Sands. 'Tis time to give them phyfick, their diseases Are grown fo catching.

Cham. What a lofs our ladies

Will have of these trim vanities!

Lov. Ay, marry,

There will be woe indeed, lords; the fly whorefons
Have got a speeding trick to lay down ladies;

A French fong, and a fiddle, has no fellow.

Sands. The devil fiddle them! I am glad, they're going; (For, fure, there's no converting of them ;) now An honeft country lord, as I am, beaten

A long time out of play, may bring his plain-fong,
And have an hour of hearing; and, by'r-lady,

Held current mufick too.

Cham. Well faid, lord Sands;

Your colt's tooth is not caft yet.
Sands. No, my lord;

Nor fhall not, while I have a stump.
Cham. Sir Thomas,
Whither were you a going?

Lov. To the cardinal's;

Your lordship is a guest too.

Cham. O, 'tis true:

This night he makes a fupper, and a great one,

To many lords and ladies; there will be

The beauty of this kingdom, I'll affure you.

Lov. That churchman bears a bounteous mind indeed, A hand as fruitful as the land that feeds us;

His dews fall every where.

Cham. No doubt, he's noble;

He had a black mouth, that faid other of him.

Sands. He may, my lord, he has wherewithal; in him, Sparing would fhew a worse fin than ill doctrine:

Men of his way fhould be moft liberal,

They are fet here for examples.

Cham. True, they are fo;

But few now give fo great ones.

My barge ftays';

My barge ftays;-] The fpeaker is Bridewell, from which he is proceeding by water to York-place, (Cardinal Wolfey's houfe,) now Whitehall. MALONE.

now in the king's palace at

Your

Your lordship fhall along:-Come, good fir Thomas,
We shall be late elfe; which I would not be,

For I was fpoke to, with fir Henry Guilford,
This night to be comptrollers.

Sands. I am your lordship's

[Exeunt

Hautboys. Ajmall table under a ftate for the Cardinal,
a longer table for the guests. Enter at one door, Anne
Bullen, and divers Lords, Ladies, and Gentlewomen,
as guests; at another door, entør Sir Henry GUILFORD
Guil. Ladies, a general welcome from his grace
Salutes you all: This night he dedicates
To fair content, and you: none here, he hopes,
In all this noble bevy, has brought with her
One care abroad; he would have all as merry
As first-good company 3, good wine, good welcome,
Can make good people.-O, my lord, you are tardy;

Enter Lord Chamberlain, Lord SANDS, and Sir Thomas
LOVELL.

The very thought of this fair company
Clapp'd wings to me.

Cham. You are young, fir Harry Guilford.
Sands. Sir Thomas Lovel, had the cardinal
But half my lay-thoughts in him, fome of thefe
Should find a running banquet ere they rested,

2

noble bevy-] Milton has copied this word: "A bevy of fair dames." JOHNSON.

3 As firft-good company,-] In the old copy there is a comma after the word first, for which Mr. Theobald fubftituted a hyphen.

MALONE.

a running banquet-] feems to have meant a bafty banquet. Queen Margaret and Prince Edward, (fays Habington in his Hiftory of K. Edward IV.) though by the Earle recalled, found their fate and the winds fo adverfe, that they could not land in England, to taste this running banquet to which fortune had invited them." The bafty banquet, that was in Lord Sands's thoughts, is too obvious to require explanation. MALONE.

I think,

34

I think, would better please them: By my life,
They are a sweet fociety of fair ones.

Lov. O, that your lordship were but now confeffor
To one or two of these!

Sands. I would, I were;

They should find eafy penance.

Lov. 'Faith, how eafy ?

Sands. As easy as a down-bed would afford it. Cham. Sweet ladies, will it pleafe you fit? Sir Harry, Place you that fide, I'll take the charge of this: His grace is ent'ring.-Nay, you must not freeze; Two women plac'd together makes cold weather:My lord Sands, you are one will keep them waking; Pray, fit between these ladies.

Sands. By my faith,

And thank you lordship.-By your leave, fweet ladies: [feats himself between Anne Bullen and another lady. If I chance to talk a little wild, forgive me;

I had it from my father.

Anne. Was he mad, fir?

Sands. O, very mad, exceeding mad, in love too:
But he would bite none; juft as I do now,
He would kiss you twenty with a breath.
Cham. Well faid, my lord.—

So, now you are fairly feated:-Gentlemen,
The penance lies on you, if these fair ladies

Pafs away frowning

Sands. For my little cure,

Let me alone.

