King Henry VIII
ACT II SCENE I | Westminster. A street. | |
[Enter two Gentlemen, meeting] | ||
First Gentleman | Whither away so fast? | |
Second Gentleman | O, God save ye! | |
Even to the hall, to hear what shall become | ||
Of the great Duke of Buckingham. | ||
First Gentleman | I’ll save you | 5 |
That labour, sir. All’s now done, but the ceremony | ||
Of bringing back the prisoner. | ||
Second Gentleman | Were you there? | |
First Gentleman | Yes, indeed, was I. | |
Second Gentleman | Pray, speak what has happen’d. | 10 |
First Gentleman | You may guess quickly what. | |
Second Gentleman | Is he found guilty? | |
First Gentleman | Yes, truly is he, and condemn’d upon’t. | |
Second Gentleman | I am sorry for’t. | |
First Gentleman | So are a number more. | 15 |
Second Gentleman | But, pray, how pass’d it? | |
First Gentleman | I’ll tell you in a little. The great duke | |
Came to the bar; where to his accusations | ||
He pleaded still not guilty and alleged | ||
Many sharp reasons to defeat the law. | 20 | |
The king’s attorney on the contrary | ||
Urged on the examinations, proofs, confessions | ||
Of divers witnesses; which the duke desired | ||
To have brought viva voce to his face: | ||
At which appear’d against him his surveyor; | 25 | |
Sir Gilbert Peck his chancellor; and John Car, | ||
Confessor to him; with that devil-monk, | ||
Hopkins, that made this mischief. | ||
Second Gentleman | That was he | |
That fed him with his prophecies? | 30 | |
First Gentleman | The same. | |
All these accused him strongly; which he fain | ||
Would have flung from him, but, indeed, he could not: | ||
And so his peers, upon this evidence, | ||
Have found him guilty of high treason. Much | 35 | |
He spoke, and learnedly, for life; but all | ||
Was either pitied in him or forgotten. | ||
Second Gentleman | After all this, how did he bear himself? | |
First Gentleman | When he was brought again to the bar, to hear | |
His knell rung out, his judgment, he was stirr’d | 40 | |
With such an agony, he sweat extremely, | ||
And something spoke in choler, ill, and hasty: | ||
But he fell to himself again, and sweetly | ||
In all the rest show’d a most noble patience. | ||
Second Gentleman | I do not think he fears death. | 45 |
First Gentleman | Sure, he does not: | |
He never was so womanish; the cause | ||
He may a little grieve at. | ||
Second Gentleman | Certainly | |
The cardinal is the end of this. | 50 | |
First Gentleman | ‘Tis likely, | |
By all conjectures: first, Kildare’s attainder, | ||
Then deputy of Ireland; who removed, | ||
Earl Surrey was sent thither, and in haste too, | ||
Lest he should help his father. | 55 | |
Second Gentleman | That trick of state | |
Was a deep envious one. | ||
First Gentleman | At his return | |
No doubt he will requite it. This is noted, | ||
And generally, whoever the king favours, | 60 | |
The cardinal instantly will find employment, | ||
And far enough from court too. | ||
Second Gentleman | All the commons | |
Hate him perniciously, and, o’ my conscience, | ||
Wish him ten fathom deep: this duke as much | 65 | |
They love and dote on; call him bounteous Buckingham, | ||
The mirror of all courtesy;– | ||
First Gentleman | Stay there, sir, | |
And see the noble ruin’d man you speak of. | ||
[ Enter BUCKINGHAM from his arraignment; tip-staves before him; the axe with the edge towards him; halberds on each side: accompanied with LOVELL, VAUX, SANDS, and common people ] | ||
Second Gentleman | Let’s stand close, and behold him. | 70 |
BUCKINGHAM | All good people, | |
You that thus far have come to pity me, | ||
Hear what I say, and then go home and lose me. | ||
I have this day received a traitor’s judgment, | ||
And by that name must die: yet, heaven bear witness, | 75 | |
And if I have a conscience, let it sink me, | ||
Even as the axe falls, if I be not faithful! | ||
The law I bear no malice for my death; | ||
‘T has done, upon the premises, but justice: | ||
But those that sought it I could wish more Christians: | 80 | |
Be what they will, I heartily forgive ’em: | ||
Yet let ’em look they glory not in mischief, | ||
Nor build their evils on the graves of great men; | ||
For then my guiltless blood must cry against ’em. | ||
For further life in this world I ne’er hope, | 85 | |
Nor will I sue, although the king have mercies | ||
More than I dare make faults. You few that loved me, | ||
And dare be bold to weep for Buckingham, | ||
His noble friends and fellows, whom to leave | ||
Is only bitter to him, only dying, | 90 | |
Go with me, like good angels, to my end; | ||
And, as the long divorce of steel falls on me, | ||
Make of your prayers one sweet sacrifice, | ||
And lift my soul to heaven. Lead on, o’ God’s name. | ||
LOVELL | I do beseech your grace, for charity, | 95 |
If ever any malice in your heart | ||
