D. KEEP. Without, my noble lords?
GAR.

Yes.
D. KEEP.
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

a

To sit here at this present, and behold
That chair stand empty: but we all are men,
In our own natures frail, and capable
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,
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 'em not in their hands to make 'em gentle, But stop their mouths with stubborn bits, and spur 'em,

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 physic; and what follows then?
Commotions, uproars, with a general taint
Of the whole state: as, of late days, our neigh-
bours,

The upper Germany, can dearly witness;
Yet freshly pitied in our memories.

CRAN. My good lords, hitherto, in all the pro

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,
[pleasure,
We will be short with you. 'Tis his highness'
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,

That I shall clear myself,

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.
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 dis-

That holy duty, out of dear respect,
His royal self in judgment comes to hear
The cause betwixt her and this great offender.
K. HEN. You were ever good at sudden com-
mendations,

Bishop of Winchester. But know, I come not
To hear such flattery now; and in my presence,
They are too thin and bare to hide offences.
To me you cannot reach, you play the spaniel,
And think with wagging of your tongue to win me;
But, whatsoe'er thou takʼst me for, I'm sure
Thou hast a cruel nature and a bloody.—
Good man, [To CRANMER.] sit down. Now let me
see the proudest,

He that dares most, but wag his finger at thee:
By all that's holy, he had better starve,

Than but once think this place becomes thee not. SUR. May it please your grace,

K. HEN.

No, sir, it does not please me. I had thought I had had men of some understanding

And wisdom, of my council; but I find none.
Was it discretion, lords, to let this man,
This good man, (few of you deserve that title)
This honest man, wait like a lousy footboy
At chamber door? and one as great as you are?
Why, what a shame was this? Did my commission
Bid ye so far forget yourselves? I gave ye
Power, as he was a counsellor to try him,
Not as a groom; there's some of ye, I see,
More out of malice than integrity,
Would try him to the utmost, had ye mean;
Which ye shall never have while I live.
CHAN.
Thus far,
My most dread sovereign, may it like your grace
To let my tongue excuse all. What was purpos'd,
Concerning his imprisonment, was rather

(If there be faith in men) meant for his trial,
And fair purgation to the world, than malice;-
I'm sure, in me.

K. HEN. Well, well, my lords, respect him;
Take him, and use him well, he's worthy of it.
I will say thus much for him,-if a prince
May be beholden to a subject, I

Am, for his love and service, so to him.
Make me no more ado, but all embrace him;
Be friends, for shame, my lords!--My lord of Can-
terbury,

I have a suit which you must not deny me;
That is, a fair young maid that yet wants baptism,
You must be godfather, and answer for her.

CRAN. The greatest monarch now alive may

glory

In such an honour; how may I deserve it, That am a poor and humble subject to you?

"his place." By "this place" is undoubtedly meant the vacant seat appointed for the Archbishop of Canterbury.

PORT. You'll leave your noise anon, ye rascals: do you take the court for Parish-garden? (1) ye rude slaves, leave your gaping."

[Without.] Good master porter, I belong to the larder.

PORT. Belong to the gallows, and be hanged, ye rogue! is this a place to roar in?-Fetch me a dozen crab-tree staves, and strong ones; these are but switches to 'em.-I'll scratch your heads: you must be seeing christenings? do you look for ale and cakes here, you rude rascals?

MAN. Pray, sir, be patient; 't is as much im-
possible-

Unless we sweep 'em from the door with cannons,-
To scatter 'em, as 't is to make 'em sleep
On May-day morning; which will never be:
We may as well push against Paul's, as stir 'em.
PORT. How got they in, and be hanged?
MAN. Alas, I know not; how gets the tide in?
As much as one sound cudgel of four foot

(*) First folio, hearts.

a Gaping.] One sense of this word was to yell, shout, or roar. b Let me ne'er hope to see a chine again; and that I would not for a cow, God save her!] Mr. Collier's aunotator very speciously alters this to,

"Let me ne'er hope to see a queen again;

And that I would not for a crown, God save her!' but by chine is meant a chine of beef,—

"A chine of English beef, meat for a king," &c, GREENE's play of "The Old Wife's Tale," Dyce's edition, p. 224. And perhaps the only change demanded is to read, "my cow," instead of a cow." The expression, "my cow, God save her!"

(You see the poor remainder) could distribute, I made no spare, sir.

PORT. You did nothing, sir. MAN. I am not Samson, nor sir Guy, nor Colbrand, to mow 'em down before me: but, if I spared any that had a head to hit, either young or old, he or she, cuckold or cuckold-maker, let me ne'er hope to see a chine again; and that I would not for a cow, God save her! b

[Without.] Do you hear, master porter? PORT. I shall be with you presently, good master puppy.-Keep the door close, sirrah. MAN. What would you have me do?

PORT. What should you do, but knock 'em down by the dozens? Is this Moorfields to muster in? or have we some strange Indian with the great tool come to court, the women so besiege us? Bless me, what a fry of fornication is at door! On my christian conscience, this one christening will beget a thousand; here will be father, godfather, and all together.

