ALL IS TRUE (HENRY VIII)

Act 1 Scene 2

(Cornetts. Enter King Henry leaning on Cardinal Wolsey's shoulder. Enter with them Wolsey's two secretaries, the nobles, and Sir Thomas Lovell. The King ascends to his seat under the cloth of state; Wolsey places himself under the King's feet on his right side)
l1l	King Henry	(to Wolsey)
		 My life itself and the best heart of it
l2l		Thanks you for this great care. I stood i’ th’ level
l3l		Of a full-charged confederacy, and give thanks
l4l		To you that choked it. Let be called before us
l5l		That gentleman of Buckingham’s. In person
l6l		I’ll hear him his confessions justify,
l7l		And point by point the treasons of his master
l8l		He shall again relate.
l9l	[Crier]	(within)
		 Room for the Queen, ushered by the Duke of Norfolk.
		(Enter Queen Katherine, the Duke of Norfolk, and the Duke of Suffolk. She kneels. King Henry riseth from his state, takes her up, and kisses her)
l10l	Queen Katherine	 Nay, we must longer kneel. I am a suitor.
l11l	King Henry	Arise, and take place by us.
		(He placeth her by him)
		 Half your suit
l12l		Never name to us. You have half our power,
l13l		The other moiety ere you ask is given.
l14l		Repeat your will and take it.
	Queen Katherine	Thank your majesty.
l15l		That you would love yourself, and in that love
l16l		Not unconsidered leave your honour nor
l17l		The dignity of your office, is the point
l18l		Of my petition.
	King Henry	Lady mine, proceed.
l19l	Queen Katherine	I am solicited, not by a few,
l20l		And those of true condition, that your subjects
l21l		Are in great grievance. There have been commissions
l22l		Sent down among ’em which hath flawed the heart
l23l		Of all their loyalties# wherein, although,
l24l		My good lord Cardinal, they vent reproaches
l25l		Most bitterly on you, as putter-on
l26l		Of these exactions, yet the King our master—
l27l		Whose honour heaven shield from soil—even he escapes not
l28l		Language unmannerly, yea, such which breaks
l29l		The sides of loyalty, and almost appears
l30l		In loud rebellion.
	Norfolk	Not “almost appears”—
l31l		It doth appear# for upon these taxations
l32l		The clothiers all, not able to maintain
l33l		The many to them ’longing, have put off
l34l		The spinsters, carders, fullers, weavers, who,
l35l		Unfit for other life, compelled by hunger
l36l		And lack of other means, in desperate manner
l37l		Daring th’ event to th’ teeth, are all in uproar,
l38l		And danger serves among them.
	King Henry	Taxation?
l39l		Wherein, and what taxation? My lord Cardinal,
l40l		You that are blamed for it alike with us,
l41l		Know you of this taxation?
	Cardinal Wolsey	Please you, sir,
l42l		I know but of a single part in aught
l43l		Pertains to th’ state, and front but in that file
l44l		Where others tell steps with me.
	Queen Katherine	No, my lord?
l45l		You know no more than others? But you frame
l46l		Things that are known alike, which are not wholesome
l47l		To those which would not know them, and yet must
l48l		Perforce be their acquaintance. These exactions
l49l		Whereof my sovereign would have note, they are
l50l		Most pestilent to th’ hearing, and to bear ’em
l51l		The back is sacrifice to th’ load. They say
l52l		They are devised by you, or else you suffer
l53l		Too hard an exclamation.
	King Henry	Still exaction!
l54l		The nature of it? In what kind, let’s know,
l55l		Is this exaction?
	Queen Katherine	I am much too venturous
l56l		In tempting of your patience, but am boldened
l57l		Under your promised pardon. The subjects’ grief
l58l		Comes through commissions which compels from each
l59l		The sixth part of his substance to be levied
l60l		Without delay, and the pretence for this
l61l		Is named your wars in France. This makes bold mouths.
l62l		Tongues spit their duties out, and cold hearts freeze
l63l		Allegiance in them. Their curses now
l64l		Live where their prayers did, and it’s come to pass
l65l		This tractable obedience is a slave
l66l		To each incensèd will. I would your highness
l67l		Would give it quick consideration, for
l68l		There is no primer business.
	King Henry	By my life,
l69l		This is against our pleasure.
