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The court of Rome commanding, you, my Lord Cardinal of York, are join'd with me, their fervant, In the impartial judging of this business.

King. Two equal men. The Queen fhall be acquainted

Forthwith for what you come. Where's Gardiner?
Wol. I know, your Majefty has always lov'd her
So dear in heart, not to deny her what

A woman of lefs place might afk by law;
Scholars, allow'd freely to argue for her.

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King. Ay, and the best, she shall have; and my

..favour

To him that does beft, God forbid elfe. Cardinal,
Pr'ythee, call Gardiner to me, my new secretary,
I find him a fit fellow.

Cardinal goes out, and re-enters with Gardiner.

Wol. Give me your hand; much joy and favour to

you;

You are the King's now,

Gard. But to be commanded

For ever by your Grace, whose hand has rais'd me. King. Come hither, Gardiner. [Walks and whispers. Cam. My Lord of York, was not one Doctor Pace In this man's place before him?

Wol. Yes, he was.

Cam. Was he not held a learned man?
Wol. Yes furely.

Cam. Believe me, there's an ill opinion spread then Ev'n of yourself, Lord Cardinal.

Wol. How! of me?

Cam. They will not ftick to fay, you envy'd him; And fearing he would rife, he was fo virtuous, Kept him a foreign man ftill, which so griev'd him, That he ran mad and dy'd.

Kept him a foreign man ftill.] Kept him out of the King's pre

fence, employed in foreign embaffies.

Wol.

Wol. Heav'n's peace be with him!

That's chriftian care enough. For living murmurers,
There's places of rebuke. He was a fool,

For he would needs be virtuous. That good fellow,
If I command him, follows my appointment;

I will have none fo near elfe. Learn this, brother,!
We live not to be grip'd by meaner perfons.
King. Deliver this with modesty to th' Queen.
[Exit Gardiner.
The most convenient place that I can think of,-
For fuch receit of learning, is Black-Friars,
There ye shall meet about this weighty bufinefs.
My Wolfey, fee it furnish'd. Omy Lord,
Would it not grieve an able man to leave,

So fweet a bedfellow? but, confcience! confcience!
O, 'tis a tender place, and must I leave her. [Exeunt.

Anne.

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An Antechamber of the Queen's Apartments.

Enter Anne Bullen, and an old Lady

OT for that neither-here's the pang that

NOT
N

pinches.

His Highnefs having liv'd fo long with her, and she
So good a lady, that no tongue could ever
Pronounce dishonour of her, (by my life,
She never knew harm-doing) oh, now after
So many courses of the fun, enthron'd,
Still growing in a majesty and pomp,

The which to leave 's a thoufand-fold more bitter

Than sweet at firft t'acquire; after this procefs,

6

"To give her the avant! it is a pity

Would move a monster.

,

6 To give her the avant!] To to pronounce against her a fea fend her away contemptuoufly; tence of ejection.

Old

Old L. Hearts of most hard temper

Melt and lament for her.

Anne. In God's will, better

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She ne'er had known pomp; though 't be temporal,
7 Yet if that quarrel, fortune, do divorce
It from the bearer, 'tis a fuff'rance panging
As foul and body's fev'ring.

Old L. Ah! poor lady,
She's ftranger now again.
Anne. So much the more
Must pity drop upon her; verily,
I swear, 'tis better to be lowly born,
And range with humble livers in content,
Than to be perk'd up in a glift'ring grief,
And wear a golden forrow.

Old L. Our content

Is' our best Having..

Anne. By my troth and maidenhead,

I would not be a Queen.

Old L. Befhrew me, I would,

And venture maidenhead for't; and so would you,
For all this fpice of your hypocrify;

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You, that have fo fair parts of woman on you,
Have too a woman's heart, which ever yet
Affected eminence, wealth, fovereignty,

Which, to fay footh, are blessings; and which gifts,

Yet if that quarrel, For
tune,-] He calls Fortune a
quarrel or arrow, from her ftrik-
ing fo deep and fuddenly. Quar-
rel was a large arrow fo called.
Thus Fairfax
-Twang'd the firing, out flew
the quarrel long.
WARBURTON.
Such is Dr. Warburton's inter-
pretation. Sir Thomas Hanmer
reads,

That quarreller Fortune.
I think the poet may be eafily
VOL. V.

fuppofed to use quarrel for quarreller, as murder for murderer, the act for the agent.

* firanger now again.] Again an alien; not only no longer Queen, but no longer an Englifhwoman.

8 -our beft Having.] That is, our best poffeffion. So in Macbeth,

Promifes

Of noble having and of royal hope.
In Spanish, bazienda.

Ee

Saving

Saving your mincing, the capacity

Of your foft* cheveril confcience would receive,
If you might please to stretch it.

Anne. Nay, good troth—

Old L. Yes, troth and troth, you would not be a Queen?
Anne. No, not for all the riches under heav'n.
Old L. 'Tis ftrange; a three-pence bow'd would
hire me,

Old as I am,, to queen it. But I pray you,

What think you of a Dutchefs? have you limbs
To bear that load of title?

Anne. No, in truth.

Old L. Then you are weakly made; +pluck off a little. I would not be a young Count in your way, For more than blufhing comes to. If your back Cannot vouchsafe this burden, 'tis too weak Ever to get a boy.

Anne. How do you talk!

I fwear again, I would not be a Queen
For all the world.

Old L. In faith, for little England

9 You'd venture an emballing: I myself

Would for Carnarvonshire, though there belong'd No more to th' Crown but that. Lo, who comes here?

Enter Lord Chamberlain.

Cham. Good morrow, ladies; what were't worth to know

The fecret of your conf'rence?

Anne. My good Lord,

Not your demand; it values not your asking:

Our mistress' forrows we were pitying.

Cheveril, is kid's fkin, foft

leather.

+ Pluck off a little. ] What muft the pluck off? I think we may better read,

-pluck up a little.

Pluck up is an idiomatical expreffion for take courage.

You'd ventur an emballing.] You would venture to be diftinguished by the ball, the enfign of royalty,

Cham

Cham. It was a gentle business, and becoming
The action of good women: there is hope,
All will be well.

Anne. Now I pray God, amen!

Cham. You bear a gentle mind, and heav'nly bleffings Follow fuch creatures. That you may, fair lady, Perceive I speak fincerely, an high note's Ta'en of your many virtues; the King's Majefty Commends his good opinion to you, and Does purpose honour to you no lefs flowing Than Marchioness of Pembroke; to which title' A thousand pounds a year, annual support, Out of his grace he adds.

Anne. I do not know.

What kind of my obedience I fhould tender.
'More than my all, is nothing; nor my prayers
Are not words duly hallow'd, nor my wishes
More worth than vanities; yet pray'rs and wishes
Are all I can return. 'Befeech your Lordship,
Vouchsafe to speak my thanks and my obedience,
As from a blushing handmaid to his Highness;
Whofe health and royalty I pray for.

Cham. Lady,

I fhall not fail t'approve the fair conceit, The King hath of you. I've perus'd her well; Beauty and honour are in her fo mingled, [Afide. That they have caught the King; and who knows yet, But from this lady may proceed a Gem,

1 More than my all, is nothing :] No figure can free this expreffion from nonfenfe. In fpite of the exactness of measure, we should read,

More than my all, WHICH is nothing,

3

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To lighten all this ifle ?—] Perhaps alluding to the carbuncle, a gem fuppofed to have intrinfic light, and to fhine in the dark; any other gem may reflect light, but cannot give it. Ee 2

i. e. which all is nothing. WARBURTON. It is not nonfenfe, but only an hyperbole. Not only my all is nothing, but if my all were more

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