King John & Henry VIII (29 page)
Read King John & Henry VIII Online
Authors: William Shakespeare
CHANCELLOR … fall
in Act 3 Scene 2, it is announced that Sir Thomas More has been made Chancellor in Wolsey’s place; historically, More resigned before the coronation of Queen Anne, so the character who marches in the procession in Act 4 Scene 1 and speaks in Act 5 Scene 2 would have been Sir Thomas Audley, but he is unnamed in the text
The Prologue
[
Enter Prologue
]
I come no more to make you laugh: things now
That bear a weighty and a serious brow,
Sad
,
high
, and
working
, full of
state
3
and woe:
Such noble scenes as draw the eye to flow
We now present. Those that can pity here
May, if they think it well, let fall a tear:
The subject will deserve it. Such as give
Their money out of hope they may believe,
May here find truth too. Those that come to see
Only a
show
10
or two, and so agree
The play may
pass
, if they be
still, and willing
11
,
I’ll undertake may see away their
shilling
12
Richly in
two short hours
13
. Only they
That come to hear a merry, bawdy play,
A noise of
targets
15
, or to see a fellow
In a long
motley
coat
guarded
with yellow
16
,
Will be
deceived
. For, gentle hearers,
know
17
To rank our chosen truth with such a show
As fool and fight is, beside
forfeiting
19
Our own brains, and the
opinion that we bring
20
To make that only true we now intend,
Will leave us never an
understanding
22
friend.
Therefore, for goodness’ sake, and as you are known
The first and
happiest
24
hearers of the town,
Be
sad
25
, as we would make ye. Think ye see
The very persons of our noble story
As
they were living: think you see them
great
27
,
And followed with the general throng and sweat
Of thousand friends: then, in a moment, see
How soon this mightiness meets misery:
And if you can be merry then, I’ll say
A man may weep upon his wedding day.
[
Exit
]
running scene 1
Enter the Duke of Norfolk at one door. At the other, the Duke of Buckingham and the Lord Abergavenny
BUCKINGHAM
Good morrow, and well met. How have ye done
Since last we
saw
2
in France?
NORFOLK
I thank your grace:
Healthful, and ever since a
fresh
4
admirer
BUCKINGHAM
An
untimely ague
6
Stayed
7
me a prisoner in my chamber when
Those suns of glory, those two lights of men,
Met in the vale of Andres.
NORFOLK
’Twixt
Guînes and Ardres
10
:
I was then present, saw them salute on horseback,
Beheld them when they
lighted
12
, how they clung
In their embracement
as
13
they grew together,
Which had they
, what four
throned ones
could have
weighed
14
Such a compounded one?
BUCKINGHAM
All the whole time
I was my chamber’s prisoner.
NORFOLK
Then you lost
The view of earthly glory: men might say
Till this time
pomp
20
was single, but now married
To one above itself. Each
following
day
21
Became the next day’s
master
22
, till the last
Made former wonders
its
23
. Today the French,
All
clinquant
24
, all in gold, like heathen gods
Shone down
the English; and
tomorrow
they
25
Made Britain
India
26
: every man that stood
Showed
27
like a mine. Their dwarfish pages were
As
cherubins
, all gilt: the
madams
28
too,
Not used to toil, did almost sweat to bear
The
pride
upon them,
that
their very
labour
30
Was to them as a painting. Now this
masque
31
Was
cried
incomparable, and th’ensuing
night
32
Made it a fool and beggar
33
. The two kings,
Equal in lustre,
were now best, now worst
34
,
As presence did present them:
him in eye
35
,
Still him in praise, and
being present both
36
,
’Twas said they saw but one, and no
discerner
37
Durst
wag his tongue in
censure
38
. When these suns —
For so they
phrase
39
’em — by their heralds challenged
The noble spirits to arms, they did
perform
40
Beyond thought’s
compass
,
that former fabulous story
41
,
Being now seen possible enough, got credit,
That
Bevis
43
was believed.
