and what I shall do in future, is ordered
by the college of cardinals,
the whole college of Rome. You charge me
with fanning the flames: I deny it;
the King is here; if he knows
that I have done it and now deny it, he can
expose my lies, and rightly so, as much
as you have exposed my truth. If he knows
that I am innocent of what you say, he knows
I am not here to do you harm. So it is
down to him to acquit me, and the way to do that
is to stop you thinking this way: and so before
his Highness speaks, I beg you,
gracious madam, to stop thinking this way
and to stop saying these things.
QUEEN KATHARINE
My lord, my lord,
I am a simple woman, much too weak
To oppose your cunning. You're meek and
humble-mouth'd;
You sign your place and calling, in full seeming,
With meekness and humility; but your heart
Is cramm'd with arrogancy, spleen, and pride.
You have, by fortune and his highness' favours,
Gone slightly o'er low steps and now are mounted
Where powers are your retainers, and your words,
Domestics to you, serve your will as't please
Yourself pronounce their office. I must tell you,
You tender more your person's honour than
Your high profession spiritual: that again
I do refuse you for my judge; and here,
Before you all, appeal unto the pope,
To bring my whole cause 'fore his holiness,
And to be judged by him.
My lord, my lord,
I am a simple woman, much too weak
to fight your cunning. You are meek and speak humbly;
you show your position and your calling, it seems,
with meekness and humility; but your heart
is crammed with arrogance, anger and pride.
You have, by luck and the goodwill of his Highness,
leapt easily over the low rungs and have now climbed
up where great men do your bidding, and your words,
servants to you, make them do whatever
you order. I must tell you,
your personal position is more important to you than
your great spiritual profession: that once again
I refuse to let you be my judge; and here,
in front of you all, I appeal to the Pope,
I ask for my whole case to be brought before his holiness,
and to be judged by him.
She curtsies to KING HENRY VIII, and offers to depart
CARDINAL CAMPEIUS
The queen is obstinate,
Stubborn to justice, apt to accuse it, and
Disdainful to be tried by't: 'tis not well.
She's going away.
The Queen is obstinate,
opposed to justice, inclined to accuse it
and unwilling to be tried by it: this is not good.
She's going away.
KING HENRY VIII
Call her again.
Call her back.
Crier
Katharine Queen of England, come into the court.
Katherine Queen of England, come into the court.
GRIFFITH
Madam, you are call'd back.
Madam, you have been called back.
QUEEN KATHARINE
What need you note it? pray you, keep your way:
When you are call'd, return. Now, the Lord help,
They vex me past my patience! Pray you, pass on:
I will not tarry; no, nor ever more
Upon this business my appearance make
In any of their courts.
Why do you need to say it? Please, keep going:
when you are called, come back. Now, Lord help me,
they are vexing me beyond endurance! Please, move on:
I will not stay; no, nor will I ever
appear again in any of their courts
on this business.
Exeunt QUEEN KATHARINE and her Attendants
KING HENRY VIII
Go thy ways, Kate:
That man i' the world who shall report he has
A better wife, let him in nought be trusted,
For speaking false in that: thou art, alone,
If thy rare qualities, sweet gentleness,
Thy meekness saint-like, wife-like government,
Obeying in commanding, and thy parts
Sovereign and pious else, could speak thee out,
The queen of earthly queens: she's noble born;
And, like her true nobility, she has
Carried herself towards me.
Go where you like, Kate:
if any man in the world says he has
a better wife, don't trust him,
he's lying: no one compares to you,
if your unique qualities, sweet gentleness,
your saintly meekness, your wifely rule,
your obedience and all your other
royal and holy qualities could speak out loud for you
they would name you the Queen of all queens on earth:
she is nobly born; and she has behaved towards me
with true nobility.
CARDINAL WOLSEY
Most gracious sir,
In humblest manner I require your highness,
That it shall please you to declare, in hearing
Of all these ears,--for where I am robb'd and bound,
There must I be unloosed, although not there
At once and fully satisfied,--whether ever I
Did broach this business to your highness; or
Laid any scruple in your way, which might
Induce you to the question on't? or ever
Have to you, but with thanks to God for such
A royal lady, spake one the least word that might
Be to the prejudice of her present state,
Or touch of her good person?
