Have been mine so, that evermore they pointed
To the good of your most sacred person, and
The profit of the state. For your great graces
Heap'd upon me, poor undeserver, I

Can nothing render but allegiant thanks;
My prayers to heaven for you; my loyalty,
Which ever has, and ever shall be growing,
Till death, that winter, kill it.

K. Hen.

Fairly answer'd; A loyal and obedient subject is

Therein illustrated: The honour of it

Does pay the act of it; as, i'the contrary,
The foulness is the punishment. I presume
That, as my hand has open'd bounty to you,
My heart dropp'd love, my power rain'd honour, more
On you, than any; so your hand, and heart,
Your brain, and every function of your power,
Should, notwithstanding that your bond of duty,
As 'twere in love's particular, be more

To me, your friend, than any.

Wol. I do profess, That for your highness' good I ever labour'd More than mine own; that am, have, and will be.' Though all the world should crack their duty to you, And throw it from their soul; though perils did Abound, as thick as thought could make them, and Appear in forms more horrid; yet my duty, As doth a rock against the chiding flood,' Should the approach of this wild river break,

than my desires, have fil'd, that is, have gone an equal pace with my abilities.

9 — notwithstanding that your bond of duty,] Besides the general bond of duty, by which you are obliged to be a loyal and obedient subject, you owe a particular devotion of yourself to me, as your particular benefactor.

that am, have, and will be.] Perhaps the meaning is, that, or, such a man, I am, have been, and will ever be.

2

* against the chiding flood,] i. e. the resounding flood.

And stand unshaken yours.

K. Hen,

"Tis nobly spoken: Take notice, lords, he has a loyal breast, For you have seen him open't.-Read o'er this; [Giving him Papers. And, after, this: and then to breakfast, with What appetite you have.

[Exit King, frowning upon Cardinal WOLSEY: the Nobles throng after him, smiling, and whispering.

Wol.
What should this mean?
What sudden anger's this? how have I reap'd it?
He parted frowning from me, as if ruin

Leap'd from his eyes: So looks the chafed lion
Upon the daring huntsman that has gall'd him ;
Then makes him nothing. I must read this paper;
I fear, the story of his anger.-'Tis so ;
This paper has undone me :-"Tis the account
Of all that world of wealth I have drawn together
For mine own ends; indeed, to gain the popedom,
And fee my friends in Rome. O negligence,
Fit for a fool to fall by! What cross devil
Made me put this main secret in the packet
I sent the king? Is there no way to cure this?
No new device to beat this from his brains?
I know, 'twill stir him strongly; Yet I know
way, if it take right, in spite of fortune

A

Will bring me off again. What's this-To the Pope?
The letter, as I live, with all the business

I writ to his holiness. Nay then, farewell!
I have touch'd the highest point of all my greatness :
And, from that full meridian of my glory,

I haste now to my setting. I shall fall
Like a bright exhalation in the evening,
And no man see me more.

Re-enter the Dukes of NORFOLK and SUFFOLK, the
Earl of SURREY, and the Lord Chamberlain.
Nor. Hear the king's pleasure, cardinal: who
commands you

To render up the great seal presently
Into our hands; and to confine yourself
To Asher-house,3 my lord of Winchester's,
Till you hear further from his highness.
Wol.
Stay,
Where's your commission, lords? words cannot carry
Authority so weighty.

Suf.
Who dare cross them?
Bearing the king's will from his mouth expressly?
Wol. Till I find more than will, or words, to do it,
(I mean, your malice,) know, officious lords,
I dare, and must deny it. Now I feel
Of what coarse metal ye are moulded,-envy.
How eagerly ye follow my disgraces,

As if it fed ye? and how sleek and wanton
Ye appear in every thing may bring my ruin!
Follow your envious courses, men of malice;
You have christian warrant for them, and, no doubt,
In time will find their fit rewards. That seal,
You ask with such a violence, the king,

(Mine, and your master,) with his own hand gave me:
Bade me enjoy-it, with the place and honours,
During my life, and, to confirm his goodness,
Tied it by letters patents: Now, who'll take it?
Sur. The king, that gave it.

Wol.

It must be himself then.

3 To Asher-house,] Asher was the ancient name of Esher. 4 my lord of Winchester's,] Shakspeare forgot that Wolsey was himself bishop of Winchester, unless he meant to say, you must confine yourself to that house which you possess as Bishop of Winchester. Asher, near Hampton-Court, was one of the houses belonging to that bishoprick.

Sur. Thou art a proud traitor, priest.

IVol.
Within these forty hours Surrey durst better
Have burnt that tongue, than said so.

Proud lord, thou liest;

Sur. Thy ambition, Thou scarlet sin, robb'd this bewailing land Of noble Buckingham, my father-in-law : The heads of all thy brother cardinals,

(With thee, and all thy best parts bound together,) Weigh'd not a hair of his. Plague of your policy! You sent me deputy for Ireland;

Far from his succour, from the king, from all
That might have mercy on the fault thou gav'st him;
Whilst your great goodness out of holy pity,
Absolv'd him with an axe.

Wol.
This, and all else
This talking lord can lay upon my credit,
I answer, is most false. The duke by law
Found his deserts: how innocent I was

you,

From any private malice in his end,.
His noble jury and foul cause can witness.
If I lov'd many words, lord, I should tell
You have as little modesty as honour;
That I, in the way of loyalty and truth
Toward the king, my ever royal master,
Dare mate a sounder man than Surrey can be,
And all that love his follies.

Sur.

By my soul,

Your long coat, priest, protects you; thou should'st

feel

My sword i'the life-blood of thee else. My lords, Can endure to hear this arrogance? ye

And from this fellow? If we live thus tamely,

To be thus jaded by a piece of scarlet,

To be thus jaded-] To be abused and ill treated, like a worthless horse: or perhaps to be ridden by a priest ;-to have him mounted above us.

Farewell nobility; let his grace go forward,
And dare us with his cap, like larks."

Wol.

Is poison to my stomach.

All goodness

Yes, that goodness

Sur.
Of gleaning all the land's wealth into one,
Into your own hands, cardinal, by extortion;
The goodness of your intercepted packets,
You writ to the pope, against the king: your goodness,
Since you provoke me, shall be most notorious.-
My lord of Norffolk, as you are truly noble,
As you respect the common good, the state
Of our despis'd nobility, our issues,

Who, if he live, will scarce be gentlemen,—
Produce the grand sum of his sins, the articles
Collected from his life:-I'll startle you

Worse than the sacring bell," when the brown wench
Lay kissing in your arms, lord cardinal.

Wol. How much, methinks, I could despise this

man,

But that I am bound in charity against it!

Nor. Those articles, my lord, are in the king's hand:

But, thus much, they are foul ones.

Wol. So much fairer, And spotless, shall mine innocence arise, When the king knows my truth.

Sur.

This cannot save you:

I thank my memory, I yet remember

And dare us with his cap, like larks.] It is well known that the hat of a cardinal is scarlet; and that one of the methods of daring larks was by small mirrors fastened on scarlet cloth, which engaged the attention of these birds while the fowler drew his net over them.

7 Worse than the sacring bell,] The little bell which is rung to give notice of the Host approaching when it is carried in procession, as also in other offices of the Romish church, is called the sacring or consecration bell; from the French word, sacrer.