BUCKINGHAM
O, you
go far
44
.
NORFOLK
As I
belong to worship
, and
affect
45
In honour honesty, the
tract
46
of ev’rything
Would by a good
discourser
lose some life
47
,
Which action’s self was tongue to. All was royal:
To the disposing of it nought rebelled
49
:
Order gave each thing view
.
The office did
50
Distinctly his full function.
BUCKINGHAM
Who did guide —
I mean, who set the body and the limbs
Of this great
sport
54
together, as you guess?
NORFOLK
One,
certes
, that
promises no element
55
In such a business.
BUCKINGHAM
I pray you who, my lord?
NORFOLK
All this was
ordered
by the good
discretion
58
Of the right reverend
Cardinal of York
59
.
BUCKINGHAM
The devil
speed
60
him! No man’s pie is freed
From his ambitious finger. What had he
To do in these
fierce
vanities
62
? I wonder
That such a
keech
63
can with his very bulk
Take up
the rays
o’th’beneficial
sun
64
And keep it from the earth.
NORFOLK
Surely, sir,
There’s in him
stuff
that
puts
67
him to these ends:
For being not propped by
ancestry
, whose
grace
68
Chalks
69
successors their way, nor called upon
For
high feats
70
done to th’crown, neither allied
To
eminent assistants
71
, but spider-like,
Out of his
self-drawing
web,
a
gives us note
72
,
The force of his own merit makes his way
A gift that heaven gives for him, which buys
A place
next to
75
the king.
ABERGAVENNY
I cannot tell
What heaven hath given him — let some
graver
77
eye
Pierce into that — but I can see his pride
Peep through each part of him: whence has he that,
If not from hell? The devil is a
niggard
80
,
Or has given all before, and
he
81
begins
A new hell in himself.
BUCKINGHAM
Why the devil,
Upon this French
going out
84
, took he upon him,
Without the
privity
85
o’th’king, t’appoint
Who should
attend on him
? He makes up the
file
86
Of all the gentry: for the most part
such
87
To whom as great a charge as little honour
He meant to lay upon: and his
own letter
89
,
The honourable
board of council
out
90
,
ABERGAVENNY
I do know
Kinsmen of mine, three at the least, that have
By this so
sickened
94
their estates, that never
They shall
abound
95
as formerly.
BUCKINGHAM
O, many
Have broke their backs with
laying manors on ’em
97
For this great journey. What did this
vanity
98
But
minister communication of
99
A most poor issue?
NORFOLK
Grievingly
101
I think
The peace between the French and us
not values
102
The cost that did conclude it.
BUCKINGHAM
Every man,
After the hideous storm that followed, was
A thing
inspired
, and,
not consulting
106
, broke
Into a
general
107
prophecy: that this tempest,
Dashing
the garment of this peace,
aboded
108
The sudden breach
on’t
109
.
NORFOLK
Which
is budded out
110
,
For France hath
flawed
the league, and hath
attached
111
Our merchants’ goods at Bordeaux.
ABERGAVENNY
Is it
therefore
113
Th’ambassador is
silenced
114
?
NORFOLK
Marry
115
, is’t.
ABERGAVENNY
A
proper title of
116
a peace, and purchased
At a
superfluous rate
117
.
BUCKINGHAM
Why, all this business
Our reverend cardinal
carried
119
.
NORFOLK
Like it
120
your grace,
The
state
takes notice of the private
difference
121
Betwixt you and the cardinal. I advise you —
And take it from a heart that wishes towards you
Honour and plenteous safety — that you
read
124
The cardinal’s malice and his
potency
125
Together: to consider further that
What his high hatred
would
effect
wants
127
not
A
minister
128
in his power. You know his nature,
That he’s revengeful: and I know his sword
Hath a sharp edge: it’s long and’t may be said,
It reaches far, and where ’twill not extend,
Thither he
darts
it.
Bosom up
132
my counsel,
You’ll find it
wholesome
.
Lo
133
, where comes that rock
That I advise your shunning.
