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Henry VIII: Act II, Scene 2

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Henry VIII
Act II, Scene 2

London. An ante-chamber in the palace.

Scene designs for King Henry VIII

Scene designs for King Henry VIII

From Charles Kean's scrapbook

19th century

  1. Enter Lord Chamberlain reading this letter.

Lord Chamberlain

1 - 3
  1. “My lord, the horses your lordship sent for, with all the care I had, I saw well chosen, ridden, and furnish’d. They were young and handsome, and of the best breed in the north. When they were ready to set out for London, a man of my Lord Cardinal’s, by commission and main power, took ’em from me, with this reason: his master would be serv’d before a subject, if not before the King, which stopp’d our mouths, sir.”
  2. I fear he will indeed. Well, let him have them:
  3. He will have all, I think.
  1. Enter to the Lord Chamberlain the Dukes of Norfolk and
  2. Suffolk.

Duke of Norfolk

4
  1. Well met, my Lord Chamberlain.

Lord Chamberlain

5
  1. Good day to both your Graces.

Duke of Suffolk

6
  1. How is the King employ’d?

Lord Chamberlain

7 - 8
  1.                           I left him private,
  2. Full of sad thoughts and troubles.

Duke of Norfolk

9
  1.                                    What’s the cause?

Lord Chamberlain

10 - 11
  1. It seems the marriage with his brother’s wife
  2. Has crept too near his conscience.

Duke of Suffolk

12 - 13
  1. Aside.
  2.                                    No, his conscience
  3. Has crept too near another lady.

Duke of Norfolk

14 - 17
  1.                                  ’Tis so;
  2. This is the Cardinal’s doing. The king-cardinal,
  3. That blind priest, like the eldest son of Fortune,
  4. Turns what he list. The King will know him one day.

Duke of Suffolk

18
  1. Pray God he do, he’ll never know himself else.

Duke of Norfolk

19 - 32
  1. How holily he works in all his business!
  2. And with what zeal! For now he has crack’d the league
  3. Between us and the Emperor (the Queen’s great nephew),
  4. He dives into the King’s soul, and there scatters
  5. Dangers, doubts, wringing of the conscience,
  6. Fears, and despairs, and all these for his marriage.
  7. And out of all these to restore the King,
  8. He counsels a divorce, a loss of her
  9. That, like a jewel, has hung twenty years
  10. About his neck, yet never lost her lustre;
  11. Of her that loves him with that excellence
  12. That angels love good men with; even of her
  13. That when the greatest stroke of fortune falls
  14. Will bless the King. And is not this course pious?

Lord Chamberlain

33 - 39
  1. Heaven keep me from such counsel! ’Tis most true
  2. These news are every where; every tongue speaks ’em,
  3. And every true heart weeps for’t. All that dare
  4. Look into these affairs see this main end,
  5. The French king’s sister. Heaven will one day open
  6. The King’s eyes, that so long have slept upon
  7. This bold bad man.

Duke of Suffolk

40
  1.                    And free us from his slavery.

Duke of Norfolk

41 - 46
  1. We had need pray,
  2. And heartily, for our deliverance,
  3. Or this imperious man will work us all
  4. From princes into pages. All men’s honors
  5. Lie like one lump before him, to be fashion’d
  6. Into what pitch he please.

Duke of Suffolk

47 - 53
  1.                            For me, my lords,
  2. I love him not, nor fear him; there’s my creed.
  3. As I am made without him, so I’ll stand,
  4. If the King please; his curses and his blessings
  5. Touch me alike; th’ are breath I not believe in.
  6. I knew him, and I know him; so I leave him
  7. To him that made him proud, the Pope.

Duke of Norfolk

54 - 57
  1.                                       Let’s in;
  2. And with some other business put the King
  3. From these sad thoughts that work too much upon him.
  4. My lord, you’ll bear us company?

Lord Chamberlain

58 - 61
  1.                                  Excuse me,
  2. The King has sent me otherwhere. Besides,
  3. You’ll find a most unfit time to disturb him.
  4. Health to your lordships.
Costume design for Cardinal Campeius

Costume design for Cardinal Campeius

Emma Hamilton Smith, Charles Hamilton Smith, circa 1856

Duke of Norfolk

62
  1.                           Thanks, my good Lord Chamberlain.
  1. Exit Lord Chamberlain.
  1. The King draws the curtain and sits reading pensively.

Duke of Suffolk

63
  1. How sad he looks! Sure he is much afflicted.

King

64
  1. Who’s there? Ha?

Duke of Norfolk

65
  1.                  Pray God he be not angry.

King

66 - 68
  1. Who’s there, I say? How dare you thrust yourselves
  2. Into my private meditations?
  3. Who am I? Ha?

Duke of Norfolk

69 - 72
  1. A gracious king that pardons all offenses
  2. Malice ne’er meant. Our breach of duty this way
  3. Is business of estate; in which we come
  4. To know your royal pleasure.

King

73 - 83
  1.                              Ye are too bold.
  2. Go to; I’ll make ye know your times of business.
  3. Is this an hour for temporal affairs? Ha?
  4. Enter Wolsey and Campeius with a commission.
  5. Who’s there? My good Lord Cardinal? O my Wolsey,
  6. The quiet of my wounded conscience,
  7. Thou art a cure fit for a king.
  8. To Campeius.
  9.                                 You’re welcome,
  10. Most learned reverend sir, into our kingdom,
  11. Use us and it.
  12. To Wolsey.
  13.                My good lord, have great care
  14. I be not found a talker.

