Thefe many fummers in a fea of glory;
But far beyond my depth; my high-blown pride
At length broke under me; and now has left me,
Weary, and old with fervice, to the mercy
Of a rude stream, that must for ever hide me.
Vain pomp and glory of this world, I hate ye!
I feel my heart new open'd. Oh, how wretched
Is that poor man, that hangs on princes' favours!
There is, betwixt that fimile we would afpire to,
That sweet afpect of princes, and our ruin,
More pangs
and fears than war or women have;
And, when he falls, he falls like Lucifer,
Never to hope again.

Cardinal Wolfey's Speech to Cromwell.

Cromwell, I did not think to shed a tear
In all my miferies; but thou hast forc❜d me,
Out of thy honest truth, to play the woman-
Let's dry our eyes; and thus far hear me Cromwell;
And when I am forgotten, as I fhall 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,
And founded all the depths and fhoals of honour,
Found thee a way, out of his wreck, to rise in :
A fure, and fafe one, though thy mafter mifs'd it.
Mark but my fall, and that which ruin'd me:
(7) 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?

(8) Love

leaves and bloffoms: fo that Mr. Warburton's criticism is unneceffary. See Love's Labour Loft.

(7) Cromwell, &c.] In the fecond part of Henry VI. A. I. S. 4. the duke of Glofter fays to his wife,

Banifh the canker of ambitious thoughts.

(8) Love thyfelf last: cherish those hearts, that hate thee:

Corruption wins not more than honesty.
Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace,

To filence envious tongues. (9) Be just, 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'it, O Crom-
well,

Thou fall'it a blessed martyr. Serve the king ;

And

(8) Love, &c.] The whole meaning of this advice feems to be this: "Pay lefs regard to your own intereft than to that of your friends; love them firft, yourself last, nay, even after your enemies; for it is neceffary for you to cherish thofe that hate you, to heap favours on them, and thereby makē 'em your friends; for even corruption and bribery itself wins not more than honesty and open-dealing." There feems a peculiar excellence in this advice of Wolley, whofe pride had occafioned him to despise his enemies, and contemn all their feeble efforts, as he judg'd, to harm him: and instead of loving himself last, he had placed there his first and fole affection. So that Mr. Warburton's criticifm falls to the ground, who, obferving, "that this, tho' an admirable precept for our conduct in private life, was never defign'd for the magistrate or public minister,, gives his opinion the poet wrote;

Cherish those hearts that wait thee.

Sir T. Hanmer flattens the line by reading it,

Cherish ev'n the hearts that bate thee.

This paffage appears with double propriety, when we confider it comes from the mouth of a divine, who may be fuppofed to have had this verfe of St. Matthew in view. Love your enemies, bless them that curfe you, do good to them that hate you. Chap. v. ver. 44.

(9) Be juft, &c.] The power and blessing of a good heart, and confcience, are mentioned in the 40th page foregoing. Milton, in his Comus, fpeaks thus excellently of a virtuous man.

He that has light within his own clear breast,
May fit i'th' center and enjoy bright day:
But he that hides a dark foul, and foul thoughts,,
Benighted walks under the mid-day fun;
Himfelf is his own dungeon.-

And, pr'ythee, lead me in

There take an inventory of all I have;
To the laft 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!

ACT IV. SCENE I

Applaufe.

-Such a noife arose

As the shrouds make at sea in a stiff tempeft,
As loud, and to as many tunes. Hats, cloaks,
Doublets, I think, flew up; and had their faces
Been loofe, this day they had been loft.
Such joy

I

never faw before. Great belly'd women,
That had not half a week to go, like rams
In the old time of war, would fhake the prefs,
And make 'em reel before 'em. No man living
Could fay, this is my wife there, all were woven
So ftrangely in one piece.

SCENE II. Cardinal Wolfey's Death.

