King John & Henry VIII (34 page)

    Was a deep
envious
⁵⁷
one.

FIRST GENTLEMAN
    At
his
⁵⁸
return

    No doubt he will
requite
⁵⁹
it: this is noted,

    And
generally
⁶⁰
, whoever the king favours,

    The card’nal instantly will find employment,

    And far enough from court too.

SECOND GENTLEMAN
    All the commons

    Hate him
perniciously
⁶⁴
and, o’my conscience,

    Wish him ten fathom deep: this duke as much

    They love and dote on, call him ‘bounteous Buckingham,

    The
mirror
⁶⁷
of all courtesy’—

FIRST GENTLEMAN
    Stay there, sir,

    And see the noble ruined man you speak of.

SECOND GENTLEMAN
    Let’s stand
close
⁷⁰
and behold him.

BUCKINGHAM
    All good people,

    You that thus far have come to pity me:

    Hear what I say, and then go home and
lose
⁷³
me.

    I have this day received a traitor’s
judgement
⁷⁴
,

    And by that name must die: yet heaven bear witness,

    And if I have a conscience, let it
sink
⁷⁶
me,

    Even as the axe falls, if I be not faithful.

    The law I bear no malice for my death,

    ’T has done upon the
premises
⁷⁹
, but justice:

    But those that sought it I could wish
more
⁸⁰
Christians:

    Be what they will, I heartily forgive ’em:

    Yet let ’em
look
⁸²
they glory not in mischief,

    Nor build their
evils
⁸³
on the graves of great men,

    For then my guiltless blood must cry against ’em.

    For further life in this world I ne’er hope,

    Nor will I
sue
⁸⁶
, although the king have mercies

    
More than I dare make faults
⁸⁷
. You few that loved me,

    And dare be bold to weep for Buckingham,

    His noble friends and fellows, whom to leave

    Is
only bitter to him, only dying
⁹⁰
:

    Go with me like good angels to my end,

    And as the long
divorce of steel
⁹²
falls on me,

    Make of your prayers one sweet
sacrifice
⁹³
,

    And lift my soul to heaven.— Lead on, i’God’s name.

LOVELL
    I do beseech your grace, for charity,

    If ever any malice in your heart

    Were hid against me, now to forgive me frankly.

BUCKINGHAM
    Sir Thomas Lovell, I as free forgive you

    As I would be forgiven: I forgive all.

    
There cannot be those numberless offences

    Gainst me that I cannot
take
peace with: no black
envy
¹⁰¹

    Shall make my grave. Commend me to his grace:

    And if he speak of Buckingham, pray tell him

    You met him half in heaven: my vows and prayers

    
Yet
are the king’s, and, till my soul
forsake
¹⁰⁵
,

    Shall cry for blessings on him. May he live

    Longer than I have time to
tell
¹⁰⁷
his years:

    Ever beloved and loving may his rule be:

    And when
old time
¹⁰⁹
shall lead him to his end,

    Goodness and he fill up one
monument
¹¹⁰
.

LOVELL
    To th’water-side I must conduct your grace,

    Then give my
charge
¹¹²
up to Sir Nicholas Vaux,

    Who
undertakes
¹¹³
you to your end.

VAUX
    Prepare there,

    The duke is coming: see the barge be ready,

    And fit it with such
furniture
¹¹⁶
as suits

    The greatness of his person.

BUCKINGHAM
    Nay, Sir Nicholas,

    Let it alone: my
state
¹¹⁹
now will but mock me.

    When I came hither, I was Lord High Constable

    And Duke of Buckingham: now, poor Edward Bohun:

    Yet I am richer than my
base
¹²²
accusers,

    That never knew what
truth
meant. I now
seal
¹²³
it,

    And with that blood will make ’em one day groan for’t.

    My noble father, Henry of Buckingham,

    Who first raised
head
against usurping
Richard
¹²⁶
,

    Flying for succour to his servant Banister,

    Being distressed, was by that wretch betrayed,

    And without trial fell: God’s peace be with him.

    Henry the Seventh succeeding, truly pitying

    My father’s loss, like a most royal prince,

    
Restored me to my honours, and out of ruins

    Made my name once more noble. Now his son,

    Henry the Eighth, life, honour, name and all

    That made me happy, at one
stroke
¹³⁵
has taken

    For ever from the world. I had my trial,

    And must needs say a noble one, which makes me

    A little
happier
¹³⁸
than my wretched father:

    Yet thus far we are one in fortunes: both

    Fell by our servants, by those men we loved most:

    A most unnatural and faithless service.

