King John & Henry VIII (44 page)

    Before he go to bed. I’ll take my leave.

GARDINER
    Not yet, Sir Thomas Lovell. What’s the matter?

    It seems you are in haste:
an if
¹⁴
there be

    No great
offence
¹⁵
belongs to’t, give your friend

    Some
touch
of your
late
¹⁶
business: affairs that walk,

    As they say spirits do, at midnight, have

    In them a wilder nature than the business

    That seeks dispatch by day.

LOVELL
    My lord, I love you,

    And
durst commend
²¹
a secret to your ear

    Much weightier than
this work
²²
. The queen’s in labour —

    They say in great extremity — and
feared
²³

    She’ll with the labour end.

GARDINER
    The
fruit
she
goes with
²⁵

    I pray for heartily, that it may find

    Good
time
, and live: but for the
stock
²⁷
, Sir Thomas,

    I wish it
grubbed up
²⁸
now.

LOVELL
    Methinks I could

    
Cry the amen
³⁰
, and yet my conscience says

    She’s a good creature and, sweet lady, does

    Deserve our better wishes.

GARDINER
    But, sir, sir,

    Hear me, Sir Thomas: you’re a gentleman

    Of mine own
way
³⁵
. I know you wise, religious,

    And let me tell you, it will ne’er be well —

    ’Twill not, Sir Thomas Lovell, take’t of me —

    Till Cranmer, Cromwell, her two
hands
³⁸
, and she

    Sleep in their graves.

LOVELL
    Now, sir, you speak of two

    The most
remarked
⁴¹
i’th’kingdom. As for Cromwell,

    Beside that of the Jewel House, is made
Master
⁴²

    O’th’Rolls and the king’s secretary. Further, sir,

    Stands in the
gap and trade
⁴⁴
of more preferments,

    With which the
time
⁴⁵
will load him. Th’archbishop

    Is the king’s hand and tongue, and who dare speak

    One syllable against him?

GARDINER
    Yes, yes, Sir Thomas,

    There
are
⁴⁹
that dare, and I myself have ventured

    To speak my mind of him: and indeed this day,

    Sir, I may tell it you, I think I have

    
Incensed
⁵²
the lords o’th’council, that he is —

    For so I know he is, they know he is —

    A most
arch-heretic
⁵⁴
, a pestilence

    That does infect the land: with which they,
moved
⁵⁵
,

    Have
broken
⁵⁶
with the king, who hath so far

    Given ear to our complaint, of his great grace

    And princely care, foreseeing those
fell
mischiefs
⁵⁸

    
Our reasons laid before him, hath commanded

    Tomorrow morning to the council board

    He be
convented
. He’s a
rank
⁶¹
weed, Sir Thomas,

    And we must root him out. From your affairs

    I hinder you too long. Goodnight, Sir Thomas.

LOVELL
    Many good nights, my lord: I
rest
⁶⁴
your servant.

KING HENRY VIII
    Charles, I will play no more tonight:

    My mind’s not on’t: you are too
hard
⁶⁶
for me.

SUFFOLK
    Sir, I did never win of you before.

KING HENRY VIII
    But little, Charles,

    Nor shall not when my
fancy’s
⁶⁹
on my play.

    Now, Lovell, from the queen what is the news?

LOVELL
    I could not personally deliver to her

    What you commanded me, but by her woman

    I sent your message, who returned her thanks

    In the great’st humbleness, and desired your highness

    Most heartily to pray for her.

KING HENRY VIII
    What say’st thou? Ha?

    To pray for her? What, is she crying out?

LOVELL
    So said her woman, and that her
suff’rance
⁷⁸
made

    Almost each pang a death.

KING HENRY VIII
    Alas, good lady.

SUFFOLK
    
God
safely
quit
⁸¹
her of her burden, and

    With gentle
travail
, to the
gladding
⁸²
of

    Your highness with an heir!

KING HENRY VIII
    ’Tis midnight, Charles.

    Prithee to bed, and in thy prayers remember

    Th’
estate
⁸⁶
of my poor queen. Leave me alone,

    For I must think of that which company

    Would not be friendly to.

SUFFOLK
    I wish your highness

    A quiet night, and my good mistress will

    Remember in my prayers.

KING HENRY VIII
    Charles, goodnight.

    Well, sir, what follows?

DENNY
    Sir, I have brought my lord the archbishop,

    As you commanded me.

KING HENRY VIII
    Ha? Canterbury?

DENNY
    Ay, my good lord.

KING HENRY VIII
    ’Tis true: where is he, Denny?

