To his own portion! and what expence by the hour
Seems to flow from him! How, i' the name of thrift,
Does he rake this together!-Now, my lords;
Saw you the cardinal?

Nor.

My lord, we have

Stood here observing him: Some strange commotion
Is in his brain: he bites his lip, and starts;
Stops on a sudden, looks upon the ground,
Then, lays his finger or his temple; straight,
Springs out into fast gait; then, stops again,
Strikes his breast hard; and anon, he casts
His eye against the moon: in most strange postures
We have seen him set himself.

K. Hen.

5

It may well be;
There is a mutiny in his mind. This morning
Papers of state he sent me to peruse,
As I requir'd; And, wot you, what I found
There; on my conscience, put unwittingly?
Forsooth, an inventory, thus importing,-
The several parcels of his plate, his treasure,
Rich stuffs, and ornaments of household; which
I find at such proud rate, that it out-speaks
Possession of a subject.

Nor.

It's heaven's will;

If we did think

Some spirit put this paper in the packet,
To bless your eye withal.

K. Hen.

His contemplation were above the earth,
And fix'd on spiritual object, he should still

destitute of a mass of money, he should not need to seek further therefore than to the coffers of the bishop. Of all which when the bishop had intelligence, &c. he was stricken with such grief of the same, that he shortly, through extreme sorrow, ended his life at London, in the year of Christ 1523 After which, the cardinal, who had long before gaped after his bishoprick, in singular hope to attain thereunto, had now his wish in effect," &c.

Steevens.

5 then, stops again,] Sallust, describing the disturbed state of Catiline's mind, takes notice of the same circumstance:

66 citus modo, modo tardus incessus." Steevens.

6 Strikes his breast hard; and anon, he casts —] Here I think we should be at liberty to complete a defective verse, by reading, with Sir Thomas Hanmer:

and then, anon, he casts -, Steevens.

Dwell in his musings; but, I am afraid,

His thinkings are below the moon, not worth

His serious considering. [He takes his seat, and whispers Lov. who goes to WoL. Heaven forgive me!

Wol.

Ever God bless your highness!

Of

K. Hen.

Good my lord,

You are full of heavenly stuff, and bear the inventory
your best graces
in your mind; the which
You were now running o'er; you have scarce time
To steal from spiritual leisure a brief span,
To keep your earthly audit: Sure, in that
I deem you an ill husband; and am glad
To have you therein my companion.

Wol.

Sir,

For holy offices I have a time; a time
To think upon the part of business, which
I bear i' the state; and nature does require
Her times of preservation, which, perforce,
I her frail son, amongst my brethren mortal,
Must give my tendance to.

K. Hen.

You have said well. Wol. And ever may your highness yoke together, As I will lend you cause, my doing well

With my well saying!

K. Ken.

'Tis well said again;

And 'tis a kind of good deed, to say well:

And yet words are no deeds. My father lov'd you:
He said, he did; and with his deed did crown
His word upon you. Since I had my office,
I have kept you next my heart; have not alone
Employ'd you where high profits might come home,
But par'd my present havings, to bestow

My bounties upon you.

Wol,

What should this mean?
Sur. The lord increase this business!
K. Hen.

[Aside.

Have I not made you

The prime man of the state? I pray you, tell me,
If what I now pronounce, you have found true:

7

with his deed did crown

His word-] So, in Macbeth:

"To crown my thoughts with acts - ." Steevens.~

And, if you may confess it, say withal,
If you are bound to us, or no. What say you?

Wol. My sovereign, I confess, your royal graces,
Shower'd on me daily, have been more, than could
My studied purposes requite; which went
Beyond all man's endeavours: 8-my endeavours
Have ever come too short of my desires,
Yet, fil'd with my abilities: Mine own ends
Have been mine so, that evermore they pointed
To the good of your most sacred person, and
The profit of the state. For your great graces
Heap'd upon me, poor undeserver, I

Can nothing render but allegiant thanks;
My prayers to heaven for you; my loyalty,
Which ever has, and ever shall be growing,
Till death, that winter, kill it.

