Your patience to you, and be well contented

To make your house our Tower: You a brother of us,(9)
It fits we thus proceed, or else no witness
Would come against you.

Cran. [Kneeling.] I humbly thank your highness;
And am right glad to catch this good occafion
Moft thoroughly to be winnow'd, where

my chaff And corn fhall fly afunder: for, I know,

There's none ftands under more calumnious tongues,
Than I myself, poor man.

King. Stand up, good Canterbury ;

Thy truth, and thy integrity, is rooted

In us, thy friend: Give me thy hand, stand up; Pr'ythee, let's walk. [CRANMER rifes.] Now, by my holy Dame,

What manner of man are you? My lord, I look'd
You would have given me your petition, that
I should have ta'en fome pains to bring together
Yourself and your accufers; and to have heard you,
Without indurance, further.

Cran. Moft dread liege,

The good I ftand on is my truth, and honesty ;(1).
If they fhall fail, I with mine enemies

Will triumph o'er my perfon; which I weigh not,
Being of those virtues vacant. I fear nothing

Which can be faid against me.

King. Know you not

How your ftate ftands i'the world, with the whole world?
Your foes are many, and not small; their practices
Muft bear the fame proportion and not ever
The juftice and the truth o'the question carries
The due o'the verdict with it. At what ease
Might corrupt minds procure knaves as corrupt
To fwear againft you? Such things have been done.
You are potently oppos'd; and with a malice
Of as great a fize. Ween you of better luck,
I mean, in perjur'd witnefs, than your Mafter,
Whofe minifter you are, while here he liv'd
Upon this naughty earth? Go to, go to,
You take a precipice for no leap of danger,

(9) You being one of the council, it is neceffary to imprison you, that the witnesses againft you may not be deterr'd. JOHNS.

(1) Tho' 'good' may be taken for advantage or fuperiority, or any thing which may help or fupport, yet it would, I think, be more natural to fay, JOHNS.

The ground I ftand on.................................

And woo your own deftruction.

Cran. God, and your majefty

Protect mine innocence, or I fall into

The trap is laid for me!

King. Be of good cheer ;

They fhall no more prevail, than we give way to
Keep comfort to you; and this morning fee
You do appear before them: if they fhall chance,
In charging you with matters, to commit you,
The best perfuafions to the contrary

Fail not to use, and with what vehemency
The occafion fhall inftruct you. If intreaties
Will render you no remedy, this ring

Deliver them, and your appeal to us

There make before them.Look, the good man weeps! He's honeft, on mine honour. God's bleft mother!

I fwear, he is true-hearted; and a foul

None better in my kingdom.-Get you gone,

And do as I have bid you.-He has ftrangled
His language in his tears.

Enter an old Lady.

[Exit CRANMER.

?

Gen. [Within.] Come back; what mean you Lady. I'll not come back; the tidings that I bring Will make my boldness manners.-Now good angels Fly o'er thy royal head, and fhade thy perfon Under their bleffed wings!

King. Now, by thy looks

I guess thy meffage. Is the

Say, ay; and of a boy.

Lady. Ay, ay, my liege;

queen deliver'd?

And of a lovely boy: The God of heaven
Both now and ever blefs her !(2)——'tis a girl,
Promifes boys hereafter. Sir, your queen

Defires your vifitation, and to be

Acquainted with this ftranger; 'tis as like you,
As cherry is to cherry.

King. Lovel

Lov. Sir.

Enter LOVEL.

King. Give her an hundred marks; I'll to the

queen. [Exit King.

Lady. An hundred marks! by this light, I'll have more.

(2) It is doubtful whether 'her' is referred to the queen or the girl. JOH.

An ordinary groom is for fuch payment.
I will have more, or fcold it out of him.
Said I for this, the girl was like him? I'll
Have more, or else unfay't. Now, while 'tis hot,
I'll put it to the issue.

SCENE II.

[Exeunt.

Before the Council-Chamber. Enter CRANMER. Cran. I hope I am not too late; and yet the gentleman, That was fent to me from the council, pray'd me To make great hafte. All faft? what means this?-hoa? Who waits there?

Enter Door-Keeper.

Sure, you know me?

D. Keep. Yes, my lord;

But yet I cannot help you.
Cran. Why?

D. Keep. Your grace must wait till you be call'd for.

Cran. So.

Enter Doctor BUTTS.

