King Henry the Eighth. Charles V. Sands. Sir Henry Guildford. Sir Thomas Lovell. Sir Anthony Denny. Sir Nicholas Vaux. Secretaries to Wolsey. Cromwell, servant to Wolsey. Griffith, gentleman-usher to queen Katharine. Three other Gentlemen. Doctor Butts, physician to the king Garter, king at arms. Surveyor to the duke of Buckingham. Brandon, and a Serjeunt at arms. Door-keeper of the council-chamber. Porter, and his Man. Page to Gardiner. A Crier. Queen Katharine, wife to king Henry, afterwards divorced. Anne Bullen, her maid of honour; afterwards queen. An old lady, friend to Anne Bullen. Patience, woman to queen Katharine. Several Lords and Ladies in the dumb shows; Women attending upon the queen; Spirits, which appear to her; Scribes, Officers, Guards, and other Attendants. Scene, chiefly in London and Westminster; once, at Kimbolton. PROLOGUE. I COME no more to make you laugh; things now, That bear a weighty and a serious brow, Sad, high, and working, full of state and woe, Such noble scenes as draw the eye to flow, We now present. Those that can pity, here May, if they think it well, let fall a tear; The subject will deserve it. Such, as give Their money out of hope they may believe, May here find truth too. Those, that come to see Only a show or two, and so agree, The play may pass; if they be still, and willing. I'll undertake, may see away their shilling Richly in two short hours. Only they, That come to hear a merry, bawdy play, A noise of targets ; or to see a fellow In a long motley coat, guarded* with yellow, Will be deceiv'd : for, gentle hearers, know, To rank our chosen truth with such a show As fool and fight is, beside forfeiting Our own brains, and the opinion that we bring (To make that only true we now intendt), Will leave us never an understanding friend. Therefore, for goodness' sake, and as you are known The first and happiest hearers of the town, Be sad, as we would make ye: Think, ye see The very persons of our noble story, |