At all times to your Will conformable:
Ever in fear to kindle your dislikë,
Yea, fubject to your Countenance; glad, or forry, O As I faw it inclin'd? when was the hour
I ever contradicted your Defire?
Or made it not mine too? Or which of your Friends
Have I not ftrove to Love, although I knew
He were mine Enemy? What Friend of mine,
That had to him deriv'd your Anger, did I
Continue in my liking? nay, gave notice
He was from thence difcbarg'd? Sir, call to mind,
That I have been your Wife, in this Obedience,
Upward of twenty Years, and have been bleft
With many Children by you. If in the courfe
And procefs of this time you can report,
And prove it too, against mire Hooour ought,
My bond of Wedlock, or my Love and Duty
Against your Sacred Perfon; in God's name
Turn me away; and let foul'ft Contempt
Shut door upon me, and fo give me up
To the fharp'ft kind of Juftice. Please you, Sir,
The King, your Father, was reputed for
A Prince most prudent, and an excellent
And unmatch'd Wit and Judgment. Ferdinand
My Father, King of Spain, was reckoa'd one
The wifeft Prince, that there had reign'd, by many
A year before. It is not to be queftion'd,
That they had gather'd a wife Council to them
Of every Realm, that did debate this Business,
Who deem'd our Marriage lawful. Wherefore I humbly
Befesch you, Sir, to fpare me, 'till I may
Be by my Friends in Spain advis'd; whofe Counsel
I will implore. If not, i'th' name of God
Your pleasure be fulfill'd.
Wol. You have here, Lady,
(And of your choice) thefe Reverend Fathers, Men
Offingular Integrity and Learning:
Yea, the elect o'th Land, who are affembled
To plead your Caufe. It shall be therefore bootless,
That longer you defer the Court, as well
For your own quiet, as to rectifie
What is unfettled in the King.
Cam. His Grace
Hath spoken well, and juftly; therefore, Madam,
It's fit this Royal Seffion do proceed,
And that, without delay, their Arguments
Be now produc'd, and heard.
Queen. Lord Cardinal, to you I fpeak.
Wol. Your pleafure, Madam.
Queen. Sir, I am about to weep; but thinking that
We are a Queen, or long have dream'd fo, certain
The Daughter of a King, my drops of Tears
I'll turn to fparks of Fire.
Queen. I will, when you are humble, nay before,
Or God will punish me. I do believe,
Induc'd by potent Circumftances, that
You are mine Enemy, and make my Challenge,
You shall not be my Judge. For it is you
Have blown this Coal, betwixt my Lord and me,
Which God's dew quench; therefore, I fay again,
I utterly abhor, yea, from my Soul
Refufe you for my Judge, whom yet once more
I hold my moft malicious Foe, and think not
At all a Friend to Truth.
You speak not like your felf, who ever yet
Have stood to Charity, and difplay'd th' effects
Of Difpofition gentle, and of Wisdom
O'er-topping Woman's power. Madam, you do me wrong,
I have no Spleen against you, nor Injuftice
For you, or any; how far I have proceeded,
Or how far further fhall, is warranted
By a Commiffion from the Confiftory,
Yea, the whole Confiftory of Rome. You charge me,
Tha I have blown this Coal; I do deny it,
The King is prefent: If it be known to him,
That I gainfay my Deed, how may he wound,
And worthily, my Falfhood? yea, as much
As you have done my Truth. If he know.
That I am free of your Report, he knows
I am not of your Wrong. Therefore in him
It lyes to cure me, and the Cure is to
Remove these thoughts from you. The which before
His Highness fhall fpeak in, I do beseech
You, gracicus Madam, to unthink your speaking,
And to fay no more.
Queen. My Lord, my Lord,
I am a fimple Woman, much too weak
T'oppofe your Cunning. Y'are meek, and humble mouth'd,
You fign your Place and Calling, in full feeming,
With Meeknefs and Humility, but your Heart
Is cramm'd with Arrogance, Spleen and Pride,
You have by Fortune and his Highness Favours,
Gone flightly o'er low Steps, and now are mounted
Where Powers are your Retainers, and your Words,
Domesticks to you, ferve your Will, as't pleafe
You felf pronounce their Office. I must tell you,
You tender more your Perfon's Honour, than
Your high Profeffion Spiritual. That again
I do refufe you for my Judge, and here
Before you all, Appeal unto the Pope,
To bring my whole Caufe 'fore his Holiness,
And to be judg'd by him.