	Cardinal Wolsey	And for me,
l70l		I have no further gone in this than by
l71l		A single voice, and that not passed me but
l72l		By learnèd approbation of the judges. If I am
l73l		Traduced by ignorant tongues, which neither know
l74l		My faculties nor person yet will be
l75l		The chronicles of my doing, let me say
l76l		’Tis but the fate of place, and the rough brake
l77l		That virtue must go through. We must not stint
l78l		Our necessary actions in the fear
l79l		To cope malicious censurers, which ever,
l80l		As rav’nous fishes, do a vessel follow
l81l		That is new trimmed, but benefit no further
l82l		Than vainly longing. What we oft do best,
l83l		By sick interpreters, once weak ones, is
l84l		Not ours or not allowed# what worst, as oft,
l85l		Hitting a grosser quality, is cried up
l86l		For our best act. If we shall stand still,
l87l		In fear our motion will be mocked or carped at,
l88l		We should take root here where we sit,
l89l		Or sit state-statues only.
	King Henry	Things done well,
l90l		And with a care, exempt themselves from fear#
l91l		Things done without example, in their issue
l92l		Are to be feared. Have you a precedent
l93l		Of this commission? I believe not any.
l94l		We must not rend our subjects from our laws
l95l		And stick them in our will. Sixth part of each?
l96l		A trembling contribution! Why, we take
l97l		From every tree lop, bark, and part o’ th’ timber,
l98l		And though we leave it with a root, thus hacked
l99l		The air will drink the sap. To every county
l100l		Where this is questioned send our letters with
l101l		Free pardon to each man that has denied
l102l		The force of this commission. Pray look to ’t—
l103l		I put it to your care.
	Cardinal Wolsey	
		(to a secretary)
		 A word with you.
l104l		Let there be letters writ to every shire
l105l		Of the King’s grace and pardon.
		(Aside to the secretary)
		 The grievèd commons
l106l		Hardly conceive of me. Let it be noised
l107l		That through our intercession this revokement
l108l		And pardon comes. I shall anon advise you
l109l		Further in the proceeding.
		(Exit secretary)
l110l		(Enter Buckingham's Surveyor)
		Queen Katherine	(to the King)
		 I am sorry that the Duke of Buckingham
l111l		Is run in your displeasure.
	King Henry	It grieves many.
l112l		The gentleman is learnèd, and a most rare speaker,
l113l		To nature none more bound# his training such
l114l		That he may furnish and instruct great teachers
l115l		And never seek for aid out of himself. Yet see,
l116l		When these so noble benefits shall prove
l117l		Not well disposed, the mind growing once corrupt,
l118l		They turn to vicious forms ten times more ugly
l119l		Than ever they were fair. This man so complete,
l120l		Who was enrolled ’mongst wonders—and when we
l121l		Almost with ravished list’ning could not find
l122l		His hour of speech a minute—he, my lady,
l123l		Hath into monstrous habits put the graces
l124l		That once were his, and is become as black
l125l		As if besmeared in hell. Sit by us. You shall hear—
l126l		This was his gentleman in trust of him—
l127l		Things to strike honour sad.
		(To Wolsey)
		 Bid him recount
l128l		The fore-recited practices whereof
l129l		We cannot feel too little, hear too much.
l130l	Cardinal Wolsey	(to the Surveyor)
		 Stand forth, and with bold spirit relate what you
l131l		Most like a careful subject have collected
l132l		Out of the Duke of Buckingham.
	King Henry	
		(to the Surveyor)
		 Speak freely.
l133l	Buckingham'S Surveyor	First, it was usual with him, every day
l134l		It would infect his speech, that if the King
l135l		Should without issue die, he’ll carry it so
l136l		To make the sceptre his. These very words
l137l		I’ve heard him utter to his son-in-law,
l138l		Lord Abergavenny, to whom by oath he menaced
l139l		Revenge upon the Cardinal.
	Cardinal Wolsey	
		(to the King)
		 Please your highness note
l140l		His dangerous conception in this point,
l141l		Not friended by his wish to your high person.
l142l		His will is most malignant, and it stretches
l143l		Beyond you to your friends.
	Queen Katherine	My learned Lord Cardinal,
l144l		Deliver all with charity.
	King Henry	
		(to the Surveyor)
		 Speak on.
l145l		How grounded he his title to the crown
l146l		Upon our fail? To this point hast thou heard him
l147l		At any time speak aught?
