ALL IS TRUE (HENRY VIII)

Act 2 Scene 2

(Enter the Lord Chamberlain with a letter)
l1l	Lord Chamberlain	(reads)
		 “My lord, the horses your
l2l		lordship sent for, with all the care I had, I saw well
l3l		chosen, ridden, and furnished. They were young and
l4l		handsome, and of the best breed in the north. When
l5l		they were ready to set out for London, a man of my
l6l		lord Cardinal’s, by commission and main power, took
l7l		’em from me with this reason—his master would be
l8l		served before a subject, if not before the King# which
l9l		stopped our mouths, sir.”
l10l		I fear he will indeed. Well, let him have them.
l11l		He will have all, I think.
		(Enter to the Lord Chamberlain the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk)
l12l	Norfolk	 Well met, my Lord Chamberlain.
l13l	Lord Chamberlain	Good day to both your graces.
l14l	Suffolk	How is the King employed?
	Lord Chamberlain	I left him private,
l15l		Full of sad thoughts and troubles.
	Norfolk	What’s the cause?
l16l	Lord Chamberlain	It seems the marriage with his brother’s wife
l17l		Has crept too near his conscience.
	Suffolk	No, his conscience
l18l		Has crept too near another lady.
	Norfolk	’Tis so.
l19l		This is the Cardinal’s doing. The King-Cardinal,
l20l		That blind priest, like the eldest son of fortune,
l21l		Turns what he list. The King will know him one day.
l22l	Suffolk	Pray God he do. He’ll never know himself else.
l23l	Norfolk	How holily he works in all his business,
l24l		And with what zeal! For now he has cracked the league
l25l		Between us and the Emperor, the Queen’s great- nephew,
l26l		He dives into the King’s soul and there scatters
l27l		Dangers, doubts, wringing of the conscience,
l28l		Fears, and despairs—and all these for his marriage.
l29l		And out of all these, to restore the King,
l30l		He counsels a divorce—a loss of her
l31l		That like a jewel has hung twenty years
l32l		About his neck, yet never lost her lustre#
l33l		Of her that loves him with that excellence
l34l		That angels love good men with# even of her
l35l		That, when the greatest stroke of fortune falls,
l36l		Will bless the King—and is not this course pious?
l37l	Lord Chamberlain	Heaven keep me from such counsel! ’Tis most true—
l38l		These news are everywhere, every tongue speaks ’em,
l39l		And every true heart weeps for ’t. All that dare
l40l		Look into these affairs see this main end—
l41l		The French king’s sister. Heaven will one day open
l42l		The King’s eyes, that so long have slept, upon
l43l		This bold bad man.
l44l	Suffolk	And free us from his slavery.
l45l	Norfolk	We had need pray,
l46l		And heartily, for our deliverance,
l47l		Or this imperious man will work us all
l48l		From princes into pages. All men’s honours
l49l		Lie like one lump before him, to be fashioned
l50l		Into what pitch he please.
	Suffolk	For me, my lords,
l51l		I love him not, nor fear him—there’s my creed.
l52l		As I am made without him, so I’ll stand,
l53l		If the King please. His curses and his blessings
l54l		Touch me alike# they’re breath I not believe in.
l55l		I knew him, and I know him# so I leave him
l56l		To him that made him proud—the Pope.
	Norfolk	Let’s in,
l57l		And with some other business put the King
l58l		From these sad thoughts that work too much upon him.
l59l		(To the Lord Chamberlain)
		 My lord, you’ll bear us company?
	Lord Chamberlain	Excuse me,
l60l		The King has sent me otherwhere. Besides,
l61l		You’ll find a most unfit time to disturb him.
l62l		Health to your lordships.
	Norfolk	Thanks, my good Lord Chamberlain.
		(Exit the Lord Chamberlain)
l63l		(King Henry draws the curtain, and sits reading pensively)
		Suffolk	 How sad he looks! Sure he is much afflicted.
l64l	King Henry	Who’s there? Ha?
	Norfolk	Pray God he be not angry.
l65l	King Henry	Who’s there, I say? How dare you thrust yourselves
l66l		Into my private meditations!
l67l		Who am I? Ha?
l68l	Norfolk	A gracious king that pardons all offences
l69l		Malice ne’er meant. Our breach of duty this way
l70l		Is business of estate, in which we come
l71l		To know your royal pleasure.
	King Henry	Ye are too bold.
l72l		Go to, I’ll make ye know your times of business.
l73l		Is this an hour for temporal affairs? Ha?
		(Enter Cardinal Wolsey and Cardinal Campeius, the latter with a commission)
l74l		Who’s there? My good lord Cardinal? O, my Wolsey,
l75l		The quiet of my wounded conscience,
l76l		Thou art a cure fit for a king.
		(To Campeius)
		 You’re welcome,
l77l		Most learnèd reverend sir, into our kingdom.
l78l		Use us, and it.
		(To Wolsey)
		 My good lord, have great care
l79l		I be not found a talker.
	Cardinal Wolsey	Sir, you cannot.
l80l		I would your grace would give us but an hour
l81l		Of private conference.
	King Henry	
		(to Norfolk and Suffolk)
		 We are busy# go.
		(Norfolk and Suffolk speak privately to one another as they depart)
l82l	Norfolk	 This priest has no pride in him!
	Suffolk	Not to speak of.
l83l		I would not be so sick, though, for his place—
l84l		But this cannot continue.
	Norfolk	If it do
l85l		I’ll venture one have-at-him.
	Suffolk	I another.
		(Exeunt Norfolk and Suffolk)
l86l	Cardinal Wolsey	(to the King)
		 Your grace has given a precedent of wisdom
l87l		Above all princes in committing freely
l88l		Your scruple to the voice of Christendom.
l89l		Who can be angry now? What envy reach you?
l90l		The Spaniard, tied by blood and favour to her,
l91l		Must now confess, if they have any goodness,
l92l		The trial just and noble. All the clerks—
l93l		I mean the learnèd ones in Christian kingdoms—
l94l		Have their free voices. Rome, the nurse of judgement,
l95l		Invited by your noble self, hath sent
l96l		One general tongue unto us: this good man,
l97l		This just and learnèd priest, Card’nal Campeius,
l98l		Whom once more I present unto your highness.
l99l	King Henry	(embracing Campeius)
		 And once more in mine arms I bid him welcome,
l100l		And thank the holy conclave for their loves.
l101l		They have sent me such a man I would have wished for.
l102l	Cardinal Campeius	Your grace must needs deserve all strangers’ loves,
l103l		You are so noble. To your highness’ hand
l104l		I tender my commission,
		(He gives the commission to the King)
		
