Honour and plenteous safety,) that you read
The cardinal's malice and his potency
Together to consider further, that
What his high hatred would effect, wants not
A minister in his power. You know his nature,
That he's revengeful; and I know his sword
Hath a sharp edge: it's long, and 't may be
said,

It reaches far; and where 'twill not extend,
Thither he darts it. Bosom up my counsel,
You'll find it wholesome. Lo, where comes that
rock

That I advise your shunning.

Com

That is, But furnish discourse on the poverty of its result. munication in the sense of talk, or discourse, is found so repeatedly in writers of Shakespeare's time, that the passage would hardly have required explanation, if the commentators had not overlooked this meaning of the word, and Mr. Collier, in adopting consummation,"-a reading of his annotator,--had not pronounced the old text "little better than nonsense."

b Like it your grace,-] Equivalent to "An it like your grace."

The fire that mounts the liquor till't run o'er,
In seeming to augment it wastes it? Be advis'd:
I say again, there is no English soul
More stronger to direct you than yourself,
If with the sap of reason you would quench,
Or but allay, the fire of passion.

BUCK. Sir, I am thankful to you; and I'll go along

By your prescription:-but this top-proud fellow,
(Whom from the flow of gall I name not, but
From sincere motions,) by intelligence,
And proofs as clear as founts in Júly, when
We see each grain of gravel, I do know
To be corrupt and treasonous.

NORF.

Say not, treasonous.

BUCK. To the king I'll say 't; and make my
Vouch as strong

As shore of rock. Attend. This holy fox,
Or wolf, or both, for he is equal ravenous
As he is subtle, and as prone to mischief
As able to perform 't; his mind and place
Infecting one another, yea, reciprocally,-
Only to show his pomp as well in France
As here at home, suggests the king our master
To this last costly treaty, the interview,
That swallow'd so much treasure, and like a
glass

Did break i' the rinsing:-*

NORF.

Faith, and so it did. BUCK. Pray, give me favour, sir-this cunning cardinal

The articles o' the combination drew

As himself pleas'd; and they were ratified,
As he cried, Thus let be, to as much end

As give a crutch to the dead: but our countcardinal

Has done this, and 'tis well; for worthy Wolsey,
Who cannot err, he did it. Now this follows,
(Which, as I take it, is a kind of puppy
To the old dam, treason,)-Charles the emperor,
Under pretence to see the queen his aunt,
(For 'twas indeed his colour; but he came
To whisper Wolsey,) here makes visitation:
His fears were, that the interview betwixt
England and France might, through their amity,
Breed him some prejudice; for from this league
Peep'd harms that menac'd him: het privily
Deals with our cardinal; and, as I trow,-
Which I do well, for, I am sure, the emperor
Paid ere he promis'd; whereby his suit was
granted

Ere it was ask'd; but when the way was made,
And pav'd with gold, the emperor thus desir'd ;—
That he would please to alter the king's course,

(*) Old text, Councellour.

O, Nicholas Hopkins? He.

(†) Old text, Michaell.

see you deprived of liberty, that I am a witness of this business.

Are in great grievance: there have been commissions

Sent down among 'em, which hath flaw'd the heart
Of all their loyalties:wherein, although,
My good lord cardinal, they vent reproaches
Most bitterly on you, as putter-on b

Of these exactions, yet the king our master,
(Whose honour heaven shield from soil!) even he

escapes not

Language unmannerly, yea, such which breaks
The sides of loyalty, and almost appears
In loud rebellion.
NORF.

Not almost appears,―
It doth appear; for, upon these taxations,
The clothiers all, not able to maintain
The many to them 'longing, have put off
The spinsters, carders, fullers, weavers, who,
Unfit for other life, compell'd by hunger
And lack of other means, in desperate manner
Daring the event to the teeth, are all in uproar,
And danger serves among them.

K. HEN. Taxation! Wherein? and what taxation ?-My lord cardinal, You that are blam'd for it alike with us, Know you of this taxation?

WOL.

Please you, sir, I know but of a single part, in aught Pertains to the state; and front but in that file Where others tell steps with me.

Q. KATH. No, my lord, You know no more than others: but you frame Things, that are known alike, which are not whole

some

To those which would not know them, and yet must
Perforce be their acquaintance. These exactions,
Whereof my sovereign would have note, they are
Most pestilent to the hearing; and, to bear 'em,
The back is sacrifice to the load. They say
They are devis'd by you; or else you suffer
Too hard an exclamation.

