Were try'd by every Tongue, every Eye faw 'em,
Envy and bafe Opinion fet against 'em,
I know my Life fo even. If your
Seck me out, and that way I am Wife in ;
Out with it boldly: Truth loves open Dealing.
Wol. Tanta eft erga te mentis integritas, Regina Serenissima.-Queen. Good my Lord, no Latin;
I am not fuch a Truant fince my coming,
As not to know the Language I have liv'd in:
A ftrange Tongue makes my caufe more ftrange, fufpicious:
Pray speak in English; here are fome will thank you,
If you speak truth, for their poor Mistress fake;
Believe me the has had much wrong. Lord Cardinal,
The willing'ft Sin I ever yet committed,
May be abfolv'd in English.
I am forry my Integrity fhould breed
(And Service to his Majefty and you)
So deep Sufpicion, where all Faith was meant ;
We come not by the way of Accufation,
To taint that Honour every good Tongue bleffes;
Nor to betray you any way to Sorrow,
You have too much, good Lady: But to know
How you ftand minded in the weighty Difference
Between the King and you, and to deliver,
Like free and honeft Mer, our juft Opinions,
And comforts to your Caufe.
Cam. Moft honoured Madam,
My Lord of York, out of his noble Nature,
Zeal and Obedience, he ftill bore your Grace,
Forgetting, like a good Man, your late Cenfure
Both of his Truth and him, (which was too far)
Offers, as I do, in a fign of Peace,
His Service and his Counfel.
Queen. To betray me.
My Lords, I thank you both for your good wills,
Ye fpeak like honeft Men, pray God ye prove fo,
But how to make ye fuddenly an Answer
In fuch a point of weight, fo near mine Honour,
(More near my Life, I fear) with my weak Wit,
And to fuch Men of Gravity and Learning;
Among my Maids, full little, God knows, looking
Either for fuch Men, or fuch Bufinefs;
For her fake that I have been, for I feel
The laft fit of my Greatnefs, good your Graces,
Let me have Time and Council for my Cause:
Alas, I am a Woman friendless, hopeless.
Wol. Madam,
You wrong the King's Love with thofe Fears,
Your Hopes and Friends are infinite.
Queen. In England,
But little for my profit: Can you think, Lord,
That any English Man dare give me Counsel ?
Or be a known Friend 'gainft his Highnefs pleasure,
Though he be grown fo defperate to be honest,
And live a Subject? Nay forfooth, my Friends,
They that muft weigh out my Afflictions,
They that my truft muft grow to, live not here,
They are, as all my other Comforts, far hence
In mine own Country, Lords.
Cam. I would your Grace
Would leave your Griefs, and take my Counsel.
Queen. How, Sir?
Cam. Put your main Caufe into the King's Protection
He's loving and moft gracious. Twill be much
Both for your Honour better, and your
For if the Trial of the Law o'er-take ye,
You'll part away difgrac'd.
Wol. He tells you rightly.
Queen. Yetell me what ye with for both, my Ruin :
Is this Chriftian Counfel? Out upon ye, your
Heav'n is above all yet; there fits a Judge,
That no King can corrupt.
Cam. Your Rage mistakes us.
Queen. The more fhame 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 fhame, my Lords: Is this your comfort?
The Cordial that ye bring a wretched Lady?
A Woman loft among ye, laugh'd at, fcorn'd?
I will not wish ye half my
I have more Charity. But fay I warn'd ye;
Take heed, for Heav'ns fake take heed, left at once
The burthen of my Sorrows fall upon ye.
Wol. Madam, this is a meer Distraction,
You turn the Good we offer into Envy.
Queen, Ye turn me into nothing. Wo upon ye, And all fuch falfe Profeffors. Would you have me, (If you have any Juftice, any Pity,
If ye be any thing, but Churchmens Habits)
Put my fick Caufe into his Hands that hates me?
Alas, h'as banifl'd me his Bed already,
His Love too, long ago. I am old, my Lords,
And all the Fellowship I hold now with him
Is only by Obedience. What can happen
To me, above this wretchedness? All your Studies
Mike me a Curfe, like this.
