Go, give them welcome, you can speak the French

tongue;

And, pray, receive them nobly, and conduct them Into our presence, where this heaven of beauty Shall shine at full upon them :-Some attend him.— [Exit Chamberlain, attended. All arise,

and Tables removed.

You have now a broken banquet; but we'll mend it.
A good digestion to you all: and, once more,
I shower a welcome on you;-Welcome all.

Hautboys. Enter the King, and twelve Others, as
Maskers, habited like Shepherds, with sixteen
Torchbearers: ushered by the Lord Chamberlain.
They pass directly before the Cardinal, and grace-
fully salute him.

A noble company! what are their pleasures? Cham. Because they speak no English, thus they pray'd

To tell your grace;-That, having heard by fame
Of this so noble and so fair assembly

This night to meet here, they could do no less,
Out of the great respect they bear to beauty,
But leave their flocks; and under your
fair conduct,
Crave leave to view these ladies, and entreat

An hour of revels with them.

Wol.

Say, lord chamberlain, They have done my poor house grace; for which I

pay them

A thousand thanks, and pray them take their plea

sures.

[Ladies chosen for the dance. The King chooses ANNE BULlen.

K. Hen. The fairest hand I ever touch'd! O,

beauty,

Till now I never knew thee.

[Musick. Dance.

Your grace?

Wol. My lord,-
Cham.

Wol.

Pray, tell them thus much from me:

There should be one amongst them,

by his person, More worthy this place than myself; to whom, If I but knew him, with my love and duty I would surrender it.

Cham.

I will, my lord.

[Cham. goes to the company, and returns. Wol. What say they?

Cham.

Such a one, they all confess, There is, indeed; which they would have your grace

Find out, and he will take it.

Wol.

Let me see then.

[Comes from his state.

By all your good leaves, gentlemen;-Here I'll make

My royal choice.
K. Hen.

You have found him, cardinal*:

[Unmasking.

You hold a fair assembly; you do well, lord: You are a churchman, or, I'll tell you, cardinal, I should judge now unhappily 5.

Wol.

Your grace is grown so pleasant.

I am glad,

K. Hen. My lord chamberlain, Pr'ythee, come hither: What fair lady's that?

4 Cavendish, from whom Stowe and Holinshed copied their account, says that the cardinal pitched upon Sir Edward Neville, a comely knight of a goodly personage, that much more resembled the king's person in that mask than any other,' upon which the king plucked down his visor and Master Neville's also, and dashed out with such a pleasant cheer and countenance, that all noble estates there assembled, seeing the king to be there amongst them, rejoiced very much.'

5 i. e. waggishly, mischievously. Thus in Andromana, Dodsley's Old Plays, vol. xi. p. 49:

'Answer me not in words, but deeds,
I know you always talk'd unhappily.'

Cham. An't please your grace, Sir Thomas Bul

len's daughter,

The Viscount Rochford, one of her highness' women. K. Hen. By heaven, she is a dainty one.-Sweetheart,

I were unmannerly, to take you out,

And not to kiss you.-A health, gentlemen,
Let it go round.

Wol. Sir Thomas Lovell, is the banquet ready I' the privy chamber?

Lov.

Wol.

Yes, my lord.

Your grace,

I fear, with dancing is a little heated".
K. Hen. I fear, too much.

Wol.

In the next chamber.

There's fresher air, my lord,

6 A kiss was anciently the established fee of a lady's partner. Thus in A Dialogue between Custom and Veritie, concerning the Use and Abuse of Dauncing and Minstrelsie, blk. I. printed by John Allde, no date :

'But some reply, what foole would daunce

If that when daunce is doon

He may not have at ladyes lips

That which in daunce he woon.'

The custom is still prevalent among country people in many parts of the kingdom.

7 According to Cavendish, the king, on discovering himself, being desired by Wolsey to take his place under the state or seat of honour, said that he would go first and shift his apparel, and so departed, and went straight into my lord's bedchamber, where a great fire was made and prepared for him, and there new apparelled him with rich and princely garments. And in the time of the king's absence the dishes of the banquet were cleane taken up, and the tables spread with new and sweet perfumed cloths.--Then the king took his seat under the cloth of estate, commanding no man to remove, but set still as they did before. Then in came a new banquet before the king's majesty, and to all the rest through the tables, wherein, I suppose were served two hundred dishes or above. Thus passed they forth the whole night with banquetting,' &c.

K. Hen. Lead in your ladies, every one. - Sweet

partner,

I must not yet forsake you.- -Let's be merry;
Good my lord cardinal, I have half a dozen healths
To drink to these fair ladies, and a measure

To lead them once again; and then let's dream
Who's best in favour.-Let the musick knock it 8.
[Exeunt, with trumpets.

ACT II.

SCENE I. A Street.

Enter two Gentlemen, meeting.

1 Gent. Whither away so fast? 2 Gent. Even to the hall to hear what shall become

0,-God save you!

Of the great duke of Buckingham.

1 Gent.

I'll save you

That labour, sir. All's now done, but the ceremony

Of bringing back the prisoner.

2 Gent.

1 Gent. Yes, indeed, was I.

2 Gent.

Were you there?

Pray, speak, what has happen'd?

1 Gent. You may guess quickly what.

2 Gent.

Is he found guilty?

1 Gent. Yes, truly is he, and condemn'd upon it. 2 Gent. I am sorry for't.

1 Gent.

8 Thus in Antonio and Mellida :

So are a number more.

‹ Fla. Faith the song will seem to come off hardly.
Catz. Troth, not a whit, if you seem to come off quickly.
Fla. Pert Catzo, knock it then.'

2 Gent. But, pray, how pass'd it?

1 Gent. I'll tell you in a little. The great duke Came to the bar; where, to his accusations,

He pleaded still, not guilty, and alleg❜d
Many sharp reasons to defeat the law.
The king's attorney, on the contrary,
Urg'd on the examinations, proofs, confessions
Of divers witnesses; which the duke desir'd
To have brought, viva voce, to his face:

At which appear'd against him, his surveyor;
Sir Gilbert Peck his chancellor; and John Court,
Confessor to him; with that devil-monk,
Hopkins, that made this mischief.

2 Gent.

That fed him with his prophecies?

1 Gent.

That was he,

The same.

All these accus'd him strongly; which he fain
Would have flung from him, but, indeed, he could not:
And so his peers, upon this evidence,

Have found him guilty of high treason. Much
He spoke, and learnedly, for life: but all
Was either pitied in him, or forgotten 1,

2 Gent. After all this, how did he bear himself? 1 Gent. When he was brought again to the bar,to hear

His knell rung out, his judgment, he was stirr'd With such an agony, he sweat extremely, And something spoke in choler, ill, and hasty: But he fell to himself again, and, sweetly, In all the rest show'd a most noble patience. 2 Gent. I do not think, he fears death. 1 Gent.

Sure, he does not,

He never was so womanish; the cause
He may

pity.

a little grieve at.

Either produced no effect, or produced only ineffectual