KING HENRY VIII.

CARDINAL WOLSEY.

CARDINAL CAMPEIUS.

CAPUCIUS, ambassador from the Emperor Charles V.

CRANMER, archbishop of Canterbury.

DUKE OF NORFOLK.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM.

DUKE OF SUFFOLK.

EARL OF SURREY.

Lord Chamberlain.

Lord Chancellor.

GARDINER, bishop of Winchester.

Bishop of Lincoln.

LORD ABERGAVENNY.

LORD SANDYS (called also SIR WILLIAM SANDYS).

SIR HENRY GUILDFORD.

SIR THOMAS LOVELL.

SIR ANTHONY DENNY.

SIR NICHOLAS VAUX.

CROMWELL, Servant to Wolsey.

Secretaries to Wolsey.

GRIFFITH, gentleman usher to Queen Katherine.

Three Gentlemen.

DOCTOR BUTTS, physician to the King.

Garter King-at-Arms.

Surveyor to the Duke of Buckingham.

BRANDON, and a Sergeant-at-Arms.

Door-keeper of the Council-chamber. Porter, and his Man.
Page to Gardiner. A Crier.

QUEEN KATHERINE, wife to King Henry, afterwards divorced.

ANNE BULLEN, her Maid of Honour, afterwards Queen.

An old Lady, friend to Anne Bullen.

PATIENCE, Woman to Queen Katherine.

Spirits.

Several Lords and Ladies in the Dumb Shows; Women attending upon the Queen; Scribes, Officers, Guards, and other Attendants.

SCENE: London; Westminster; Kimbolton.]

2

The Life of Henry the Eighth

THE PROLOGUE

I COME no more to make you laugh: things now,
That bear a weighty and a serious brow,
Sad, high, and working, full of state and woe,
Such noble scenes as draw the eye to flow,
We now present. Those that can pity, here
May, if they think it well, let fall a tear;
The subject will deserve it. Such as give
Their money out of hope they may believe,

5

May here find truth too. Those that come to see Only a show or two, and so agree

10

The play may pass, if they be still and willing,
I'll undertake may see away their shilling

Richly in two short hours. Only they
That come to hear a merry bawdy play,
A noise of targets, or to see a fellow

In a long motley coat guarded with yellow,
Will be deceiv'd; for, gentle hearers, know,
To rank our chosen truth with such a show
As fool and fight is, beside forfeiting

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Our own brains, and the opinion that we bring 20 To make that only true we now intend,

Will leave us never an understanding friend. Therefore, for goodness' sake, and as you are known The first and happiest hearers of the town,

Be sad, as we would make ye; think ye see 25
The very persons of our noble story

As they were living; think you see them great,
And follow'd with the general throng and sweat
Of thousand friends; then, in a moment, see
How soon this mightiness meets misery;
And, if you can be merry then, I'll say
A man may weep upon his wedding-day.

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ACT FIRST

SCENE I

[London. An ante-chamber in the palace.]

Enter the Duke of Norfolk at one door; at the other, the
Duke of Buckingham and the Lord Abergavenny.

Buck. Good morrow, and well met.
Since last we saw in France ?

Nor.

How have ye done

I thank your Grace,

Healthful; and ever since a fresh admirer
Of what I saw there.

Buck.

Nor.

An untimely ague

Stay'd me a prisoner in my chamber when
Those suns of glory, those two lights of men,
Met in the vale of Andren.

"Twixt Guynes and Arde. I was then present, saw them salute on horse

back;

Beheld them, when they lighted, how they clung
In their embracement, as they grew together; 10
Which had they, what four thron'd ones could
have weigh'd

Buck.

Such a compounded one?

All the whole time

I was my chamber's prisoner.

Nor.

Then you lost

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The view of earthly glory. Men might say,

Till this time pomp was single, but now married
To one above itself. Each following day
Became the next day's master, till the last
Made former wonders its. To-day the French,
All clinquant, all in gold, like heathen gods,
Shone down the English; and, to-morrow, they 20
Made Britain India: every man that stood
Show'd like a mine. Their dwarfish pages were
As cherubins, all gilt; the madams too,
Not us'd to toil, did almost sweat to bear
The pride upon them, that their very labour
Was to them as a painting. Now this masque
Was cried incomparable; and the ensuing night
Made it a fool and beggar. The two kings,
Equal in lustre, were now best, now worst,
As presence did present them; him in eye,
Still him in praise; and, being present both,
'Twas said they saw but one; and no discerner
Durst wag his tongue in censure. When these suns-
For so they phrase 'em - by their heralds chal-

leng'd

The noble spirits to arms, they did perform

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30

35

Beyond thought's compass, that former fabulous

story,

Being now seen possible enough, got credit,
That Bevis was believ'd.