ALL IS TRUE (HENRY VIII)

Act 4 Scene 1

(Enter the two Gentlemen meeting one another. The first holds a paper)
l1l	First Gentleman	 You’re well met once again. 
	Second Gentleman	So are you.
l2l	First Gentleman	You come to take your stand here and behold
l3l		The Lady Anne pass from her coronation?
l4l	Second Gentleman	’Tis all my business. At our last encounter
l5l		The Duke of Buckingham came from his trial.
l6l	First Gentleman	’Tis very true. But that time offered sorrow,
l7l		This, general joy.
	Second Gentleman	’Tis well. The citizens,
l8l		I am sure, have shown at full their royal minds—
l9l		As, let ’em have their rights, they are ever forward—
l10l		In celebration of this day with shows,
l11l		Pageants, and sights of honour.
	First Gentleman	Never greater,
l12l		Nor, I’ll assure you, better taken, sir.
l13l	Second Gentleman	May I be bold to ask what that contains,
l14l		That paper in your hand?
	First Gentleman	Yes, ’tis the list
l15l		Of those that claim their offices this day
l16l		By custom of the coronation.
l17l		The Duke of Suffolk is the first, and claims
l18l		To be High Steward# next, the Duke of Norfolk,
l19l		He to be Earl Marshal. You may read the rest.
		(He gives him the paper)
l20l	Second Gentleman	 I thank you, sir. Had I not known those customs,
l21l		I should have been beholden to your paper.
l22l		But I beseech you, what’s become of Katherine,
l23l		The Princess Dowager? How goes her business?
l24l	First Gentleman	That I can tell you too. The Archbishop
l25l		Of Canterbury, accompanied with other
l26l		Learnèd and reverend fathers of his order,
l27l		Held a late court at Dunstable, six miles off
l28l		From Ampthill, where the Princess lay# to which
l29l		She was often cited by them, but appeared not.
l30l		And, to be short, for not appearance, and
l31l		The King’s late scruple, by the main assent
l32l		Of all these learnèd men, she was divorced,
l33l		And the late marriage made of none effect,
l34l		Since which she was removed to Kimbolton,
l35l		Where she remains now sick.
	Second Gentleman	Alas, good lady!
		( 35B Flourish of trumpets within)
l36l		The trumpets sound. Stand close. The Queen is coming.
		( 36 Enter the coronation procession, which passes over the stage in order and state. Hautboys, within, play during the procession)
l37l		(the order of the coronation)
		(1. First, enter trumpeters, who play a lively flourish. 2. Then, enter two judges. 3. Then, enter the Lord Chancellor, with both the purse containing the great seal and the mace borne before him. 4. Then, enter choristers singing; with them, musicians playing. 5. Then, enter the Lord Mayor of London bearing the mace, followed by Garter King-of-Arms wearing his coat of arms and a gilt copper crown. 6. Then, enter Marquis Dorset bearing a sceptre of gold, and wearing, on his head, a demi-coronal of gold and, about his neck, a collar of esses. With him enter the Earl of Surrey bearing the rod of silver with the dove, crowned with an earl's coronet, and also wearing a collar of esses. 7. Next, enter the Duke of Suffolk as High Steward, in his robe of estate, with his coronet on his head, and bearing a long white wand. With him, enter the Duke of Norfolk with the rod of marshalship and a coronet on his head. Each wears a collar of esses. 8. Then, under a canopy borne by four barons of the Cinque Ports, enter Anne, the new Queen, in her robe. Her hair, which hangs loose, is richly adorned with pearl. She wears a crown. Accompanying her on either side are the Bishops of London and Winchester. 9. Next, enter the old Duchess of Norfolk, in a coronal of gold wrought with flowers, bearing the Queen's train. 10. Finally, enter certain ladies or countesses, with plain circlets of gold without flowers. The two Gentlemen comment on the procession as it passes over the stage)
		Second Gentleman	 A royal train, believe me. These I know.
l38l		Who’s that that bears the sceptre?
	First Gentleman	Marquis Dorset.
l39l		And that, the Earl of Surrey with the rod.
l40l	Second Gentleman	A bold brave gentleman. That should be
l41l		The Duke of Suffolk?
	First Gentleman	’Tis the same: High Steward.
l42l	Second Gentleman	And that, my lord of Norfolk?
	First Gentleman	Yes.
	Second Gentleman	
		(seeing Anne)
		 Heaven bless thee!
l43l		Thou hast the sweetest face I ever looked on.
l44l		Sir, as I have a soul, she is an angel.
l45l		Our King has all the Indies in his arms,
l46l		And more, and richer, when he strains that lady.
l47l		I cannot blame his conscience.
	First Gentleman	They that bear
l48l		The cloth of honour over her are four barons
l49l		Of the Cinque Ports.
l50l	Second Gentleman	Those men are happy,
l51l		And so are all are near her.
l52l		I take it she that carries up the train
l53l		Is that old noble lady, Duchess of Norfolk.
l54l	First Gentleman	It is. And all the rest are countesses.
l55l	Second Gentleman	Their coronets say so. These are stars indeed—
l56l	[First Gentleman]	And sometimes falling ones.
	Second Gentleman	No more of that.
		(Exit the last of the procession, and then)
l57l		a great flourish of trumpets within
		(Enter a third Gentleman in a sweat)
		
