Read King John & Henry VIII Online
Authors: William Shakespeare
Was a deep
envious
57
one.
FIRST GENTLEMAN
At
his
58
return
No doubt he will
requite
59
it: this is noted,
And
generally
60
, whoever the king favours,
The card’nal instantly will find employment,
And far enough from court too.
SECOND GENTLEMAN
All the commons
Hate him
perniciously
64
and, o’my conscience,
Wish him ten fathom deep: this duke as much
They love and dote on, call him ‘bounteous Buckingham,
The
mirror
67
of all courtesy’—
Enter Buckingham from his arraignment,
Tipstaves
before him, the
axe with the edge towards him
,
Halberds
on each side, accompanied with Sir Thomas Lovell, Sir Nicholas Vaux, Sir William Sands, and Common People etc
.
FIRST GENTLEMAN
Stay there, sir,
And see the noble ruined man you speak of.
SECOND GENTLEMAN
Let’s stand
close
70
and behold him.
BUCKINGHAM
All good people,
You that thus far have come to pity me:
Hear what I say, and then go home and
lose
73
me.
I have this day received a traitor’s
judgement
74
,
And by that name must die: yet heaven bear witness,
And if I have a conscience, let it
sink
76
me,
Even as the axe falls, if I be not faithful.
The law I bear no malice for my death,
’T has done upon the
premises
79
, but justice:
But those that sought it I could wish
more
80
Christians:
Be what they will, I heartily forgive ’em:
Yet let ’em
look
82
they glory not in mischief,
Nor build their
evils
83
on the graves of great men,
For then my guiltless blood must cry against ’em.
For further life in this world I ne’er hope,
Nor will I
sue
86
, although the king have mercies
More than I dare make faults
87
. You few that loved me,
And dare be bold to weep for Buckingham,
His noble friends and fellows, whom to leave
Is
only bitter to him, only dying
90
:
Go with me like good angels to my end,
And as the long
divorce of steel
92
falls on me,
Make of your prayers one sweet
sacrifice
93
,
To Lovell
And lift my soul to heaven.— Lead on, i’God’s name.
LOVELL
I do beseech your grace, for charity,
If ever any malice in your heart
Were hid against me, now to forgive me frankly.
BUCKINGHAM
Sir Thomas Lovell, I as free forgive you
As I would be forgiven: I forgive all.
There cannot be those numberless offences
Gainst me that I cannot
take
peace with: no black
envy
101
Shall make my grave. Commend me to his grace:
And if he speak of Buckingham, pray tell him
You met him half in heaven: my vows and prayers
Yet
are the king’s, and, till my soul
forsake
105
,
Shall cry for blessings on him. May he live
Longer than I have time to
tell
107
his years:
Ever beloved and loving may his rule be:
And when
old time
109
shall lead him to his end,
Goodness and he fill up one
monument
110
.
LOVELL
To th’water-side I must conduct your grace,
Then give my
charge
112
up to Sir Nicholas Vaux,
Who
undertakes
113
you to your end.
VAUX
Prepare there,
The duke is coming: see the barge be ready,
And fit it with such
furniture
116
as suits
The greatness of his person.
BUCKINGHAM
Nay, Sir Nicholas,
Let it alone: my
state
119
now will but mock me.
When I came hither, I was Lord High Constable
And Duke of Buckingham: now, poor Edward Bohun:
Yet I am richer than my
base
122
accusers,
That never knew what
truth
meant. I now
seal
123
it,
And with that blood will make ’em one day groan for’t.
My noble father, Henry of Buckingham,
Who first raised
head
against usurping
Richard
126
,
Flying for succour to his servant Banister,
Being distressed, was by that wretch betrayed,
And without trial fell: God’s peace be with him.
Henry the Seventh succeeding, truly pitying
My father’s loss, like a most royal prince,
Restored me to my honours, and out of ruins
Made my name once more noble. Now his son,
Henry the Eighth, life, honour, name and all
That made me happy, at one
stroke
135
has taken
For ever from the world. I had my trial,
And must needs say a noble one, which makes me
A little
happier
138
than my wretched father:
Yet thus far we are one in fortunes: both
Fell by our servants, by those men we loved most:
A most unnatural and faithless service.
