The duke being at the Rose*, within the parish Spoke by a holy monk; That oft, says he, To me, should utter, with demure confidence (Tell you the duke) shall prosper: bid him strive To gain the love of the commonalty; the duke Shall govern England. Q. Kath. If I know you well, You were the duke's surveyor, and lost your office On the complaint o' the tenants: Take good heed, You charge not in your spleen a noble person, And spoil your nobler soul! I say, take heed; Yes, heartily beseech you. K. Hen. Go forward. Surv. Let him on: On my soul, I'll speak but truth. I told my lord the duke, By the devil's illusions The monk might be deceiv'd; and that 'twas dang't ous for him, To ruminate on this so far, until It forg'd him some design, which, being believ'd, * Now Merchant-Taylor's School. The cardinal's and sir Thomas Lovell's heads Should have gone off. K. Hen. Ha! what, so rank? Ah, ha! There's mischief in this man:-Canst thou say fur ther? Surv. I can, my liege. K. Hen. Surv. Proceed. Being at Greenwich, After your highness had reprov'd the duke K. Hen. I remember, Of such a time:-Being my servant sworn, The duke retain'd him his.But on; What hence? Surv. If, quoth he, I for this had been com mitted, As to the Tower, I thought,—I would have play'd The part my father meant to act upon The usurper Richard: who, being at Salisbury, Made suit to come in his presence; which if granted, As he made semblance of his duty, would Have put his knife into him. K. Hen. A giant traitor! Wol. Now, madam, may his highness live in free. dom, And this man out of prison? Q. Kath. God mend all! K. Hen. There's something more would out of thee; What say'st? Surv. After the duke his father,—with the knife, He stretch'd him, and, with one hand on his dagger, Another spread on his breast, mounting his eyes, He did discharge a horrible oath; whose tenour Was, Were he evil us'd, he would out-go His father, by as much as a performance Does an irresolute purpose. K. Hen. There's his period, To sheath his knife in us. He is attach'd; Call him to present trial: if he may Find mercy in the law, 'tis his; if none, Let him not seek't of us: By day and night, [Exeunt. SCENE III. A room in the Palace. Enter the Lord Chamberlain, and Lord Sands. Cham. Is it possible, the spells of France should juggle Men into such strange mysteries? Sands. Though they be never so ridiculous, New customs, Nay, let them be unmanly, yet are follow'd. A fit* or two o'the face; but they are shrewd ones; To Pepin, or Clotharius, they keep state so. Sands. They have all new legs, and lame ones; That never saw them pace before, the spavin, Cham. Death! my lord, Their clothes are after such a pagan cut too, That, sure, they have worn out Christendom. How I hear of none, but the new proclamation Cham. What is't for? Lov. The reformation of our travell'd gallants, That fill the court with quarrels, talk, and tailors. Cham. I am glad, 'tis there; now I would pray our monsieurs To think an English courtier may be wise, They must either Lov. Out of a foreign wisdom), renouncing clean Or pack to their old playfellows: there, I take it, The lag end of their lewdness, and be laugh'd at. Sands. 'Tis time to give them physick, their dis. eases Are grown so catching. Cham. Will have of these trim vanities! What a loss our ladies Ay, marry, Lov. There will be woe indeed, lords; the sly whoresons Have got a speeding trick to lay down ladies; A French song, and a fiddle, has no fellow. Sunds, The devil fiddle them! I am glad, they're going; (For, sure, there's no converting of them); now A long time out of play, may bring his plain-song, * A palace at Paris. + With authority. Cham. Well said, lord Sands; Your colt's tooth is not cast yet. Sands. Nor shall not, while I have a stump. Cham. Whither were you a going? Lov. Your lordship is a guest too. Cham. No, my lord; Sir Thomas, To the cardinal's; O, 'tis true: This night he makes a supper, and a great one, Lov. That churchman bears a bounteous mind in deed, A hand as fruitful as the land that feeds us; Cham. No doubt, he's noble; He had a black mouth, that said other of him. Sands. He may, my lord, he has wherewithal; in him, Sparing would show a worse sin than ill doctrine: Men of his way should be most liberal, They are set here for examples. True, they are so ; Cham. But few now give so great ones. My barge stays* ; Your lordship shall along :-Come, good sir Thomas, We shall be late else: which I would not be, For I was spoke to, with sir Henry Guildford, This night to be comptrollers. Sands. I am your lordship's. [Exeunt. The speaker is at Bridewell, and the cardinal's house was at Whitehall. |