William Shakespeare - King Henry the Eighth

Have not the power to muzzle him; therefore bestNot wake him in his slumber. A beggar's bookOutworths a noble's blood.

NORFOLK

What, are you chafed?

Ask God for temperance; that's the appliance onlyWhich your disease requires.

BUCKINGHAM

I read in's looks

Matter against me; and his eye reviledMe, as his abject object: at this instantHe bores me with some trick: he's gone to the king;I'll follow and outstare him.

NORFOLK

Stay, my lord,

And let your reason with your choler questionWhat 'tis you go about: to climb steep hillsRequires slow pace at first: anger is likeA full-hot horse, who being allow'd his way,Self-mettle tires him. Not a man in EnglandCan advise me like you: be to yourselfAs you would to your friend.

BUCKINGHAM

I'll to the king;

And from a mouth of honour quite cry downThis Ipswich fellow's insolence; or proclaimThere's difference in no persons.

NORFOLK

Be advised;

Heat not a furnace for your foe so hotThat it do singe yourself: we may outrun,By violent swiftness, that which we run at,And lose by over-running. Know you not,The fire that mounts the liquor til run o'er,In seeming to augment it wastes it? Be advised:I say again, there is no English soulMore stronger to direct you than yourself,If with the sap of reason you would quench,Or but allay, the fire of passion.

BUCKINGHAM

Sir,

I am thankful to you; and I'll go alongBy your prescription: but this top-proud fellow,Whom from the flow of gall I name not butFrom sincere motions, by intelligence,And proofs as clear as founts in July whenWe see each grain of gravel, I do knowTo be corrupt and treasonous.

NORFOLK

Say not 'treasonous.'

BUCKINGHAM

To the king I'll say't; and make my vouch as strong

As shore of rock. Attend. This holy fox,Or wolf, or both,--for he is equal ravenousAs he is subtle, and as prone to mischiefAs able to perform't; his mind and placeInfecting one another, yea, reciprocally--Only to show his pomp as well in FranceAs here at home, suggests the king our masterTo this last costly treaty, the interview,That swallow'd so much treasure, and like a glassDid break i' the rinsing.

NORFOLK

Faith, and so it did.

BUCKINGHAM

Pray, give me favour, sir. This cunning cardinal

The articles o' the combination drewAs himself pleased; and they were ratifiedAs he cried 'Thus let be': to as much endAs give a crutch to the dead: but our count-cardinalHas done this, and 'tis well; for worthy Wolsey,Who cannot err, he did it. Now this follows,--Which, as I take it, is a kind of puppyTo the old dam, treason,--Charles the emperor,Under pretence to see the queen his aunt--For 'twas indeed his colour, but he cameTo whisper Wolsey,--here makes visitation:His fears were, that the interview betwixtEngland and France might, through their amity,Breed him some prejudice; for from this leaguePeep'd harms that menaced him: he privilyDeals with our cardinal; and, as I trow,--Which I do well; for I am sure the emperorPaid ere he promised; whereby his suit was grantedEre it was ask'd; but when the way was made,And paved with gold, the emperor thus desired,That he would please to alter the king's course,And break the foresaid peace. Let the king know,As soon he shall by me, that thus the cardinalDoes buy and sell his honour as he pleases,And for his own advantage.

NORFOLK

I am sorry

To hear this of him; and could wish he wereSomething mistaken in't.

BUCKINGHAM

No, not a syllable:

I do pronounce him in that very shapeHe shall appear in proof.

Enter BRANDON, a Sergeant-at-arms before him, and two or three of the Guard

BRANDON

Your office, sergeant; execute it.

Sergeant

Sir,

My lord the Duke of Buckingham, and EarlOf Hereford, Stafford, and Northampton, IArrest thee of high treason, in the nameOf our most sovereign king.

BUCKINGHAM

Lo, you, my lord,

The net has fall'n upon me! I shall perishUnder device and practise.

