ALL IS TRUE (HENRY VIII)

Act 2 Scene 4

(Trumpets: sennet. Then cornetts. Enter two vergers with short silver wands; next them two Scribes in the habit of doctors; after them the Archbishop of Canterbury alone; after him the Bishops of Lincoln, Ely, Rochester, and Saint Asaph; next them, with some small distance, follows a gentleman bearing both the purse containing the great seal and a cardinal's hat; then two priests bearing each a silver cross; then a gentleman usher, bare-headed, accompanied with a serjeant-at-arms bearing a silver mace; then two gentlemen bearing two great silver pillars; after them, side by side, the two cardinals, Wolsey and Campeius; then two noblemen with the sword and mace. The King ascends to his seat under the cloth of state; the two cardinals sit under him as judges; the Queen, attended by Griffith her gentleman usher, takes place some distance from the King; the Bishops place themselves on each side the court in the manner of a consistory; below them, the Scribes. The lords sit next the Bishops. The rest of the attendants stand in convenient order about the stage)
l1l	Cardinal Wolsey	 Whilst our commission from Rome is read
l2l		Let silence be commanded.
	King Henry	What’s the need?
l3l		It hath already publicly been read,
l4l		And on all sides th’ authority allowed.
l5l		You may then spare that time.
	Cardinal Wolsey	Be ’t so. Proceed.
l6l	Scribe	(to the Crier)
		 Say, “Henry, King of England, come into the court”.
l7l	Crier	Henry, King of England, come into the court.
l8l	King Henry	Here.
l9l	Scribe	(to the Crier)
		 Say, “Katherine, Queen of England, come into the court”.
l10l	Crier	Katherine, Queen of England, come into the court.
		(The Queen makes no answer, but rises out of her chair, goes about the court, comes to the King, and kneels at his feet. Then she speaks)
l11l	Queen Katherine	 Sir, I desire you do me right and justice,
l12l		And to bestow your pity on me# for
l13l		I am a most poor woman, and a stranger,
l14l		Born out of your dominions, having here
l15l		No judge indifferent, nor no more assurance
l16l		Of equal friendship and proceeding. Alas, sir,
l17l		In what have I offended you? What cause
l18l		Hath my behaviour given to your displeasure
l19l		That thus you should proceed to put me off,
l20l		And take your good grace from me? Heaven witness
l21l		I have been to you a true and humble wife,
l22l		At all times to your will conformable,
l23l		Ever in fear to kindle your dislike,
l24l		Yea, subject to your countenance, glad or sorry
l25l		As I saw it inclined. When was the hour
l26l		I ever contradicted your desire,
l27l		Or made it not mine too? Or which of your friends
l28l		Have I not strove to love, although I knew
l29l		He were mine enemy? What friend of mine
l30l		That had to him derived your anger did I
l31l		Continue in my liking? Nay, gave notice
l32l		He was from thence discharged? Sir, call to mind
l33l		That I have been your wife in this obedience
l34l		Upward of twenty years, and have been blessed
l35l		With many children by you. If, in the course
l36l		And process of this time, you can report—
l37l		And prove it, too—against mine honour aught,
l38l		My bond to wedlock, or my love and duty
l39l		Against your sacred person, in God’s name
l40l		Turn me away, and let the foul’st contempt
l41l		Shut door upon me, and so give me up
l42l		To the sharp’st kind of justice. Please you, sir,
l43l		The King your father was reputed for
l44l		A prince most prudent, of an excellent
l45l		And unmatched wit and judgement. Ferdinand
l46l		My father, King of Spain, was reckoned one
l47l		The wisest prince that there had reigned by many
l48l		A year before. It is not to be questioned
l49l		That they had gathered a wise council to them
l50l		Of every realm, that did debate this business,
l51l		Who deemed our marriage lawful. Wherefore I humbly
l52l		Beseech you, sir, to spare me till I may
l53l		Be by my friends in Spain advised, whose counsel
l54l		I will implore. If not, i’ th’ name of God,
l55l		Your pleasure be fulfilled.
	Cardinal Wolsey	You have here, lady,
l56l		And of your choice, these reverend fathers, men
l57l		Of singular integrity and learning,
l58l		Yea, the elect o’ th’ land, who are assembled
l59l		To plead your cause. It shall be therefore bootless
l60l		That longer you desire the court, as well
l61l		For your own quiet, as to rectify
l62l		What is unsettled in the King.
	Cardinal Campeius	His grace
l63l		Hath spoken well and justly. Therefore, madam,
l64l		It’s fit this royal session do proceed,
l65l		And that without delay their arguments
l66l		Be now produced and heard.
	Queen Katherine	
		(to Wolsey)
		 Lord Cardinal,
l67l		To you I speak.
