| ACT III SCENE I | London. QUEEN KATHARINE's apartments. |
| [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. |
[SONG] |
| Orpheus with his lute made trees, |
| And the mountain tops that freeze, |
| Bow themselves when he did sing: | 5 |
| 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, | 10 |
| Hung their heads, and then lay by. |
| In sweet music is such art, |
| Killing care and grief of heart |
| Fall asleep, or hearing, die. |
| [Enter a Gentleman] |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | How now! | 15 |
| Gentleman | An't please your grace, the two great cardinals |
| Wait in the presence. |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | Would they speak with me? |
| Gentleman | They will'd me say so, madam. |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | Pray their graces | 20 |
| To come near. |
[Exit Gentleman] |
| What can be their business |
| With me, a poor weak woman, fall'n from favour? |
| I do not like their coming. Now I think on't, |
| They should be good men; their affairs as righteous: | 25 |
| But all hoods make not monks. |
| [Enter CARDINAL WOLSEY and CARDINAL CAMPEIUS] |
| CARDINAL WOLSEY | Peace to your highness! |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | Your graces find me here part of a housewife, |
| I would be all, against the worst may happen. |
| What are your pleasures with me, reverend lords? | 30 |
| CARDINAL WOLSEY | May it please you noble madam, to withdraw |
| Into your private chamber, we shall give you |
| The full cause of our coming. |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | Speak it here: |
| There's nothing I have done yet, o' my conscience, | 35 |
| Deserves a corner: would all other women |
| Could speak this with as free a soul as I do! |
| My lords, I care not, so much I am happy |
| Above a number, if my actions |
| Were tried by every tongue, every eye saw 'em, | 40 |
| Envy and base opinion set against 'em, |
| I know my life so even. If your business |
| Seek me out, and that way I am wife in, |
| Out with it boldly: truth loves open dealing. |
| CARDINAL WOLSEY | Tanta est erga te mentis integritas, regina | 45 |
| serenissima,-- |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | O, good my lord, no Latin; |
| I am not such a truant since my coming, |
| As not to know the language I have lived in: |
| A strange tongue makes my cause more strange, | 50 |
| suspicious; |
| Pray, speak in English: here are some will thank you, |
| If you speak truth, for their poor mistress' sake; |
| Believe me, she has had much wrong: lord cardinal, |
| The willing'st sin I ever yet committed | 55 |
| May be absolved in English. |
| CARDINAL WOLSEY | Noble lady, |
| I am sorry my integrity should breed, |
| And service to his majesty and you, |
| So deep suspicion, where all faith was meant. | 60 |
| We come not by the way of accusation, |
| To taint that honour every good tongue blesses,
|
| Nor to betray you any way to sorrow, |
| You have too much, good lady; but to know |
| How you stand minded in the weighty difference | 65 |
| Between the king and you; and to deliver, |
| Like free and honest men, our just opinions |
| And comforts to your cause. |
| CARDINAL CAMPEIUS | Most honour'd madam, |
| My Lord of York, out of his noble nature, | 70 |
| Zeal and obedience he still bore your grace, |
| Forgetting, like a good man your late censure |
| Both of his truth and him, which was too far, |
| Offers, as I do, in a sign of peace, |
| His service and his counsel. | 75 |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | [Aside] To betray me.--
|
| My lords, I thank you both for your good wills; |
| Ye speak like honest men; pray God, ye prove so! |
| But how to make ye suddenly an answer, |
| In such a point of weight, so near mine honour,-- | 80 |
| More near my life, I fear,--with my weak wit, |
| And to such men of gravity and learning, |
| In truth, I know not. I was set at work |
| Among my maids: full little, God knows, looking |
| Either for such men or such business. | 85 |
| For her sake that I have been,--for I feel |
| The last fit of my greatness,--good your graces, |
| Let me have time and counsel for my cause: |
| Alas, I am a woman, friendless, hopeless! |
| CARDINAL WOLSEY | Madam, you wrong the king's love with these fears: | 90 |
| Your hopes and friends are infinite. |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | In England |
| But little for my profit: can you think, lords, |
| That any Englishman dare give me counsel? |
| Or be a known friend, 'gainst his highness' pleasure, | 95 |
| Though he be grown so desperate to be honest, |
| And live a subject? Nay, forsooth, my friends, |
| They that must weigh out my afflictions, |
| They that my trust must grow to, live not here: |
| They are, as all my other comforts, far hence | 100 |
| In mine own country, lords. |
| CARDINAL CAMPEIUS | I would your grace |
| Would leave your griefs, and take my counsel. |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | How, sir? |
| CARDINAL CAMPEIUS | Put your main cause into the king's protection; | 105 |