Heaven has an
end
142
in all: yet, you that hear me,
This
from a dying man receive as certain
143
:
Where you are
liberal of
144
your loves and counsels,
Be sure you be not
loose
145
: for those you make friends
And give your hearts to, when they once perceive
The least
rub
147
in your fortunes, fall away
Like water from ye, never found again
But
149
where they mean to sink ye. All good people,
Pray for me. I must now forsake ye: the last hour
Of my long weary life is come upon me. Farewell:
And when you would say something that is sad,
Speak how I fell. I have done, and God forgive me.
Exeunt Duke and train
FIRST GENTLEMAN
O, this is full of pity. Sir, it calls,
I fear, too many curses on their heads
That were the
authors
156
.
SECOND GENTLEMAN
If the duke be guiltless,
FIRST GENTLEMAN
Good angels keep it from us.
What may it be? You do not doubt my
faith
162
, sir?
SECOND GENTLEMAN
This secret is so weighty, ’twill require
A strong faith to conceal it.
FIRST GENTLEMAN
Let me have it:
I do not talk much.
SECOND GENTLEMAN
I
am confident
167
:
You
shall
, sir: did you not of
late
168
days hear
A
buzzing
169
of a separation
Between the king and Katherine?
FIRST GENTLEMAN
Yes, but it
held not
171
:
For when the king once heard it, out of anger
He sent command to the Lord Mayor
straight
173
To stop the rumour, and
allay
174
those tongues
That durst disperse it.
SECOND GENTLEMAN
But that slander, sir,
Is found a truth now: for it grows again
Fresher than e’er it was, and
held for
178
certain
The king will
venture at it
179
. Either the cardinal,
Or some
about him near
180
, have, out of malice
To the good queen,
possessed him with a scruple
181
That will undo her: to confirm this too,
Cardinal Campeius
183
is arrived, and lately,
As all think, for this business.
FIRST GENTLEMAN
’Tis the cardinal:
And merely to revenge him on the
emperor
186
For not bestowing on him at his asking
The archbishopric of Toledo, this is
purposed
188
.
SECOND GENTLEMAN
I think you
have hit the
mark
189
: but is’t not cruel
That she should feel the
smart
190
of this? The cardinal
Will have his will, and she must fall.
FIRST GENTLEMAN
’Tis woeful.
We are too
open
193
here to argue this:
Let’s think in private more.
Exeunt
running scene 5
Enter Lord Chamberlain, reading this letter
CHAMBERLAIN
‘My lord, the horses your lordship sent for, with
all the care I had, I saw well chosen,
ridden
and
furnished
2
.
They were young and handsome, and of the best breed in the
north. When they were ready to set out for London, a man of
my lord cardinal’s, by
commission
and
main
5
power, took ’em
from me, with this reason: his master would be served before
a subject, if not before the king, which stopped our mouths,
sir.’ I fear he will indeed: well, let him have them: he will have
all, I think.
Enter to the Lord Chamberlain the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk
NORFOLK
Well met, my Lord Chamberlain.
CHAMBERLAIN
Good day to both your graces.
SUFFOLK
How is the king employed?
CHAMBERLAIN
I left him
private
13
,
Full of
sad
14
thoughts and troubles.
NORFOLK
What’s the cause?
CHAMBERLAIN
It seems the marriage with his brother’s wife
Has crept too near his conscience.
SUFFOLK
No, his
conscience
18
Has crept too near another lady.
NORFOLK
’Tis so:
This is the cardinal’s doing: the king-cardinal,
That
blind
22
priest, like the eldest son of fortune,
SUFFOLK
Pray God he do: he’ll never know himself else.
NORFOLK
How holily
he
25
works in all his business,
And with what zeal! For now he has cracked the league
Between us and the emperor, the queen’s great-nephew,
He dives into the king’s soul, and there scatters
Dangers, doubts, wringing of the conscience,
Fears, and despairs, and all these for his marriage.
And out of all these, to restore the king,
He counsels a divorce, a loss of her
That like a jewel has hung twenty years
About his neck, yet never lost her lustre:
Of her that loves him with that excellence
That angels love good men with: even of her
That when the greatest stroke of fortune falls
Will bless the king: and is not this course pious?
CHAMBERLAIN
Heaven keep me from such counsel: ’tis most true