You fhall to the Tower.

Buck. It will help me nothing

To plead mine innocence; for that die is on me, Which makes my whiteft part black. The will of heaven Be done in this and all things!-I obey.

O my lord Aberga'ny, fare ye well.

Bran. Nay, he must bear you company :-The king

[To ABERG. Is pleas'd, you fhall to the Tower, till you know How he determines further.

Aber. As the duke faid,

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 confeffor, John de la Car,

And Gilbert Peck, his chancellor.

Buck. So, fo;

These are the limbs o' the plot: No more, I hope ?

Bran. A monk o' the Chartreux.

Buck. O, Nicholas Hopkins.

Bran. He.

Buck. My furveyor is false; the o'er-great cardinal Hath fhew'd him gold: my life is fpann'd already :(8) I am the fhadow of poor Buckingham;

Whofe figure even this inftant cloud puts on,

By dark'ning my clear fun. My lord, farewel. [Exeunt.

SCENE II.

The Council-Chamber. Cornet. Enter King HENRY, leaning on the Cardinal's Shoulder; the Nobles, and Sir THOMAS LOVEL. The Cardinal places himself under the King's Feet, on his right Side.

King. My life itself, and the best heart of it,(1) Thanks you for this great care: I ftood i' the level

(8) To fpan is to gripe, or inclofe in the hand; to fpan is alfo to meafure by the palm and fingers. The meaning, therefore, may either be, that hold is taken of my life, my life is in the gripe of my enemies;" or that my time is measured, the length of my life is now determined." JOHNS. (1) Heart is not here taken for the great organ of circulation and life, but, in a common and popular fenfe, for the most valuable or precious part. Our author, in Hamlet, mentions the "heart of heart." Exhaufted and effete ground is faid by the farmer to be "out of heart." The hard and inner part of the oak is called "heart of oak.” ib.

Of a full-charg'd confederacy ;(2) and give thanks
To you that choak'd it.-Let be call'd before us
That gentleman of Buckingham's in perfon
I'll hear him his confeffions justify;

:

And point by point the treasons of his mafter
He shall again relate.

A Noife within, crying, Room for the Queen. Enter
the Queen, ubered by the Dukes of NORFOLK and
SUFFOLK he kneels. The King rifeth from his
State, takes her up, kisses, and placeth her by him.
Queen. Nay, we muft longer kneel; I am a fuitor.
King. Arife, and take your place by us:-Half your fuit
Never name to us; you have half our power :
The other moiety, ere you afk, is given;
Repeat your will, and take it.

Queen. Thank your majesty.

-That you would love yourfelf; and in that love Not unconfider'd leave your honour, nor

The dignity of your office, is the point

Of my petition.

King. Lady mine, proceed.

Queen. I am folicited, not by a few,

And thofe of true condition, that your subjects

Are in great grievance: There have been commiffions

Sent down among 'em, which have flaw'd the heart
Of all their loyalties :-wherein although,

My good lord cardinal, they vent reproaches
Moft bitterly on you, as putter-on

Of thefe exactions, yet the king our mafter

[To WOL.

(Whofe honor heaven shield from foil!) even he efcapes not Language unmannerly; yea fuch, which breaks

The fides of loyalty, and almost appears

In loud rebellion.

Nor. Not almost appears,

It doth appear for, upon thefe taxations,
The clothiers all, not able to maintain
The many to them 'longing,(3) have put off
The spinfters, carders, fullers, weavers, who,
Unfit for other life, compell'd by hunger
And lack of other means, in defperate manner

(2) To ftand in the level of a gun is to ftand in a line with its mouth, To as to be hit by the fhot. JOHNS.

(3) The many is the meiny, the train, the people. Dryden is, perhaps, the laft that used this word,-"The kings before their many rode." JOH.

Daring the event to the teeth, are all in uproar,
And Danger ferves among them.(4)

King. 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, fir,

I know but of a fingle part, in aught

Pertains to the ftate; and front but in that file

Where others tell fteps with me.(5)

Queen. 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 muft
Perforce be their acquaintance. These exactions,
Whereof my fovereign would have note, they are
Moft peftilent to the hearing; and, to bear them,
The back is facrifice to the load. They fay,
They are devis'd by you; or else you suffer
Too hard an exclamation.

King. Still, exaction!