DENNY
    He
attends
⁹⁹
your highness’ pleasure.

KING HENRY VIII
    Bring him to us.

LOVELL
    This is about that which the
bishop
¹⁰¹
spake.

    I am
happily
¹⁰²
come hither.

KING HENRY VIII
    
Avoid
the
gallery
¹⁰³
.

             Ha? I have said. Be gone.

    What?

CRANMER
    I am fearful: wherefore frowns he thus?

    ’Tis his
aspect of terror
¹⁰⁶
. All’s not well.

KING HENRY VIII
    How now, my lord? You desire to know

    Wherefore I sent for you.

CRANMER
    It is my duty

    T’attend your highness’ pleasure.

KING HENRY VIII
    Pray you, arise,

    My good and gracious lord of Canterbury.

    Come, you and I must walk a turn together:

    I have news to tell you. Come, come, give me your hand

    Ah, my good lord, I grieve at what I speak,

    And am right sorry to repeat what follows.

    I have, and most unwillingly, of late

    
Heard many
grievous
¹¹⁸
— I do say, my lord,

    Grievous — complaints of you, which, being considered,

    Have
moved
¹²⁰
us and our council, that you shall

    This morning come before us, where I know

    You cannot
with such freedom
purge
¹²²
yourself,

    But that, till further trial in those charges

    Which will require your answer, you must
take
¹²⁴

    Your patience to you, and be well contented

    To make your house our
Tower
. You a
brother of us
¹²⁶
,

    It
fits
¹²⁷
we thus proceed, or else no witness

    Would come against you.

CRANMER
    I humbly thank your highness,

    And am right glad to catch this good occasion

    Most
throughly
to be
winnowed
¹³¹
, where my chaff

    And corn shall fly asunder. For I know

    There’s none
stands under
more
calumnious
¹³³
tongues

    Than I myself, poor man.

KING HENRY VIII
    Stand up, good Canterbury:

    Thy truth and thy integrity is rooted

    In us, thy friend. Give me thy hand, stand up:

    Prithee, let’s walk. Now, by
my halidom
¹³⁸
,

    What manner of man are you? My lord, I
looked
¹³⁹

    You would have
given me your petition
¹⁴⁰
that

    I should have ta’en some pains to bring together

    Yourself and your accusers, and to have heard you

    Without
endurance further
¹⁴³
.

CRANMER
    Most
dread
¹⁴⁴
liege,

    The good I stand on is my truth and honesty:

    If they shall fail, I with mine enemies

    Will
triumph
o’er my person, which I
weigh
¹⁴⁷
not,

    
Being
of those virtues vacant. I fear
nothing
¹⁴⁸

    What can be said against me.

KING HENRY VIII
    Know you not

    How your state stands i’th’world, with the whole world?

    Your enemies are many, and not
small
: their
practices
¹⁵²

    Must
bear the same proportion
, and not
ever
¹⁵³

    The justice and the truth o’th’question carries

    
The dew o’th’verdict
with it:
at
¹⁵⁵
what ease

    Might corrupt minds procure knaves as corrupt

    To
swear
¹⁵⁷
against you? Such things have been done.

    You are potently opposed, and with a malice

    Of as great size.
Ween you of
¹⁵⁹
better luck —

    I mean in
perjured witness
— than
your master
¹⁶⁰
,

    Whose minister you are, whiles here he lived

    Upon this
naughty
¹⁶²
earth? Go to, go to:

    You
take a precipice for no leap of danger
¹⁶³
,

    And
woo
¹⁶⁴
your own destruction.

CRANMER
    God and your majesty

    Protect mine innocence, or I fall into

    The trap
is
¹⁶⁷
laid for me.

KING HENRY VIII
    Be of good cheer:

    They shall no more prevail than we
give way to
¹⁶⁹
.

    Keep comfort to you, and this morning see

    You do appear before them. If they shall
chance
¹⁷¹
,

    In charging you with matters, to
commit
¹⁷²
you,

    The best persuasions to the contrary

    Fail not to use, and with what vehemency

    Th’occasion shall instruct you. If entreaties

    Will render you no remedy, this ring

    Deliver them, and your appeal to us

    There make before them. Look, the good man weeps:

    He’s honest, on mine honour. God’s blest mother,

    
I swear he is true-hearted, and a soul

    None better in my kingdom. Get you gone,

    And do as I have bid you.

                       He has strangled

    His language in his tears.

LOVELL
    Come back: what mean you?

OLD LADY
    I’ll not come back: the tidings that I bring