Cran. So.

Enter Doctor Butts.

Butts. This is a piece of malice. I am glad,

I came this way so happily: The king
Shall understand it presently.

[Exit Butts.

Cran. [Afide.] 'Tis Butts, The king's physician; As he past along, How earnestly he cast his eyes upon me! Pray heaven he found not my disgrace! For certain, This is of purpose lay'd, by some that hate me, (God turn their hearts! I never fought their malice) To quench mine honour: they would shame to make

me

Wait else at door; a fellow counsellor,
Among boys, grooms, and lackeys. But their plea-

fures

Must be fulfill'd, and I attend with patience.

Enter the King, and Butts, at a window above.

Butts. I'll shew your grace the strangest sight,King. What's that, Butts?

Butts. I think, your highness saw this many a day. King. Body o' me, where is it?

Butts. There, my lord:

The high promotion of his grace of Canterbury;
Who holds his state at door, 'mongst pursuivants,
Pages, and foot-boys.

King. Ha! 'Tis he, indeed: Is this the honour they do one another? 'Tis well, there's one above 'em yet, I had thought They had parted fo much honesty among 'em, (At least, good manners) as not thus to fuffer A man of his place, and so near our favour, To dance attendance on their lordships' pleasures, And at the door too, like a post with packets.

By holy Mary, Butts, there's knavery:

Let

Let 'em alone, and draw the curtain close;
We shall hear more anon.-

Enter the Lord Chancelior, places himself at the upper end of the table on the left hand; a feat being left void above him, as for the Archbishop of Canterbury. - Duke of Suffolk, Duke of Norfolk, Surrey, Lord Chamberlain, and Gardiner, feat themselves in order on each fide. Cromwell at the lower end, as fecretary.

9 Chan. Speak to the business, master Secretary: Why are we met in council?

Crom. Please your honours,

The chief cause concerns his grace of Canterbury.
Gard. Has he had knowledge of it?

Crom. Yes.

Nor. Who waits there?

D. Keep. Without, my noble lords?

Gard. Yes.

D. Keep. My lord archbishop;

And has done half an hour, to know your pleasures. Chan. Let him come in.

D. Keep. Your grace may enter now.

[Cranmer approaches the council table. Chan. My good lord archbishop, I am very forry To fit here at this present, and behold

• Chan. Speak to the business,-] This lord chancellor, though a character, has hitherto had no place in the Dramatis Persone. In the last scene of the fourth act, we heard that fir Thomas More was appointed lord chancellor: but it is not he, whom the poet here introduces. Wolfey, by command, delivered up the Heals on the 18th of November, 1529; on the 25th of the same month, they were delivered to fir Thomas More, who surrendered them on the 16th of May, 1532. Now the conclufion of this scene taking notice of queen Elizabeth's birth, (which brings it down to the year 1534) fir Thomas Audlie must necessarily be our poet's chancellor; who succeeded fir Thomas More, and held the seals many years. THEOBALD.

That

That chair stand empty: But we all are men,
In our own natures frail; and capable
Of our flesh, few are angels: out of which frailty,
And want of wisdom, you, that best should teach us,
Have misdemean'd yourself, and not a little,
Toward the king first, then his laws, in filling
The whole realm, by your teaching, and your chap-

lains',

(For fo we are inform'd) with new opinions, Divers, and dangerous; which are herefies, And, not reform'd, may prove pernicious.

Gard. Which reformation must be sudden too, My noble lords; for those, that tame wild horses,

and capable

Of our flesh, few are angels :]

If this passage means any thing, it may mean, few are perfect, while they remain in their mortal capacity.

Shakspeare uses the word capable as perversely in K. Lear:

and of my land,

Loyal and natural boy, I'll work the mean
To make thee capable. STEEVENS.

I suspect that Shakspeare wrote:

:

-In our own natures frail, incapable;

Of our flesh few are angels.

We are all frail in our natures, and weak in our understandings. So, in Marston's Scourge of Villanie, 1599:

"To be perus'd by all the dung-scum rabble

" Of thin-brain'd ideots, dull, uncapable."...

Again, in Hamlet :

"As one incapable of her own distress."

こ

In King Richard III. the word capable is used to denote a per

son of capacity and good sense:

O, 'tis a parlous boy,

Bold, quick, ingenious, forward, capable."

Again, in Love's Labour Loft : "If their daughters be capable,

I will put it to them." Again, in Hamlet :

"His form and cause conjoin'd, preaching to stones,

"Would make them capable."

The subsequent words, strongly support this conjecture:

-out of which frailty,

" And want of wisdom, you, &c."

The transcriber's ear, I believe, here, as in many other places, deceived him. MALONE.

Pace

Pace 'em not in their hands to make 'em gentle;
But stop their mouths with stubborn bits, and spur

'em,

'Till they obey the manage. If we fuffer
(Out of our easiness, and childish pity
To one man's honour) this contagious fickness,
Farewel all physick: And what follows then?
Commotions, uproars, with a general taint
Of the whole state: as, of late days, our neighbours,
The upper Germany, can dearly witness,
Yet freshly pitied in our memories.

Cran. My good lords, hitherto, in all the progress
Both of my life and office, I have labour'd,
And with no little study, that my teaching,
And the strong course of my authority,
Might go one way, and fafely; and the end
Was ever, to do well: nor is there living
(I speak it with a single heart, my lords)
A man, that more detests, more stirs against,
Both in his private confcience, and his place,
Defacers of a publick peace, than I do.
Pray heaven, the king may never find a heart
With less allegiance in it! Men, that make
Envy, and crooked malice, nourishment,
Dare bite the best. I do beseech your lordships,
That, in this case of justice, my accusers,
Be what they will, may stand forth face to face,
And freely urge against me.

Suf. Nay, my lord,

That cannot be; you are a counsellor,
And, by that virtue, no man dare accuse you.

Gard. My lord, because we have business of more

moment,

We will be short with you. 'Tis his highness' pleafure,

2 The upper Germany, &c.] Alluding to the heresy of Thomas Muntzer, which sprung up in Saxony in the years 1521 and 1522. GREY.

And

1

And our consent, for better trial of you,
From hence you be committed to the Tower;
Where, being but a private man again,
You shall know many dare accuse you boldly,
More than, I fear, you are provided for.

Cran. Ah, my good lord of Winchester, I thank

you,

You are always my good friend; if your will pass,
I shall both find your lordship judge and juror,
You are so merciful: I see your end,
'Tis my undoing: Love, and meekness, lord,
Become a churchman better than ambition;
Win straying fouls with modesty again,
Cast none away. That I shall clear myself,
Lay all the weight ye can upon my patience,
I make as little doubt, as you do conscience
In doing daily wrongs. I could say more,
But reverence to your calling makes me modest.

1

Gard. My lord, my lord, you are a sectary, That's the plain truth; your painted gloss discovers, To men that understand you, words and weakness.

Crom. My lord of Winchester, you are a little, By your good favour, too sharp; men so noble, However faulty, yet should find respect For what they have been: 'tis a cruelty 4, To load a falling man.

Gard. Good master Secretary,

I cry your honour mercy; you may, worst

Of all this table say fo.

Crom. Why, my lord?

3-your painted gloss, &c.] Those that understand you, under this painted gloss, this fair outside, discover your empty talk

and your false reasoning. JOHNSON.

,

tis a cruelty.

To load a falling man.]

This sentiment had occurred before. The lord chamberlain

checking the earl of Surrey for his reproaches to Wolfey, fays:

O my lord,

:

Prefs not a falling man too far. STEEVENS.

Gard.