But par'd my present havings, to bestow

My bounties upon you.

The prime man of the state? I pray you, tell me,
If what I now pronounce, you have found true:
And, if you may confefs it, say withal,

If you are bound to us, or no.

What say you?

Wol. My fovereign, I confefs, your royal graces, Shower'd on me daily, have been more, than could My studied purposes requite; which went

Beyond all man's endeavours :

:-my endeavours Have ever come too short of my defires,

Yet, fil'd with my abilities: Mine own ends
Have been mine fo, that evermore they pointed
To the good of your most facred person, and
The profit of the state. For your great graces
Heap'd upon me, poor undeferver, I
Can nothing render but allegiant thanks;
My prayers to heaven for you; my loyalty,
Which ever has, and ever shall be growing,
Till death, that winter, kill it.

K. Hen.

A loyal and obedient fubject is

Fairly answer'd;

Therein illuftrated: The honour of it
Does pay the act of it; as, i'the contrary,
The foulness is the punishment. I prefume,
That, as my hand has open'd bounty to you,

My heart dropp'd love, my power rain'd honour more
On you, than any; so your hand, and heart,

Your brain, and every function of your power,
Should, notwithstanding that your bond of duty,

As

As doth a rock against the chiding flood,
Should the approach of this wild river break
And ftand unshaken yours.

K. Hen.

For

'Tis nobly fpok

Take notice, lords, he has a loyal breast, you have seen him open't.-Read o'er

[Gi

And, after, this: and then to breakfast, w
What appetite you have.

Wol.

[Exit King, frowning upon Cardin
Nobles throng after bim, fmiling,
What should this

What fudden anger's this? how have I rea
He parted frowning from me, as if ruin
Leap'd from his eyes: So looks the chafed
Upon the daring huntfman that has gall'd I
Then makes him nothing. I must read th
I fear, the ftory of his anger.-'Tis so ;
This paper has undone me :-'Tis the acc
Of all that world of wealth I have drawn to
For mine own ends; indeed, to gain the p
And fee my friends in Rome. O negligen
Fit for a fool to fall by! What cross devil
Made me put this main fecret in the packe
I fent the king? Is there no way to cure t

F

No new device to beat this from his brains?

I know, 'twill stir him strongly; Yet I know
A way, if it take right, in spite of fortune

Will bring me off again. What's this-To the Pope?
The letter, as I live, with all the business

I writ to his holiness. Nay then, farewell!

I have touch'd the highest point of all my greatness;
And, from that full meridian of my glory,

I hafte now to my setting: I fhall fall .
Like a bright exhalation in the evening,
And no man see me more.

Re-enter the Dukes of NORFOLK and SUFFOLK, the Earl of SURREY, and the Lord Chamberlain.

Nor. Hear the king's pleasure, cardinal: who commands

you

To render up the great feal presently

Into our hands; and to confine yourself
To Afher-house, my lord of Winchester's,
Till you hear further from his highness.

Stay,

Wol.
Where's your commiffion, lords? words cannot carry
Authority fo weighty.

Suf.

Who dare cross them?

Bearing the king's will from his mouth expressly?

Wol. Till I find more than will, or words, to do it, (I mean, your malice,) know, officious lords,

I dare, and muft deny it. Now I feel

Of what coarse metal ye are moulded,-envy.
How eagerly ye follow my difgraces,

As if it fed ye? and how fleek and wanton
Ye appear in every thing may bring my ruin!
Follow your envious courfes, men of malice;

Proud lo

Sur. Thou art a proud traitor, priest.
Wol.
Within these forty hours Surrey durft bette
Have burnt that tongue, than faid fo.

Sur.

Thy

Thou fcarlet fin, robb'd this bewailing lan
Of noble Buckingham, my father-in-law:
The heads of all thy brother cardinals,
(With thee, and all thy best parts bound to
Weigh'd not a hair of his. Plague of your
You fent me deputy for Ireland;

Far from his fuccour, from the king, from
That might have mercy on the fault thou g
Whilft your great goodness, out of holy pi
Abfolv'd him with an axe.

Wol.

This, and all el

This talking lord can lay upon my credit,
I answer, is moft falfe. The duke by law
Found his deferts: how innocent I was
From any private malice in his end,

His noble jury and foul cause can witness.
If I lov'd many words, lord, I should tell
You have as little honefty as honour;
That I, in the way of loyalty and truth
Toward the king, my ever royal master,

Dare mate a founder man than Surrey can be,

And all that love his follies.

Sur.

By my foul,

Your long coat, priest, protects you; thou should'st feel
My sword i'the life-blood of thee else.—My lords,
Can ye endure to hear this arrogance ?

And from this fellow? If we live thus tamely,

To be thus jaded by a piece of scarlet,
Farewell nobility; let his grace go forward,
And dare us with his cap, like larks.

Wol.

Is poifon to thy ftomach.

Sur.

All goodness

Yes, that goodness

Of gleaning all the land's wealth into one,

Into your own hands, cardinal, by extortion;

The goodness of your intercepted packets,

You writ to the pope, against the king: your goodness,
Since you provoke me, fhall be most notorious.-
My lord of Norfolk,—as you are truly noble,
As you refpect the common good, the state
Of our defpis'd nobility, our iffues,

Who, if he live, will scarce be gentlemen,-
Produce the grand fum of his fins, the articles
Collected from his life :-I'll startle you

Worse than the sacring bell, when the brown wench
Lay kiffing in your arms, lord cardinal.

Wol. How much, methinks, I could defpife this man, But that I am bound in charity against it!

Nor. Those articles, my lord, are in the king's hand : But, thus much, they are foul ones.

So much fairer,

Wol.
And fpotlefs, fhall mine innocence arife,
When the king knows my truth.