	Cardinal Wolsey	Your pleasure, madam. 
	Queen Katherine	Sir,
l68l		I am about to weep, but thinking that
l69l		We are a queen, or long have dreamed so, certain
l70l		The daughter of a king, my drops of tears
l71l		I’ll turn to sparks of fire.
	Cardinal Wolsey	Be patient yet.
l72l	Queen Katherine	I will when you are humble! Nay, before,
l73l		Or God will punish me. I do believe,
l74l		Induced by potent circumstances, that
l75l		You are mine enemy, and make my challenge
l76l		You shall not be my judge. For it is you
l77l		Have blown this coal betwixt my lord and me,
l78l		Which God’s dew quench. Therefore I say again,
l79l		I utterly abhor, yea, from my soul,
l80l		Refuse you for my judge, whom yet once more
l81l		I hold my most malicious foe, and think not
l82l		At all a friend to truth.
	Cardinal Wolsey	I do profess
l83l		You speak not like yourself, who ever yet
l84l		Have stood to charity, and displayed th’ effects
l85l		Of disposition gentle and of wisdom
l86l		O’er-topping woman’s power. Madam, you do me wrong.
l87l		I have no spleen against you, nor injustice
l88l		For you or any. How far I have proceeded,
l89l		Or how far further shall, is warranted
l90l		By a commission from the consistory,
l91l		Yea, the whole consistory of Rome. You charge me
l92l		That I “have blown this coal”. I do deny it.
l93l		The King is present. If it be known to him
l94l		That I gainsay my deed, how may he wound,
l95l		And worthily, my falsehood—yea, as much
l96l		As you have done my truth. If he know
l97l		That I am free of your report, he knows
l98l		I am not of your wrong. Therefore in him
l99l		It lies to cure me, and the cure is to
l100l		Remove these thoughts from you. The which before
l101l		His highness shall speak in, I do beseech
l102l		You, gracious madam, to unthink your speaking,
l103l		And to say so no more.
	Queen Katherine	My lord, my lord—
l104l		I am a simple woman, much too weak
l105l		T’ oppose your cunning. You’re meek and humble-mouthed#
l106l		You sign your place and calling, in full seeming,
l107l		With meekness and humility—but your heart
l108l		Is crammed with arrogancy, spleen, and pride.
l109l		You have by fortune and his highness’ favours
l110l		Gone slightly o’er low steps, and now are mounted
l111l		Where powers are your retainers, and your words,
l112l		Domestics to you, serve your will as ’t please
l113l		Yourself pronounce their office. I must tell you,
l114l		You tender more your person’s honour than
l115l		Your high profession spiritual, that again
l116l		I do refuse you for my judge, and here,
l117l		Before you all, appeal unto the Pope,
l118l		To bring my whole cause ’fore his holiness,
l119l		And to be judged by him.
		(She curtsies to the King and begins to depart)
		
	Cardinal Campeius	 The Queen is obstinate,
l120l		Stubborn to justice, apt to accuse it, and
l121l		Disdainful to be tried by ’t. ’Tis not well.
l122l		She’s going away.
	King Henry	
		(to the Crier)
		 Call her again.
l123l	Crier	Katherine, Queen of England, come into the court.
l124l	Griffith	(to the Queen)
		 Madam, you are called back.
l125l	Queen Katherine	What need you note it? Pray you keep your way.
l126l		When you are called, return. Now the Lord help.
l127l		They vex me past my patience. Pray you, pass on.
l128l		I will not tarry# no, nor ever more
l129l		Upon this business my appearance make
l130l		In any of their courts.
		(Exeunt Queen Katherine and her attendants)
		
	King Henry	 Go thy ways, Kate.
l131l		That man i’ th’ world who shall report he has
l132l		A better wife, let him in naught be trusted
l133l		For speaking false in that. Thou art alone—
l134l		If thy rare qualities, sweet gentleness,
l135l		Thy meekness saint-like, wife-like government,
l136l		Obeying in commanding, and thy parts
l137l		Sovereign and pious else could speak thee out—
l138l		The queen of earthly queens. She’s noble born,
l139l		And like her true nobility she has
l140l		Carried herself towards me.
	Cardinal Wolsey	Most gracious sir,
l141l		In humblest manner I require your highness
l142l		That it shall please you to declare in hearing
l143l		Of all these ears—for where I am robbed and bound,
l144l		There must I be unloosed, although not there
l145l		At once and fully satisfied—whether ever I
l146l		Did broach this business to your highness, or
l147l		Laid any scruple in your way which might
l148l		Induce you to the question on ’t, or ever
l149l		Have to you, but with thanks to God for such
l150l		A royal lady, spake one the least word that might
l151l		Be to the prejudice of her present state,
l152l		Or touch of her good person?