K. HEN.
Still exaction!
The nature of it? In what kind, let's know,
Is this exaction?

Q. KATH. I am much too venturous
In tempting of your patience; but am bolden'd
Under your promis'd pardon. The subjects' grief
Comes through commissions, which compel from
each

The sixth part of his substance, to be levied
Without delay; and the pretence for this

Is nam'd, your wars in France: this makes bold

mouths :

Tongues spit their duties out, and cold hearts freeze

affords an intelligible meaning. Our idea of it is, that by figure is meant his own form, and that the expression "cloud puts on," siguities assumes obscurity; or possibly, is eclipsed by cloud. b Putter-on-1 Contriver, deviser. So in "The Winter's Tale," Act II. Sc. 1:

"You are abus'd, and by some putter-on

Traduc'd by ignorant tongues, which neither know
My faculties nor person, yet will be

The chronicles of my doing,-let me say,
'Tis but the fate of place, and the rough brake
That virtue must go through. We must not stint
Our necessary actions, in the fear

To
cope malicious censurers; which ever,
As ravenous fishes, do a vessel follow
That is new trimm'd, but benefit no further
Than vainly longing. What we oft do best,
By sick interpreters, once weak ones, is
Not ours, or not allow'd; what worst, as oft,

"Their tractable obedience," &c.

b No primer business.] The old copies have "basenesse," which was corrected in Southern's copy of the fourth folio.

Hitting a grosser quality, is cried up
For our best act. If we shall stand still,
In fear our motion will be mock'd or carp'd at,
We should take root here where we sit, or sit
State-statues only.

K. HEN.

Things done well,

And with a care, exempt themselves from fear;
Things done without example, in their issue
Are to be fear'd. Have you a precedent
Of this commission? I believe, not any.
We must not rend our subjects from our laws,
And stick them in our will. Sixth part of each?
A trembling contribution! Why, we take
From every tree, lop, bark, and part o' the timber;
And, though we leave it with a root, thus hack'd,
The air will drink the sap. To every county
Where this is question'd send our letters, with
Free pardon to each man that has denied
The force of this commission: pray, look to't;
I put it to your care.
WOL.

A word with you.
[To the Secretary.
Let there be letters writ to every shire,
Of the king's grace and pardon. The griev'd

commons

It grieves many": The gentleman is learn'd, and a most rare speaker; To nature none more bound; his training such, That he may furnish and instruct great teachers,

Yet see,

And never seek for aid out of himself.
When these so noble benefits shall prove
Not well dispos'd, the mind growing once corrupt,
They turn to vicious forms, ten times more ugly
Than ever they were fair. This man so complete,—
Who was enroll'd 'mongst wonders, and when we,
Almost with ravish'd list'ning, could not find
His hour of speech a minute-he, my lady,
Hath into monstrous habits put the graces
That once were his, and is become as black

As if besmear'd in hell. Sit by us; you shall hear
(This was his gentleman in trust) of him
Things to strike honour sad.-Bid him recount

a A trembling contribution!] Mr. Collier's annotator would change this to,

"A trebling contribution.'

b Lop.-] Lop is the technical term for the branches, or faggot wood, of a tree, distinct from the trunk or timber.

e Nicholas Hopkins.] The old text has Nicholas Henton; and Hopkins was sometimes so named from the convent of Henton,

How grounded he his title to the crown,

Upon our fail? to this point hast thou heard him At any time speak aught?

SURV.

He was brought to this

Sir, a Chartreux friar,

By a vain prophecy of Nicholas Hopkins. K. HEN. What was that Hopkins?

SURV.

His cónfessor; who fed him every minute With words of sovereignty.

K. HEN.

How know'st thou this?

SURV. Not long before your highness sped to

France,

d

The duke being at the Rose, within the parish
Saint Lawrence Poultney, did of me demand
What was the speech amongst the Londoners
Concerning the French journey: I replied,
Men fear'd the French would prove perfidious,
To the king's danger. Presently the duke
Said, 'twas the fear, indeed; and that he doubted
'T would prove the verity of certain words
Spoke by a holy monk; that oft, says he,
Hath sent to me, wishing me to permit
John de la Car, my chaplain, a choice hour
To hear from him a matter of some moment :
Whom after under the confession's ‡ seal
He solemnly had sworn, that what he spoke
My chaplain to no creature living, but
To me, should utter, with demure confidence
This pausingly ensued,-Neither the king nor's
heirs,