Have ever come too short of my defires,

Yet, fill'd with my abilities; mine own Ends
Have been mine so, that evermore they pointed
To th' good of your most sacred person, and
The profit of the state. For your great graces
Heap'd upon me, poor un-deserver, I
Can nothing render but allegiant thanks,
My prayers to heav'n for you; my loyalty,
Which ever has, and ever shall be growing,
'Till death, that winter, kill it.

King. Fairly answer'd; A loyal and obedient subject is Therein illustrated; the honour of it Does pay the act of it, as o'th' contrary, The foulness is the punishment. I prefume, That as my hand has open'd bounty to you, My heart dropp'd love, my pow'r rain'd honour more On you, than any; fo your hand and heart, Your brain, and every function of your power, Should notwithstanding that your bond of Duty, As 'twere in love's particular, be more To me, your friend, than any.

Wol. I profess,

That for your Highness' good I ever labour'd,
More than mine own; that am I, have been, will be:

the word is here used, alters it to ambition. WARBURTON.

To put ambition in the place of endeavours is certainly wrong; and to explain endeavours by deferts is not right. The sense, and that not very difficult, is, my purposes went beyond all human endeavour, I purposed for your honour more than it falls within the compass of man's nature to attempt.

7 Yet, fill'd with my abilities.) My endeavours, though less than my defires, have fill'd; that is,

gone an equal pace with my abilities.

8 o'th' contrary

The foulness is the punishment.] So Hanmer. The rest read, th contrary.

9-notwithstanding that your bond of duty.] Befides the general bond of duty by which you are obliged to be a loyal and obedient fubject, you owe a particular devotion of yourself to me, as your particular benefac

tor.

Though

1

Though all the world should crack their duty to you,
And throw it from their foul; though perils did
Abound, as thick as thought could make 'em, and
Appear in forms more horrid; yet my duty,
As doth a rock against the chiding flood,
Should the approach of this wild river break,
And stand unshaken yours.

King. 'Tis nobly spoken;
Take notice, Lords, he has a loyal breast,
For you have seen him open't. Read o'er this,

[Giving him papers.

And, after, this; and then to breakfast, with
What appetite you may.

[Exit King, frowning upon Cardinal Wolfey; the No
bles throng after him, whispering and smiling.

SCENE IV.

Wol. What should this mean?

What fudden anger's this? how have I reap'd it?
He parted frowning from me, as if ruin
Leap'd from his eyes. So looks the chafed lion
Upon the daring huntsman that has gall'd him,
Then makes him nothing. I must read this paper:
I fear, the story of his anger-'tis fo
This paper has undone me-'tis th'account
Of all that world of wealth I've drawn together
For mine own ends; indeed, to gain the Popedom,
And fee my friends in Rome. O negligence,
Fit for a fool to fall by! What cross devil
Made me put this main secret in the packet
I fent the King? Is there no way to cure this?
No new device to beat this from his brains?
I know, 'twill ftir him strongly; yet I know
A way, if it take right, in spight of fortune
Will bring me off again. What's this-To the Pope?
The letter, as I live, with all the business
I writ to's Holiness. Nay, then farewel;

I've touch'd the highest point of all my Greatness,
And from that full meridian of my glory
I haste now to my fetting. I shall fall,
Like a bright exhalation in the evening;
And no man fee me more.

SCENE V.

Enter to Wolfey, the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, the Earl of Surrey, and the Lord Chamberlain.

Nor. Hear the King's pleafure, Cardinal, who commands you

To render up the Great Seal presently
Into our hands, and to confine yourself
To Asher-bouse, my Lord of Winchester's,
'Till you hear further from his Highness.
Wol. Stay.

A

Where's your commiffion, Lords? words cannot carry Authority so mighty.

Suf. Who dare cross 'em,

Bearing the King's will from his mouth exprefly? Wol. 'Till I find more than will, or words to do it, (I mean, your malice;) know, officious Lords,

'Till I find more than will, or
words to do it,

(I mean your malice;) knowI dare-deny it.] They bid him render up his feal. He answers, where's your commission? They say, we bear the King's will from his mouth. He replies, 'Till I find, &c. i. e. all the will or words I yet discover proceed from your malice; and, 'till I find more than that, I shall not comply with your demand. One would think this plain enough; yet the Oxford

I dare, and must deny it. Now I feel
Of what coarse metal ye are moulded, Envy.
How eagerly ye follow my disgrace,
As if it fed ye; and how fleek, and wanton,
Y'appear in every thing may bring my ruin.
Follow your envious courses, men of malice';
You've chriftian warrant for 'em, and, no doubt,
In time will find their fit rewards. That Seal,
You ask with such a violence, the King,
Mine and your master, with his own hand gave me,
Bad me enjoy it, with the place and honours,
During my life; and, to confirm his goodness,
Ty'd it by letters patent. Now, who'll take it ?
Sur. The King, that gave it.
Wol. It must be himself then.

Sur. Thou'rt a proud traitor, prieft.

Wol. Proud Lord, thou lieft;
Within these forty hours Surrey durst better
Have burnt that tongue, than faid fo.

Sur. Thy ambition,

Thou scarlet fin, robb'd this bewailing land
Of noble Buckingham, my father-in-law.
The heads of all thy brother Cardinals,
With thee, and all thy best parts bound together,
Weigh'd not a hair of his. Plague on your policy!
You fent me Deputy for Ireland,

Far from his fuccour, from the King, from all,
That might have mercy on the fault, thou gav'st him,
Whilft your great goodness, out of holy pity,
Abfolv'd him with an ax.

Wol. This, and all elfe
This talking Lord can lay upon my credit,
I answer, is most false. The Duke by law

Found his deferts. How innocent I was
From any private malice in his end,
His noble jury and foul cause can witness.
If I lov'd many words, Lord, I should tell you,

You have as little honesty as honour;
That I, i'th' way of loyalty and truth
Toward the King, my ever royal master,
Dare mate a founder man than Surrey can be,
And all that love his follies.

Sur. By my foul,

Your long coat, priest, protects you; thou should'st

feel

My Lords,

My sword i'th' life blood of thee else.
Can ye endure to hear this arrogance ?
And from this fellow? if we live thus tamely,
To be thus jaded by a piece of scarlet,
Farewel, nobility; let his Grace go forward,
And dare us with his cap, like larks.
Wol. All goodness

Is poison to thy stomach.

Sur. Yes, that goodness.

Of gleaning all the land's wealth into one,
Into your own hands, Card'nal, by extortion;
The goodness of your intercepted packets
You writ to th' Pope, against the King; your goodness,
Since you provoke me shall be most notorious.
My Lord of Norfolk, as you're truly noble,
As you respect the common good, the state
Of our defpis'd nobility, our issues,
Who, if he live, will scarce be gentlemen;
Produce the grand fum of his fins, the articles
Collected from his life. I'll startle you,

* Worse than the facring bell, when the brown wench

2 Worse than the facring Bell.] The little bell which is rung to give notice of the Huft approaching when it is carried in Proceffion, as alfo in other ofVOL. V.

fices of the Romish Church, is called the Sacring, or Confecration Bell; from the French Word,

Sacrer.

Gg

THEOBALD.

Lay