She curtfies to the King, and offers to depart.
Cam. The Queen is obftinate,
Stubborn to Justice, apt to accufe it, and
Difdainful to be try'd by't; 'tis not well.
She's going away.
King. Call her again.
Cryer. Katherine, Queen of England, come into the Court.
Ufer. Madam, you are call'd back.
Queen. What need you note it? pray you keep your way, When you are call'd, return. Now the Lord help,
They vex me paft my patience-pray you pafs on;
I will not tarry; no, nor ever more
Upon this bufiness my appearance make
[Exeunt Queen, and her Attendants. King. Go thy ways, Kate,
That Man i'th' World, who fhall report he has
A better Wife, let him in nought be trufted,
For fpeaking falfe in that; thou art alone,
If thy rare Qualities, fweet Gentleness,
Thy Meekness Saint-like, Wife-like Government,
Obeying in commanding, and thy Parts
Sovereign and Pious, could fpeak thee out,
The Queen of earthly Queens: She's Noble born;
And like her true Nobility, the has
Carried her felf towards me.
Wol. Moft gracious Sir,
In humbleft manner. I require your Highness
That it fhall please you to declare in hearing
Of all these Ears (for where I am robb'd and bound,
There must I be unloos'd, although not there
At once, and fully fatisfy'd) whether ever I
Did broach this Bufinefs to your Highnefs, or
Laid any fcruple in your way, which might
Induce you to the question on't; or ever
Have to you, but with thanks to God for fuch
A Royal Lady, fpake one, the leaft word that might
Be the prejudice of her prefent State,
Or touch of her good Perfon?
King. My Lord Cardinal,
I do excufe you; yea, upon mine Honour,
I free you from't: You are not to be taught,
That you have many Enemies, that know not
Why they are fo, but like the Village Curs,
Bark when their fellows do. By fome of thefe
The Queen is put in anger; y'are excus'd:
But will you be more justify'd? You ever
Having with'd the fleeping of this Bufinefs, never defir'd
It to be firr'd; but oft have hindred, oft,
The Paffages made towards it; on my Honour,
I fpeak my good Lord Cardinal to this point;
And thus far clear him.
Now, what mov'd me to't,
I will be bold with time and your attention:
Then mark th' inducement. Thus it came; give heed to't:
My Confcience first receiv'd a tenderness,
Scruple, and prick, on certain Speeches utter'd
By the Bishop of Bayon, then French Ambaffador,
Who had been hither fent on the debating
And Marriage 'twixt the Duke of Orleans, and
Our Daughter Mary: I'th' Progrefs of this bufinefs,
E'er a determinate refolution, he,
I mean the Bishop, did require a refpite,
Wherein he might the King his Lord advertise,
Whether our Daughter were Legitimate,
Refpe&ting this our Marriage with the Dowager,
Sometime our Brother's Wife. This refpite fhook
The bofom of my Confcience, enter'd me,
Yea, with a fplitting Power, and made to tremble
The region of my Breaft, which forc'd fuch way,
That many maz'd Confiderings did throng
And preft in with this Caution. Firft, methought
I ftood not in the fmile of Heav'n, who had
Commanded Nature, that my Lady's Womb,
If it conceiv'd a Male-child by me, fhould
Do no more Offices of Life to't, than,
The Grave does to th'Dead; for her Male-Iffue,
Or died where they were made, or shortly after
This World had air'd them. Hence I took a thought,
This was a Judgment on me, that my Kingdom,
Well worthy the beft Heir o'th' World, fhould not
Be glad in't by me. Then follows, that
I weigh'd the Danger which my Realms ftood in
By this my Iffues fail, and that gave to me
Many a groaning throw; thus hulling in
The wild Sea of my Confcience, I did fteer
Towards this Remedy, whereupon we are
Now prefent here together; that's to fay,
I meant to rectifie my Confcience, which
I then did feel full fick, and yet not well,
By all the Reverend Fathers of the Land,
And Doctors learned. Firft, I began in private,
With you, my Lord of Lincoln; you remember
How under my Oppreffion I did reel,
When I fift mov'd you.
Lin. Very well, my Liege.
King. I have fpoke long, be pleas'd your felf to say How far you fatisfy'd me.
Lin. So pleafe your Highness,
The Queft on did at first to stagger me,
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