Wol. What fhould this mean?

What fudden anger's this? how have I reap'd it?
He parted frowning from me, as if ruin

Leap'd from his eyes.

So looks the chafed lion

Upon the daring huntsman, that has gall'd him ;
Then makes him nothing. I must read this paper:
I fear the ftory of his anger-'tis fo-

This paper has undone me-'tis th' account
Of all that world of wealth I've drawn together
For mine own ends; indeed, to gain the popedom,
And fee my friends in Rome. O negligence,
Fit for a fool to fall by! What cross devil
Made me put this main fecret in the packet
I fent the King? is there no way to cure this?
No new device to beat this from his brains ?
I know, 'twill ftir him ftrongly; yet I know
A way, if it take right, in fpight of fortune
Will bring me off again. What's this-To the Pope ?
The letter, as I live, with all the business

I writ to's Holinefs. Nay, then farewel;

I've touch'd the highest point of all my greatness;
And from that full meridian of my glory,
I hafte now to my fetting. I fhall fall,
Like a bright exhalation in the evening;
And no man fee me more.

Enter to Wolfey, the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, the
Earl of Surrey, and the Lord Chamberlain.

Nor. Hear the King's pleasure, Cardinal; who commands you

To render up the great feal prefently

Into our hands, and to confine yourfelf To Afber-houfe, my Lord of Winchester's, "Till you hear further from his Highness.

Wol. Stay:

Where's your commiffion, Lords? words cannot carry Authority fo mighty.

Suf. Who dare crofs 'em,

Bearing the King's will from his mouth exprefly ?

Wol. 'Till I find more than will, or words to do it,

(I mean, your malice ;) know, officious Lords,

I dare, and muft deny it. Now I feel
Of what coarse metal ye are molded,-Envy:
How eagerly ye follow my difgrace,

As if it fed ye; and how fleek, and wanton,
Y' appear in every thing may bring my ruin.
Follow your envious courfes, men of malice;
You have chriftian warrant for 'em, and, no doubt,
In time will find their fit rewards. That feal,
You afk with fuch a violence, the King

(Mine and your mafter) with his own hand gave me;
Bade me enjoy it, with the place and honours,
During my life; and to confirm his goodness,
Ty'd it by letters patents. Now, who'll take it ?
Sur. The King, that gave it.

Wol. It muft be himself then.

Sur. Thou'rt a proud traitor, priest.
Wol. Proud Lord, thou lyeft:

Within these forty hours Surrey durft better

Have burnt that tongue, than faid so.

Sur. Thy ambition,

Thou scarlet fin, robb'd this bewailing land
Of noble Buckingham, my father-in-law:
The heads of all thy brother Cardinals,
(With thee, and all thy beft parts bound together)
Weigh'd not a hair of his. Plague of your policy!
You fent me deputy for Ireland,

Far from his fuccour; from the King; from all,
That might have mercy on the fault, thou gav'ft him:
Whilft your great goodness, out of holy pity,

Abfolv'd him with an axe.

Wol. This, and all else

This talking Lord can lay upon my credit,
I answer, is moft falfe. The Duke by law
Found his deferts. How innocent I was
From any private malice in his end,

His noble jury and foul cause can witness.
If I lov'd many words, Lord, I should tell you,
You have as little honefty as honour;
That I, i'th' way of loyalty and truth
Toward the King, my ever royal master,
Dare mate a founder man than Surrey can be,

Q 2

And

And all that love his follies.

Sur. By my foul,

Your long coat, prieft, protects you; thou fhould't feel
My fword i' th' life-blood of thee else. My Lords,
Can ye endure to hear this arrogance?

And from this fellow? if we live thus tamely,
To be thus jaded by a piece of scarlet,

Farewel, nobility; let his Grace

go forward, And dare us with his cap, like larks. Wol. All goodness

Is poifon to thy ftomach.

Sur. Yes, that goodness

Of gleaning all the land's wealth into one,
Into your own hands, Card'nal, by extortion:

The goodness of your intercepted packets

You writ to th' Pope, against the King; your goodness,
Since you provoke me, fhall be most notorious.
My Lord of Norfolk, as you're truly noble,
As you refpect the common good, the state
Of our defpis'd nobility, our ifflues,

Who, if he live, will fcarce be gentlemen;
Produce the grand fum of his fins, the articles
Collected from his life. I'll startle you, (23)
Worfe than the facring bell, when the brown wench

Lay

(23) Worse than the fcaring bell,-] This abfurd reading has only found place in Mr. Pope's two editions. I have reftor'd from all the beft copies facring bell. That gentleman, fure, fhould know, that in Roman Catholick countries the little bell, which is rung to give notice of the Hof approaching when it is carried in proceffion, as alfo in other offices of that church, is call'd, the facring, or confecration bell; from the French word, Sacrer. And CHAUCER, I find, in his dream, has made ufe of the word Sacre, to fignify confecration, or holy office.