Most gracious Sir,
I must ask your Highness in the most humble way
that you should declare for everyone
to hear–for I must be cleared
of these accusations, they cannot
be left for a moment–whether I ever
spoke of this business to your Highness; or
gave you any reason to doubt, which might
have made you question it? Or have you
ever said anything about the Royal lady,
apart from giving your thanks to God for her,
which might in any way cast doubt upon her character
or place her in a difficult position?
KING HENRY VIII
My lord cardinal,
I do excuse you; yea, upon mine honour,
I free you from't. You are not to be taught
That you have many enemies, that know not
Why they are so, but, like to village-curs,
Bark when their fellows do: by some of these
The queen is put in anger. You're excused:
But will you be more justified? You ever
Have wish'd the sleeping of this business; never desired
It to be stirr'd; but oft have hinder'd, oft,
The passages made toward it: on my honour,
I speak my good lord cardinal to this point,
And thus far clear him. Now, what moved me to't,
I will be bold with time and your attention:
Then mark the inducement. Thus it came; give heed to't:
My conscience first received a tenderness,
Scruple, and prick, on certain speeches utter'd
By the Bishop of Bayonne, then French ambassador;
Who had been hither sent on the debating
A marriage 'twixt the Duke of Orleans and
Our d
aughter Mary: i' the progress of this business,
Ere a determinate resolution, he,
I mean the bishop, did require a respite;
Wherein he might the king his lord advertise
Whether our daughter were legitimate,
Respecting this our marriage with the dowager,
Sometimes our brother's wife. This respite shook
The bosom of my conscience, enter'd me,
Yea, with a splitting power, and made to tremble
The region of my breast; which forced such way,
That many mazed considerings did throng
And press'd in with this caution. First, methought
I stood not in the smile of heaven; who had
Commanded nature, that my lady's womb,
If it conceived a male child by me, should
Do no more offices of life to't than
The grave does to the dead; for her male issue
Or died where they were made, or shortly after
This world had air'd them: hence I took a thought,
This was a judgment on me; that my kingdom,
Well worthy the best heir o' the world, should not
Be gladded in't by me: then follows, that
I weigh'd the danger which my realms stood in
By this my issue's fail; and that gave to me
Many a groaning throe. Thus hulling in
The wild sea of my conscience, I did steer
Toward this remedy, whereupon we are
Now present here together: that's to say,
I meant to rectify my conscience,--which
I then did feel full sick, and yet not well,--
By all the reverend fathers of the land
And doctors learn'd: first I began in private
With you, my Lord of Lincoln; you remember
How under my oppression I did reek,
When I first moved you.
My Lord Cardinal,
I exonerate you; I excuse you
upon my honour; you do not have to be told
that you have many enemies who do not know
why they hate you, but like village dogs
bark when their friends do. The Queen has been
made angry by people like that; you are excused:
but shall I say more in your defence? You always
wanted this business to be left alone, you never
wanted it to be stirred up, you have often blocked me
when I have try to instigate proceedings; I swear,
I can speak for my good lord cardinal on this point,
and so clear him. As for what motivated me,
I will take up some time and your attention:
take note of my reasons, this is what happened, listen:
my conscience was first pricked
with doubt because of certain speeches made
by the Bishop of Bayonne, then French ambassador,
who had been sent here to debate the issue
of a marriage between the Duke of Orleans and
my daughter Mary: as this business went on,
before they reached a decision, he
–I mean the Bishop–wanted a pause,
so that he could inform his lord the king
whether my daughter was legitimate
as I was married to the woman
who was once my brother's wife. This request shook
the heart of my conscience, got into my mind,
it transfixed me, and made me tremble
in my heart, and gave birth to
such perplexed thoughts that it created
these worries. Firstly, I thought
that I was out of favour with God, who had
commanded nature that if my lady conceived
a male child by me then her womb would no more
give it life than a grave gives life to the dead:
her male children either died as they were born or
shortly afterwards. So I thought that
this was a judgement on me, that my kingdom
–which well deserves the best heir in the world–would not
be made happy through me. In consequence
I thought of the danger my kingdom was in
if I did not produce an heir, and that gave me
many great pains: so drifting across
the wild sea of my conscience, I steered towards
this solution, which is why we are
all here today: I mean to say,
I wanted to pacify my conscience,
which was then making me feel quite sick,
and I couldn't be cured by all the holy fathers of the land
and all the learned doctors. I first spoke privately
to you, my Lord of Lincoln; you remember
how I sweated under the weight of my distress
when I first confessed it to you.
