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Westminster. A Street. | |
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Enter two Gentlemen, meeting. | |
| First Gent. Whither away so fast? | |
| Sec. Gent. O! God save ye. | |
| E’en to the hall, to hear what shall become | 5 |
| Of the great Duke of Buckingham. | |
| First Gent. I’ll save you | |
| That labour, sir. All’s now done but the ceremony | |
| Of bringing back the prisoner. | |
| Sec. Gent. Were you there? | 10 |
| First Gent. Yes, indeed, was I. | |
| Sec. Gent. Pray speak what has happen’d. | |
| First Gent. You may guess quickly what. | |
| Sec. Gent. Is he found guilty? | |
| First Gent. Yes, truly is he, and condemn’d upon ’t. | 15 |
| Sec. Gent. I am sorry for ’t. | |
| First Gent. So are a number more. | |
| Sec. Gent. But, pray, how pass’d it? | |
| First Gent. I’ll tell you in a little. The great duke | |
| Came to the bar; where, to his accusations | 20 |
| 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 | 25 |
| To have brought, vivâ voce, to his face: | |
| At which appear’d against him his surveyor; | |
| Sir Gilbert Peck his chancellor; and John Car, | |
| Confessor to him; with that devil-monk, | |
| Hopkins, that made this mischief. | 30 |
| Sec. Gent. That was he | |
| That fed him with his prophecies? | |
| First Gent. The same. | |
| All these accus’d him strongly; which he fain | |
| Would have flung from him, but, indeed, he could not: | 35 |
| 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. | |
| Sec. Gent. After all this how did he bear himself? | 40 |
| First 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 | 45 |
| In all the rest show’d a most noble patience. | |
| Sec. Gent. I do not think he fears death. | |
| First Gent. Sure, he does not; | |
| He never was so womanish; the cause | |
| He may a little grieve at. | 50 |
| Sec. Gent. Certainly | |
| The cardinal is the end of this. | |
| First Gent. ’Tis likely | |
| By all conjectures: first, Kildare’s attainder, | |
| Then deputy of Ireland; who, remov’d, | 55 |
| Earl Surrey was sent thither, and in haste too, | |
| Lest he should help his father. | |
| Sec. Gent. That trick of state | |
| Was a deep envious one. | |
| First Gent. At his return, | 60 |
| No doubt he will requite it. This is noted, | |
| And generally, whoever the king favours, | |
| The cardinal instantly will find employment, | |
| And far enough from court too. | |
| Sec. Gent. All the commons | 65 |
| Hate him perniciously, and o’ my conscience, | |
| Wish him ten fathom deep: this duke as much | |
| They love and dote on; call him bounteous Buckingham, | |
| The mirror of all courtesy;— | |
| First Gent. Stay there, sir, | 70 |
| And see the noble ruin’d man you speak of. | |
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Enter BUCKINGHAM from his arraignment; Tipstaves before him; the axe with the edge towards him; halberds on each side: with him SIR THOMAS LOVELL, SIR NICHOLAS VAUX, SIR WILLIAM SANDS, and common people. | |
| Sec. Gent. Let’s stand close, and behold him. | |
| Buck. All good people, | |
| You that thus far have come to pity me, | 75 |
| Hear what I say, and then go home and lose me. | |
| I have this day receiv’d a traitor’s judgment, | |
| And by that name must die: yet, heaven bear witness, | |
| And if I have a conscience, let it sink me, | |
| Even as the axe falls, if I be not faithful! | 80 |
| The law I bear no malice for my death, | |
| ’T has done upon the premises but justice; | |
| But those that sought it I could wish more Christians: | |
| Be what they will, I heartily forgive ’em. | |
| Yet let ’em look they glory not in mischief, | 85 |
| Nor build their evils on the graves of great men; | |
| For then my guiltless blood must cry against ’em. | |
| For further life in this world I ne’er hope, | |
| Nor will I sue, although the king have mercies | |
| More than I dare make faults. You few that lov’d me, | 90 |
| And dare be bold to weep for Buckingham, | |
| His noble friends and fellows, whom to leave | |
| Is only bitter to him, only dying, | |
| Go with me, like good angels, to my end; | |
| And, as the long divorce of steel falls on me, | 95 |
| Make of your prayers one sweet sacrifice, | |
| And lift my soul to heaven. Lead on, o’ God’s name. | |
| Lov. I do beseech your Grace, for charity, | |
| If ever any malice in your heart | |
| Were hid against me, now to forgive me frankly. | 100 |
| Buck. Sir Thomas Lovell, I as free forgive you | |
| As I would be forgiven: I forgive all. | |
| There cannot be those numberless offences | |
