Now, by the ground that I am banish'd from, Q.Mar. O, let me entreat thee, cease! Give me thy hand, That I may dew it with my mournful tears; O, could this kiss be printed in thy hand; [Kisses his hand. That thou might'st think upon these by the seal, Through whom a thousand sighs are breath'd for thee!2 So, get thee gone, that I may know my grief; 'Tis but surmis'd whilst thou art standing by, I will repeal thee, or, be well assur'd, And banished I am, if but from thee. Go, speak not to me; even now be gone. O, go not yet!-Even thus two friends condemn'd Suf. Thus is poor Suffolk ten times banished, So Suffolk had thy heavenly company: I can no more :-Live thou to joy thy life; Enter VAUX. Q.Mar. Whither goes Vaux so fast? what news, I pr'ythee? Vaux. To signify unto his majesty, That cardinal Beaufort is at point of death :' when others begin to rave, they immediately see in them what they could not find in themselves, the deformity and folly of useless rage. JOHNS. [2] That by the impression of my kiss for ever remaining on thy hand thou mightest think on those lips through which a thousand sighs will be breathed for thee. JOHNS. For suddenly a grievous sickness took him, That makes him gasp, and stare, and catch the air, Q.Mar. Go, tell this heavy message to the king. And with the southern clouds contend in tears; Suf. If I depart from thee, I cannot live: From thee to die, were torture more than death: O, let me stay, befall what may befall. Q.Mar. Away! though parting be a fretful corrosive, It is applied to a deathful wound. To France, sweet Suffolk: Let me hear from thee; [3] She means, I believe, at a loss which any hour spent in contrivance and deliberation will enable her to supply. Or perhaps she may call the sickness of the Cardinal the loss of an hour, as it inay put some stop to her schemes. JOHNS. [4] Perhaps Mr. Pope was indebted to this passage in his Eloisa to Abelard, where he makes that votarist of exquisite sensibility say: "See my lips tremble, and my eve-balls roll, "Suck my last breath, and catch my flying soul." STEEV I'll have an Iris that shall find thee out. Suf. I go. Q.Mar. And take my heart with thee. Q.Mar. This way for me. [Exeunt, severally. SCENE III. London. Cardinal BEAUFORT's Bed-chamber Enter King HENRY, SALISBURY, WARWICK, and others. The Cardinal in bed; Attendants with him K.Hen. How fares my lord? speak, Beaufort, to thy sovereign. Car. If thou be'st death, I'll give thee England's treasure, Enough to purchase such another island, War. Beaufort, it is thy sovereign speaks to thee. JOHNS. [5] Iris was the messenger of Juno. (6)During these doynges, Henry Beaufford, byshop of Winchester, and called the riche Cardynall, departed out of this world-This man was -haut in stomach and hygh in countenance, ryche above measure of all men, and to fewe liberal; disdaynful to his kynne, and dreadful to his lovers. His covetous insaciable and hope of long lyfe made hym bothe to forget God, his prynce, and hymselfe, in his latter dayes; for Doctor John Baker, his pryvie counsailer and his chapellayn, wrote, that lying on his death bed, he said these words: Why should I dye, having so muche riches? If the whole realme would save my lyfe, I am able either by pollicie to get it, or by riches to buy it. Fye will not death be hyred, nor will money do no. thynge? When my nephew of Bedford died, I thought myselfe half up the whele, but when I saw myne other nephew of Gloucester disceased, then I thought my selfe able to be equal with kinges, and so thought to increase my treasure in hope to have worne a trypple croune. But I se nowe the world fayleth me, and so I am deceyved; praying you all to pray for me." Hall's Chronicle. Bring the strong poison that I bought of him. That lays strong siege unto this wretch's soul, War. See, how the pangs of death do make him grin. Sal. Disturb him not, let him pass peaceably. K.Hen. Peace to his soul, if God's good pleasure be ! -Lord cardinal, if thou think'st on heaven's bliss, Hold up thy hand, make signal of thy hope.He dies, and makes no sign; 6-O God, forgive him! War. So bad a death argues a monstrous life. K.Hen. Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all.— Close up his eyes, and draw the curtain close; And let us all to meditation.7 [Exeunt. X ACT IV. SCENE I-Kent. The Sea-shore near Dover. Firing heard at Sea. Then enter from a Boat, a Captain, a Master, a Master's-Mate, WALTER WHITMORE, and others; with them SUFFOLK, and other Gentlemen, prisoners. Captain. 8 THE gaudy, blabbing, and remorseful day & Is crept into the bosom of the sea; And now loud-howling wolves arouse the jades 9 Who with their drowsy, slow, and flagging wings [6] When a dying person is incapable of speech, it is usual (in the church of Rome) previous to the administration of the sacraments, to obtain some sign that he is desirous of having them administered. The passage may have an allusion to this practice. C. [7] This is one of the scenes which have been applauded by the critics, and which will continue to be admired when prejudice shall cease, and bigotry give way to impartial examination. These are beauties that rise out of nature and of truth; the superficial reader cannot miss them, the profound can imagine nothing beyond them. JOHNS. [8] The epithet, blabbing, applied to the day by a man about to commitmurder, is exquisitely beautiful. Guilt is afraid of light, considers darkness as a natural shelter, and makes night the confidante of those actions which cannot be trusted to the tell-tale day. JOHNS. [9] The wings of the jades that drag night appears an unnatural image, till it is remembered that the chariot of the night is supposed by Sh. kspeare to be drawn by dragons. JOHNS. 14 VOL. V. Therefore, bring forth the soldiers of our prize; And thou that art his mate, make boot of this ;The other, [Pointing to SUFFOLK,] Walter Whitmore, is thy share. 1 Gent. What is my ransome, master? let me know. Mast. A thousand crowns, or else lay down your head. Mate. And so much shall you give, or off goes your's. Cap. What, think you much to pay two thousand crowns, And bear the name and port of gentlemen ?- 1 Gent. I'll give it, sir; and therefore spare my life. 2 Gent. And so will I, and write home for it straight. Whit. I lost mine eye in laying the prize aboard, And therefore, to revenge it, shalt thou die; [To SUF. And so should these, if I might have my will. Cap. Be not so rash; take ransome, let him live. Suf. Look on my George, I am a gentleman; Rate me at what thou wilt, thou shalt be paid. Whit. And so am I; my name is-Walter Whitmore. How now? why start'st thou? what, doth death affright? Suf. Thy name affrights me, in whose sound is death. A cunning man did calculate my birth, And told me that by Water I should die : Whit. Gualtier, or Waller, which it is, I care not; [Lays hold on SUFFOLK. Suf. Stay, Whitmore; for thy prisoner is a prince, The duke of Suffolk, William de la Poole. Whit. The duke of Suffolk, muffled up in rags ! Suf. Ay, but these rags are no part of the duke; Jove sometime went disguis'd, and why not I? Cap. But Jove was never slain, as thou shalt be. |