BRANDON

I am sorry

To see you ta'en from liberty, to look onThe business present: 'tis his highness' pleasureYou shall to the Tower.

BUCKINGHAM

It will help me nothing

To plead mine innocence; for that dye is on meWhich makes my whitest part black. The will of heavenBe done in this and all things! I obey.O my Lord Abergavenny, fare you well!

BRANDON

Nay, he must bear you company. The king

To ABERGAVENNY

Is pleased you shall to the Tower, till you know

How he determines further.

ABERGAVENNY

As the duke said,

The will of heaven be done, and the king's pleasureBy me obey'd!

BRANDON

Here is a warrant from

The king to attach Lord Montacute; and the bodiesOf the duke's confessor, John de la Car,One Gilbert Peck, his chancellor--

BUCKINGHAM

So, so;

These are the limbs o' the plot: no more, I hope.

BRANDON

A monk o' the Chartreux.

BUCKINGHAM

O, Nicholas Hopkins?

BRANDON

He.

BUCKINGHAM

My surveyor is false; the o'er-great cardinal

Hath show'd him gold; my life is spann'd already:I am the shadow of poor Buckingham,Whose figure even this instant cloud puts on,By darkening my clear sun. My lord, farewell.

Exeunt

The same. The council-chamber.

Cornets. Enter KING HENRY VIII, leaning on CARDINAL WOLSEY's shoulder, the Nobles, and LOVELL; CARDINAL WOLSEY places himself under KING HENRY VIII's feet on his right side

KING HENRY VIII

My life itself, and the best heart of it,

Thanks you for this great care: I stood i' the levelOf a full-charged confederacy, and give thanksTo you that choked it. Let be call'd before usThat gentleman of Buckingham's; in personI'll hear him his confessions justify;And point by point the treasons of his masterHe shall again relate.

A noise within, crying 'Room for the Queen!' Enter QUEEN KATHARINE, ushered by NORFOLK, and SUFFOLK: she kneels. KING HENRY VIII riseth from his state, takes her up, kisses and placeth her by him

QUEEN KATHARINE

Nay, we must longer kneel: I am a suitor.

KING HENRY VIII

Arise, and take place by us: half your suit

Never name to us; you have half our power:The other moiety, ere you ask, is given;Repeat your will and take it.

QUEEN KATHARINE

Thank your majesty.

That you would love yourself, and in that loveNot unconsider'd leave your honour, norThe dignity of your office, is the pointOf my petition.

KING HENRY VIII

Lady mine, proceed.

QUEEN KATHARINE

I am solicited, not by a few,

And those of true condition, that your subjectsAre in great grievance: there have been commissionsSent down among 'em, which hath flaw'd the heartOf all their loyalties: wherein, although,My good lord cardinal, they vent reproachesMost bitterly on you, as putter onOf these exactions, yet the king our master--Whose honour heaven shield from soil!--even heescapes notLanguage unmannerly, yea, such which breaksThe sides of loyalty, and almost appearsIn loud rebellion.

NORFOLK

Not almost appears,

It doth appear; for, upon these taxations,The clothiers all, not able to maintainThe many to them longing, have put offThe spinsters, carders, fullers, weavers, who,Unfit for other life, compell'd by hungerAnd lack of other means, in desperate mannerDaring the event to the teeth, are all in uproar,And danger serves among then!

KING HENRY VIII

Taxation!

Wherein? and what taxation? My lord cardinal,You that are blamed for it alike with us,Know you of this taxation?

CARDINAL WOLSEY

Please you, sir,

I know but of a single part, in aughtPertains to the state; and front but in that fileWhere others tell steps with me.

QUEEN KATHARINE

No, my lord,

You know no more than others; but you frameThings that are known alike; which are not wholesomeTo those which would not know them, and yet mustPerforce be their acquaintance. These exactions,Whereof my sovereign would have note, they areMost pestilent to the bearing; and, to bear 'em,The back is sacrifice to the load. They sayThey are devised by you; or else you sufferToo hard an exclamation.