Butts. This is a piece of malice. I am glad

I came this way fo happily: the king
Shall understand it presently.

Cran. [Afide.] 'Tis Butts,

The king's physician; as he past along,

How earneftly he caft his eyes upon me!

[Exit BUTTS.

Pray heaven he found not my difgrace! For certain,
This is of purpofe laid, by fome that hate me

(God turn their hearts! I never fought their malice)
To quench mine honour: they would shame to make me
Wait elfe at door, a fellow counsellor,

Among boys, grooms, and lackeys. But their pleasures Must be fulfill'd, and I attend with patience.

Enter the King and BUTTS, at a Window above.
Butts. I'll fhew your grace the ftrangest fight,—
King. What's that Butts?

Butts. I think, your highness saw this many a day.
King. Body o' 'me, where is it?

Butts. There, my lord:

The high promotion of his grace of Canterbury;
Who holds his state at door, 'mongst pursuivants,
Pages, and foot-boys.

King. Ha! 'Tis he, indeed :

Is this the honour they do one another?

'Tis well, there's one above them yet. I had thought,
They had parted fo much honefty among 'em
(At least, good manners) as not thus to fuffer
A man of his place, and so near our favour,
To dance attendance on their lordships' pleasures,
And at the door too, like a poft with packets.
By holy Mary, Butts, there's knavery:

Let 'em alone, and draw the curtain close :
We fhall hear more anon.

SCENE III.

The Council Chamber. Enter the Lord Chancellor, places himself at the upper End of the Table on the LeftHand; a Seat being left void above him, as for the Archbishop of CANTERBURY. Duke of SUFFOLK, Duke of NORFOLK, SURREY, Lord Chamberlain, and GARDINER, feat themselves in Order on each Side. CROMWELL at the lower End as Secretary.

Chan. Speak to the bufinefs, Mr. Secretary :. Why are we met in council?

Crom. Please your honours,

The cause concerns his grace of Canterbury.
Gard. Has he had knowledge of it?

Crom.

Yes.

Nor. Who waits there?

D. Keep. Without, my noble lords?
Gard. Yes.

D. Keep. My lord archbishop;

And has done half an hour, to know your pleasures.
Chan. Let him come in.

D. Keep. Your grace may enter now.

[CRANMER approaches the Council-Table.

Chan. My good lord archbishop, I am very sorry

To fit here at this prefent, and behold

That chair ftand empty but we are all men,

In our own natures frail; and capable

Of our flesh, few are angels (3) out of which frailty,
And want of wisdom, you, that beft should teach us,
Have misdemean'd yourself, and not a little,

(3) Few are perfect while they remain in their mortal capacity. STEEV.

Toward the king first, then his laws, in filling

The whole realm, by your teaching, and your chaplains,
(For fo we are inform'd), with new opinions,
Divers, and dangerous; which are herefies,
And, not reform'd, may prove pernicious.

Gard. Which reformation must be fudden too,
My noble lords: For those that tame wild horses,
Pace 'em not in their hands to make 'em gentle;
But stop their mouths with ftubborn bits, and spur 'em,
Till they obey the manage. If we suffer
(Out of our eafiness, and childish_pity

To one man's honour) this contagious sickness,
Farewel all phyfic: And what follows then?
Commotions, uproars, with a general taint
Of the whole ftate: as, of late days, our neighbours,
The upper Germany, can dearly_witness,
Yet freshly pitied in our memories.

Cran. My good lords, hitherto, in all the progress
Both of my life and office, I have labour'd,
And with no little ftudy, that my teaching,
And the ftrong courfe of my authority,
Might go one way, and fafely; and the end
Was ever to do well: nor is there living
(I speak it with a fingle heart, my lords)
A man that more detefts, more ftirs against,
Both in his private confcience, and his place,
Defacers of the public peace, than I do.
Pray heaven, the king may never find a heart
With lefs allegiance in it! Men, that make
Envy, and crooked malice, nourishment,
Dare bite the best. I do befeech your lordships,
That in this cafe of juftice, my accufers,

Be what they will, may stand forth, face to face,
And freely urge against me.

Suf. Nay, my lord,

That cannot be; you are a counsellor,

And, by that virtue, no man dare accuse you.

Gard. My lord, because we have business of more

moment,

We will be short with you. 'Tis his highness' pleasure, And our confent, for better trial of you,

From hence you be committed to the Tower;

Where, being but a private man again,

You shall know, many dare accuse you boldly,