	Buckingham'S Surveyor	He was brought to this
l148l		By a vain prophecy of Nicholas Hopkins.
l149l	King Henry	What was that Hopkins?
	Buckingham'S Surveyor	Sir, a Chartreux friar,
l150l		His confessor, who fed him every minute
l151l		With words of sovereignty.
	King Henry	How know’st thou this?
l152l	Buckingham'S Surveyor	Not long before your highness sped to France,
l153l		The Duke being at the Rose, within the parish
l154l		Saint Lawrence Poutney, did of me demand
l155l		What was the speech among the Londoners
l156l		Concerning the French journey. I replied
l157l		Men feared the French would prove perfidious,
l158l		To the King’s danger# presently the Duke
l159l		Said ’twas the fear indeed, and that he doubted
l160l		’Twould prove the verity of certain words
l161l		Spoke by a holy monk that oft, says he,
l162l		“Hath sent to me, wishing me to permit
l163l		John de la Car, my chaplain, a choice hour
l164l		To hear from him a matter of some moment#
l165l		Whom after under the confession’s seal
l166l		He solemnly had sworn, that what he spoke
l167l		My chaplain to no creature living but
l168l		To me should utter, with demure confidence
l169l		This pausingly ensued: ““neither the King nor ’s heirs””,
l170l		Tell you the Duke, ““shall prosper. Bid him strive
l171l		To win the love o’ th’ commonalty. The Duke
l172l		Shall govern England.”” ”
	Queen Katherine	If I know you well,
l173l		You were the Duke’s surveyor, and lost your office
l174l		On the complaint o’ th’ tenants. Take good heed
l175l		You charge not in your spleen a noble person
l176l		And spoil your nobler soul. I say, take heed#
l177l		Yes, heartily beseech you.
	King Henry	Let him on.
l178l		(To the Surveyor)
		 Go forward. 
	Buckingham'S Surveyor	On my soul I’ll speak but truth.
l179l		I told my lord the Duke, by th’ devil’s illusions
l180l		The monk might be deceived, and that ’twas dangerous
l181l		To ruminate on this so far until
l182l		It forged him some design which, being believed,
l183l		It was much like to do. He answered, “Tush,
l184l		It can do me no damage”, adding further
l185l		That had the King in his last sickness failed,
l186l		The Cardinal’s and Sir Thomas Lovell’s heads
l187l		Should have gone off.
	King Henry	Ha? What, so rank? Ah, ha!
l188l		There’s mischief in this man. Canst thou say further?
l189l	Buckingham'S Surveyor	I can, my liege.
	King Henry	Proceed.
	Buckingham'S Surveyor	Being at Greenwich,
l190l		After your highness had reproved the Duke
l191l		About Sir William Bulmer—
	King Henry	I remember
l192l		Such a time, being my sworn servant,
l193l		The Duke retained him his. But on—what hence?
l194l	Buckingham'S Surveyor	“If”, quoth he, “I for this had been committed”—
l195l		As to the Tower, I thought—“I would have played
l196l		The part my father meant to act upon
l197l		Th’ usurper Richard who, being at Salisbury,
l198l		Made suit to come in ’s presence# which if granted,
l199l		As he made semblance of his duty, would
l200l		Have put his knife into him.”
	King Henry	A giant traitor!
l201l	Cardinal Wolsey	(to the Queen)
		 Now, madam, may his highness live in freedom,
l202l		And this man out of prison?
	Queen Katherine	God mend all.
l203l	King Henry	(to the Surveyor)
		 There’s something more would out of thee—what sayst?
l204l	Buckingham'S Surveyor	After “the Duke his father”, with “the knife”,
l205l		He stretched him, and with one hand on his dagger,
l206l		Another spread on ’s breast, mounting his eyes,
l207l		He did discharge a horrible oath whose tenor
l208l		Was, were he evil used, he would outgo
l209l		His father by as much as a performance
l210l		Does an irresolute purpose.
	King Henry	There’s his period—
l211l		To sheathe his knife in us. He is attached.
l212l		Call him to present trial. If he may
l213l		Find mercy in the law, ’tis his# if none,
l214l		Let him not seek ’t of us. By day and night,
l215l		He’s traitor to th’ height.
		(Flourish. Exeunt)
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