Which tent was church parochial,
Ordaint was in especial

For the fefte, and for the Sacre;

The facetious Rabelais, book 28. ch. 26. particularly mentions the facring bell. Pleuft a Dieu, que chafcun de vous euft deus paires de fonnettes de facre au menton. i with to God, every one of you had two couples of facring bells dangling at your chins.

And facring is frequently mention'd by writers about our author's time.

In K. Richard the firft's time, a fray happen'd, on the day of his coronation,

3

Lay kiffing in your arms, Lord Cardinal.

Wol. How much, methinks, I could defpife this man, But that I'm bound in charity against it!

Nor. Thofe articles, my Lord, are in th' King's hand: But thus much, they are foul ones.

Wol. So much fairer,

And spotlefs, fhall mine innocence arise;
When the King knows my truth.
Sur. This cannot fave you :

I thank my memory, I yet remember
Some of these articles, and out they fhall.

Now, if you can, blush, and cry guilty, Cardinal;
You'll fhew a little honesty.

Wol. Speak on, Sir,

I dare your worst objections: if I blush,
It is to fee a nobleman want manners.

Sur. I'd rather want those, than my head; have at you.
First, that without the King's affent, or knowledge,
You wrought to be a legat; by which power
You maim'd the jurifdiction of all bishops.

Nor. Then, that in all you writ to Rome, or else
To foreign Princes, Ego & Rex meus

Was ftill infcrib'd; in which you brought the King
To be your fervant.

Suf. That without the knowledge

Either of King or council, when you went
Ambaffador to th' Emperor, you made bold
To carry into Flanders the great feal.

Sur. Item, You fent a large commission
To Gregory de Caffado, to conclude,

Without the King's will or the ftate's allowance,
A league between his Highness and Ferrara.

Suf. That out of mere ambition, you have made

coronation, against the Jews, who, contrary to the King's own proclamation, would needs enter the church to fee him facred. Stow's Survey of London. In the mean time being near to a church, he heard a little facring bell ring to the elevation of a morrow-mafs.

Scot's Discovery of Witchcraft.

You fhall ring the facring bell,
Keep your hours, and tell your knell.

Q3

Merry Devil of Edmonton.

Your

Your holy hat be ftampt on the King's coin.

Sur. Then, that you have fent innumerable substance (By what means got, I leave to your own conscience) To furnish Rome; and to prepare

the ways
You have for dignities, to th' mere undoing
Of all the kingdom. Many more there are,
Which fince they are of you, and odious,
I will not taint my mouth with.

Cham. O, my Lord,

Prefs not a falling man too far; 'tis virtue :
His faults lie open to the laws ; let them,

Not you, correct him. My heart weeps to fee him
So little of his great felf.

Sur. I forgive him.

Suf. Lord Cardinal, the King's further pleasure is,
(Because all those things you have done of late,
By your pow'r legatine within this kingdom,
Fall in the compafs of a Præmunire)

That therefore fuch a writ be fued against you,
To forfeit all your goods, lands, tenements,
Chattels, and whatsoever, and to be (24)
Out of the King's protection. This is my charge.
Nor. And fo we'll leave you to your meditations
How to live better. For your stubborn answer,
About the giving back the great feal to us,
The king fhall know it; and, no doubt, shall thank
So fare you well, my little good Lord Cardinal.

you.

[Exeunt all but Wolfey. Wol. So farewel to the little good you bear me, Farewel, a long farewel to all my greatnefs! This is the fate of man; to-day he puts forth The tender leaves of hopes, to-morrow blossoms,

(24) Caftles, and whatsoever,] I have ventur'd to fubftitute Chattels here, as the author's genuine word, for this good reason: becaufe, as our law-books inform us, the judgment in a writ of Præmunire is, that the defcendant fhall be from thenceforth out of the King's protection; and his lands and tenements, goods and CHATTELS forfeited to the King; and that his body fhall remain in prifon at the King's pleasure. But because it may be objected, that Shakespeare had no acquaintance with the law-books, it will be proper to take notice, that this very defcription of the Præmunire is fet out by Holingfhead in his Life of K. Henry Vilith, p. 909.

And