The Illustrated Works of Shakespeare/Illustrated Works of Shakespeare, The (1990)(Animated Pixels)[!][CDTV-PC].iso/shakes/text/15/01_02

Text File | 1991-04-10 | 11KB | 301 lines

The Council Chamber.
 Cornets.
 Enter KING HENRY, leaning on the CARDINAL's shoulder,
 the NOBLES, and SIR THOMAS LOVELL, and a SECRETARY to Wolsey.
 The Cardinal places himself under the King's feet on his right side.

King Henry    My life itself, and the best heart of it,
    Thanks you for this great care. I stood i'th'level
    Of a full-charged confederacy, and give thanks
    To you that choked it. Let be called before us
    That gentleman of Buckingham's; in person
    I'll hear him his confessions justify,
    And point by point the treasons of his master
    He shall again relate.

               A noise within crying "Room for the Queen!"
            Enter the QUEEN, NORFOLK and SUFFOLK; she kneels.
King riseth from his state, takes her up, kisses, and placeth her by him.

Katharine    Nay, we must longer kneel; I am a suitor.

King Henry    Arise, and take place by us. Half your suit
    Never name to us - you have half our power;
    The other moiety, ere you ask, is given;
    Repeat your will and take it.

Katharine                                Thank your majesty;
    That you would love yourself, and in that love,
    Not unconsidered leave your honour nor
    The dignity of your office, is the point
    Of my petition.

King Henry                    Lady mine, proceed.

Katharine    I am solicited, not by a few,
    And those of true condition, that your subjects
    Are in great grievance. There have been commissions
    Sent down among 'em, which hath flawed the heart
    Of all their loyalties; wherein, although,
    My good Lord Cardinal, they vent reproaches
    Most bitterly on you, as putter-on
    Of these exactions, yet the king our master,
    Whose honour heaven shield from soil, even he escapes not
    Language unmannerly; yea, such which breaks
    The sides of loyalty, and almost appears
    In loud rebellion.

Norfolk                        Not almost appears,
    It doth appear; for, upon these taxations,
    The clothiers all, not able to maintain
    The many to them 'longing, have put off
    The spinsters, carders, fullers, weavers, who
    Unfit for other life, compelled by hunger
    And lack of other means, in desperate manner
    Daring the event to the teeth, are all in uproar,
    And danger serves among them.

King Henry                                    Taxation?
    Wherein? And what taxation? My Lord Cardinal,
    You that are blamed for it alike with us,
    Know you of this taxation?

Cardinal                                Please you sir,
    I know but of a single part in aught
    Pertains to the state, and front but in that file
    Where others tell steps with me.

Katharine                                No, my lord,
    You know no more than others; but you frame
    Things that are known alike, which are not wholesome
    To those which would not know them, and yet must
    Perforce be their acquaintance. These exactions,
    Whereof my sovereign would have note, they are
    Most pestilent to the hearing; and to bear 'em,
    The back is sacrifice to the load. They say
    They are devised by you, or else you suffer
    Too hard an exclamation.

King Henry                            Still exaction!
    The nature of it, in what kind let's know,
    Is this exaction?

Katharine                    I am much too venturous
    In tempting of your patience, but am boldened
    Under your promised pardon. The subjects' grief
    Comes through commissions, which compels from each
    The sixth part of his substance, to be levied
    Without delay; and the pretence for this
    Is named your wars in France. This makes bold mouths;
    Tongues spit their duties out, and cold hearts freeze
    Allegiance in them; their curses now
    Live where their prayers did; and it's come to pass
    This tractable obedience is a slave
    To each incensd will. I would your highness
    Would give it quick consideration, for
    There is no primer baseness.

King Henry                            By my life,
    This is against our pleasure.

Cardinal                                    And for me,
    I have no further gone in this than by
    A single voice, and that not passed me but
    By learnd approbation of the judges. If I am
    Traduced by ignorant tongues, which neither know
    My faculties nor person, yet will be
    The chronicles of my doing, let me say
    'Tis but the fate of place, and the rough brake
    That virtue must go through. We must not stint
    Our necessary actions, in the fear
    To cope malicious censurers, which ever,
    As ravenous fishes, do a vessel follow
    That is new trimmed, but benefit no further
    Than vainly longing. What we oft do best,
    By sick interpreters, once weak ones, is
    Not ours or not allowed; what worst, as oft
    Hitting a grosser quality, is cried up
    For our best act. If we shall stand still,
    In fear our motion will be mocked or carped at,
    We should take root here where we sit,
    Or sit state-statues only.

King Henry                            Things done well,
    And with a care, exempt themselves from fear;
    Things done without example, in their issue
    Are to be feared. Have you a precedent
    Of this commission? I believe, not any.
    We must not rend our subjects from our laws,
    And stick them in our will. Sixth part of each?
    A trembling contribution! Why, we take
    From every tree, lop, bark and part o'th'timber,
    And though we leave it with a root, thus hacked,
    The air will drink the sap. To every county
    Where this is questioned, send our letters, with
    Free pardon to each man that has denied
    The force of this commission. Pray look to't;
    I put it to your care.

