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That he would please to alter the king's course,
And break the foresaid peace. Let the king know,
(As soon he shall by me,) that thus the cardinal
Does buy and sell his honour as he pleases,
And for his own advantage.

Nor.

I am sorry

To hear this of him; and could wish he were
Something mistaken in 't.

Buck.

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No, not a syllable;

I do pronounce him in that very shape

He shall appear in proof.

Enter BRANDON; a Sergeant at Arms before him, and two or three of the Guard.

Bran. Your office, sergeant; execute it.

Serg.
Sir,
My lord the duke of Buckingham, and earl
Of Hereford, Stafford, and Northampton, I
Arrest thee of high treason, in the name
Of our most sovereign king.

Buck.

Lo you, my lord, The net has fallen upon me; I shall perish Under device and practice.b

Bran.

I am sorry

To see you ta'en from liberty, to look on

The business present: 'T is his highness' pleasure,
You shall to the Tower.

Buck.

It will help me nothing

To plead mine innocence; for that die is on me, Which makes my whitest part black. The will of

heaven

Be done in this and all things!-I obey.

O my lord Aberga'ny, fare you

a Mistaken-misapprehended.

well.

b Practice-artifice. So in 'Othello:'

"Fallen in the practice of a curs'd slave."

Bran. Nay, he must bear you company :-The king [To ABERGAVENNY. Is pleas'd you shall to the Tower, till you know How he determines further.

As the duke said,

Aber.
The will of heaven be done, and the king's pleasure
By me obey'd.

Bran.

Here is a warrant from

The king, to attach lord Montacute; and the bodies
Of the duke's confessor, John de la Car,

One Gilbert Peck, his chancellor,

Buck.

So, so;

These are the limbs of the plot: no more, I hope.
Bran. A monk o' the Chartreux.

Buck.

Bran.

O, Michael Hopkins?

He.

Buck. My surveyor is false; the o'er-great cardinal Hath show'd him gold: my life is spann'd already : I am the shadow of poor Buckingham; Whose figure even this instant cloud puts on, By dark'ning my clear sun.-My lords, farewell. [Exeunt.

SCENE II.-The Council-Chamber.

Cornets. Enter KING HENRY, CARDINAL WOLSEY, the Lords of the Council, SIR THOMAS LOvell, Officers, and Attendants. The KING enters, leaning on the CARDINAL's shoulder.

K. Hen. My life itself, and the best heart of it,
Thanks you for this great care: I stood i' the level
Of a full-charg'd confederacy, and give thanks
To you that chok'd it.-Let be call'd 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.

The KING takes his State. The Lords of the Council take their several places. The CARDINAL places himself under the KING's feet, on his right side. A noise within, crying, Room for the Queen! Enter the QUEEN, ushered by the DUKES OF NORFOLK and SUFFOLK she kneels. The KING riseth from his State, takes her up, kisses, and placeth her by him. Q. Kath. Nay, we must longer kneel; I am a suitor. K. Hen. 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.

Q. Kath.

Thank your majesty.

That you would love yourself, and, in that love,
Not unconsider'd leave your honour, nor

The dignity of your office, is the point

Of my petition.

K. Hen.

Lady mine, proceed.

Q. Kath. 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 them, which have flaw'd 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.

Nor.
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, compell'd 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.

K. Hen.

Taxation!

Wherein and what taxation?-My lord cardinal,
You that are blam'd for it alike with us,
Know you of this taxation?

Wol.

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.

Q. Kath. 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 them The back is sacrifice to the load. They say They are devis'd by you; or else you suffer Too hard an exclamation.

K. Hen.

Still exaction!

The nature of it? In what kind, let's know,
Is this exaction?

Q. Kath.

I am much too venturous

In tempting of your patience; but am bolden'd
Under your promis'd pardon. The subject's grief
Comes through commissions, which compel from each
The sixth part of his substance, to be levied

Without delay; and the pretence for this

Is nam'd, 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 incensed will. I would your highness
Would give it quick consideration, for

There is no primer baseness.

K. Hen.

This is against our pleasure.

Wol.

By my life,

And for me,

I have no further gone in this, than by

A single voice; and that not pass'd me, but
By learned approbation of the judges. If I am
Traduc'd by ignorant tongues, which neither know
My faculties, nor person, yet will be

The chronicles of my doing,-let me say

"T is 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 trimm'd; but benefit no further
Than vainly longing. What we oft do best,
By sick interpreters, once weak ones, is
Not ours, or not allow'd; 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 mock'd or carp'd at,
We should take root here where we sit, or sit
State statues only.

K. Hen.

Things done well,

And with a care, exempt themselves from fear;
Things done without example, in their issue
Are to be fear'd. 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' the timber;

a Once is here used in the sense of sometimes.

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