To make great haste. All fast? what means this?—

D. Keep. Your grace must wait till you be call'd for.

Cran.

Enter DOCTOR BUTTS.

Butts. This is a piece of malice. I am glad,
I came this way so happily. The king
Shall understand it presently.

Cran. [Aside.]

So.

[Exit BUTTS.

'Tis Butts,

The king's physician; As he past along,
How earnestly he cast his eyes upon me!

Pray heaven, he sound not my disgrace! For certain,
This is of purpose lay'd by some that hate me

(God turn their hearts! I never sought their malice), To quench mine honour: they would shame to

make me

Wait else at door; a fellow counsellor,

Among boys, grooms, and lackeys. But their plea

sures

Must be fulfilled, and I attend with patience.

Enter, at a Window above1, the King and BUTTS.
Butts. I'll show your grace the strangest sight,-
K. Hen.
What's that, Butts?

The suspicious vigilance of our ancestors contrived windows which overlooked the insides of chapels, halls, kitchens, passages, &c. Some of these convenient peepholes may still be seen in colleges, and such ancient houses as have not suffered from the reformations of modern architecture. In a letter from Matthew Parker, archbishop of Canterbury, 1573, printed in Seward's Anecdotes, vol. iv. p. 270, ed. 1796-' And if it please her majestie, she may come in through my gallerie, and see the disposition of the hall in dynner time, at a window opening thereinto.' Without a previous knowledge of this custom Shakspeare's scenery in the present instance would be obscure.

your

many a day.

There, my lord:

Butts. I think, highness saw this
K. Hen. Body o'me, where is it?

Butts.
The high promotion of his grace of Canterbury;
Who holds his state at door, 'mongst pursuivants,
Pages, and footboys.

K. Hen.

Ha! 'Tis he, indeed:

Is this the honour they do one another?

'Tis well, there's one above them yet. I had thought
They had parted so much honesty among them
(At least, good manners) as not thus to suffer
A man of his place, and so near our favour,
To dance attendance on their lordships' pleasures,
And at the door too, like a post with packets.
By holy Mary, Butts, there's knavery:

Let them alone, and draw the curtain close3;
We shall hear more anon.-

THE COUNCIL CHAMBER.

[Exeunt.

Enter the Lord Chancellor, the DUKE of SUFFOLK, EARL of SURREY, Lord Chamberlain, GARDINER, and CROMWELL. The Chancellor places himself at the upper end of the table on the left hand; a seat being left void above him, as for the Archbishop of Canterbury. The rest seat them

selves in order on each side. lower end, as Secretary.

CROMWELL at the

Chan. Speak to the business, master secretary: Why are we met in council?

Crom. Please your honours, The chief cause concerns his grace of Canterbury.

2 i. e. shared, possessed.

3 That is, the curtain of the balcony or upper stage, where the king now is. See Malone's Account of the early English Stage, vol. iii. of the late edition by Mr. Boswell.

Gar. Has he had knowledge of it?

Crom.

Nor.

Yes.

Who waits there?

D. Keep. Without, my noble lords?

Gar.

D. Keep.

Yes.

My lord archbishop;

And has done half an hour, to know your pleasures.

Chan. Let him come in.

D. Keep.

Your grace may enter now. [CRANMER approaches the Council-table. Chan. My good lord archbishop, I am very sorry To sit here at this present, and behold

That chair stand empty: But we all are men,

In our own natures frail, and capable 5

Of our flesh, few are angels: out of which frailty,
And want of wisdom, you, that best should teach us,
Have misdemean'd yourself, and not a little,
Toward the king first, then his laws, in filling
The whole realm, by your teaching, and your chap-
lains

(For so we are inform'd), with new opinions,

4 The old stage direction at the commencement of this scene is A councell table brought in with chayres and stooles and placed under the state.' Our ancestors were contented to be told that the same spot, without any change of its appearance (except perhaps the drawing back of a curtain) was at once the outside and the inside of the council chamber. The modern reader will easily conceive how this scene might now be represented on the stage, who has witnessed some of the ingenious and prompt scenes of metamorphoses by that admirable comedian Matthews.

5 ་

Capable of our flesh,' probably means susceptible of the failings inherent in humanity.' Malone reads and points thus :But we are all men,

In our natures frail, incapable ;

Of our flesh, few are angels:' &c.

This is a larger deviation from the text of the old copy than he usually allows himself, and I am not convinced that it should be admitted.

Divers, and dangerous; which are heresies,
And, not reform'd, may prove pernicious.

Gar. Which reformation must be sudden too, My noble lords: for those that tame wild horses, Pace them not in their hands to make them gentle; But stop their mouths with stubborn bits, and spur them,

Till they obey the manage. If we suffer
(Out of our easiness, and childish pity

To one man's honour) this contagious sickness,
Farewell, all physick: And what follows then?
Commotions, uproars, with a general taint
Of the whole state: as of late days, our neighbours,
The upper Germany, can dearly witness,
Yet freshly pitied in our memories.

Cran. My good lords, hitherto, in all the progress
Both of my life and office, I have labour'd,
And with no little study, that my teaching,
And the strong course of my authority,
Might go one way, and safely! and the end
Was ever, to do well: nor is there living
(I speak it with a single heart7, my lords)
A man, that more detests, more stirs against,
Both in his private conscience, and his place,
Defacers of a public peace, than I do.

'Pray heaven, the king may never find a heart
With less allegiance in it! Men, that make
Envy and crooked malice, nourishment,
Dare bite the best. I do beseech your lordships,
That, in this case of justice, my accusers,

6 Alluding to the heresy of Thomas Muntzer, which sprung up in Saxony in the years 1521 and 1522.

7 i. e. without duplicity or guile. Thus in Acts, ii, 46, ' In singleness of heart. I have before had occasion to observe that single and simple were synonymous.

Be what they will, may stand forth face to face,
And freely urge against me.

Suf.

Nay, my lord,
That cannot be; you are a counsellor,
And, by that virtue, no man dare accuse you.

Gar. My lord, because we have business of more

moment,

We will be short with you. "Tis his highness' pleasure,
And our consent, for better trial of you,

From hence you be committed to the Tower;
Where, being but a private man again,
You shall know many dare accuse you boldly,
More than, I fear, you are provided for.

Cran. Ah, my good lord of Winchester, I thank

you,

You are always my good friend; if your will pass,
I shall both find your lordship judge and juror,
You are so merciful: I see your end,

'Tis my undoing: Love, and meekness, lord,
Become a churchman better than ambition;
Win straying souls with modesty again,
Cast none away. That I shall clear myself,
Lay all the weight ye can upon my patience,
I make as little doubt, as you do conscience,
In doing daily wrongs. I could say more,
But reverence to your calling makes me modest.
Gar. My lord, my lord, you are a sectary,
That's the plain truth; your painted gloss discovers,
To men that understand you, words and weakness 3.
Crom. My lord of Winchester, you are a little,
By your good favour, too sharp; men so noble,
However faulty, yet should find respect
For what they have been: 'tis a cruelty,
To load a falling man.

8 Those that understand you, under this painted gloss, this fair outside, discover your empty talk and your false reasoning.