To his own portion! and what expence by the hour Seems to flow from him! How, i' the name of thrift, Does he rake this together!-Now, my lords; Saw you the cardinal?

NOR.

My lord, we have

Stood here observing him: Some strange commo

tion

Is in his brain he bites his lip, and starts;
Stops on a sudden, looks
upon the ground,
Then, lays his finger on his temple; straight,
Springs out into fast gait; then, stops again,7

whom the king gave in charge to write a book of the whole estate of the kingdom, &c. Afterwards, the king commanded cardinal Wolsey to go to this bishop, and to bring the book away with him. This bishop having written two books, (the one to answer the king's command, and the other intreating of his own private affairs,) did bind them both after one sort in vellum, &c. Now, when the cardinal came to demand the book due to the king, the bishop unadvisedly commanded his servant to bring him the book bound in white vellum, lying in his study, in such a place. The servant accordingly brought forth one of the books so bound, being the book intreating of the state of the bishop, &c. The cardinal having the book went from the bishop, and after, (in his study by himself,) understanding the contents thereof, he greatly rejoiced, having now occasion (which he long sought for) offered unto him, to bring the bishop into the king's disgrace.

"Wherefore he went forthwith to the king, delivered the book into his hands, and briefly informed him of the contents thereof; putting further into the king's head, that if at any time he were destitute of a mass of money, he should not need to seek further therefore than to the coffers of the bishop. Of all which when the bishop had intelligence, &c. he was stricken with such grief of the same, that he shortly, through extreme sorrow, ended his life at London, in the year of Christ 1523. After which, the cardinal, who had long before gaped after his bishoprick, in singular hope to attain thereunto, had now his wish in effect," &c. STEEVENS.

7 then, stops again,] Sallust, describing the disturbed state of Catiline's mind, takes notice of the same circumstance: citus modo, modo tardus incessus." STEEVENS.

66

Strikes his breast hard; and anon, he casts
His eye against the moon: in most strange postures
We have seen him set himself.

K. HEN.
It may well be;
There is a mutiny in his mind. This morning
Papers of state he sent me to peruse,
As I requir'd; And, wot you, what I found
There; on my conscience, put unwittingly?
Forsooth, an inventory, thus importing,
The several parcels of his plate, his treasure,
Rich stuffs, and ornaments of household; which
I find at such proud rate, that it out-speaks
Possession of a subject.

NOR.

It's heaven's will; Some spirit put this paper in the packet, To bless your eye withal.

K. HEN.

If we did think
His contemplation were above the earth,
And fix'd on spiritual object, he should still
Dwell in his musings: but, I am afraid,
His thinkings are below the moon, not worth
His serious considering.

WOL.

[He takes his seat, and whispers LOVELL, who goes to WOLSEY.

Ever God bless your highness!

K. HEN.

Heaven forgive me!

Good my lord,

You are full of heavenly stuff, and bear the inven

tory

Of your best graces in your mind; the which

& Strikes his breast hard; and anon, he casts-] Here I think we should be at liberty to complete a defective verse, by reading, with Sir Thomas Hanmer :

and then, anon, he casts. STEEVENS.

You were now running o'er; you have scarce time
To steal from spiritual leisure a brief span,
To keep your earthly audit: Sure, in that
I deem you an ill husband; and am glad
To have you therein my companion.

WOL.

Sir,

For holy offices I have a time; a time
To think upon the part of business, which
I bear i'the state; and nature does require
Her times of preservation, which, perforce,
I her frail son, amongst my brethren mortal,
Must give my tendance to.

K. HEN.

You have said well.

WOL. And ever may your highness yoke together, As I will lend you cause, my doing well

With my well saying!

you:

K. HEN. 'Tis well said again; And 'tis a kind of good deed, to say well: And yet words are no deeds. My father lov'd He said, he did; and with his deed did crown His word upon you. Since I had my office, I have kept you next my heart; have not alone Employ'd you where high profits might come home, But par'd my present havings, to bestow

My bounties upon you.

WOL.

What should this mean?

SUR. The lord increase this business! [Aside.

Have I not made you

K. HEN. The prime man of the state? I pray you, tell me, If what I now pronounce, you have found true:

with his deed did crown

His word-] So, in Macbeth:

"To crown my thoughts with acts." STEEVENS.

And, if you may confess it, say withal,

If you are bound to us, or no.

What say you?

WOL. My sovereign, I confess, your royal graces, Shower'd on me daily, have been more, than could My studied purposes requite; which went Beyond all man's endeavours:'-my endeavours Have ever come too short of my desires,

2

Yet, fil'd with my abilities: Mine own ends
Have been mine so, that evermore they pointed
To the good of your most sacred person, and
The profit of the state. For your great graces
Heap'd upon me, poor undeserver, I
Can nothing render but allegiant thanks;
My prayers to heaven for you; my loyalty,
Which ever has, and ever shall be growing,
Till death, that winter, kill it.

K. HEN.

Fairly answer'd;
A loyal and obedient subject is

Therein illustrated: The honour of it
Does pay the act of it; as, i'the contrary,
The foulness is the punishment. I presume,
That, as my hand has open'd bounty to you,
My heart dropp'd love, my power rain'd honour,

1

more

Beyond all man's endeavours:] The sense is, my purposes went beyond all human endeavour. I purposed for your honour more than it falls within the compass of man's nature to attempt. JOHNSON

I am rather inclined to think, that which refers to "royal graces;" which, says Wolsey, no human endeavour could requite. MALOne.

Yet, fil'd with my abilities:] My endeavours, though less than my desires, have fil'd, that is, have gone an equal pace with my abilities. JOHNSON,

front but in that file

"Where others tell steps with me." STEEVENS.

3

On you, than any; so your hand, and heart, Your brain, and every function of your power, Should, notwithstanding that your bond of duty,* As 'twere in love's particular, be more

To me, your friend, than any.

WOL. I do profess, That for your highness' good I ever labour'd More than mine own; that am, have, and will be.5 Though all the world should crack their duty to you, And throw it from their soul; though perils did Abound, as thick as thought could make them, and Appear in forms more horrid; yet my duty,

3

my hand has open'd bounty to you,

My heart dropp'd love, my power rain'd honour, more

On you, &c.] As Ben Jonson is supposed to have made some alterations in this play, it may not be amiss to compare the passage before us, with another, on the same subject, in the New Inn:

4

"He gave me my first breeding, I acknowledge;
"Then shower'd his bounties on me, like the hours
"That open-handed sit upon the clouds,

"And press the liberality of heaven
"Down to the laps of thankful men."

STEEVENS.

— notwithstanding that your bond of duty,] Besides the general bond of duty, by which you are obliged to be a loyal and obedient subject, you owe a particular devotion of yourself to me, as your particular benefactor. JOHNSON.

5

that am, have, and will be.] I can find no meaning in these words, or see how they are connected with the rest of the sentence; and should therefore strike them out. M. MASON.

I suppose the meaning is, that, or such a man, I am, have been, and will ever be. Our author has many hard and forced expressions in his plays; but many of the hardnesses in the piece before us appear to me of a different colour from those of Shakspeare. Perhaps, however, a line following this has been lost; for in the old copy there is no stop at the end of this line; and, indeed, I have some doubt whether a comma ought not to be placed at it, rather than a full point. MALONE.