Were hid against me, now to forgive me frankly. | ||
BUCKINGHAM | Sir Thomas Lovell, I as free forgive you | |
As I would be forgiven: I forgive all; | ||
There cannot be those numberless offences | 100 | |
‘Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: | ||
no black envy | ||
Shall mark my grave. Commend me to his grace; | ||
And if he speak of Buckingham, pray, tell him | ||
You met him half in heaven: my vows and prayers | 105 | |
Yet are the king’s; and, till my soul forsake, | ||
Shall cry for blessings on him: may he live | ||
Longer than I have time to tell his years! | ||
Ever beloved and loving may his rule be! | ||
And when old time shall lead him to his end, | 110 | |
Goodness and he fill up one monument! | ||
LOVELL | To the water side I must conduct your grace; | |
Then give my charge up to Sir Nicholas Vaux, | ||
Who undertakes you to your end. | ||
VAUX | Prepare there, | 115 |
The duke is coming: see the barge be ready; | ||
And fit it with such furniture as suits | ||
The greatness of his person. | ||
BUCKINGHAM | Nay, Sir Nicholas, | |
Let it alone; my state now will but mock me. | 120 | |
When I came hither, I was lord high constable | ||
And Duke of Buckingham; now, poor Edward Bohun: | ||
Yet I am richer than my base accusers, | ||
That never knew what truth meant: I now seal it; | ||
And with that blood will make ’em one day groan for’t. | 125 | |
My noble father, Henry of Buckingham, | ||
Who first raised head against usurping Richard, | ||
Flying for succor to his servant Banister, | ||
Being distress’d, was by that wretch betray’d, | ||
And without trial fell; God’s peace be with him! | 130 | |
Henry the Seventh succeeding, truly pitying | ||
My father’s loss, like a most royal prince, | ||
Restored me to my honours, and, out of ruins, | ||
Made my name once more noble. Now his son, | ||
Henry the Eighth, life, honour, name and all | 135 | |
That made me happy at one stroke has taken | ||
For ever from the world. I had my trial, | ||
And, must needs say, a noble one; which makes me, | ||
A little happier than my wretched father: | ||
Yet thus far we are one in fortunes: both | 140 | |
Fell by our servants, by those men we loved most; | ||
A most unnatural and faithless service! | ||
Heaven has an end in all: yet, you that hear me, | ||
This from a dying man receive as certain: | ||
Where you are liberal of your loves and counsels | 145 | |
Be sure you be not loose; for those you make friends | ||
And give your hearts to, when they once perceive | ||
The least rub in your fortunes, fall away | ||
Like water from ye, never found again | ||
But where they mean to sink ye. All good people, | 150 | |
Pray for me! I must now forsake ye: the last hour | ||
Of my long weary life is come upon me. Farewell: | ||
And when you would say something that is sad, | ||
Speak how I fell. I have done; and God forgive me! | ||
[Exeunt BUCKINGHAM and Train] | ||
First Gentleman | O, this is full of pity! Sir, it calls, | 155 |
I fear, too many curses on their beads | ||
That were the authors. | ||
Second Gentleman | If the duke be guiltless, | |
‘Tis full of woe: yet I can give you inkling | ||
Of an ensuing evil, if it fall, | 160 | |
Greater than this. | ||
First Gentleman | Good angels keep it from us! | |
What may it be? You do not doubt my faith, sir? | ||
Second Gentleman | This secret is so weighty, ’twill require | |
A strong faith to conceal it. | 165 | |
First Gentleman | Let me have it; | |
I do not talk much. | ||
Second Gentleman | I am confident, | |
You shall, sir: did you not of late days hear | ||
A buzzing of a separation | 170 | |
Between the king and Katharine? | ||
First Gentleman | Yes, but it held not: | |
For when the king once heard it, out of anger | ||
He sent command to the lord mayor straight | ||
To stop the rumor, and allay those tongues | 175 | |
That durst disperse it. | ||
Second Gentleman | But that slander, sir, | |
Is found a truth now: for it grows again | ||
Fresher than e’er it was; and held for certain | ||
The king will venture at it. Either the cardinal, | 180 | |
Or some about him near, have, out of malice | ||
To the good queen, possess’d him with a scruple | ||
That will undo her: to confirm this too, | ||
Cardinal Campeius is arrived, and lately; | ||
As all think, for this business. | 185 | |
First Gentleman | ‘Tis the cardinal; | |
And merely to revenge him on the emperor | ||
For not bestowing on him, at his asking, | ||
The archbishopric of Toledo, this is purposed. | ||
Second Gentleman | I think you have hit the mark: but is’t not cruel | 190 |
That she should feel the smart of this? The cardinal | ||
Will have his will, and she must fall. | ||
First Gentleman | ‘Tis woful. | |
We are too open here to argue this; | ||
Let’s think in private more. | 195 | |
[Exeunt] |
Continue to Henry VIII, Act 2, Scene 2