Thou art a proud traitor, priest.
You are an arrogant traitor, priest.
CARDINAL WOLSEY
Proud lord, thou liest:
Within these forty hours Surrey durst better
Have burnt that tongue than said so.
Arrogant lord, you are lying:
within the last forty hours you would have wished you had
burnt your tongue out rather than said that.
SURREY
Thy ambition,
Thou scarlet sin, robb'd this bewailing land
Of noble Buckingham, my father-in-law:
The heads of all thy brother cardinals,
With thee and all thy best parts bound together,
Weigh'd not a hair of his. Plague of your policy!
You sent me deputy for Ireland;
Far from his succor, from the king, from all
That might have mercy on the fault thou gavest him;
Whilst your great goodness, out of holy pity,
Absolved him with an axe.
Your ambition,
you scarlet sinner, robbed this unhappy land
of noble Buckingham, my father-in-law:
the heads of all your brother cardinals,
added together with you and all your best qualities
don't add up to a hair of his head. Damn your politics!
You sent me to be governor of Ireland,
where I couldn't help him, far from the King, from
anything that might have gained mercy for the sin you accused him of;
whilst in your great goodness, with your holy pity,
you forgave him with an axe.
CARDINAL WOLSEY
This, and all else
This talking lord can lay upon my credit,
I answer is most false. The duke by law
Found his deserts: how innocent I was
From any private malice in his end,
His noble jury and foul cause can witness.
If I loved many words, lord, I should tell you
You have as little honesty as honour,
That in the way of loyalty and truth
Toward the king, my ever royal master,
Dare mate a sounder man than Surrey can be,
And all that love his follies.
This, and anything else
this chattering lord blames on me,
I say is most false. The Duke got his
lawful punishment: his noble jury
and his foul behaviour are witness to
how innocent I was of any private malice.
If I loved talking, oh lord, I should tell you
that you are as dishonest as you are dishonourable,
and that in terms of loyalty and truth
towards the King, my always royal master,
I am a much better man than Surrey can be,
or any followers of his foolishness.
SURREY
By my soul,
Your long coat, priest, protects you; thou
shouldst feel
My sword i' the life-blood of thee else. My lords,
Can ye endure to hear this arrogance?
And from this fellow? if we live thus tamely,
To be thus jaded by a piece of scarlet,
Farewell nobility; let his grace go forward,
And dare us with his cap like larks.
Upon my soul,
your priestly robes protect you; otherwise you would feel
my sword inside you. My lords,
can you tolerate listening to this arrogance?
And from this fellow? If we live so meekly
that we can be cowed by a piece of scarlet cloth,
farewell to nobility; let his Grace carry on
and frighten us with his cap, like larks.
CARDINAL WOLSEY
All goodness
Is poison to thy stomach.
All goodness
is poisonous to you.
SURREY
Yes, that goodness
Of gleaning all the land's wealth into one,
Into your own hands, cardinal, by extortion;
The goodness of your intercepted packets
You writ to the pope against the king: your goodness,
Since you provoke me, shall be most notorious.
My Lord of Norfolk, as you are truly noble,
As you respect the common good, the state
Of our despised nobility, our issues,
Who, if he live, will scarce be gentlemen,
Produce the grand sum of his sins, the articles
Collected from his life. I'll startle you
Worse than the scaring bell, when the brown wench
Lay kissing in your arms, lord cardinal.
Yes, the goodness
of gathering the wealth of the whole land into one pile,
into your own hands, cardinal, through extortion;
the goodness of your intercepted letters
in which you wrote to the Pope against your king: your goodness,
since you have angered me, shall be notorious.
My Lord of Norfolk, as you are truly noble,
as you respect the common good, the state
of our despised nobility, our children,
who, if he lives, will hardly be even gentlemen,
take out the indictment, the charges
gathered from his life. I'll make you jump
more than the bell for morning service did, when you were lying
kissing a slut in your arms, lord cardinal.
CARDINAL WOLSEY
How much, methinks, I could despise this man,
But that I am bound in charity against it!
How much I could despise this man,
if I wasn't bound by charity not to!
NORFOLK
Those articles, my lord, are in the king's hand:
But, thus much, they are foul ones.