At last with eafy roads he came to Leicester;
Lodg'd in the abbey; where the rev'rend abbot,
With all his convent, honourably receiv'd him;
To whom he gave thefe words," O father abbot,
"An old man, broken with the forms of state,

Is come to lay his weary bones among you,
"Give him a little earth for charity!"
So went to bed; where eagerly his fickness
Purfu'd him ftill, and three nights after this,
About the hour of eight, (which he himself.

Foretold,

Foretold, fhould be his last,) full of repentance,
Continual meditations, tears and forrows,
He gave his honours to the world again,
His bleffed part to heav'n, and flept in peace.

His Vices and Virtues.

So may he reft, his faults lie gently on him!
Yet thus far, Griffith, give me leave to speak him,
And yet with charity; he was a man
Of an unbounded stomach, ever ranking
Himfelf with princes; (10) one, that by fuggeftion
Ty'd all the kingdom: fimony was fair play;
His own opinion was his law. I'th' prefence
He would fay untruths, and be ever double

Both

(10) One that, &c.] Mr. Warburton explains this paffage thus, "One that by giving the king pernicious counfel, ty'd or enAav'd the kingdom." And he obferves, that Shakespear ufes the word fuggeftion, with a great propriety and feeming knowledge of the Latin tongue. For the late Roman writers and their gloffes agree to give this fenfe to it; Suggeftio, eft cum magiftratus quilibet principi falubre confilium fuggerit. A fuggeftion, is, when a magiftrate gives a prince wholesome counsel. "So that nothing could be feverer than this reflection, that that wholesome. counsel, which it is the minifter's duty to give his prince, was fo impoifoned by him, as to produce flavery to his country." The commentator here (with great fhew of reafon) seems to ftrike out a meaning his author moft probably never meant; if the reading be juft, the paffage is plain and eafy, fhould we take suggeftion in its vulgar acceptation; but it feems very exceptionable, nor can I be fatisfied withity'd, efpecially when I confider the words immediately following; indeed, it may be faid, the is particularizing his vices without any connection: The Oxford editor reads tyth'd, which is too forc'd, and unwarrantable: Wolfcy certainly had great fway in the kingdom by means of the high credit he was in with the king, but he could not be faid properly, I think, by fuggeftion, by underhand dealings, or by pernicious counfel (which you will,) to tye the kingdom, properly; the word is printed very imperfectly in the old editions; perhaps it was fway'd; but I pretend not to fay any thing cer tain; the judicious reader will foon fee whether the explication. given fatisfles him.

Both in his words and meaning. He was never,
But where he went to ruin, pitiful.

His promises were, as he then was, mighty;
But his performance, as he now is, nothing.
Of his own body he was ill, and
The clergy ill example.
Griff. Noble Madam,

gave

(11) Men's evil manners live in brafs; their virtues We write in water. * *

*

*

*. This cardinal,

Tho' from an humble ftock, undoubtedly
Was fashion'd to much honour from his cradle;
He was a fcholar, and a ripe and good one;
Exceeding wife; fair spoken, and perfuading;
Lofty and four to them that lov'd him not:
But to thofe men that fought him, fweet as fummer.
And though he was unfatisfy'd in getting,
(Which was a fin) yet in beftowing, madam,
He was most princely: ever witness for him
Thofe twins of learning that he rais'd in you,
Ipfwich and Oxford! one of which fell with him,
Unwilling to out-live the good he did it:

*

*

*

*

*

*

The other, though unfinfh'd, yet fo famous,
So excellent in art, and ftill fo rifing,
That Chriftendom fhall ever fpeak his virtue.
His overthrow heap'd happiness upon him;
For then, and not till then, he felt himself,
And found the bleffednefs of being little;
And to add greater honours to his age
Than man could give him, he dy'd, fearing God.

ACT

(11) Men's, &c.] Beaumont and Fletcher borrowed this fentiment from Shakespear in their Philafter. A& 5.

All your better deeds
Shall be in water writ, but this in marble.