| ’Gainst me that I cannot take peace with: no black envy | |
| Shall mark my grave. Commend me to his Grace; | 105 |
| And, if he speak of Buckingham, pray, tell him | |
| You met him half in heaven. My vows and prayers | |
| Yet are the king’s; and, till my soul forsake, | |
| Shall cry for blessings on him: may he live | |
| Longer than I have time to tell his years! | 110 |
| Ever belov’d and loving may his rule be! | |
| And when old time shall lead him to his end, | |
| Goodness and he fill up one monument! | |
| Lov. To the water side I must conduct your Grace; | |
| Then give my charge up to Sir Nicholas Vaux, | 115 |
| Who undertakes you to your end. | |
| Vaux. Prepare there! | |
| The duke is coming: see the barge be ready; | |
| And fit it with such furniture as suits | |
| The greatness of his person. | 120 |
| Buck. Nay, Sir Nicholas, | |
| Let it alone; my state now will but mock me. | |
| When I came hither, I was Lord High Constable, | |
| And Duke of Buckingham; now, poor Edward Bohun: | |
| Yet I am richer than my base accusers, | 125 |
| That never knew what truth meant: I now seal it; | |
| And with that blood will make them one day groan for ’t. | |
| My noble father, Henry of Buckingham, | |
| Who first rais’d head against usurping Richard, | |
| Flying for succour to his servant Banister, | 130 |
| Being distress’d, was by that wretch betray’d, | |
| And without trial fell: God’s peace be with him! | |
| Henry the Seventh succeeding, truly pitying | |
| My father’s loss, like a most royal prince, | |
| Restor’d me to my honours, and, out of ruins, | 135 |
| Made my name once more noble. Now his son, | |
| Henry the Eighth, life, honour, name, and all | |
| That made me happy, at one stroke has taken | |
| For ever from the world. I had my trial, | |
| And, must needs say, a noble one; which makes me | 140 |
| A little happier than my wretched father: | |
| Yet thus far we are one in fortunes; both | |
| Fell by our servants, by those men welov’d most: | |
| A most unnatural and faithless service! | |
| Heaven has an end in all; yet, you that hear me, | 145 |
| This from a dying man receive as certain: | |
| Where you are liberal of your loves and counsels | |
| Be sure you be not loose; for those you make friends | |
| And give your hearts to, when they once perceive | |
| The least rub in your fortunes, fall away | 150 |
| Like water from ye, never found again | |
| But where they mean to sink ye. All good people, | |
| Pray for me! I must now forsake ye: the last hour | |
| Of my long weary life is come upon me. | |
| Farewell: | 155 |
| And when you would say something that is sad, | |
| Speak how I fell. I have done; and God forgive me! [Exeunt BUCKINGHAM and Train. | |
| First Gent. O! this is full of pity! Sir, it calls, | |
| I fear, too many curses on their heads | |
| That were the authors. | 160 |
| Sec. Gent. If the duke be guiltless, | |
| ’Tis full of woe; yet I can give you inkling | |
| Of an ensuing evil, if it fall, | |
| Greater than this. | |
| First Gent. Good angels keep it from us! | 165 |
| What may it be? You do not doubt my faith, sir? | |
| Sec. Gent. This secret is so weighty, ’twill require | |
| A strong faith to conceal it. | |
| First Gent. Let me have it; | |
| I do not talk much. | 170 |
| Sec. Gent. I am confident: | |
| You shall, sir. Did you not of late days hear | |
| A buzzing of a separation | |
| Between the king and Katharine? | |
| First Gent. Yes, but it held not; | 175 |
| For when the king once heard it, out of anger | |
| He sent command to the lord mayor straight | |
| To stop the rumour, and allay those tongues | |
| That durst disperse it. | |
| Sec. Gent. But that slander, sir, | 180 |
| Is found a truth now; for it grows again | |
| Fresher than e’er it was; and held for certain | |
| The king will venture at it. Either the cardinal, | |
| Or some about him near, have, out of malice | |
| To the good queen, possess’d him with a scruple | 185 |
| That will undo her: to confirm this too, | |
| Cardinal Campeius is arriv’d, and lately; | |
| As all think, for this business. | |
| First Gent. ’Tis the cardinal; | |
| And merely to revenge him on the emperor | 190 |
| For not bestowing on him, at his asking, | |
| The archbishopric of Toledo, this is purpos’d. | |
| Sec. Gent. I think you have hit the mark: but is ’t not cruel | |
| That she should feel the smart of this? The cardinal | |
| Will have his will, and she must fall. | 195 |
| First Gent. ’Tis woeful. | |
| We are too open here to argue this; | |
| Let’s think in private more. [Exeunt. | |
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