The charges, my lord, are held by the King:
but I can tell you this much, they are filthy ones.
CARDINAL WOLSEY
So much fairer
And spotless shall mine innocence arise,
When the king knows my truth.
So by contrast my innocence will appear
much fairer and more spotless
when the King knows the truth.
SURREY
This cannot save you:
I thank my memory, I yet remember
Some of these articles; and out they shall.
Now, if you can blush and cry 'guilty,' cardinal,
You'll show a little honesty.
This cannot save you:
thanks to my memory I can still remember
some of the charges; and they shall be revealed.
Now, cardinal, you could show a little honesty
by blushing and crying out ‘I am guilty.’
CARDINAL WOLSEY
Speak on, sir;
I dare your worst objections: if I blush,
It is to see a nobleman want manners.
Go on, sir;
I can take your worst: if I blush,
it is because I can see a nobleman lacking in manners.
SURREY
I had rather want those than my head. Have at you!
First, that, without the king's assent or knowledge,
You wrought to be a legate; by which power
You maim'd the jurisdiction of all bishops.
I'd rather lack those than lack my head. Damn you!
Firstly you manoeuvred to become the Pope's representative
without the agreement or knowledge of the King;
and with that power you overthrew
the powers of all the bishops.
NORFOLK
Then, that in all you writ to Rome, or else
To foreign princes, 'Ego et Rex meus'
Was still inscribed; in which you brought the king
To be your servant.
Then,
everything you wrote to Rome, or otherwise
to foreign princes, had ‘my King and I’
still written on it; so you pretended
the King was your servant.
SUFFOLK
Then that, without the knowledge
Either of king or council, when you went
Ambassador to the emperor, you made bold
To carry into Flanders the great seal.
And also that without the knowledge
of the King or the council, when you went
as ambassador to the Emperor, you were so bold
as to take the great seal into Flanders.
SURREY
Item, you sent a large commission
To Gregory de Cassado, to conclude,
Without the king's will or the state's allowance,
A league between his highness and Ferrara.
As well, you sent a large commission
to Gregory de Cassado to arrange,
without permission from the King or the State,
an alliance between his Highness and Ferrara.
SUFFOLK
That, out of mere ambition, you have caused
Your holy hat to be stamp'd on the king's coin.
And, out of simple ambition, you issued coins
with your image in place of the King's.
SURREY
Then that you have sent innumerable substance--
By what means got, I leave to your own conscience--
To furnish Rome, and to prepare the ways
You have for dignities; to the mere undoing
Of all the kingdom. Many more there are;
Which, since they are of you, and odious,
I will not taint my mouth with.
And you have sent countless sums–
how you got them is a matter for your conscience–
to supply Rome and to help your plans
for advancement; causing the utter ruin
of the whole kingdom. There are many more charges;
which, since they involve you, and are hateful,
I will not sully my mouth with.
Chamberlain
O my lord,
Press not a falling man too far! 'tis virtue:
His faults lie open to the laws; let them,
Not you, correct him. My heart weeps to see him
So little of his great self.
O my Lord,
do not kick a man when he's down! It would be good:
his crimes shall be punished by the law; let the law,
not you, do that. My heart weeps to see him
in such reduced circumstances.
SURREY
I forgive him.
I forgive him.
SUFFOLK
Lord cardinal, the king's further pleasure is,
Because all those things you have done of late,
By your power legatine, within this kingdom,
Fall into the compass of a praemunire,
That therefore such a writ be sued against you;
To forfeit all your goods, lands, tenements,
Chattels, and whatsoever, and to be
Out of the king's protection. This is my charge.
Lord cardinal, the king further desires
that because all those things you have done recently
through your power from Rome, within this kingdom,
fall under the law against exercising Rome's power in England,
that a writ shall be issued against you,
to make you forfeit all your goods, lands, buildings,
movable property and anything else, and you shall
lose the protection of the King. These are my orders.
NORFOLK
And so we'll leave you to your meditations
How to live better. For your stubborn answer
About the giving back the great seal to us,
The king shall know it, and, no doubt, shall thank you.
So fare you well, my little good lord cardinal.
And now we’ll leave you to think how you should
live a better life. The King shall be told
of your stubborn refusal to return the great seal to us,
and no doubt he will thank you for it.
