service to your grace; the next, The king's request that I would visit you;

Who grieves much for your weakness, and by me Sends you his princely commendations,

And heartily entreats you take good comfort. Kath. O my good lord, that comfort comes too late;

'Tis like a pardon after execution:

That gentle physic, given in time, had cur'd me; But now I am past all comforts here, but prayers. How does his highness?

Cap.

Madam, in good health.

Kath. So may he ever do! and ever flourish,

12 Queen Katharine's servants, after the divorce at Dunstable, and the Pope's curse stuck up at Dunkirk, were directed to be sworn to serve her not as queen but as princess dowager. Some refused to take the oath, and so were forced to leave her service; and as for those who took it and stayed, she would not be served by them, by which means she was almost destitute of attendants. See Hall's Chronicle, fol. 219. Bishop Burnet says that all the women about her still called her queen. Hist. of the Reformation, p. 162.

When I shall dwell with worms, and my poor name
Banish'd the kingdom!-Patience, is that letter,
I caus'd you write, yet sent away?

Pat.

No, madam. [Giving it to KATHARINE.

Kath. Sir, I most humbly pray you to deliver This to my lord the king13.

Cap. Most willing, madam. Kath. In which I have commended to his goodness The model of our chaste loves, his young daugh

ter15:

The dews of heaven fall thick in blessings on her!-
Beseeching him, to give her virtuous breeding
(She is young, and of a noble modest nature;
I hope, she will deserve well); and a little

To love her for her mother's sake, that lov'd him,
Heaven knows how dearly. My next poor petition
Is that his noble grace would have some pity
Upon my wretched women, that so long
Have follow'd both my fortunes faithfully:
Of which there is not one, I dare avow
(And now I should not fie), but will deserve,
For virtue, and true beauty of the soul,
For honesty, and decent carriage,

136

perceiving hir selfe to waxe verie weake and feeble, and to feele death approaching at hand, caused one of hir gentlewomen to write a letter to the king, commending to him bir daughter and his, beseeching him to stand good father unto hir; and further desired him to have consideration of hir gentlewomen that had served hir, and to sce them bestowed in marriage. Further, that it would please him to appoint that hir servants might have their due wages, and a yeares wages beside.' Holinshed,

939. This letter probably fell into the hands of Polydore Virgil, who was then in England, and has preserved it in the twenty-seventh book of his history. Lord Herbert has given a translation of it in his History of King Henry VIII.

14 Model, it has been already observed, signified, in the language of our ancestors, a representation or image. Thus in The London Prodigal, 1609:

Dear copy of my husband! O let me kiss thee!

How like him is this model?'

[Kissing a picture

See note on All's Well that Ends Well, Act iv. Sc. 3, p. 284, and

King John, Act v. Sc. 7.

15 Afterwards Queen Mary.

A right good husband, let him be16 a noble; And, sure, those men are happy that shall have them.

The last is, for my men: they are the poorest, But poverty could never draw them from me;— That they may have their wages duly paid them, And something over to remember me by;

If heaven had pleas'd to have given me longer life,
And able means, we had not parted thus.

These are the whole contents;-And, good my lord,
By that you love the dearest in this world,
As you wish christian peace to souls departed,
Stand these poor people's friend, and urge the king
To do me this last right.

Cap.
By heaven, I will;
Or let me lose the fashion of a man!

Kath. I thank you, honest lord.
In all humility unto his highness;
Say, his long trouble now is passing

Remember me

Out of this world: tell him, in death I bless'd him, For so I will.-Mine eyes grow dim.-Farewell, My lord.-Griffith, farewell. Nay, Patience,

You must not leave me yet. I must to bed;
Call in more

wench,

women.- -When I am dead, good

Let me be us'd with honour; strew me over
With maiden flowers, that all the world may know
I was a chaste wife to my grave: embalm me,
Then lay me forth: although unqueen'd, yet like
A queen, and daughter to a king, inter me.

I can no more..

[Exeunt, leading Katharine.

16 Even if he should be.