Cam. Your fears are worse.
Queen. Have I liv'd thus long (let me fpeak my felf,
Since Virtue finds no Friends) a Wife, a true one?
A Woman (I dare fay without Vain-glory)
Never yet branded with Sufpicion ?
Have I, with all my full Affections
Still met the King? lov'd him next Heav'n, obey'd him?
Been, out of fondnefs, fuperftitious to him?
Almoft forgot my Prayers to content him?
And am I thus rewarded? 'tis not well, Lords.
Bing me a conftant Woman to her Husband,
One that ne'er dream'd a Joy, beyond his pleasure:
And to that Woman, when the has done moft,
Yet will I add an Honour; a great Patience.
Wol. Madam, you wander from the good
We aim at.
Queen. My Lord,
I dare not make my felf fo guilty,
To give up willingly that noble Title
Your Mafter wed me to: Nothing but Death
Shall e'er divorce my Dignities.
Wol. Pray, hear me
Queen. Would I had never trod this English Earth,
Or felt the Flatteries that grow upon it:
Ye have Angels Faces, but Heav'n knows your Hearts."
What shall become of me now! wretched Lady!
I am the most unhappy Woman living.
Alas, poor Wenches, where are now your Fortunes?
[To her Women.
Ship-wrack'd upon a Kingdom, where no Pity,
No Friends, no Hope, no Kindred weep for me?
Almoft no Grave allow'd me? like the Lilly,
That once was Miftrefs of the Field, and flourish'd,
I'll hang my Head, and perish.
Could but be brought to know our Ends are honeft,
You'll feel more comfort. Why fhould we, good Lady,
Upon what caufe wrong you? Alas, our Places,
The way of our Profeffion is against it;
We are to cure fuch Sorrows, not to fow 'em.
For goodness fake confider what you do,
How you may hurt your felf, ay, utterly
Grow from the King's Acquaintance, by this Carriage.
The Hearts of Princes kifs Obedience,
So much they love it: But to ftubborn Spirits,
They fwell 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 profefs, Peace-makers, Friends and Servants.
Cam. Madam, you'll find it fo:
You wrong your Virtues
With thefe weak Womens fears. A Noble Spirit,
As yours was, pit into you ever cafts
Such doubts as falfe Coin from it. The King loves you,
Beware you lofe it not; for us (if you please
To truft us in your Bufinefs) we are ready
To ufe our utmoft Studies in your Service.
Queen. Do what you will, my Lords;
And pray forgive me,
If I have us'd my felf unmannerly ;
You know I am a Woman, lacking wit
To make a feemly anfwer to fuch Perfons.
Pray do my Service to his Majefty,
He has my Heart yet; and fhall have my Prayers
While I fhall have my Life. Come, Reverend Fathers,
Bestow your Counfels on me. She now begs
That little thought when fhe fet footing here,
She should have bought her Dignities fo dear.
Enter the Duke of Norfolk, Duke of Suffolk, Lord Surrey, and Lord Chamberlain.
Nor. If you will now unite in your Complaints,
And force them with a Conftancy, the Cardinal
Cannot ftand under them. If you omit
The offer of this time, I cannot promife,
But that you fhall fuftain more new Difgraces,
With thefe you bear already.
To meet the leaft Occafion that may give me
Remembrance of my Father-in-law the Duke,
To be reveng'd on him.
Suf. Which of the Peers
Have uncontemn'd gone by him, or at leaft
Strangely neglected? When did he regard
The ftamp of Nobleness in any Perfon
Out of himfelf?
Cham. My Lords, you speak your Pleasures:
What he deferves of you and me, I know:
What we can do him (though now the time
Gives way to us) I much fear. If you cannot
Bar his access to th' King, never attempt
Any thing on him; for he hath a witchcraft.
Over the King in's Tongue.
His Spell in that is out; the King hath found
Matter against him that for ever mars
The Hony of his Language.
No, he's fettled, Not to come off, in his high Displeasure.
I fhould be glad to hear fuch News as this
Once every hour.
Nor. Believe it, this is true.
In the Divorce, his contrary Proceedings
Are all unfolded, wherein he appears,
|