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

Queen. I am much too venturous

In tempting of your patience; but am bolden'd Under your promis'd pardon. The fubjects' grief Comes through commiffions, which compel from each The fixth part of his substance, to be levy'd

Without delay; and the pretence for this

Is nam'd, your wars in France: This makes bold mouths: Tongues fpit their duties out, and cold hearts freeze Allegiance in them; their curses now,

Live where their prayers did; and it's come to pass,
That tractable obedience is a slavé

To each incenfed will. I would, your highness
Would give it quick confideration, for

There is no primer business.

King. By my life,

This is against our pleasure.

(4) Could one eafily believe, that a writer, who had, but immediately be fore, funk fo low in his expreffion, should here rife again to a height fo truly fublime where, by the nobleft ftretch of fancy, Danger is perfonalized as ferving in the rebel army, and shaking the eftablished government. WARB. (5) I am but primus inter pares. I am but firft in the row of counsellors. JOHNS.

Wol. And for me,

I have no further gone in this, than by
A fingle voice; and that not past me, but
By learned approbation of the judges.

If I am

Traduc'd by ignorant tongues-which neither know My faculties, nor perfon, yet will be

The chronicles of my doing-let me say,

'Tis but the fate of place, and the rough brake
That virtue muft go through. We must not sting
Our neceffary actions, in the fear

To cope malicious cenfurers ;(6) which ever
As ravenous fifhes do a veffel follow

That is new trimm'd, but benefit no further
Than vainly longing. What we oft do beft,
By fick interpreters, (or weak ones), is

Not ours, or not allow'd; what worst, as oft,
Hitting a groffer quality,(7) is cry'd up

For our beft 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 fit, or fit
State-ftatues only.

King. 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 commiffion? I believe, not any.

We must not rend our fubjects 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 ;(8)
And, though we leave it with a root, thus hack'd,
The air will drink the fap. To every county,
Where this is queftion'd, fend our letters, with
Free pardon to each man that hath deny'd
The force of this commiffion : Pray, look to't:
I put it to your care.

Wol. A word with you.

Let there be letters writ to every shire,

[To the Secretary.

Of the king's grace and pardon. The griev'd commons Hardly conceive of me; let it be nois'd,

(6) To cope-to engage with; to encounter. The word is ftill used in fome counties. JOHNS.

(7) The worst actions of great men are commended by the vulgar, as more accommodated to the groffnefs of their notions. (8) Lop is a fubitantive, and fignifies the branches.

JOHNS.
WARB,

That, through our interceffion, this revokement
And pardon comes: I fhall anon advise you
Further in the proceeding.

Enter Surveyor.

[Exit Secretary.

Queen. I am forry, that the duke of Buckingham Is run in your displeasure.

King. It grieves many:

The gentleman is learn'd; a moft rare speaker;
To nature none more bound; his training fuch,
That he may furnish and inftruct great teachers,
And never feek for aid out of himself.(9) Yet fee,
When these so noble benefits fhall prove

Not well difpos'd,(1) the mind growing once corrupt,
They turn to vicious forms, ten times more ugly
Than ever they were fair. This man, fo complete,
Who was enroll'd 'mongst wonders, and when we,
Almost with ravish'd list’ning, could not find
His hour of speech a minute ;(2) he, my lady,
Hath into monftrous habits put the graces
That once were his, and is become as black
As if besmear'd in hell. Sit by us; you shall hear
(This was his gentleman in truft) of him

Things to ftrike honour fad.-Bid him recount

The fore-recited practices; whereof

We cannot feel too little, hear too much.

Wol. Stand forth; and with bold spirit relate what

you,

Moft like a careful subject, have collected

Out of the duke of Buckingham.

King. Speak freely.

Surv. First, it was ufual with him, every day It would infect his fpeech, That, if the king Should without iffue die, he'd carry it fo

To make the scepter his

Thefe very words

I have heard him utter to his fon-in-law,

Lord Aberga'ny; to whom by oath he menac'd
Revenge upon the cardinal.

Wol. Please your highness, note

This dangerous conception in this point.(3)

(9) Beyond the treafures of his own mind. JOHNS.

(1) Great gifts of nature and education, not joined with good difpo$tions.

JOHNS.

(2) To liften a man, for, to hearken to him, is commonly ufed by our author. So by Milton, ....I liften'd them awhile. JOHNS.

(3) Note this particular part of this dangerous defign." JOHNS.