To all the plains about him. Our children's

children

Shall see this, and bless Heaven.

55

King.
Thou speakest wonders.
Cran. She shall be, to the happiness of England,

59

An aged princess; many days shall see her,
And yet no day without a deed to crown it.
Would I had known no more! but she must die,
She must, the saints must have her; yet a virgin,
A most unspotted lily shall she pass

To the ground, and all the world shall mourn her. King. O Lord Archbishop,

Thou hast made me now a man! Never, before
This happy child, did I get anything.

This oracle of comfort has so pleas'd me,

That when I am in heaven I shall desire

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To see what this child does, and praise my Maker.
I thank ye all. To you, my good Lord Mayor, 70
And you, good brethren, I am much beholding;
I have receiv'd much honour by your presence,
And ye shall find me thankful. Lead the way,
lords.

Ye must all see the Queen, and she must thank ye,
She will be sick else. This day, no man think
Has business at his house; for all shall stay.
This little one shall make it holiday.

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Exeunt.

EPILOGUE

'Tis ten to one this play can never please All that are here. Some come to take their ease, And sleep an act or two; but those, we fear, We have frighted with our trumpets; so, 'tis clear, They'll say 'tis naught: others, to hear the city Abus'd extremely, and to cry, "That's witty!" 6 Which we have not done neither: that, I fear, All the expected good we're like to hear For this play at this time, is only in The merciful construction of good women; For such a one we show'd 'em. If they smile And say 'twill do, I know, within a while All the best men are ours; for 'tis ill hap If they hold when their ladies bid 'em clap.

10

Notes

The principal historical events follow arranged in the order in which they occur in the play, but with their actual dates prefixed: 1

1520. June. Field of the Cloth of Gold.

1522. March. War declared with France.

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May-July. Visit of the Emperor to the English
Court.

1521. April 16. Buckingham brought to the Tower. 1527. Henry becomes acquainted with Anne Bullen. 1521. May. Arraignment of Buckingham. May 17th, his execution.

1527. August. Commencement of proceedings for the divorce.

1528. October. Cardinal Campeius arrives in London. 1532. September. Anne Bullen created Marchioness of Pembroke.

1529. May. Assembly of the Court at Blackfriars to try the case of the divorce.

1529.

1533.

Cranmer abroad working for the divorce.

1529. Return of Cardinal Campeius to Rome.

1533. January. Marriage of Henry with Anne Bullen. 1529. October. Wolsey deprived of the great seal.

1 From P. A. Daniel's "Time Analysis," N.S.S. Transactions, 1877-1879.

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1530.

May 23. Nullity of the marriage with Katharine declared.

November 29. Death of Cardinal Wolsey. 1533. June 1.

Coronation of Anne.

1536. January 8. Death of Queen Katharine. 1533. September 7. Birth of Elizabeth.

1544. Cranmer called before the Council. 1533. September. Christening of Elizabeth.

Dramatis Personæ. Not given in the Folio; first added by Rowe.

The Folio marks acts and scenes.

Prologue. 13. two short hours. If this play was really represented upon the stage in "two short hours" in Shakespeare's day, some of the more obviously undramatic portions must have been omitted in order to bring its presentation within that space of time.

I. i. s. d. Abergavenny. In the Folios this is spelled Aburgany, which indicates the pronunciation.

I. i. 2. saw. Saw each other.

I. i. 6. suns of glory. The suns of glory are Henry VIII and Francis I of France, who met June 7, 1520, in the Field of the Cloth of Gold, which is located between Guynes and Arde in Picardy.

I. i. 18. Made former wonders its. The last day exhibited an accumulation of the wonders of the preceding days, and was therefore the greatest day.