Cardinal Wolsey

84 - 86
  1.                          Sir, you cannot.
  2. I would your Grace would give us but an hour
  3. Of private conference.

King

87
  1. To Norfolk and Suffolk.
  2.                        We are busy; go.

Duke of Norfolk

88
  1. Aside to Suffolk
  2. This priest has no pride in him?

Duke of Suffolk

89 - 91
  1. Aside to Norfolk
  2.                                  Not to speak of.
  3. I would not be so sick though for his place.
  4. But this cannot continue.

Duke of Norfolk

92 - 93
  1. Aside to Suffolk
  2.                           If it do,
  3. I’ll venture one; have at him!

Duke of Suffolk

94
  1. Aside to Norfolk
  2.                                I another.
  1. Exeunt Norfolk and Suffolk.

Cardinal Wolsey

95 - 107
  1. Your Grace has given a president of wisdom
  2. Above all princes, in committing freely
  3. Your scruple to the voice of Christendom.
  4. Who can be angry now? What envy reach you?
  5. The Spaniard, tied by blood and favor to her,
  6. Must now confess, if they have any goodness,
  7. The trial just and noble. All the clerks
  8. (I mean the learned ones in Christian kingdoms)
  9. Have their free voices. Rome, the nurse of judgment,
  10. Invited by your noble self, hath sent
  11. One general tongue unto us: this good man,
  12. This just and learned priest, Card’nal Campeius,
  13. Whom once more I present unto your Highness.

King

108 - 110
  1. And once more in mine arms I bid him welcome,
  2. And thank the holy conclave for their loves;
  3. They have sent me such a man I would have wish’d for.

Campeius

111 - 116
  1. Your Grace must needs deserve all strangers’ loves,
  2. You are so noble. To your Highness’ hand
  3. I tender my commission; by whose virtue,
  4. The court of Rome commanding, you, my Lord
  5. Cardinal of York, are join’d with me their servant
  6. In the unpartial judging of this business.

King

117 - 118
  1. Two equal men. The Queen shall be acquainted
  2. Forthwith for what you come. Where’s Gardiner?

Cardinal Wolsey

119 - 122
  1. I know your Majesty has always lov’d her
  2. So dear in heart not to deny her that
  3. A woman of less place might ask by law:
  4. Scholars allow’d freely to argue for her.
Cassell's Illustrated Shakespeare

Who’s there? Ha?

From: Cassell's Illustrated Shakespeare

Mary Cowden Clarke, Charles Cowden Clarke, 1870

King

123 - 126
  1. Ay, and the best she shall have; and my favor
  2. To him that does best, God forbid else. Cardinal,
  3. Prithee call Gardiner to me, my new secretary.
  4. I find him a fit fellow.
  1. Exit Wolsey.
  1. Enter Wolsey with Gardiner.

Cardinal Wolsey

127 - 128
  1. Aside to Gardiner
  2. Give me your hand. Much joy and favor to you;
  3. You are the King’s now.

Gardiner

129 - 130
  1. Aside to Wolsey
  2.                         But to be commanded
  3. Forever by your Grace, whose hand has rais’d me.

King

131
  1. Come hither, Gardiner.
  1. Walks and whispers.

Campeius

132 - 133
  1. My Lord of York, was not one Doctor Pace
  2. In this man’s place before him?

Cardinal Wolsey

134
  1.                                 Yes, he was.

Campeius

135
  1. Was he not held a learned man?

Cardinal Wolsey

136
  1.                                Yes, surely.

Campeius

137 - 138
  1. Believe me, there’s an ill opinion spread then,
  2. Even of yourself, Lord Cardinal.

Cardinal Wolsey

139
  1.                                  How? Of me?

Campeius

140 - 143
  1. They will not stick to say you envied him,
  2. And fearing he would rise (he was so virtuous),
  3. Kept him a foreign man still, which so griev’d him,
  4. That he ran mad, and died.

Cardinal Wolsey

144 - 150
  1.                            Heav’n’s peace be with him!
  2. That’s Christian care enough. For living murmurers
  3. There’s places of rebuke. He was a fool—
  4. For he would needs be virtuous. That good fellow,
  5. If I command him, follows my appointment;
  6. I will have none so near else. Learn this, brother,
  7. We live not to be grip’d by meaner persons.

King

151 - 158
  1. Deliver this with modesty to th’ Queen.
  2. Exit Gardiner.
  3. The most convenient place that I can think of
  4. For such receipt of learning is Black-Friars;
  5. There ye shall meet about this weighty business.
  6. My Wolsey, see it furnish’d. O my lord,
  7. Would it not grieve an able man to leave
  8. So sweet a bedfellow? But conscience, conscience!
  9. O, ’tis a tender place, and I must leave her.
  1. Exeunt.
Lawrence Campeius, Cardinal & Bishop of Salisbury

Lawrence Campeius, Cardinal & Bishop of Salisbury

Edward Harding; E. & S. Harding, publisher; 1793

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