Cardinal            [To SECRETARY.] A word with you.
    Let there be letters writ to every shire,
    Of the king's grace and pardon. The grieved commons
    Hardly conceive of me; let it be noised
    That through our intercession this revokement
    And pardon comes. I shall anon advise you
    Further in the proceeding.
                                            [Exit SECRETARY.
                             Enter SURVEYOR.

Katharine    I am sorry that the Duke of Buckingham
    Is run in your displeasure.

King Henry                                It grieves many:
    The gentleman is learned, and a most rare speaker,
    To nature none more bound; his training such
    That he may furnish and instruct great teachers,
    And never seek for aid out of himself; yet see,
    When these so noble benefits shall prove
    Not well disposed, the mind growing once corrupt,
    They turn to vicious forms, ten times more ugly
    Than ever they were fair. This man so complete,
    Who was enrolled 'mongst wonders, and when we,
    Almost with ravished list'ning, could not find
    His hour of speech a minute, he, my lady,
    Hath into monstrous habits put the graces
    That once were his, and is become as black
    As if besmeared in hell. Sit by us, you shall hear-
    This was his gentleman in trust - of him
    Things to strike honour sad. Bid him recount
    The fore-recited practices, whereof
    We cannot feel too little, hear too much.

Cardinal    Stand forth, and with bold spirit relate what you,
    Most like a careful subject, have collected
    Out of the Duke of Buckingham.

King Henry                                Speak freely.

Surveyor    First, it was usual with him, every day
    It would infect his speech, that if the king
    Should without issue die, he'll carry it so
    To make the sceptre his. These very words
    I've heard him utter to his son-in-law,
    Lord Abergavenny, to whom by oath he menaced
    Revenge upon the cardinal.

Cardinal                                Please your highness, note
    This dangerous conception in this point.
    Not friended by his wish to your high person,
    His will is most malignant, and it stretches
    Beyond you to your friends.

Katharine                            My learned Lord Cardinal,
    Deliver all with charity.

King Henry                            Speak on:
    How grounded he his title to the crown
    Upon our fail? To this point hast thou heard him
    At any time speak aught?

Surveyor                        He was brought to this
    By a vain prophecy of Nicholas Henton.

King Henry    What was that Henton?

Surveyor                        Sir, a Chartreux friar,
    His confessor, who fed him every minute
    With words of sovereignty.

King Henry                            How know'st thou this?

Surveyor    Not long before your highness sped to France,
    The duke being at the Rose, within the parish
    Saint Lawrence Poultney, did of me demand
    What was the speech among the Londoners
    Concerning the French journey. I replied,
    Men feared the French would prove perfidious,
    To the king's danger. Presently the duke
    Said 'twas the fear indeed, and that he doubted
    'Twould prove the verity of certain words
    Spoke by a holy monk, 'that oft', says he,
    'Hath sent to me, wishing me to permit
    John de la Car, my chaplain, a choice hour
    To hear from him a matter of some moment;
    Whom after under the confession's seal
    He solemnly had sworn that what he spoke
    My chaplain to no creature living but
    To me should utter, with demure confidence
    This pausingly ensued: "Neither the king nor's heirs,
    Tell you the duke, shall prosper; bid him strive
    To gain the love o'th'commonalty: the duke
    Shall govern England".

Katharine                            If I know you well,
    You were the duke's surveyor, and lost your office
    On the complaint o'th'tenants. Take good heed
    You charge not in your spleen a noble person,
    And spoil your nobler soul. I say, take heed;
    Yes, heartily beseech you.

King Henry                            Let him on;
    Go forward.

Surveyor    On my soul, I'll speak but truth.
    I told my lord the duke, by the devil's illusions
    The monk might be deceived, and that 'twas dangerous
    To ruminate on this so far until
    It forged him some design, which, being believed,
    It was much like to do. He answered 'Tush!
    It can do me no damage'; adding further,
    That had the king in his last sickness failed,
    The cardinal's and Sir Thomas Lovell's heads
    Should have gone off.

King Henry                        Ha! what, so rank? Ah, ha!
    There's mischief in this man. Canst thou say further?

Surveyor        I can, my liege.

King Henry                    Proceed.

Surveyor                            Being at Greenwich,
    After your highness had reproved the duke
    About Sir William Bulmer-

King Henry                                I remember
    Of such a time; being my sworn servant,
    The duke retained him his. But on; what hence?

Surveyor    'If' quoth he 'I for this had been committed,
    As to the Tower I thought, I would have played
    The part my father meant to act upon
    The usurper Richard, who being at Salisbury,
    Made suit to come in his presence; which if granted,
    As he made semblance of his duty, would
    Have put his knife into him.'

King Henry                                A giant traitor!

Cardinal    Now, madam, may his highness live in freedom,
    And this man out of prison?

Katharine                            God mend all.

King Henry    There's something more would out of thee; what sayst?

Surveyor    After 'the duke his father', with the 'knife',
    He stretched him, and, with one hand on his dagger,
    Another spread on's breast, mounting his eyes,
    He did discharge a horrible oath, whose tenor
    Was, were he evil used, he would outgo
    His father by as much as a performance
    Does an irresolute purpose.

King Henry                            There's his period;
    To sheath his knife in us. He is attached,
    Call him to present trial. If he may
    Find mercy in the law, 'tis his; if none,
    Let him not seek't of us. By day and night
    He's traitor to the height!
                                            [Exeunt.