Henry VIII by William Shakespeare (icecream ebook reader .txt) 📕
Description
Henry VIII is one of the few of Shakespeare’s plays thought to have been written with a collaborator. It was initially published in the First Folio under Shakespeare’s name only, but in 1850 James Spedding, an English author and expert on the works of Francis Bacon, suggested that the play was a collaboration with John Fletcher, a playwright who later replaced Shakespeare in the King’s Men acting company. Modern scholars mostly tend to agree, though the theory is still controversial as it’s based on textual analysis and not any historical mention of a collaboration. The play is also famous for having burned down the Globe Theatre in 1613 during one of its early performances, when a cannon shot special effect lit the theater’s thatched roof on fire.
In the play, King Henry’s closest advisor, Cardinal Wolsey, is hated by the citizens of England. Wolsey has imposed unfair taxes and unpopularly executed the Duke of Buckingham for treason. While at a party, the King falls madly in love with Anne Bullen and plans to divorce his current wife, Katherine of Aragon. Wolsey is asked to help his King in this endeavor, all the while becoming even more hated by the English and their Queen.
This Standard Ebooks production is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright’s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.
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- Author: William Shakespeare
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Your grace is noble:
Let me have such a bowl may hold my thanks,
And save me so much talking.
My Lord Sands,
I am beholding to you: cheer your neighbours.
Ladies, you are not merry: gentlemen,
Whose fault is this?
The red wine first must rise
In their fair cheeks, my lord; then we shall have ’em
Talk us to silence.
You are a merry gamester,
My Lord Sands.
Yes, if I make my play.
Here’s to your ladyship: and pledge it, madam,
For ’tis to such a thing—
What warlike voice,
And to what end is this? Nay, ladies, fear not;
By all the laws of war you’re privileged.
A noble troop of strangers;
For so they seem: they’ve left their barge and landed;
And hither make, as great ambassadors
From foreign princes.
Good lord chamberlain,
Go, give ’em welcome; you can speak the French tongue;
And, pray, receive ’em nobly, and conduct ’em
Into our presence, where this heaven of beauty
Shall shine at full upon them. Some attend him. Exit Chamberlain, attended. All rise, 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 ye; welcome all.
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 ’em.
Say, lord chamberlain,
They have done my poor house grace; for which I pay ’em
A thousand thanks, and pray ’em take their pleasures. They choose Ladies for the dance. The King chooses Anne Bullen.
The fairest hand I ever touch’d! O beauty,
Till now I never knew thee! Music. Dance.
Pray, tell ’em thus much from me:
There should be one amongst ’em, 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.
Such a one, they all confess,
There is indeed; which they would have your grace
Find out, and he will take it.
Let me see, then.
By all your good leaves, gentlemen; here I’ll make
My royal choice.
Ye 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.
I am glad
Your grace is grown so pleasant.
My lord chamberlain,
Prithee, come hither: what fair lady’s that?
An’t please your grace, Sir Thomas Bullen’s daughter—
The Viscount Rochford—one of her highness’ women.
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.
Sir Thomas Lovell, is the banquet ready
I’ the privy chamber?
Your grace,
I fear, with dancing is a little heated.
There’s fresher air, my lord,
In the next chamber.
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 ’em once again; and then let’s dream
Who’s best in favour. Let the music knock it. Exeunt with trumpets.
Westminster. A street.
Enter two Gentlemen, meeting. First Gentleman Whither away so fast? Second GentlemanO, God save ye!
Even to the hall, to hear what shall become
Of the great Duke of Buckingham.
I’ll save you
That labour, sir. All’s now done, but the ceremony
Of bringing back the prisoner.
I’ll tell you in a little. The great duke
Came to the bar; where to his accusations
He pleaded still not guilty and alleged
Many sharp reasons to defeat the law.
The king’s attorney on the contrary
Urged on the examinations, proofs, confessions
Of divers witnesses; which the duke desired
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.
That was he
That fed him with his prophecies?
The same.
All these accused 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.
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.
Sure, he does not:
He never was so womanish; the cause
He may a little grieve at.
Certainly
The cardinal is the end of this.
’Tis likely,
By all conjectures: first, Kildare’s attainder,
Then deputy of Ireland; who removed,
Earl Surrey was
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