King John & Henry VIII (41 page)

SURREY
    I had rather want those than my head.
Have at you!
³⁶⁹

    First, that without the king’s assent or knowledge,

    
You
wrought
to be a
legate
³⁷¹
, by which power

    You maimed the jurisdiction of all bishops.

NORFOLK
    Then, that in all you writ to Rome, or else

    To foreign princes,
‘
Ego et Rex meus
’
³⁷⁴

    Was
still
³⁷⁵
inscribed, in which you brought the king

    To be your servant.

SUFFOLK
    Then, that without the knowledge

    Either of king or council, when you went

    
Ambassador
to the
emperor
, you
made bold
³⁷⁹

    To
carry into
Flanders
³⁸⁰
the great seal.

SURREY
    
Item
, you sent a large
commission
³⁸¹

    To
Gregory de Cassado
³⁸²
, to conclude

    Without the king’s will or the state’s
allowance
³⁸³
,

    A league between his highness and
Ferrara
³⁸⁴
.

SUFFOLK
    That out of
mere
³⁸⁵
ambition, you have caused

    Your holy hat to be stamped on the king’s coin.

SURREY
    Then, that you have sent
innumerable substance
³⁸⁷
—

    By what means got, I leave to your own conscience —

    To
furnish Rome, and to prepare the ways
³⁸⁹

    You have for dignities,
to the mere undoing
³⁹⁰

    Of all the kingdom.
Many more
³⁹¹
there are,

    Which since they are of you, and odious,

    I will not taint my mouth with.

CHAMBERLAIN
    O my lord,

    Press not a falling man too far. ’Tis
virtue
³⁹⁵
:

    His faults
lie open
³⁹⁶
to the laws, let them,

    
Not you, correct him. My heart weeps to see him

    So little of his great self.

SURREY
    I forgive him.

SUFFOLK
    Lord cardinal, the king’s further pleasure is,

    Because all those things you have done of late

    By your power
legative
⁴⁰²
within this kingdom,

    Fall into th’compass of a
praemunire
⁴⁰³
,

    That therefore such a writ be
sued
⁴⁰⁴
against you,

    To forfeit all your goods, lands,
tenements
⁴⁰⁵
,

    
Castles
⁴⁰⁶
, and whatsoever, and to be

    Out of the king’s protection. This is my
charge
⁴⁰⁷
.

NORFOLK
    And so we’ll leave you to your meditations

    How to live better.
For
⁴⁰⁹
your stubborn answer

    About the giving back the great seal to us,

    The king shall know it, and, no doubt, shall thank you.

    So fare you well, my little good lord cardinal.

CARDINAL WOLSEY
    So farewell to the little good you bear me.

    Farewell? A long farewell to all my greatness.

    This is the state of man: today he puts forth

    The
tender
⁴¹⁶
leaves of hopes: tomorrow blossoms,

    And bears his
blushing
⁴¹⁷
honours thick upon him:

    The third day comes a frost, a killing frost,

    And when he thinks, good
easy
⁴¹⁹
man, full surely

    His greatness is a-ripening, nips his root,

    And then he falls, as I do. I have ventured,

    Like little
wanton
boys that swim on
bladders
⁴²²
,

    
This
⁴²³
many summers in a sea of glory,

    But far beyond my depth: my
high-blown
⁴²⁴
pride

    
At length broke under me, and now has left me

    Weary, and old with service, to the mercy

    Of a
rude stream
⁴²⁷
, that must for ever hide me.

    
Vain
⁴²⁸
pomp and glory of this world, I hate ye:

    I feel my heart new opened. O, how wretched

    Is that poor man that hangs on princes’ favours?

    There is betwixt that smile we would aspire to,

    That sweet
aspect
of princes, and
their ruin
⁴³²
,

    More
pangs
⁴³³
and fears than wars or women have:

    And when he falls, he falls like
Lucifer
⁴³⁴
,

    Never to hope again.

                Why, how now, Cromwell?

CROMWELL
    I have no power to speak, sir.

CARDINAL WOLSEY
    What, amazed

    At my misfortunes? Can thy spirit wonder

    A great man should
decline
? Nay,
an
⁴³⁹
you weep

    I am fall’n indeed.

CROMWELL
    How does your grace?

CARDINAL WOLSEY
    Why, well:

    Never so truly
happy
⁴⁴³
, my good Cromwell.

    I know myself now, and I feel within me

    A peace above all earthly dignities,

    A still and quiet conscience. The king has cured me,

    I humbly thank his grace, and from these shoulders,

    These ruined
pillars
⁴⁴⁸
, out of pity, taken

    A load would sink a navy: too much honour.

    O, ’tis a burden, Cromwell, ’tis a burden

    Too heavy for a man that hopes for heaven.

CROMWELL
    I am glad your grace has made that right use of
it
⁴⁵²
.

CARDINAL WOLSEY
    I hope I have: I am able now, methinks,

    Out of a fortitude of soul I feel,

    To endure more miseries and greater far

    Than my weak-hearted enemies dare offer.

