ALL IS TRUE (HENRY VIII)

Act 4 Scene 2

(Three chairs. Enter Katherine Dowager, sick, led between Griffith her gentleman usher, and Patience her woman)
l1l	Griffith	 How does your grace?
	Katherine	O Griffith, sick to death.
l2l		My legs, like loaden branches, bow to th’ earth,
l3l		Willing to leave their burden. Reach a chair.
		(A chair is brought to her. She sits)
l4l		So now, methinks, I feel a little ease.
l5l		Didst thou not tell me, Griffith, as thou led’st me,
l6l		That the great child of honour, Cardinal Wolsey,
l7l		Was dead?
	Griffith	Yes, madam, but I think your grace,
l8l		Out of the pain you suffered, gave no ear to ’t.
l9l	Katherine	Prithee, good Griffith, tell me how he died.
l10l		If well, he stepped before me happily
l11l		For my example.
	Griffith	Well, the voice goes, madam.
l12l		For after the stout Earl Northumberland
l13l		Arrested him at York, and brought him forward,
l14l		As a man sorely tainted, to his answer,
l15l		He fell sick, suddenly, and grew so ill
l16l		He could not sit his mule.
	Katherine	Alas, poor man.
l17l	Griffith	At last, with easy roads, he came to Leicester,
l18l		Lodged in the abbey, where the reverend abbot,
l19l		With all his convent, honourably received him,
l20l		To whom he gave these words: “O father abbot,
l21l		An old man broken with the storms of state
l22l		Is come to lay his weary bones among ye.
l23l		Give him a little earth, for charity.”
l24l		So went to bed, where eagerly his sickness
l25l		Pursued him still, and three nights after this,
l26l		About the hour of eight, which he himself
l27l		Foretold should be his last, full of repentance,
l28l		Continual meditations, tears, and sorrows,
l29l		He gave his honours to the world again,
l30l		His blessèd part to heaven, and slept in peace.
l31l	Katherine	So may he rest, his faults lie gently on him.
l32l		Yet thus far, Griffith, give me leave to speak him,
l33l		And yet with charity. He was a man
l34l		Of an unbounded stomach, ever ranking
l35l		Himself with princes# one that by suggestion
l36l		Tied all the kingdom. Simony was fair play.
l37l		His own opinion was his law. I’ th’ presence
l38l		He would say untruths, and be ever double
l39l		Both in his words and meaning. He was never,
l40l		But where he meant to ruin, pitiful.
l41l		His promises were, as he then was, mighty#
l42l		But his performance, as he is now, nothing.
l43l		Of his own body he was ill, and gave
l44l		The clergy ill example.
	Griffith	Noble madam,
l45l		Men’s evil manners live in brass, their virtues
l46l		We write in water. May it please your highness
l47l		To hear me speak his good now?
	Katherine	Yes, good Griffith,
l48l		I were malicious else.
	Griffith	This cardinal,
l49l		Though from an humble stock, undoubtedly
l50l		Was fashioned to much honour. From his cradle
l51l		He was a scholar, and a ripe and good one,
l52l		Exceeding wise, fair-spoken, and persuading#
l53l		Lofty and sour to them that loved him not,
l54l		But to those men that sought him, sweet as summer.
l55l		And though he were unsatisfied in getting—
l56l		Which was a sin—yet in bestowing, madam,
l57l		He was most princely: ever witness for him
l58l		Those twins of learning that he raised in you,
l59l		Ipswich and Oxford—one of which fell with him,
l60l		Unwilling to outlive the good that did it#
l61l		The other, though unfinished, yet so famous,
l62l		So excellent in art, and still so rising,
l63l		That Christendom shall ever speak his virtue.
l64l		His overthrow heaped happiness upon him,
l65l		For then, and not till then, he felt himself,
l66l		And found the blessèdness of being little.
l67l		And to add greater honours to his age
l68l		Than man could give him, he died fearing God.
l69l	Katherine	After my death I wish no other herald,
l70l		No other speaker of my living actions
l71l		To keep mine honour from corruption
l72l		But such an honest chronicler as Griffith.
l73l		Whom I most hated living, thou hast made me,
l74l		With thy religious truth and modesty,
l75l		Now in his ashes honour. Peace be with him.
l76l		(To her woman)
		 Patience, be near me still, and set me lower.
l77l		I have not long to trouble thee. Good Griffith,
l78l		Cause the musicians play me that sad note
l79l		I named my knell, whilst I sit meditating
l80l		On that celestial harmony I go to.
		(Sad and solemn music. Katherine sleeps)
l81l	Griffith	(to the woman)
		 She is asleep. Good wench, let’s sit down quiet
l82l		For fear we wake her. Softly, gentle Patience.
		(They sit)
l83l		(the vision)
		(Enter, solemnly tripping one after another, six personages clad in white robes, wearing on their heads garlands of bays, and golden visors on their faces. They carry branches of bays or palm in their hands. They first conge unto Katherine, then dance; and, at certain changes, the first two hold a spare garland over her head at which the other four make reverent curtsies. Then the two that held the garland deliver the same to the other next two, who observe the same order in their changes and holding the garland over her head. Which done, they deliver the same garland to the last two who likewise observe the same order. At which, as it were by inspiration, she makes in her sleep signs of rejoicing, and holdeth up her hands to heaven. And so in their dancing vanish, carrying the garland with them. The music continues)
		Katherine	( 83 waking)
		 Spirits of peace, where are ye? Are ye all gone,
l84l		And leave me here in wretchedness behind ye?
		(Griffith and Patience rise and come forward)
l85l	Griffith	 Madam, we are here.
	Katherine	It is not you I call for.
l86l		Saw ye none enter since I slept?
	Griffith	None, madam.
l87l	Katherine	No? Saw you not even now a blessèd troop
l88l		Invite me to a banquet, whose bright faces
l89l		Cast thousand beams upon me, like the sun?
l90l		They promised me eternal happiness,
l91l		And brought me garlands, Griffith, which I feel
l92l		I am not worthy yet to wear. I shall,
l93l		Assuredly.
l94l	Griffith	I am most joyful, madam, such good dreams
l95l		Possess your fancy.
	Katherine	Bid the music leave.
l96l		They are harsh and heavy to me.
		(Music ceases)
		
