You should be lord ambassador from the em

peror,

My royal nephew, and your name Capucius. 110 Cap. Madam, the same; your servant.

Kath.

O, my lord,

But, I pray

The times and titles now are alter'd strangely
With me since first you knew me.

'you,

What is your pleasure with me?

Cap.

Noble lady,
First, mine own service to your grace; the next,
The king's request that I would visit you;
Who grieves much for your weakness, and by

me

Sends you his princely commendations,

And heartily entreats you take good comfort. Kath. O my good lord, that comfort comes too late;

'Tis like a pardon after execution:

120

That gentle physic, given in time, had cured me;
But now I am past all comforts here but

Cap.

prayers.

How does his highness?

Madam, in good health. Kath. So may he ever do! and ever flourish, When I shall dwell with worms, and my poor

Pat.

name

Banish'd the kingdom! Patience, is that letter,
I caused you write, yet sent away?

No, madam.

[Giving it to Katharine. Kath. Sir, I most humbly pray you to deliver

This to my lord the king.

Cap.

Most willing, madam. 130 Kath. In which I have commended to his goodness The model of our chaste loves, his young daughter,

The dews of heaven fall thick in blessings on
her!-

Beseeching him to give her virtuous breeding—
She is young and of a noble modest nature:
I hope she will deserve well—and a little

To love her for her mother's sake, that loved
him,

Heaven knows how dearly. My next poor pe-
tition

Is that his noble grace would have some pity
Upon my wretched women, that so long
Have follow'd both my fortunes faithfully:
Of which there is not one, I dare avow,-
And now I should not lie-but will deserve,
For virtue and true beauty of the soul,
For honesty and decent carriage,

140

A rich good husband, let him be a noble:
And, sure, those men are happy that shall have
'em.

The last is, for my men; they are the poorest,
But poverty could never draw 'em from me;
That they may have their wages duly paid 'em,
And something over to remember me by:
If heaven had pleased to have given me longer
life

And able means, we had not parted thus.

146. "let him be a noble"; even if he should be.-H. N. H.

151

These are the whole contents: and, good my lord,

By that you love the dearest in this world,

As you wish Christian peace to souls departed, Stand these poor people's friend, and urge the king

To do me this last right.

Cap.

By heaven, I will,
Or let me lose the fashion of a man!

Kath. I thank you, honest lord. Remember me 160
In all humility unto his highness:

Say his long trouble now is passing

Out of this world; tell him, in death I bless'd him,

For so I will. Mine eyes grow dim. Fare-
well,

My lord. Griffith, farewell. Nay, Patience,
You must not leave me yet: I must to bed;
Call in more women. When I am dead, good
wench,

Let me be used with honor: strew me over
With maiden flowers, that all the world may
know

I was a chaste wife to my grave: embalm me, 170
Then lay me forth; although unqueen'd, yet like
A queen, and daughter to a king, inter me.

I can no more.

[Exeunt, leading Katharine.

XXIV-9

129

ACT FIFTH

SCENE I

London. A gallery in the palace.

Enter Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, a Page with a torch before him, met by Sir Thomas Lovell.

Gar. It's one o'clock, boy, is 't not?

Boy.
It hath struck.
Gar. These should be hours for necessities,

Not for delights; times to repair our nature
With comforting repose, and not for us

To waste these times. Good hour of night, Sir
Thomas!

Whither so late?

Lov.

Came you from the king, my lord? Gar. I did, Sir Thomas, and left him at primero With the Duke of Suffolk.

Lov.

I must to him too,

Before he go to bed. I'll take my leave. Gar. Not yet, Sir Thomas Lovell. What's the matter?

It seems you are in haste: an if there be

10

No great offense belongs to 't, give your friend

3. "not for delights"; Gardiner himself is not much delighted. The delights at which he hints seem to be the king's diversions, which keep him in attendance.-H. N. H.

Some touch of your late business: affairs that walk,

As they say spirits do, at midnight, have

In them a wilder nature than the business
That seeks dispatch by day.

Lov.

My lord, I love you;
And durst commend a secret to your ear
Much weightier than this work. The queen 's

Gar.

in labor,

They say, in great extremity; and fear'd

She 'll with the labor end.

The fruit she goes with 20

I pray for heartily, that it may find

Good time, and live: but for the stock, Sir

Thomas,

I wish it grubb'd up now.

Lov.

Methinks I could
Cry the amen; and yet my conscience says
She's a good creature, and, sweet lady, does
Deserve our better wishes.

Gar.

But, sir, sir,
Hear me, Sir Thomas: you 're a gentleman
Of mine own way; I know you wise, religious;
And, let me tell you, it will ne'er be well,
"Twill not, Sir Thomas Lovell, take 't of me, 30
Till Cranmer, Cromwell, her two hands, and she,
Sleep in their graves.

Lov.

Now, sir, you speak of two The most remark'd i' the kingdom. As for Cromwell,

Beside that of the jewel house, is made master

34. "is"; Theobald, "he's."-I. G.