    What news abroad?

CROMWELL
    The
heaviest
⁴⁵⁸
and the worst

    Is your
displeasure
⁴⁵⁹
with the king.

CARDINAL WOLSEY
    God bless him.

CROMWELL
    The next is that Sir Thomas More is chosen

    Lord Chancellor in your place.

CARDINAL WOLSEY
    That’s somewhat sudden,

    But he’s a learnèd man. May he continue

    Long in his highness’ favour, and do justice

    For truth’s sake and his conscience,
that
⁴⁶⁶
his bones,

    When he has run his course and sleeps in blessings,

    May have a tomb of
orphans’
⁴⁶⁸
tears wept on him.

    What more?

CROMWELL
    That Cranmer is returned with welcome,

    Installed Lord Archbishop of Canterbury.

CARDINAL WOLSEY
    That’s news indeed.

CROMWELL
    Last, that the Lady Anne,

    Whom the king hath in secrecy long married,

    This day was viewed in
open
⁴⁷⁵
as his queen,

    Going to chapel, and the
voice
⁴⁷⁶
is now

    Only about her coronation.

CARDINAL WOLSEY
    There was the weight that pulled me down.

    O Cromwell,

    The king has
gone beyond
⁴⁸⁰
me: all my glories

    
In
⁴⁸¹
that one woman I have lost for ever.

    No sun shall ever usher forth mine honours,

    Or gild again the noble
troops
⁴⁸³
that waited

    Upon my smiles. Go, get thee from me, Cromwell:

    I am a poor fall’n man, unworthy now

    
To be thy lord and master. Seek the king —

    That sun I pray may never set — I have told him

    What and how true thou art: he will advance thee:

    Some little memory of me will stir him —

    I know his noble nature — not to let

    Thy
hopeful
⁴⁹¹
service perish too. Good Cromwell,

    Neglect him not:
make use
⁴⁹²
now, and provide

    For thine own future safety.

CROMWELL
    O my lord,

    Must I then leave you? Must I needs
forgo
⁴⁹⁵

    So good, so noble and so true a master?

    Bear witness, all that have not hearts of iron,

    With what a sorrow Cromwell leaves his lord.

    The king shall have my service: but my prayers

    For ever and for ever shall be yours.

CARDINAL WOLSEY
    Cromwell, I did not think to shed a tear

    In all my miseries: but thou hast forced me,

    Out of thy honest
truth
, to
play the woman
⁵⁰³
.

    Let’s dry our eyes: and thus far hear me Cromwell,

    And when I am forgotten, as I shall be,

    And sleep in
dull
⁵⁰⁶
cold marble, where no mention

    Of me more must be heard of, say I taught thee:

    Say Wolsey, that once trod the ways of glory,

    And
sounded
all the depths and
shoals
⁵⁰⁹
of honour,

    Found thee a way, out of his
wreck
⁵¹⁰
, to rise in:

    A sure and safe one, though thy master missed it.

    
Mark
⁵¹²
but my fall, and that that ruined me:

    Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition:

    By that sin fell the angels: how can man then,

    The image of his maker, hope to win by it?

    Love thyself last: cherish those hearts that hate thee:

    Corruption wins not more than honesty.

    
Still
⁵¹⁸
in thy right hand carry gentle peace

    To silence envious tongues. Be just, and fear not:

    Let all the ends thou aim’st at be thy country’s,

    Thy God’s, and truth’s. Then if thou fall’st, O Cromwell,

    Thou fall’st a blessèd martyr.

    Serve the king: and prithee lead me in:

    There take an inventory of all I have:

    To the last penny ’tis the king’s. My robe,

    And my integrity to heaven, is all

    I dare now call mine own. O Cromwell, Cromwell,

    Had I but served my God with half the zeal

    I served my king, he would not in mine age

    Have left me
naked
⁵³⁰
to mine enemies.

CROMWELL
    Good sir, have patience.

CARDINAL WOLSEY
    So I have. Farewell

    The hopes of court: my hopes in heaven do dwell.

FIRST GENTLEMAN
    You’re well met once again.

SECOND GENTLEMAN
    So are you.

FIRST GENTLEMAN
    You come to take your stand here, and behold

    The Lady Anne pass from her coronation?

SECOND GENTLEMAN
    ’Tis
all my business
⁵
. At our last encounter,

    The Duke of Buckingham came from his trial.

FIRST GENTLEMAN
    ’Tis very true. But that time offered sorrow,

    This,
general
⁸
joy.

SECOND GENTLEMAN
    ’Tis well: the citizens,

    I am sure, have shown at full their
royal
¹⁰
minds —

    As,
let ’em have their rights
, they are ever
forward
¹¹
—

    In celebration of this day with shows,

    Pageants and sights of honour.

FIRST GENTLEMAN
    Never greater,

    Nor, I’ll assure you, better
taken
¹⁵
, sir.

SECOND GENTLEMAN
    May I be bold to ask what that contains,