[kiffes her

Hautboys. Enter Cardinal WOLSEY, attended; and takes

his ftate.

Wol. You are welcome, my fair guests; that noble lady, Or gentleman, that is not freely merry,

Is not my friend: This, to confirm my welcome;

And to you all good health.

Sands. Your grace is noble :

Let me have fuch a bowl may hold my thanks,
And fave me fo much talking.

Wol. My lord Sands,

[drinks.

I am beholding to you: cheer your neighbours.-
Ladies, you are not merry ;-Gentlemen,

Whose fault is this?

Sands. The red wine first must rise

In their fair cheeks, my lord; then we fhall have them Talk us to filence.

Anne. You are a merry gamefter,

My lord Sands.

Sands. Yes, if I make my play".

Here's to your ladyfhip: and pledge it, madam,
For 'tis to fuch a thing,-

Anne. You cannot fhew me.

Sands. I told your grace, they would talk anon. [Drum and trumpets within: chambers discharged.

Wol. What's that?

Cham. Look out there, fome of you. [Exit a Servant.
Wol. What warlike voice?

And to what end is this?-Nay, ladies, fear not;
By all the laws of war you are privileg'd.

Re-enter Servant.

Cham. How now? what is't?

Serv. A noble troop of ftrangers;

For fo they feem: they have left their barge, and landed;
And hither make, as great ambassadors
From foreign princes.

- if I make my play.] i. e. if I make my party. STEEVENS. 6 chambers difcharged.] A chamber is a gun which stands erect on its breech. Such are ufed only on occafions of rejoicing, and are fo contrived as to carry great charges, and thereby to make a noife more than proportioned to their bulk. They are called chambers because they are mere chambers to lodge powder; a chamber being the technical term for that cavity in a piece of ordnance which contains the combuftibles. Some of them are still fired in the Park, and at the places oppofite to the parliament-houfe, when the king goes thither. Camden enumerates them among other guns, as follows:-"cannons, deni. cannons, chambers, arquebufque, mufquet." Again, in A New Trick to cheat the Devil, 1636:

"Iftill think o' the Tower-ordnance,
"Or of the peal of chambers, that's still fir'd

"When my lord mayor takes his barge." STEEVENS. 7 They have left their barge,] See p. 32, n. I. MALONE.

D 2

Wol.

Wol. Good lord chamberlain,

Go, give them welcome, you can speak the French tongue;
And, pray, receive them nobly, and conduct them
Into our prefence, where this heaven of beauty
Shall fhine at full upon them :-Some attend him.-
[Exit Chamberlain, attended. All arife, and
tables removed.

You have now a broken banquet; but we'll mend it.
A good digeftion to you all: and, once more,
I fhower a welcome on you ;-Welcome all.

Hautboys. Enter the King, and twelve others, as Mafkers, habited like Shepherds, with fixteen torch bearers; usher'd by the Lord Chamberlain. They pass directly before the Cardinal, and gracefully falute him.

A noble company! What are their pleasures?

Cham. Because they speak no English, thus they pray'd To tell your grace ;-That, having heard by fame

Of this fo noble and so fair affembly

This night to meet here, they could do no lefs,

Out of the great refpect they bear to beauty,

But leave their flocks; and, under your fair conduct,
Crave leave to view thefe ladies, and entreat

An hour of revels with them.

Wol. Say, lord chamberlain,

They have done my poor houfe grace; for which I pay them A thoufand thanks, and pray them take their pleasures. [Ladies chofen for the dance. The King chooses Anne Bullen.

8 Enter the king, and twelve others, as mafkers,] For an account of this mafque fee Holinthed, Vol. II. p. 921. STEEVENS.

The account of this mafque was first given by Cavendish, in his Life of Wolfey, which was written in the time of Queen Mary; from which Stowe and Holinfhed copied it. Cavendish was himself prefent. Before the king &c. began to dance, they requested leave (fays Cavendish,) to accompany the ladies at mumchance. Leave being granted, "then went the mafquers, and first faluted all the dames, and then returned to the most worthieft, and then opened the great cup of gold filled with crownes, and other pieces to caft at. Thus perufing all the gentlewomen, of fome they wonne, and to fome they loft. And having viewed all the ladies they returned to the Cardinal with great reverence, pouring downe all their gold, which was above two hundred crownes. At all, quoth the Cardinal, and cafting the die, he wonne it; whereat was made great joy." Life of Wolfey, p. 22. edit. 1641. MALONE.