| He's loving and most gracious: 'twill be much |
| Both for your honour better and your cause; |
| For if the trial of the law o'ertake ye, |
| You'll part away disgraced. |
| CARDINAL WOLSEY | He tells you rightly. | 110 |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | Ye tell me what ye wish for both,--my ruin: |
| Is this your Christian counsel? out upon ye! |
| Heaven is above all yet; there sits a judge |
| That no king can corrupt. |
| CARDINAL CAMPEIUS | Your rage mistakes us. | 115 |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | The more shame for ye: holy men I thought ye, |
| Upon my soul, two reverend cardinal virtues; |
| But cardinal sins and hollow hearts I fear ye: |
| Mend 'em, for shame, my lords. Is this your comfort? |
| The cordial that ye bring a wretched lady, | 120 |
| A woman lost among ye, laugh'd at, scorn'd? |
| I will not wish ye half my miseries; |
| I have more charity: but say, I warn'd ye; |
| Take heed, for heaven's sake, take heed, lest at once |
| The burthen of my sorrows fall upon ye. | 125 |
| CARDINAL WOLSEY | Madam, this is a mere distraction; |
| You turn the good we offer into envy. |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | Ye turn me into nothing: woe upon ye |
| And all such false professors! would you have me-- |
| If you have any justice, any pity; | 130 |
| If ye be any thing but churchmen's habits-- |
| Put my sick cause into his hands that hates me? |
| Alas, has banish'd me his bed already, |
| His love, too long ago! I am old, my lords, |
| And all the fellowship I hold now with him | 135 |
| Is only my obedience. What can happen |
| To me above this wretchedness? all your studies |
| Make me a curse like this. |
| CARDINAL CAMPEIUS | Your fears are worse. |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | Have I lived thus long--let me speak myself, | 140 |
| Since virtue finds no friends--a wife, a true one? |
| A woman, I dare say without vain-glory, |
| Never yet branded with suspicion? |
| Have I with all my full affections |
| Still met the king? loved him next heaven? | 145 |
| obey'd him? |
| Been, out of fondness, superstitious to him? |
| Almost forgot my prayers to content him? |
| And am I thus rewarded? 'tis not well, lords. |
| Bring me a constant woman to her husband, | 150 |
| One that ne'er dream'd a joy beyond his pleasure; |
| And to that woman, when she has done most, |
| Yet will I add an honour, a great patience. |
| CARDINAL WOLSEY | Madam, you wander from the good we aim at. |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | My lord, I dare not make myself so guilty, | 155 |
| To give up willingly that noble title |
| Your master wed me to: nothing but death |
| Shall e'er divorce my dignities. |
| CARDINAL WOLSEY | Pray, hear me. |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | Would I had never trod this English earth, | 160 |
| Or felt the flatteries that grow upon it! |
| Ye have angels' faces, but heaven knows your hearts. |
| What will become of me now, wretched lady! |
| I am the most unhappy woman living. |
| Alas, poor wenches, where are now your fortunes! | 165 |
| Shipwreck'd upon a kingdom, where no pity, |
| No friend, no hope; no kindred weep for me; |
| Almost no grave allow'd me: like the lily, |
| That once was mistress of the field and flourish'd, |
| I'll hang my head and perish. | 170 |
| CARDINAL WOLSEY | If your grace |
| Could but be brought to know our ends are honest, |
| You'ld feel more comfort: why should we, good lady, |
| Upon what cause, wrong you? alas, our places, |
| The way of our profession is against it: | 175 |
| We are to cure such sorrows, not to sow 'em. |
| For goodness' sake, consider what you do; |
| How you may hurt yourself, ay, utterly |
| Grow from the king's acquaintance, by this carriage. |
| The hearts of princes kiss obedience, | 180 |
| So much they love it; but to stubborn spirits |
| They swell, and grow as terrible as storms. |
| I know you have a gentle, noble temper, |
| A soul as even as a calm: pray, think us |
| Those we profess, peace-makers, friends, and servants. | 185 |
| CARDINAL CAMPEIUS | Madam, you'll find it so. You wrong your virtues |
| With these weak women's fears: a noble spirit, |
| As yours was put into you, ever casts |
| Such doubts, as false coin, from it. The king loves you; |
| Beware you lose it not: for us, if you please | 190 |
| To trust us in your business, we are ready |
| To use our utmost studies in your service. |
| QUEEN KATHARINE | Do what ye will, my lords: and, pray, forgive me, |
| If I have used myself unmannerly; |
| You know I am a woman, lacking wit | 195 |
| To make a seemly answer to such persons. |
| Pray, do my service to his majesty: |
| He has my heart yet; and shall have my prayers |
| While I shall have my life. Come, reverend fathers, |
| Bestow your counsels on me: she now begs, | 200 |
| That little thought, when she set footing here, |
| She should have bought her dignities so dear. |
| [Exeunt] |
The Essential Student History Quiz (with answers and illustrations)