Wol. You have here, lady, (And of your choice) these reverend fathers; men Of fingular integrity and learning, Yea, the elect of the land, who are assembled To plead your caufe: It shall be therefore bootless, That longer you defer the court; as well For your own quiet, as to rectify What is unfettled in the king. Cam. His grace Hath spoken well, and justly: Therefore, madam, It's fit this royal session do proceed; And that, without delay, their arguments Be now produc'd, and heard. Queen. Lord cardinal, To you I fpeak. Wol. Your pleasure, madam? Queen. Sir, I am about to weep4; but, thinking that We are a queen, (or long have dream'd so) certain, The daughter of a king, my drops of tears I'll turn to sparks of fire. Wol. Be patient yet. Queen. I will, when you are humble; nay, before, Or God will punish me. I do believe, Induc'd by potent circumstances, that You are mine enemy; 5 and make my challenge, You * I am about to weep; &c.] Shakspeare has given almost a fimilar sentiment to Hermions in the Winter's Tale, on an almost fimilar occasion: " I am not prone to weeping, as our fex Commonly are, &c. but I have "That honourable grief lodg'd here, which burns "Worse than tears drown; &c." STEEVEN'S, You shall not be judge:] and make my challenge, Challenge is here a verbum juris, a law term. The criminal, when he refuses a juryman, says, I challenge him, I think there is a flight errour which destroys the connection, and would read: R4 Induc'd 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 say again, 6 • I utterly abhor, yea, from my foul Refufe you for my judge; whom, yet once more, I hold my most malicious foe, and think not At all a friend to truth. Wol. I do profess, You speak not like yourself; who ever yet O'er-topping woman's power. Madam, you do me wrong: 1 I have no spleen against you; nor injustice Yea, the whole confiftory of Rome. You charge me, Remove these thoughts from you; The which before Induç'd by potent circumstances, that 6 I utterly abhor, yea from my soul Refuse you as my judge) These are not mere words of passion, but technical terms in the canon law-Detestor and Recuso. The former in the language of the canonifts, fignifies no more, than I protest against. BLACKSTONE. 1-gainsay] i. e. deny. So, in lord Surrey's translation of the fourth book of the Eneid : " I hold thee not, nor yet gainsay thy words." STEEVENS. His highness shall speak in, I do befeech Queen. My lord, my lord, I am a fimple woman, much too weak To oppose your cunning. You are meek, and hum ble-mouth'd; * You sign your place and calling, in full seeming, * You fign your place and calling,-) Sign, for answer. WARBURTON. I think, to fign, must here be to show, to denote. By your outward meekness and humility, you show that you are of an holy order, but, &c. JOHNSON, ؟now are mounted, Where powers are your retainers; and your words, You have now got power at your beck, following in your retinue: and words therefore are degraded to the servile state of performing any office which you shall give them. In humbler and more common terms; Having now now got power, you do not regard your word. JOHNSON. I believe we should read: " Where powers are your retainers, and your awards, "Domesticks to you, &c." The Queen rises naturally in her description. She paints the powers of government depending upon Wolfey under three images; as his retainers, his wards, his domestick fervants. TYRWHITT. So, in Storer's Life and Death of Thomas Wolsey, Cardinal, a poem, 1599: "I must have notice where their wards must dwell; 1 I do refuse you for my judge; and here, [She curt'fies to the King, and offers to depart, Cam. The queen is obstinate, King. Call her again. Crier. Katharine, queen of England, come into the court. Usher. 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, In any of their courts. [Exeunt Queen, and her Attendants. King. Go thy ways, Kate: That man i' the world, who shall report he has Wol. Moft gracious fir, In humblest manner I require your highness, could speak thee out)] If thy several qualities had tongues to speak thy praise. JOHNSON. Of Of all these ears, (for where I am robb'd and bound, Or touch of her good person ? ソ ) King. My lord cardinal, I do excuse you; yea, upon mine honour, although not there At once, and fully satisfied) ] What he aims at is this; where I am robbed and bound, there must I be unloofed, though the injurers be not there to make me fatisfaction; as much as to say, I owe so much to my own innocence, as to clear up my character, though I do not expect my wrongers will do me justice. It seems then that Shakspeare wrote: Aton'd, and fully satisfied. WARBURTON. I do not fee what is gained by this alteration. The sense, which is encumbered with words in either reading, is no more than this. I must be loosed, though when so loosed, I shall not be satisfied fully and at once; that is, I shall not be immediately satisfied. JOHNSON. 3 -on my honour, I speak my good lord cardinal to this point,] The king, having first addressed to Wolfey, breaks off; and declares upon his honour to the whole court, that he speaks the cardinal's sentiments upon the point in question; and clears him from any attempt, or wish, to ftir that business. THEOBALD. 1 I speak |