Duke of Norfolk, Earl of Bedford. Cardinal Wolfey. Gardiner, bishop of Winchester. Sir Chriftopher Hales. Sir Ralph Sadler. Sir Richard Radcliff. Old Cromwell, a blacksmith of Putney, Banister, Bowfer, English merchants. Newton, Crosby, Bagot, a money-broker. Frefcobald, a Florentine merchant. The Governour of the English factory at Antwerp, Mafter of an hotel in Bononia. Seely, a publican of Hounslow. Lieutenant of the Tower. Young Cromwell, the fon of Thomas. Hodge, Will, and Tom; ald Cromwell's fervants, Two citizens. Mrs. Banifter. Joan, wife to Seely. Two Witnesses; a Serjeant at Arms; a Herald; a Hang man; a Poft; Meffengers, Officers, Ufhers and Attendants. SCENE, partly in London, and the adjoining diftri partly in Antwerp and Bononia. THE LIFE AND DEATH O F THOMAS LORD CROMWELL '. ACT I. SCENE I. Putney! The entrance of a smith's shop. Enter Hodge, Will, and Tom. Hodge. Come, mafters, I think it be paft five o' clock; is it not time we were at work? my old mafter he'll be stirring anon. Will. "A booke called the Lyfe and Death of the Lord Cromwell, as yt was lately acted by the Lord Chamberleyn his Servantes," was entered on the Stationers' Books by William Cotton, August 11, 1602; and the play, I am informed, was printed in that year. I have met with no earlier edition than that published in 1613, in the title of which it is faid to be written by W. S. I believe these letters were not the initials of the real author's name, but added merely with a view to deceive the publick, and to induce them to fuppofe this piece the compofition of Shakspeare. The fraud was, I imagine, fuggefted by the appearance of our author's King Henry VIII, to which the printer probably entertained a hope that this play would be confidered as a fequel or fecond part. Viewed in this light, the date of the first edition of the prefent performance in fome measure confirms that which has been affigned to King Henry VIII; which, for the reafons ftated in the Attempt to afcertain the Order in which the Plays of Shakspeare were written [vol. i. p. 309, last edit.] is fuppofed to have been first acted in 1601, or 1602. The prefent piece, we find, followed clofe after it. Bb 3 King Will. I cannot tell whether my old mafter will be ftirring or no; but I am fure I can hardly take my afternoon's nap, for my young,mafter Thomas. He keeps fuch a coil in his ftudy, with the fun, and the moon, and the feven ftars, that I do verily think he'll read out his wits. Hodge. He kill of the ftars? There's goodman Car of Fulham, (he that carried us to the ftrong ale', where goody Trundel had her maid got with child) O, he knows the ftars; he'll tickle you Charles's wain in nine degrees: that fame man will tell goody Trundel when her ale shall miscarry, only by the stars. Tom. Ay! that's a great virtue indeed; I think Thomas be nobody in comparison to him. King Henry VIII. it appears, was after its first exhibition laid by for fome years, and revived with great fplendour in 1613. The attention of the town being now a fecond time called to the story and age of Wolfey, fo favourable an opportunity was not to be loft; accordingly a fecond impreffion of the Life and Death of Lord Cromwell was iffued out in that year. This play has been hitherto printed without any division of acts or fcenes. MALONE. The part of hiftory on which this play is founded, occurs, in Fuller, Stow, Speed, Holinfhed, &c. but more amply in Fox's Book of Martyrs, The particulars relating to Francefco Frescobaldi (whom our author, or his printer, fo familiarly has styled Frif kibally were first published by Bandello the novellift in 1554"Francesco Frescobaldi fa cortefia ad un ftraniero, e nè ben remeritato, effendo colui diuenuto conteftabile d'Inghilterra." Seconda Parte, Novel. 34. This story is tranflated by Fox, edit. 1596. vol. ii. p. 1082. STEEVENS. be keeps fuch a coil-] All the copies read corruptedlyquile. The tranfcriber's ear was probably deceived; the ward coil being vulgarly pronounced kile. MALONE. Sailors to this hour pronounce a coil of ropes (i. e. ropes wreathed into a circle) a quile. STEEVENS. 3-to the frong ale,] An ale anciently fometimes fignified a feftival-from the liquor drank on the occafion. Thus we hear of church-ales, Whitfun-ales, &c. It fometimes also fignified an aleboufe. MALONE. Will. Well, mafters, come; fhall we to our hammers? Hodge. Ay, content: first let's take our morning's draught, and then to work roundly. Tom. Ay, agreed. Go in, Hodge. SCENE The fame. [Exeunt. II. Enter young Cromwell. Crom. Good morrow, morn; I do falute thy brightness. The night feems tedious to my troubled foul, A thousand fundry cogitations: And now Aurora with a lively dye Adds comfort to my fpirit, that mounts on high *; Too high indeed, my ftate being fo mean. My ftudy, like a mineral of gold, Makes my heart proud, wherein my hope's enroll'd: O, learning, how divine thou feem'ft to me, [The fmiths beat with their hammers, within. Peace with your hammers! leave your knocking there! You do difturb my ftudy and my reft: Enter Hodge, Will, and Tom. Hodge. Why, how now, mafter Thomas? how now? will you not let us work for you? ✦ Adds comfort to my fpirit, that mounts on high;] Spirit was formerly often pronounced and written fpright. The metre fhews it was intended to be fo pronounced here. MALONE. Bb4 Crom Crom. You fret my heart with making of this noise. Hodge. How, fret your heart? ay, but Thomas, you'll fret your father's purfe, if you let us from working . Tom. Ay, this 'tis for him to make him a gentleman. Shall we leave work for your mufing? that's well i'faith:-But here comes my old mafter now. Enter old Cromwell. Old Crom. You idle knaves, what are you loit'ring No hammers walking, and my work to do! S MALONE. if you let us from working] If you hinder us. So in Middleton's No Wit like a Woman's, a comedy, 1657: "That lets her not to be your daughter now." No hammers walking and my work to do!] Thus the quarto and the folios. The author probably either wrote, No hammers working; and my work to do! or perhaps the line ftood thus: No hammers!-walking, and my work to do. What do I fee? no hammers in your hands;—and you walking about, when you ought to be at work? We might read-talking, and my work to do. It is of little confequence. MALONE. I would adhere to the old reading. To walk does not always fignify to move by flow fieps, putting one foot before the other, but fometimes fimply, to be in motion. In low language a woman's tongue is often faid to walk. So Spenser : 66 and as the went her tongue did walk "In foul reproach." No hammers walking? may therefore mean, are no hammers firring, or in motion? STEEVENS. Though the tongue of the female mentioned by Spenfer might by the licence of poetry be faid to walk, when she was herself in motion, I doubt whether he would have ventured fo extraordinary an expreffion, if he had been fpeaking of a perfon at reft. The example that has been quoted is the only one produced in Dr. Johnfon's Dictionary as an authority for this very fingular phrafeology. I have however not disturbed the reading of the old copies. MALONE... Hodge. |