K. Hen.

Fairly answer'd; A loyal and obedient subject is

Therein illustrated: The honour of it
Does pay the act of it; as, i' the contrary,
The foulness is the punishment. I presume,
That, as my hand has open'd bounty to you,
My heart dropp'd love, my power rain'd honour, more
On you,1 than any; so your hand, and heart,

8 Beyond all man's endeavours:] The sense is, my purposes went beyond all human endeavour. I purpose for your honour more than it falls within the compass of man's nature to attempt.

Johnson. I am rather inclined to think, that which refers to "royal graces;" which, says Wolsey, no human endeavour could requite. Malone.

9 Yet, fil'd with my abilities:] My endeavours, though less than my desires, have fil'd, that is, have gone an equal pace with my abilities. Johnson.

So, in a preceding scene:

1

front but in that file

"Where others tell steps with me." Steevens.

my hand has open'd bounty to you,

My heart dropp'd love, my power rain'd honour, more

On you, &c.] As Ben Jonson is supposed to have made some alterations in this play, it may not be amiss to compare the passage before us, with another, on the same subject, in the New Inn "He gave me my first breeding, I acknowledge; "Then shower'd his bounties on me, like the hours "That open-handed sit upon the clouds,

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 do profess, That for your highness' good I ever labour'd More than mine own; that am, have, and will be.3 Though all the world should crack their duty to you, And throw it from their soul; though perils did Abound, as thick as thought could make them, 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.

K. Hen. 'Tis nobly spoken: Take notice, lords, he has a loyal breast,

2

"And press the liberality of heaven
"Down to the laps of thankful men."

Steevens.

notwithstanding that your bond of duty,] Besides the general bond of duty, by which you are obliged to be a loyal and obedient subject, you owe a particular devotion of yourself to me, as your particular benefactor. Johnson.

3

that am, have, and will be] I can find no meaning in these words, or see how they are connected with the rest of the sentence; and should therefore strike them out. M. Mason.

suppose the meaning is, that, or such a man, I am, have been, and will ever be. Our author has many hard and forced expressions in his plays; but many of the hardnesses in the piece before us appear to me of a different colour from those of Shakspeare. Perhaps, however, a line following this had been lost; for in the old copy there is no stop at the end of this line; and, indeed, I have some doubt whether a comma ought not to be placed at it, rather than a full point. Malone.

4 As doth a rock against the chiding flood,] So, in our author's 116th Sonnet:

66- it is an ever-fixed mark,

"That looks on tempests, and is never shaken."

The chiding flood is the resounding flood. So, in the verses in commendation of our author, by J. M. S. prefixed to the folio, 1632:

there plays a fair

"But chiding fountain."

See Vol. IX, p. 266, n. 8. Malone.

See also Vol. II, p. 344, n. 4. Steevens.

“Ille, velut pelagi rupes immota, resistit.”

En. VII, 586. S. W.

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 have.

[Exit King, frowning upon Cardinal WoL. the Nobles throng after him, smiling, and whispering. Wol. What should this mean? What sudden 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 so;

This

paper has undone me:-'Tis the account Of all that world of wealth I have 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 sent the king? Is there no way to cure this? No new device to beat this from his brains? I know, 'twill stir him strongly; Yet I know A way, if it take right, in spite 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 his holiness. Nay then, farewel!

I have touch'd the highest point of all my greatness;5
And, from that full meridian of my glory,

I haste now to my setting: I shall fall
Like a bright exhalation in the evening,
And no man see me more.

Re-enter the Dukes of NORFOLK and SUFFOLK, the Earl of SURREY, and the Lord Chamberlain.

Nor. Hear the king's pleasure, cardinal: who commands you

5 I have touch'd the highest point of all my greatness;] So, in Marlowe's King Edward II:

"Base fortune, now I see that in thy wheel "There is a point, to which when men ast "They tumble headlong down. That por "And seeing there was no place to mo "Why should I grieve at my declining 6 Re-enter the Dukes &c.] It may not be impro