	First Gentleman	 God save you, sir. Where have you been broiling?
l58l	Third Gentleman	Among the crowd i’ th’ Abbey, where a finger
l59l		Could not be wedged in more. I am stifled
l60l		With the mere rankness of their joy.
l61l	Second Gentleman	You saw the ceremony?
	Third Gentleman	That I did.
l62l	First Gentleman	How was it?
l63l	Third Gentleman	Well worth the seeing.
	Second Gentleman	Good sir, speak it to us.
l64l	Third Gentleman	As well as I am able. The rich stream
l65l		Of lords and ladies, having brought the Queen
l66l		To a prepared place in the choir, fell off
l67l		A distance from her, while her grace sat down
l68l		To rest a while—some half an hour or so—
l69l		In a rich chair of state, opposing freely
l70l		The beauty of her person to the people.
l71l		Believe me, sir, she is the goodliest woman
l72l		That ever lay by man# which when the people
l73l		Had the full view of, such a noise arose
l74l		As the shrouds make at sea in a stiff tempest,
l75l		As loud and to as many tunes. Hats, cloaks—
l76l		Doublets, I think—flew up, and had their faces
l77l		Been loose, this day they had been lost. Such joy
l78l		I never saw before. Great-bellied women,
l79l		That had not half a week to go, like rams
l80l		In the old time of war, would shake the press,
l81l		And make ’em reel before ’em. No man living
l82l		Could say “This is my wife” there, all were woven
l83l		So strangely in one piece.
	Second Gentleman	But what followed?
l84l	Third Gentleman	At length her grace rose, and with modest paces
l85l		Came to the altar, where she kneeled, and saint-like
l86l		Cast her fair eyes to heaven, and prayed devoutly,
l87l		Then rose again, and bowed her to the people,
l88l		When by the Archbishop of Canterbury
l89l		She had all the royal makings of a queen,
l90l		As holy oil, Edward Confessor’s crown,
l91l		The rod and bird of peace, and all such emblems
l92l		Laid nobly on her. Which performed, the choir,
l93l		With all the choicest music of the kingdom,
l94l		Together sung Te Deum. So she parted,
l95l		And with the same full state paced back again
l96l		To York Place, where the feast is held.
	First Gentleman	Sir,
l97l		You must no more call it York Place—that’s past,
l98l		For since the Cardinal fell, that title’s lost.
l99l		’Tis now the King’s, and called Whitehall.
	Third Gentleman	I know it,
l100l		But ’tis so lately altered that the old name
l101l		Is fresh about me.
	Second Gentleman	What two reverend bishops
l102l		Were those that went on each side of the Queen?
l103l	Third Gentleman	Stokesley and Gardiner, the one of Winchester—
l104l		Newly preferred from the King’s secretary—
l105l		The other London.
	Second Gentleman	He of Winchester
l106l		Is held no great good lover of the Archbishop’s,
l107l		The virtuous Cranmer.
	Third Gentleman	All the land knows that.
l108l		However, yet there is no great breach. When it comes,
l109l		Cranmer will find a friend will not shrink from him.
l110l	Second Gentleman	Who may that be, I pray you?
	Third Gentleman	Thomas Cromwell,
l111l		A man in much esteem with th’ King, and truly
l112l		A worthy friend. The King has made him
l113l		Master o’ th’ Jewel House,
l114l		And one already of the Privy Council.
l115l	Second Gentleman	He will deserve more.
	Third Gentleman	Yes, without all doubt.
l116l		Come, gentlemen, ye shall go my way,
l117l		Which is to th’ court, and there ye shall be my guests.
l118l		Something I can command. As I walk thither
l119l		I’ll tell ye more.
	First And Second Gentlemen	You may command us, sir.
		(Exeunt)