K. HEN.

DEN. He attends your highness' pleasure.

K. HEN.

'Tis true: Where is he, Denny?

Bring him to us.

[Exit DENNY.

[Afide.

Lov. This is about that which the bishop fpake; I am happily come hither.

Re-enter DENNY with CRANMER.

K. HEN.

Avoid the gallery.

Ha! I have faid.-Be gone.
What!-

[LOVELL feems to stay.

[Exeunt LOVELL and DENNY.

What difcretion was this in you thus to make the primate of the realme, and one of you in office, to wait at the counfaille-chamber doore amongst ferving men? You might have confidered that he was a counfailer as wel as you, and you had no fuch commiffion of me so to handle him. I was content that you should trie him as a counsellor, and not as a meane fubject. But now I well perceive that things be done against him maliciouflie, and if fome of you might have had your mindes, you would have tried him to the uttermoft. But I doe you all to wit, and proteft, that if a prince may bee beholding unto his fubject (and fo folemnelie laying his hand upon his breft, faid,) by the faith I owe to God I take this man here, my lord of Canterburie, to be of all other a most faithful fubject unto us, and one to whome we are much beholding, giving him great commendations otherwife. And, with that, one or two of the chiefeft of the counfaile, making their excufe, declared, that in requesting his indurance, it was rather ment for his triall and his purgation against the common fame and flander of the worlde, than for any malice conceived against him. Well, well, my lords, (quoth the king,) take him, and well ufe him, as hee is worthy to bee, and make no more ado. And with that, every man caught him by the hand, and made faire weather of altogethers, which might eafilie be done with that man." STEEVENS.

happily-] The prefent inftance, and another in p. 174, feem to militate againft my former explanation of-happily, and to countenance that of Mr. M. Mafon. See p. 146, n. 2. STEEVENS.

CRAN. I am fearful:-Wherefore frowns he thus? All's not well.

'Tis his afpéct of terror.

K. HEN. How now, my lord? You do defire to

My good and gracious lord of Canterbury.

Come, you and I must walk a turn together;

I have news to tell you: Come, come, give me your hand.

Ah, my good lord, I grieve at what I speak,
And am right forry to repeat what follows:
I have, and moft unwillingly, of late
Heard many grievous, I do fay, my lord,
Grievous complaints of you; which, being con-
fider'd,

Have mov'd us and our council, that you fhall
This morning come before us; where, I know,
You cannot with fuch freedom purge yourself,
But that, till further trial, in those charges
Which will require your anfwer, you must take
Your patience to you, and be well contented
To make your house our Tower: You a brother of
us,'

It fits we thus proceed, or elfe no witness
Would come against you.

CRAN.

I humbly thank your highness; And am right glad to catch this good occafion Most throughly to be winnow'd, where my chaff And corn fhall fly afunder: for, I know,

3 You a brother of us, &c.] You being one of the council, it is neceffary to imprifon you, that the witneffes against you may 'not be deterred. JOHNSON.

There's none ftands under more calumnious tongues, Than I myself, poor man."

K. HEN.

Stand up, good Canterbury; Thy truth, and thy integrity, is rooted

In us, thy friend: Give me thy hand, ftand up;
Pr'ythee, let's walk. Now, by my holy-dame,
What manner of man are you? My lord, I look'd
You would have given me your petition, that
I should have ta'en fome pains to bring together
Yourself and your accufers; and to have heard you
Without indurance," further.

CRAN.

8

Moft dread liege,

The good I ftand on is my truth, and honefty;
If they fhall fail, I, with mine enemies,"
Will triumph o'er my perfon; which I weigh not,"

Than I myself, poor man.] Poor man probably belongs to the king's reply. GREY.

7-indurance,] i. e. confinement. Dr. Johnfon, however, in his Dictionary fays that this word (which Shakspeare borrowed from Fox's narrative already quoted) means-delay, procrastination. STEEVENS.

8 The good I ftand on-] Though good may be taken for advantage or fuperiority, or any thing which may help or support, yet it would, I think, be more natural to fay:

The ground I ftand on. JOHNSON.

The old copy is certainly right. So, in Coriolanus: "Your franchifes, whereon you stand, confin'd "Into an augre's bore." MALONE.

Again, in The Merry Wives of Windfor: "Though Page be a fecure fool, and ftands fo firmly on his wife's frailty

STEEVENS.

9 I, with mine enemies,] Cranmer, I fuppofe, means, that whenever his honefty fails, he fhall rejoice as heartily as his enemies at his deftruction. MALONE.

2

I weigh not,] i. e. have no value for. So, in Love's Labour's Loft:

"You weigh me not,-O that's, you care not for me." Sce Vol. X. p. 561, n. 8. STEEVENS.

Being of thofe virtues vacant. I fear nothing
What can be faid against me.

K. HEN.

Know you not how Your ftate ftands i'the world, with the whole world? Your enemies

Are many, and not small; their practices

Muft bear the fame proportion: and not ever❜
The justice and the truth o'the question carries
The due o'the verdict with it: At what ease
Might corrupt minds procure knaves as corrupt
To fwear against you? fuch things have been done.
You are potently oppos'd; and with a malice
Of as great fize. Ween you of better luck,+
I mean, in perjur'd witness, than your master,
Whose minister you are, whiles here he liv'd
Upon this naughty earth? Go to, go to;
You take a precipice for no leap of danger,
And woo your own deftruction.

God, and your majefty,

CRAN.
Protect mine innocence, or I fall into

The trap is laid for me!

K. HEN.

Be of good cheer;

They fhall no more prevail, than we give way to.
Keep comfort to you; and this morning fee
You do appear before them: if they fhall chance,
In charging you with matters, to commit you,
The best perfuafions to the contrary

Fail not to ufe, and with what vehemency
The occafion fhall inftruct you: if entreaties
Will render you no remedy, this ring

3

and not ever-] Not ever is an uncommon expreffion, and does not mean never, but not always. M. MASON.

4

Ween you of better luck,] To ween is to think, to imagine. Though now obfolete, the word was common to all our ancient writers. STEEVENS.

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.] He
has strangled

His language in his tears.

Enter an old Lady.

GENT. [Within.] Come back; What mean you? LADY. I'll not come back; the tidings that I

bring

Will make my boldnefs manners.-Now, good

angels

Fly o'er thy royal head, and shade thy person
Under their bleffed wings!'

K. HEN.

Now, by thy looks

I guess thy meffage. Is the queen deliver'd?

Say, ay; and of a boy.

LADY.
Ay, ay, my liege;
And of a lovely boy: The God of heaven
Both now and ever blefs her! 'tis a girl,

2

an old Lady.] This, I fuppofe, is the fame old cat that appears with Anne Bullen, p. 74. STEEVENS.

3 good angels

Fly o'er thy royal head, and fhade thy perfon

Under their bleffed wings!] So, in Hamlet, A&t III. fc. iv: "Save me, and hover o'er me with your wings,

"You heavenly guards!" STEEVENS.

blefs her!] It is doubtful whether her is referred to the queen or the girl. JOHNSON.

As I believe this play was calculated for the ear of Elizabeth, I imagine, her relates to the girl. MALONE.