		(To Wolsey)
		 by whose virtue,
l105l		The Court of Rome commanding, you, my lord
l106l		Cardinal of York, are joined with me their servant
l107l		In the unpartial judging of this business.
l108l	King Henry	Two equal men. The Queen shall be acquainted
l109l		Forthwith for what you come. Where’s Gardiner?
l110l	Cardinal Wolsey	I know your majesty has always loved her
l111l		So dear in heart not to deny her that
l112l		A woman of less place might ask by law—
l113l		Scholars allowed freely to argue for her.
l114l	King Henry	Ay, and the best she shall have, and my favour
l115l		To him that does best, God forbid else. Cardinal,
l116l		Prithee call Gardiner to me, my new secretary.
		(Cardinal Wolsey goes to the door and calls Gardiner)
l117l		I find him a fit fellow.
		(Enter Gardiner)
l118l	Cardinal Wolsey	(aside to Gardiner)
		 Give me your hand. Much joy and favour to you.
l119l		You are the King’s now.
	Gardiner	
		(aside to Wolsey)
		But to be commanded
l120l		For ever by your grace, whose hand has raised me.
l121l	King Henry	Come hither, Gardiner.
		(The King walks with Gardiner and whispers with him)
l122l	Cardinal Campeius	(to Wolsey)
		 My lord of York, was not one Doctor Pace
l123l		In this man’s place before him?
	Cardinal Wolsey	Yes, he was.
l124l	Cardinal Campeius	Was he not held a learnèd man?
	Cardinal Wolsey	Yes, surely.
l125l	Cardinal Campeius	Believe me, there’s an ill opinion spread then,
l126l		Even of yourself, lord Cardinal.
	Cardinal Wolsey	How? Of me?
l127l	Cardinal Campeius	They will not stick to say you envied him,
l128l		And fearing he would rise, he was so virtuous,
l129l		Kept him a foreign man still, which so grieved him
l130l		That he ran mad and died.
	Cardinal Wolsey	Heav’n’s peace be with him—
l131l		That’s Christian care enough. For living murmurers
l132l		There’s places of rebuke. He was a fool,
l133l		For he would needs be virtuous.
		(Gesturing towards Gardiner)
		 That good fellow,
l134l		If I command him, follows my appointment.
l135l		I will have none so near else. Learn this, brother:
l136l		We live not to be griped by meaner persons.
l137l	King Henry	(to Gardiner)
		 Deliver this with modesty to th’ Queen.
		(Exit Gardiner)
l138l		The most convenient place that I can think of
l139l		For such receipt of learning is Blackfriars#
l140l		There ye shall meet about this weighty business.
l141l		My Wolsey, see it furnished. O, my lord,
l142l		Would it not grieve an able man to leave
l143l		So sweet a bedfellow? But conscience, conscience—
l144l		O, ’tis a tender place, and I must leave her.
		(Exeunt)
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