Lor. O, that your lordship were but now confeffor To one or two of thefe! SANDS. They should find easy penance. Lov. I would, I were; 'Faith, how eafy ? SANDS. As easy as a down-bed would afford it. CHAM. Sweet ladies, will it please you fit? Sir Harry, Place you that fide, I'll take the charge of this: His grace is ent'ring:-Nay, you must not freeze; Two women plac'd together makes cold weather:My lord Sands, you are one will keep them waking; Pray, fit between thefe ladies. SANDS. By my faith, And thank your lordship.-By your leave, fweet ladies : [Seats himself between ANNE BULLEN and another Lady. If I chance to talk a little wild, forgive me; I had it from my father. ANNE. Was he mad, fir? SANDS. O, very mad, exceeding mad, in love too: But he would bite none; just as I do now, He would kiss you twenty with a breath. CHAM. [Kiffes her. Well faid, my lord.So, now you are fairly feated:-Gentlemen," The penance lies on you, if these fair ladies Pafs away frowning. SANDS. Let me alone. For my little cure, Hautboys. Enter Cardinal WOLSEY, attended; and takes his ftate. WOL. You are welcome, my fair guefts; that noble lady, Or gentleman, that is not freely merry, Is not my friend: This, to confirm my welcome; And to you all good health. SANDS. [Drinks. Your grace is noble : My lord Sands, Let me have fuch a bowl may hold my thanks, WOL. Whofe fault is this? SANDS. The red wine first must rife In their fair cheeks, my lord; then we fhall have Yes, if I make my play.9 Here's to your ladyfhip: and pledge it, madam, For 'tis to fuch a thing, ANNE. You cannot show me. if I make my play.] i. e. if I make my party. Rather-if I may choose my game. RITSON. STEEVENS. As the measure, in this place, requires an additional fyllable, we may, commodiously enough, read, with Sir T. Hanmer : Yes, if I may make my play. STEEVENS. SANDS. I told your grace, they would talk anon [Drum and Trumpets within: Chambers WOL. difcharged.1 CHAM. Look out there, fome of you. WOL. What's that? [Exit a Servant. What warlike voice? And to what end is this?-Nay, ladies, fear not; By all the laws of war you are privileg'd. Re-enter Servant. CHAM. How now? what is't? SERV. A noble troop of strangers; 2 For fo they seem: they have left their barge, and landed; And hither make, as great ambassadors From foreign princes. I WOL. Good lord chamberlain, -chambers difcharged.] A chamber is a gun which ftands erect on its breech. Such are used only on occafions of rejoicing, and are fo contrived as to carry great charges, and thereby to make a noife more than proportioned to their bulk. They are called chambers because they are mere chambers to lodge powder; a chamber being the technical term for that cavity in a piece of ordnance which contains the combustibles. Some of them are still fired in the Park, and at the places oppofite to the parliament-house when the king goes thither. Camden enumerates them among other guns, as follows: " cannons, demi-cannons, chambers, arquebufe, mufquet.' Again, in A new Trick to cheat the Devil, 1636: I ftill think o' the Tower ordinance, 2 "Or of the peal of chambers, that's ftill fir'd "When my lord-mayor takes his barge." STEEVENS, they have left their barge,] See p. 49, n. 5. MALONE, Go, give them welcome, you can speak the French tongue; And, pray, receive them nobly, and conduct them, Into our prefence, where this heaven of beauty Shall fhine at full upon them :--Some attend him.[Exit Chamberlain, attended. All arife, and Tables removed. You have now a broken banquet; but we'll mend it. Hautboys. Enter the King, and twelve Others, as Mafkers, habited like Shepherds, with fixteen Torch-bearers; ushered by the Lord Chamberlain. They pafs directly before the Cardinal, and gracefully falute him. A noble company! what are their pleasures? CHAM. Because they speak no English, thus they pray'd 3 Enter the King, and twelve others, as Maskers,] For an account of this masquerade, fee Holinfhed, Vol. II. p. 921.' STEEVENS. The account of this mafquerade was first given by Cavendish, in his Life of Wolfey, which was written in the time of Queen Mary; from which Stowe and Holinfhed copied it. Cavendish was himself prefent. Before the King, &c. began to dance, they requested leave (fays Cavendish) to accompany the ladies at mumchance. Leave being granted, "then went the mafquers, and first saluted all the dames, and then returned to the moft worthieft, and then opened the great cup of gold filled with crownes, and other pieces to caft at.-Thus perufing all the gentlewomen, of fome they wonne, and to fome they loft. And having viewed all the ladies they returned to the Cardinal with great reverence, pouring downe all their gold, which was above two hundred crownes. At all, quoth the Cardinal, and cafting the die, he wonne it; whereat was made great joy." Life of Wolfey, p. 22, edit. 1641. MALONE. To tell your grace;-That, having heard by fame. This night to meet here, they could do no less, An hour of revels with them. WOL. Say, lord chamberlain, They have done my poor house grace; for which I pay them A thousand thanks, and pray them take their pleafures. [Ladies chofen for the Dance. The King choofes ANNE BULLEN. K. HEN. The faireft hand I ever touch'd! O, WOL. [Mufick. Dance. Your grace? Pray, tell them thus much from me: There should be one amongst them, by his perfon, CHAM. I will, my lord. [Cham. goes to the Company, and returns. WOL. What fay they? CHAM. Such a one, they all confefs, There is, indeed; which they would have your grace Find out, and he will take it.4 WOL. Let me fee then.[Comes from his State. take it.] That is, take the chief place. JOHNSON, |