LINCOLN
Very well, my liege.
I remember very well, my lord.
KING HENRY VIII
I have spoke long: be pleased yourself to say
How far you satisfied me.
I have spoken for a long time; please say yourself
how far you managed to reassure me.
LINCOLN
So please your highness,
The question did at first so stagger me,
Bearing a state of mighty moment in't
And consequence of dread, that I committed
The daring'st counsel which I had to doubt;
And did entreat your highness to this course
Which you are running here.
If it pleases your Highness,
the question at first was so staggering,
being so important for the country
and with the risk of such dreadful consequences,
that I did not trust the most daring solution
which occurred to me, and I told your Highness to follow
the course which you are now taking.
KING HENRY VIII
I then moved you,
My Lord of Canterbury; and got your leave
To make this present summons: unsolicited
I left no reverend person in this court;
But by particular consent proceeded
Under your hands and seals: therefore, go on:
For no dislike i' the world against the person
Of the good queen, but the sharp thorny points
Of my alleged reasons, drive this forward:
Prove but our marriage lawful, by my life
And kingly dignity, we are contented
To wear our mortal state to come with her,
Katharine our queen, before the primest creature
That's paragon'd o' the world.
I then asked you,
my Lord of Canterbury; and I got your permission
to begin these current proceedings: I did not
fail to ask any holy person in this Court;
I moved forward with your specific agreement,
signed and sealed: so, proceed:
there is no dislike in any way of
the good Queen motivating this,
it's only the sharp pricks of the
reasons I have put forward:
if you can prove that our marriage is lawful, I swear on my life
and my dignity as a king, I shall be happy
to spend the rest of my life with her,
Katherine my Queen, ahead of anyone
who is put forward as the finest creature in the world.
CARDINAL CAMPEIUS
So please your highness,
The queen being absent, 'tis a needful fitness
That we adjourn this court till further day:
Meanwhile must be an earnest motion
Made to the queen, to call back her appeal
She intends unto his holiness.
If it pleases your Highness,
with the Queen being absent, it is necessary
for
us to adjourn this court until another day:
in the meantime earnest efforts must be made
to persuade the Queen not to make the appeal
to the Pope which she intends.
KING HENRY VIII
[Aside] I may perceive
These cardinals trifle with me: I abhor
This dilatory sloth and tricks of Rome.
My learn'd and well-beloved servant, Cranmer,
Prithee, return: with thy approach, I know,
My comfort comes along. Break up the court:
I say, set on.
I can see
that these cardinals are trifling with me: I hate
this lazy slowness and tricks of Rome.
My learned and much loved servant, Cranmer,
I pray for your return: I know that when you come
you will help me. Break up the court:
I say, move along.
Exeunt in manner as they entered
Enter QUEEN KATHARINE and her Women, as at work
QUEEN KATHARINE
Take thy lute, wench: my soul grows sad with troubles;
Sing, and disperse 'em, if thou canst: leave working.
Pick up your lute, girl: all these troubles have made me sad;
sing, and blow them away, if you can: leave your work.
SONG
Orpheus with his lute made trees,
And the mountain tops that freeze,
Bow themselves when he did sing:
To his music plants and flowers
Ever sprung; as sun and showers
There had made a lasting spring.
Every thing that heard him play,
Even the billows of the sea,
Hung their heads, and then lay by.
In sweet music is such art,
Killing care and grief of heart
Fall asleep, or hearing, die.
With his lute Orpheus made the trees,
and the frozen mountaintops,
bow down to him when he sang:
plants and flowers always sprung up
at his music; as if the sun and showers
had made an eternal spring there.
Everything that heard him play,
even the waves of the sea,
hung their heads, and then lay around him.
There is such art in sweet music
that it can kill troubles and the sadness of the heart
falls asleep or, hearing, dies.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 185