	Patience	
		(to Griffith)
		 Do you note
l97l		How much her grace is altered on the sudden?
l98l		How long her face is drawn? How pale she looks,
l99l		And of an earthy colour? Mark her eyes?
l100l	Griffith	She is going, wench. Pray, pray.
	Patience	Heaven comfort her.
		(Enter a Messenger)
l101l	Messenger	(to Katherine)
		 An ’t like your grace—
	Katherine	You are a saucy fellow—
l102l		Deserve we no more reverence?
	Griffith	
		(to the Messenger)
		 You are to blame,
l103l		Knowing she will not lose her wonted greatness,
l104l		To use so rude behaviour. Go to, kneel.
l105l	Messenger	(kneeling before Katherine)
		 I humbly do entreat your highness’ pardon.
l106l		My haste made me unmannerly. There is staying
l107l		A gentleman sent from the King to see you.
l108l	Katherine	Admit him entrance, Griffith. But this fellow
l109l		Let me ne’er see again.
		(Exit Messenger)
		
		(Enter Lord Caputius ushered by Griffith)
		 If my sight fail not,
l110l		You should be lord ambassador from the Emperor,
l111l		My royal nephew, and your name Caputius.
l112l	Caputius	Madam, the same,
		(bowing)
		 your servant.
	Katherine	O, my lord,
l113l		The times and titles now are altered strangely
l114l		With me since first you knew me. But I pray you,
l115l		What is your pleasure with me?
	Caputius	Noble lady,
l116l		First mine own service to your grace# the next,
l117l		The King’s request that I would visit you,
l118l		Who grieves much for your weakness, and by me
l119l		Sends you his princely commendations,
l120l		And heartily entreats you take good comfort.
l121l	Katherine	O, my good lord, that comfort comes too late,
l122l		’Tis like a pardon after execution.
l123l		That gentle physic, given in time, had cured me#
l124l		But now I am past all comforts here but prayers.
l125l		How does his highness?
	Caputius	Madam, in good health.
l126l	Katherine	So may he ever do, and ever flourish
l127l		When I shall dwell with worms, and my poor name
l128l		Banished the kingdom.
		(To her woman)
		 Patience, is that letter
l129l		I caused you write yet sent away?
	Patience	No, madam.
l130l	Katherine	(to Caputius)
		 Sir, I most humbly pray you to deliver
l131l		This to my lord the King.
		(The letter is given to Caputius)
		
	Caputius	 Most willing, madam.
l132l	Katherine	In which I have commended to his goodness
l133l		The model of our chaste loves, his young daughter—
l134l		The dews of heaven fall thick in blessings on her—
l135l		Beseeching him to give her virtuous breeding.
l136l		She is young, and of a noble modest nature.
l137l		I hope she will deserve well—and a little
l138l		To love her for her mother’s sake, that loved him,
l139l		Heaven knows how dearly. My next poor petition
l140l		Is that his noble grace would have some pity
l141l		Upon my wretched women, that so long
l142l		Have followed both my fortunes faithfully#
l143l		Of which there is not one, I dare avow—
l144l		And now I should not lie—but will deserve,
l145l		For virtue and true beauty of the soul,
l146l		For honesty and decent carriage,
l147l		A right good husband. Let him be a noble,
l148l		And sure those men are happy that shall have ’em.
l149l		The last is for my men—they are the poorest,
l150l		But poverty could never draw ’em from me—
l151l		That they may have their wages duly paid ’em,
l152l		And something over to remember me by.
l153l		If heaven had pleased to have given me longer life,
l154l		And able means, we had not parted thus.
l155l		These are the whole contents# and, good my lord,
l156l		By that you love the dearest in this world,
l157l		As you wish Christian peace to souls departed,
l158l		Stand these poor people’s friend and urge the King
l159l		To do me this last rite.
	Caputius	By heaven I will,
l160l		Or let me lose the fashion of a man.
l161l	Katherine	I thank you, honest lord. Remember me
l162l		In all humility unto his highness.
l163l		Say his long trouble now is passing
l164l		Out of this world. Tell him, in death I blessed him,
l165l		For so I will. Mine eyes grow dim. Farewell,
l166l		My lord. Griffith, farewell.
		(To her woman)
		 Nay, Patience,
l167l		You must not leave me yet. I must to bed.
l168l		Call in more women. When I am dead, good wench,
l169l		Let me be used with honour. Strew me over
l170l		With maiden flowers, that all the world may know
l171l		I was a chaste wife to my grave. Embalm me,
l172l		Then lay me forth. Although unqueened, yet like
l173l		A queen and daughter to a king inter me.
l174l		I can no more.
		(Exeunt Caputius and Griffith at one door; Patience leading Katherine at another)
	[[ACT INTERVAL]]
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