So farewell, my good little lord cardinal.
Exeunt all but CARDINAL WOLSEY
CARDINAL WOLSEY
So farewell to the little good you bear me.
Farewell! a long farewell, to all my greatness!
This is the state of man: to-day he puts forth
The tender leaves of hopes; to-morrow blossoms,
And bears his blushing honours thick upon him;
The third day comes a frost, a killing frost,
And, when he thinks, good easy man, full surely
His greatness is a-ripening, nips his root,
And then he falls, as I do. I have ventured,
Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders,
This many summers in a sea of glory,
But far beyond my depth: my high-blown pride
At length broke under me and now has left me,
Weary and old with service, to the mercy
Of a rude stream, that must for ever hide me.
Vain pomp and glory of this world, I hate ye:
I feel my heart new open'd. O, how wretched
Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favours!
There is, betwixt that smile we would aspire to,
That sweet aspect of princes, and their ruin,
More pangs and fears than wars or women have:
And when he falls, he falls like Lucifer,
Never to hope again.
So farewell to the little good you wish me.
Farewell! A long farewell, to all my greatness!
This is the life of man: today he puts out
the tender leaves of his hopes; tomorrow he flowers,
and a multitude of honours decorate him;
on the third day there is a frost, a killing frost,
and just as he thinks, good gullible man, that his
greatness is surely ripening, it nips at his roots,
and then he falls, as I do. I have swum,
like the little careless boys who swim on bladders,
for many years in a sea of glory,
but far out of my depth: eventually my great pride
burst underneath me and has now left me,
tired and old with service, to the mercy
of a rough tide that will roll over me for ever.
Vain pomp and the glory of this world, I hate you:
I feel that my heart has been torn open. Oh, how wretched
the poor man who relies on the favours of Princes is!
Between the sweet smile of Princes which we hope for
and their anger lie more pain and anguish than
war or women can ever suffer:
and when a man falls, he falls like Lucifer,
and can never hope again.
Enter CROMWELL, and stands amazed
Why, how now, Cromwell!
Why, what is it, Cromwell!
CROMWELL
I have no power to speak, sir.
I've lost my power of speech, sir.
CARDINAL WOLSEY
What, amazed
At my misfortunes? can thy spirit wonder
A great man should decline? Nay, an you weep,
I am fall'n indeed.
What, astonished
by my misfortunes? Are you really amazed
that a great man can fall? No, if you weep,
I am truly fallen.
CROMWELL
How does your grace?
How is your Grace?
CARDINAL WOLSEY
Why, well;
Never so truly happy, my good Cromwell.
I know myself now; and I feel within me
A peace above all earthly dignities,
A still and quiet conscience. The king has cured
me,
I humbly thank his grace; and from these shoulders,
These ruin'd pillars, out of pity, taken
A load would sink a navy, too much honour:
O, 'tis a burthen, Cromwell, 'tis a burthen
Too heavy for a man that hopes for heaven!
Why, I am well;
I have never been so truly happy, good Cromwell.
I know who I am now; and I feel inside me
a peace greater than all earthly honours,
an easy and quiet conscience. The King has cured me,
I humbly thank his grace; out of pity he has taken
away from these shoulders, these ruined pillars,
a weight that could sink a Navy, too much honour:
oh, it's a burden, Cromwell, it's a burden
too heavy for a man who hopes to go to heaven!
CROMWELL
I am glad your grace has made that right use of it.
I'm glad to see your Grace looking at it that way.
CARDINAL WOLSEY
I hope I have: I am able now, methinks,
Out of a fortitude of soul I feel,
To endure more miseries and greater far
Than my weak-hearted enemies dare offer.
What news abroad?
I hope I am: I think that I am now able
through the strength of soul that I feel
to endure far greater misery, and more of it,
and my weak hearted enemies can offer me.
What news is going round?
CROMWELL
The heaviest and the worst
Is your displeasure with the king.
The worst and most serious
is your trouble with the king.
CARDINAL WOLSEY
God bless him!
God bless him!
CROMWELL
The next is, that Sir Thomas More is chosen
Lord chancellor in your place.
The next is, that Sir Thomas More has been chosen
as Lord Chancellor in your place.
CARDINAL WOLSEY
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 189