Keep comfort to you, and this morning fee
You do appear before them; if they chance,
In charging you with matters, to commit you,
The belt perfuafions to the contrary

Fail not to ufe; and with what vehemency
Th'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.

[Exit Cranmer.

H'as ftrangled all his language in his tears.

Enter an old Lady.

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.

Say, ay; and of a boy.

Is the Queen deliver'd?

Lady. Ay, ay, my Liege;

And of a lovely boy; the god of heav'n

7

Both now and ever blefs her!-'tis a girl,
Promises boys hereafter. Sir, your Queen
Defires your visitation; and to be

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

King. Lovell,

Lov, Sir.

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

[Exit King.

7blefs ber!] It is doubtful whether her is referred to the

Queen or the girl.

Lady.

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

more.

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 elfe unfay't. Now, while 'tis hot,
I'll put it to the iffue.

man,

[Exit Lady,

the gentle

That was fent to me from the Council, pray'd me
To make great hafte, All faft? what means this ?—

hoa!

D. Keep. Your Grace muft 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 phyfician. As he past along,
How earnestly he caft his eyes upon me!

[Exit Butts.

Pray heav'n, he found not my difgrace! For certain,

This is of purpose laid by fome that hate me,
God turn their hearts! I never fought their malice,
Toquench mine honour; they would fhame to make me
Wait else at door, a fellow-counsellor,

'Mong boys and grooms and lackeys! but their plea

fures

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 strangest fightKing. What's that, Butts?

Butts. I think, your Highnefs faw 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 ftate at door 'mongst pursevants,
Pages, and foot-boys.

King. Ha! 'tis he, indeed.

Is this the honour they do one another?
'Tis well, there's one above 'em yet. I thought,
They'd parted fo much Honesty among 'em,
At least, good manners, as not thus to fuffer
A man of his place, and fo 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 shall hear more anon.-

SCENE

SCENE V.

The COUNCIL.

A council table brought in with chairs and tools, and placed under the fate. Enter Lord Chancellor, places bimfelf at the upper end of the table on the left band; a feat being left void above him, as for the Arch-bishop of Canterbury. Duke of Suffolk, Duke of Norfolk, Surrey, Lord Chamberlain, and Gardiner, feat themfelves in order on each fide. Cromwell at the lower end, as Secretary.

Chan. Why are we met in Council?
SP

PEAK to the bufinefs, Mr. Secretary.

Cromwell. Pleafe your Honours,

The caufe 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 Arch-bishop?

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

Chan. Speak to the Business.] This Lord Chancellor, tho' a Character, has hitherto had no place in the Dramatis Perfone. In the laft Scene of the fourth Act, we heard, that Sir Thomas More was appointed Lord Chancellor: but it is not he whom theot here introduces. Wolfty, by Command, deliver'd up the Seals on the 18th of November, 1529; on the 25th of the

fame Month, they were deliver'd to Sir Thomas More, who furrender'd them on the 16th of May, 1532. Now the conclufion of this Scene takingNotice of Queen Elizabeth's Birth, (which brings it down to the Year 1534) Sir Thomas Audlie must necessarily be our Poet's Chancellor ; who fuc ceeded Sir Thomas More, and held the Seals many years.

THEOBALD.

D. Keep

D. Keep. Your Grace may enter now.

[Cranmer approaches the council-table. Chan. My good Lord Arch-bishop, I'm very forry To fit here at this prefent, and behold

9

That chair stand empty; but we are all men
In our own natures frail, and capable

Of frailty, few are angels; from which frailty
And want of wisdom, you, that best should teach us,
Have mifdemean'd yourself, and not a little;
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 dang'rous, which are herefies,
And, not reform'd, may prove pernicious.

Gard. Which reformation must be fudden too,
My noble Lords; for thofe, that tame wild horfes,
Pace 'em not in their hands to make 'em gentle,
But stop their mouths with ftubborn bits, and fpur 'em,
'Till they obey the manage. If we fuffer,

Out of our eafiness and childish pity

To one man's honour, this contagious fickness,
Farewel all phyfick; and what follows then?
Commotions, uproars, with a gen'ral taint
Of the whole ftate, as of late days our neighbours
The upper Germany can dearly witness,