	King Henry	My lord Cardinal,
l153l		I do excuse you# yea, upon mine honour,
l154l		I free you from ’t. You are not to be taught
l155l		That you have many enemies that know not
l156l		Why they are so, but, like to village curs,
l157l		Bark when their fellows do. By some of these
l158l		The Queen is put in anger. You’re excused.
l159l		But will you be more justified? You ever
l160l		Have wished the sleeping of this business, never desired
l161l		It to be stirred, but oft have hindered, oft,
l162l		The passages made toward it. On my honour
l163l		I speak my good lord Card’nal to this point,
l164l		And thus far clear him. Now, what moved me to ’t,
l165l		I will be bold with time and your attention.
l166l		Then mark th’ inducement. Thus it came—give heed to ’t.
l167l		My conscience first received a tenderness,
l168l		Scruple, and prick, on certain speeches uttered
l169l		By th’ Bishop of Bayonne, then French Ambassador,
l170l		Who had been hither sent on the debating
l171l		A marriage ’twixt the Duke of Orleans and
l172l		Our daughter Mary. I’ th’ progress of this business,
l173l		Ere a determinate resolution, he—
l174l		I mean the Bishop—did require a respite
l175l		Wherein he might the King his lord advertise
l176l		Whether our daughter were legitimate,
l177l		Respecting this our marriage with the dowager,
l178l		Sometimes our brother’s wife. This respite shook
l179l		The bosom of my conscience, entered me,
l180l		Yea, with a spitting power, and made to tremble
l181l		The region of my breast# which forced such way
l182l		That many mazed considerings did throng
l183l		And prest in with this caution. First, methought
l184l		I stood not in the smile of heaven, who had
l185l		Commanded nature that my lady’s womb,
l186l		If it conceived a male child by me, should
l187l		Do no more offices of life to ’t than
l188l		The grave does yield to th’ dead. For her male issue
l189l		Or died where they were made, or shortly after
l190l		This world had aired them. Hence I took a thought
l191l		This was a judgement on me that my kingdom,
l192l		Well worthy the best heir o’ th’ world, should not
l193l		Be gladded in ’t by me. Then follows that
l194l		I weighed the danger which my realms stood in
l195l		By this my issue’s fail, and that gave to me
l196l		Many a groaning throe. Thus hulling in
l197l		The wild sea of my conscience, I did steer
l198l		Toward this remedy, whereupon we are
l199l		Now present here together—that’s to say
l200l		I meant to rectify my conscience, which
l201l		I then did feel full sick, and yet not well,
l202l		By all the reverend fathers of the land
l203l		And doctors learned. First I began in private
l204l		With you, my lord of Lincoln. You remember
l205l		How under my oppression I did reek
l206l		When I first moved you.
	Lincoln	Very well, my liege.
l207l	King Henry	I have spoke long. Be pleased yourself to say
l208l		How far you satisfied me.
	Lincoln	So please your highness,
l209l		The question did at first so stagger me,
l210l		Bearing a state of mighty moment in ’t
l211l		And consequence of dread, that I committed
l212l		The daring’st counsel which I had to doubt,
l213l		And did entreat your highness to this course
l214l		Which you are running here.
	King Henry	
		(to Canterbury)
		 I then moved you,
l215l		My lord of Canterbury, and got your leave
l216l		To make this present summons. Unsolicited
l217l		I left no reverend person in this court,
l218l		But by particular consent proceeded
l219l		Under your hands and seals. Therefore, go on,
l220l		For no dislike i’ th’ world against the person
l221l		Of the good Queen, but the sharp thorny points
l222l		Of my allegèd reasons, drives this forward.
l223l		Prove but our marriage lawful, by my life
l224l		And kingly dignity, we are contented
l225l		To wear our mortal state to come with her,
l226l		Katherine, our queen, before the primest creature
l227l		That’s paragoned o’ th’ world.
	Cardinal Campeius	So please your highness,
l228l		The Queen being absent, ’tis a needful fitness
l229l		That we adjourn this court till further day.
l230l		Meanwhile must be an earnest motion
l231l		Made to the Queen to call back her appeal
l232l		She intends unto his holiness.
	King Henry	
		(aside)
		 I may perceive
l233l		These cardinals trifle with me. I abhor
l234l		This dilatory sloth and tricks of Rome.
l235l		My learned and well-belovèd servant, Cranmer,
l236l		Prithee return. With thy approach I know
l237l		My comfort comes along.
		(Aloud)
		 Break up the court.
l238l		I say, set on.
		(Exeunt in manner as they entered)
	[[ACT INTERVAL]]
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