    Heaven has an
end
¹⁴²
in all: yet, you that hear me,

    This
from a dying man receive as certain
¹⁴³
:

    Where you are
liberal of
¹⁴⁴
your loves and counsels,

    Be sure you be not
loose
¹⁴⁵
: for those you make friends

    And give your hearts to, when they once perceive

    The least
rub
¹⁴⁷
in your fortunes, fall away

    Like water from ye, never found again

    
But
¹⁴⁹
where they mean to sink ye. All good people,

    Pray for me. I must now forsake ye: the last hour

    Of my long weary life is come upon me. Farewell:

    And when you would say something that is sad,

    Speak how I fell. I have done, and God forgive me.

FIRST GENTLEMAN
    O, this is full of pity. Sir, it calls,

    I fear, too many curses on their heads

    That were the
authors
¹⁵⁶
.

SECOND GENTLEMAN
    If the duke be guiltless,

    ’Tis full of woe: yet I can give you inkling

    Of an ensuing evil, if it
fall
¹⁵⁹
,

    Greater than this.

FIRST GENTLEMAN
    Good angels keep it from us.

    What may it be? You do not doubt my
faith
¹⁶²
, sir?

SECOND GENTLEMAN
    This secret is so weighty, ’twill require

    A strong faith to conceal it.

FIRST GENTLEMAN
    Let me have it:

    I do not talk much.

SECOND GENTLEMAN
    I
am confident
¹⁶⁷
:

    You
shall
, sir: did you not of
late
¹⁶⁸
days hear

    A
buzzing
¹⁶⁹
of a separation

    Between the king and Katherine?

FIRST GENTLEMAN
    Yes, but it
held not
¹⁷¹
:

    For when the king once heard it, out of anger

    He sent command to the Lord Mayor
straight
¹⁷³

    To stop the rumour, and
allay
¹⁷⁴
those tongues

    That durst disperse it.

SECOND GENTLEMAN
    But that slander, sir,

    Is found a truth now: for it grows again

    Fresher than e’er it was, and
held for
¹⁷⁸
certain

    The king will
venture at it
¹⁷⁹
. Either the cardinal,

    Or some
about him near
¹⁸⁰
, have, out of malice

    To the good queen,
possessed him with a scruple
¹⁸¹

    That will undo her: to confirm this too,

    
Cardinal Campeius
¹⁸³
is arrived, and lately,

    As all think, for this business.

FIRST GENTLEMAN
    ’Tis the cardinal:

    And merely to revenge him on the
emperor
¹⁸⁶

    For not bestowing on him at his asking

    The archbishopric of Toledo, this is
purposed
¹⁸⁸
.

SECOND GENTLEMAN
    I think you
have hit the
mark
¹⁸⁹
: but is’t not cruel

    
That she should feel the
smart
¹⁹⁰
of this? The cardinal

    Will have his will, and she must fall.

FIRST GENTLEMAN
    ’Tis woeful.

    We are too
open
¹⁹³
here to argue this:

    Let’s think in private more.

CHAMBERLAIN
    ‘My lord, the horses your lordship sent for, with

    all the care I had, I saw well chosen,
ridden
and
furnished
²
.

    They were young and handsome, and of the best breed in the

    north. When they were ready to set out for London, a man of

    my lord cardinal’s, by
commission
and
main
⁵
power, took ’em

    from me, with this reason: his master would be served before

    a subject, if not before the king, which stopped our mouths,

    sir.’ I fear he will indeed: well, let him have them: he will have

    all, I think.

NORFOLK
    Well met, my Lord Chamberlain.

CHAMBERLAIN
    Good day to both your graces.

SUFFOLK
    How is the king employed?

CHAMBERLAIN
    I left him
private
¹³
,

    Full of
sad
¹⁴
thoughts and troubles.

NORFOLK
    What’s the cause?

CHAMBERLAIN
    It seems the marriage with his brother’s wife

    Has crept too near his conscience.

SUFFOLK
    No, his
conscience
¹⁸

    Has crept too near another lady.

NORFOLK
    ’Tis so:

    This is the cardinal’s doing: the king-cardinal,

    
That
blind
²²
priest, like the eldest son of fortune,

    
Turns
what he
list
. The king will
know
²³
him one day.

SUFFOLK
    Pray God he do: he’ll never know himself else.

NORFOLK
    How holily
he
²⁵
works in all his business,

    And with what zeal! For now he has cracked the league

    Between us and the emperor, the queen’s great-nephew,

    He dives into the king’s soul, and there scatters

    Dangers, doubts, wringing of the conscience,

    Fears, and despairs, and all these for his marriage.

    And out of all these, to restore the king,

    He counsels a divorce, a loss of her

    That like a jewel has hung twenty years

    About his neck, yet never lost her lustre:

    Of her that loves him with that excellence

    That angels love good men with: even of her

    That when the greatest stroke of fortune falls

    Will bless the king: and is not this course pious?

CHAMBERLAIN
    Heaven keep me from such counsel: ’tis most true