MAN. The spoons will be the bigger, sir. There is a fellow somewhat near the door, he should be a brazier by his face, for, o' my conscience, twenty of the dog-days now reign in 's nose; all that stand about him are under the line, they need no other penance: that fire-drake did I hit three times on the head, and three times was his nose discharged against me; he stands there, like a mortar-piece, to blow us. There was a haberdasher's wife of small wit near him, that railed upon me till her pinked porringer fell off her head, for kindling such a combustion in the state. I missed the meteor once, and hit that woman, who cried out, Clubs! when I might see from far some forty truncheoners draw to her succour, which were the Hope of the Strand, where she was quartered. They fell on; I made good my place; at length they came to the broomstaff to me; I defied them still; when suddenly a file of boys behind 'em, loose shot, delivered such a shower of pebbles, that I was fain to draw mine honour in, and let 'em win the work: the devil was amongst 'em, I think, surely.

PORT. These are the youths that thunder at a play-house, and fight for bitten apples; that no audience, but the Tribulation of Tower-Hill, or the Limbs of Limehouse, their dear brothers, are

C

or, my mare, God save her!" or, "my sow, God bless her!" appears to have been proverbial; thus, in Greene and Lodge's "Looking Glasse for London and Englande," 1598,-"my blind mare, God bless her!'

The Tribulation of Tower-Hill, or the Limbs of Limehouse,-] "I suspect the Tribulation," says Johnson," to have been a puritanical meeting-house;" and all the editors concur in opinion that the author here intended a fling at some puritanical sect or sects. Surely an extraordinary mistake. Can anything be more evident than that by the "Tribulation of Tower Hill," and the "Limbs of Limehouse," are meant the turbulent and mischievous. 'long-shore rabble, the only congenial audience at a play-house for their dear brothers," "the Hope of the Strand"? See Taylor's (the Water-Poet) "Jacke-a-Lent," 1630.

Great store of room, no doubt, left for the ladies,
When they pass back from the christening.
PORT.
An't please your honour,
We are but men; and what so many may do,
Not being torn a-pieces, we have done :
An army cannot rule 'em.

CHAM.

all

As I live,
If the king blame me for 't, I'll lay ye
By the heels, and suddenly; and on your heads
Clap round fines, for neglect: ye 're lazy knaves;
And here ye lie baiting of bombards," when
Ye should do service. Hark! the trumpets sound;
They're come already from the christening:
Go, break among the press, and find a way out
To let the troop pass fairly; or I'll find
A Marshalsea, shall hold ye play these two
months.

PORT. Make way there for the princess.
MAN. You great fellow, stand close up, or I'll
make your head ache.

PORT. You i' the camlet, get up o' the rail; I'll pick you o'er the pales else. [Exeunt.

SCENE IV.-The Palace.

Enter Trumpets, sounding; then two Aldermen, Lord Mayor, Garter, CRANMER, DUKE of NORFOLK with his marshal's staff, DUKE of SUFFOLK, two Noblemen bearing great standing-bowls for the christening gifts; then four Noblemen bearing a canopy, under which the DUCHESS of NORFOLK, godmother,

a Limbo Patrum,-] He means locked up. To be in limbo, is a cant phrase for being imprisoned, at the present time, and was derived probably from the Limbus Patrum, the place where the Patriarchs are supposed to have awaited the resurrection.

b Baiting of bombards,-] Bombards, or bumbards, were capacious vessels, sometimes made of leather, for holding drink.

For heaven now bids me; and the words I utter
Let none think flattery, for they'll find 'em truth.
This royal infant, (heaven still move about her!)
Though in her cradle, yet now promises
Upon this land a thousand thousand blessings,
Which time shall bring to ripeness: she shall be
(But few now living can behold that goodness)
A pattern to all princes living with her,
And all that shall succeed: Sabad was never
More covetous of wisdom and fair virtue,
Than this pure soul shall be: all princely graces,
That mould up such a mighty piece as this is,
With all the virtues that attend the good,
Shall still be doubled on her: truth shal! nurse her,
Holy and heavenly thoughts still counsel her:
She shall be lov'd and fear'd: her own shall bless
her;

Her foes shake like a field of beaten corn,
And hang their heads with sorrow: good grows
with her:

In her days every man shall eat in safety
Under his own vine, what he plants; and sing

I'll pick you o'er the pales-] In the o'd copies, “Ile preke you," &c. To pick, or peek, was the same formerly as to pilch. d Saba-] That is, Sheba :

"Were she as chaste as was Penelope,

As wise as Saba," &c.

MARLOWE'S Doctor Faustus, Act II. Sc. 1.

The merry songs of peace to all his neighbours: God shall be truly known; and those about her From her shall read the perfect way of honour, And by those claim their greatness, not by blood. Nor shall this peace sleep with her: but as when The bird of wonder dies, the maiden phoenix,

a From her shall read the perfect way of honour, -] Read, in this place is supposed by some editors to be a misprint for tread; but see note (c), p. 547, Vol. I.

b Nor shall this peace sleep with her: but as when, &c.] This

Her ashes new create another heir, As great in admiration as herself; So shall she leave her blessedness to one, (When heaven shall call her from this cloud of darkness)

Who from the sacred ashes of her honour

and the following seventeen lines are generally conjectured to be an interpolation, made at some revisal of the play, after the accession of King James.