Enter an old Lady, in haste.

Gent. [Within.] Come back: what mean you ? Lady. I'll not come back; the tidings that I bring Will make my boldness manners. Now, good

angels

Fly o'er thy royal head, and shade thy person
Under their blessed wings!

And of a lovely boy: The God of heaven
Both now and ever bless her!— 'tis a girl,
Promises boys hereafter. Sir, your queen
Desires your visitation, and to be

Acquainted with this stranger: 'tis as like you,
As cherry is to cherry.

King.

Lovell!

Re-enter LOVELL.

Lov.

Sir.

King. Give her an hundred marks. I'll to the

queen.

[Exit King. Lady. An hundred marks! By this light I'll ha'

more.

A

cause you are one of them, a councellor, that you may have your accusers brought before them without any further indurance, and use for yourselfe as good perswasions that way as you may devise; and if no intreatie will serve, then deliver unto them this my ring, and say unto them, if there be no remedie, my lords, but that must needs go to the Tower, then I revoke my cause from you and appeale to the kings owne person, by this his token unto you all: for, so soon as they shall see this my ring, they shall under stand that have resumed the whole cause into mine owne hands. The archbishop, perceiving the kings benignitie so much to him wards, had much ado to forbeare teares. Well,' said the king 'go your waics, my lord, and do as I have bidden you.' H.

An ordinary groom is for such payment:
I will have more, or scold it out of him.
Said I for this, the girl is like to him?
I will have more, or else unsay't; and now
While it is hot, I'll put it to the issue.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II. Lobby before the Council-Chamber.

Enter CRANMER; Servants, Doorkeeper, &c.,
attending.

Cran. I hope I am not too late; and yet the gentleman,

That was sent to me from the council, pray'd me To make great haste. All fast! what means this?

Doork. Your grace must wait till you be call'd for.

Cran.

Enter Doctor BUTTS.

Butts. This is a piece of malice. I am glad,

I came this way so happily.
Shall understand it presently.
Cran. [Aside.]

აი.

The king

[Exit BUTTS.

"Tis Butts,

The king's physician. As he past along,

How earnestly he cast his eyes upon me!

Pray Heaven, he sound not my disgrace! For cer

tain,

This s of purpose lay'd by some that hate me, (God turn their hearts! I never sought their mal ice,)

To quench mine honour: they would shame to make

me

Wait else at door, a fellow counsellor,

'Mong boys, grooms, and lackeys. But their pleas

ures

Must be fulfill'd, and I attend with patience.

Enter the King and BUTTS, at a Window above.'
Butts. I'll show your grace the strangest sight,
King.
What's that, Butts?
Butts. I think, your highness saw this many a day.
King. Body o'me, where is it?

Butts.

There, my lord!

The high promotion of his grace of Canterbury; Who holds his state at door, 'mongst pursuivants, Pages, and footboys.

King.

Ha! 'Tis he, indeed.

Is this the honour they do one another?

2

'em

"Tis well, there's one above 'em yet. I had thought
They had parted so much honesty among
(At least, good manners) as not thus to suffer
A man of his place, and so near our favour,
To dance attendance on their lordships' pleasures,
And at the door too, like a post with packets.
By holy Mary, Butts, there's knavery:

Let 'em alone, and draw the curtain close; 3
We shall hear more anon.

[Exeunt.

The suspicious vigilance of our ancestors contrived windows which overlooked the insides of chapels, halls, kitchens, passages, &c. Some of these convenient peepholes may still be seen in colleges, and such ancient houses as have not suffered from the reformations of modern architecture. In a letter from Matthew Parker, archbishop of Canterbury, 1573, printed in Seward's Anecdotes: "And if it please her majestie, she may come in through my gallerie, and see the disposition of the hall in dynner time, a. a window opening thereinto."

2 That is, shared.

3 That is, be curtain of the balcony or upper stage, where the

THE COUNCIL CHAMBER.

Enter the Lord Chancellor, the Duke of SUFFolk, Earl of SURREY, Lord Chamberlain, GARDINER, and CROMWELL. The Chancellor places himself at the upper end of the table on the left hand; a seat being left void above him, as for the Archbishop of Canterbury. The rest seat themselves in orCROMWELL at the lower end, as

der on each side.

Secretary.

Chan. Speak to the business, master secretary: Why are we met in council?

Crom.

Please your honours,

The chief cause concerns his grace of Canterbury.

Gar. Has he had knowledge of it?

Crom. Yes.

Nor. Who waits there?

Doork. Without, my noble lords?

Gar. Yes.

Doork. My lord archbishop;

And has done half an hour, to know your pleasures. Chan. Let him come in.

king now is. The matter of this passage is thus given by Fox: "On the morrow, about nine of the clock before noone, the councell sent a gentleman usher for the archbishop, who, when hee came to the councell chamber doore, could not be let in, but of purpose, as it seemed, was compelled there to wait among the pages, lackies, and serving men al alone. Doctor Buts, the kings physician, resorting that way, and espying how my lord of Canterbury was handled, went to the kings highnesse and said, 'My lord of Canterbury, if it please your grace, is well promoted : for now he is become a lackey or a serving man; for yonder he standeth this half hower at the councell chamber doore amongst them.' 'It is not so,' quoth the king, I trowe; nor the councell hath not so little discretion as to use the metropolitan of the realm in that sort, specially being one of their own number. But let them alone,' sayd the king, and we shall heare more soone.'" H.

Doork.

Your grace may enter now.'

[CRANMER approaches the Council-table.

Chan. My good lord archbishop, I am very sorry To sit here at this present, and behold

That chair stand empty but we all are men,

In our own natures frail, and culpable

5

Of our flesh; few are angels: out of which frailty And want of wisdom, you that best should teach us Have misdemean'd yourself, and not a little,

Toward the king first, then his laws, in filling The whole realm, by your teaching, and your chaplains,

(For so we are inform'd,) with new opinions, Divers, and dangerous; which are heresies, And, not reform'd, may prove pernicious.

Gar. Which reformation must be sudden too, My noble lords; for those that tame wild horses Pace 'em not in their hands to make 'em gentle, But stop their mouths with stubborn bits, and spur

'em,

Till they obey the manage. If we suffer,

Out of our easiness and childish pity

To one man's honour, this contagious sickness,
Farewell all physic: And what follows then?
Commotions, uproars, with a general taint

4 The old stage direction at the commencement of this scene is "A councell table brought in with chayres and stooles and placed under the state." Our ancestors were contented to be told that the same spot, without any change of its appearance, except perhaps the drawing back of a curtain, was at once the outside and the inside of the council chamber.

5 The original here reads, -" And capable of our flesh;" out of which it is not easy to extract any certain meaning. Malone changed and capable" to " incapable;" which change betters the sense indeed, but takes a very questionable liberty with the text. Monck Mason proposed culpable, and the same word is substituted in the copy of the second folio lately discovered by Mr. Collier.

H.