Shakespeare

“ Your blood being spilt will make my heart to sound.
CROMWELL.
How, boy, not look upon the Axe!
How shall I do then to have my head stroke off?
Come on, my child, and see the end of all,
And after say that Gardiner was my fall.
GARDINER.
My Lord, you speak it of an envious heart;
I have done no more than law and equity.
BEDFORD.
O, good my Lord of Winchester, forbear;
It would a better seemed you to been absent,
Than with your words disturb a dying man.
CROMWELL.
Who me, my Lord? no, he disturbs not me. ”

“ CROMWELL.
The Bandetti.
HODGE.
The Bandetti, do you call them? I know not what they are called
here, but I am sure we call them plain thieves in England. O
Thomas, that we were now at Putney, at the ale there.
CROMWELL.
Content thee, man; here set up these two bills,
And let us keep our standing on the bridge:
The fashion of this country is such,
If any stranger be oppressed with want,
To write the manner of his misery,
And such as are disposed to succour him,
Will do it. What, hast thou set them up?
HODGE. Aye, they’re up ”

“ Sir, the coin I have about me is not much:
There’s sixteen Ducats for to clothe your selves,
There’s sixteen more to buy your diet with,
And there’s sixteen to pay for your horse hire:
Tis all the wealth, you see, my purse possesses,
But if you please for to enquire me out,
You shall not want for ought that I can do.
My name is Friskiball, a Florence Merchant,
A man that always loved your nation.
CROMWELL.
This unexpected favour at your hands,
Which God doth know if ever I shall requite it—
Necessity makes me to take your bounty,
And for your gold can yield you naught but thanks. ”

“ GARDINER.
I knew his state and proud ambition
Was too too violent to last over-long.
HALES.
Who soars too near the sun with golden wings,
Melts them, to ruin his own fortune brings.
[Enter the Duke of Suffolk.]
SUFFOLK.
Cromwell, kneel down in King Henry’s name.—
Arise sir Thomas Cromwell; thus begins thy fame.
[Enter the Duke of Norfolk.]
NORFOLK.
Cromwell, the majesty of England,
For the good liking he conceives of thee,
Makes thee master of the jewel house,
Chief Secretary to himself, and with all,
Creates thee one of his highness’ privy Counsel.
[Enter the Earl of Bedford.] ”

“ But of two evils, tis best to shun the greatest,
And better is it that he lives in thrall,
Than such a Noble Earl as he should fall.
Their stubborn hearts, it may be, will relent,
Since he is gone to whom their hate is bent.—
My Lord, have you dispatched?
[Enter Bedford like the Clown, and Hodge in his cloak and his Hat.]
BEDFORD.
How doost thou like us, Cromwell? is it well?
CROMWELL.
O, my Lord, excellent: Hodge, how doost feel thy self?
HODGE. How do I feel my self? why, as a Noble man should do. ”

“ Our Secretary at Antwerp, sir, is dead,
And the Merchants there hath sent to me,
For to provide a man fit for the place:
Now I do know none fitter than your self,
If with your liking it stand, master Cromwell.
CROMWELL.
With all my heart, sir, and I much am bound,
In love and duty for your kindness shown.
OLD CROMWELL. Body of me, Tom, make haste, least some body get between thee and home, Tom. I thank you, good master Bowser, I thank you for my boy; I thank you always, I thank you most heartily, sir. Ho, a cup of Beer there for master Bowser. ”

“ To let you know the Noble Earl of Bedford
Is safe within the town of Mantua,
And wills you send the peasant that you have,
Who hath deceived your expectation;
Or else the States of Mantua have vowed
They will recall the truce that they have made,
And not a man shall stir from forth your town,
That shall return, unless you send him back.
GOVERNOUR.
O this misfortune, how it mads my heart!
The Neopolitan hath beguiled us all.
Hence with this fool! what shall we do with him,
The Earl being gone? a plague upon it all.
HODGE.
No, I’ll assure you, I am no Earl, but a smith, sir ”

“ What’s here? two Englishmen robbed by the Bandetti!
One of them seems to be a gentleman.
Tis pity that his fortune was so hard,
To fall into the desperate hands of thieves.
I’ll question him of what estate he is.
God save you, sir; are you an Englishman?
CROMWELL.
I am, sir, a distress Englishman.
FRISKIBALL.
And what are you, my friend?
HODGE. Who? I, sir? by my troth, I do not know my self what I am now, but, sir, I was a smith, sir, a poor Farrier of Putney. That’s my master, sir, yonder. I was robbed for his sake, sir. ”

“ There’s few such men within our climate bred.
How say you now, Hodge? is not this good fortune?
HODGE. How say you? I’ll tell you what, master Thomas; if all men be of this Gentleman’s mind, let’s keep our standings upon this Bridge: we shall get more here with begging in one day, than I shall with making Horseshoes in a whole year.
CROMWELL.
No Hodge, we must begone unto Bononia,
There to relieve the noble Earl of Bedford:
Where, if I fail not in my policy,
I shall deceive their subtle treachery. ”

“ God save you sir.
CROMWELL.
And you: pray pardon me, I know you not.
BAGOT.
It may be so, sir, but my name is Bagot,
The man that sent to you the bills of debt.
CROMWELL.
O, the man that pursues Banister.
Here are the bills of debt you sent to me:
As for the man, you know best where he is.
It is reported you have a flinty heart,
A mind that will not stoop to any pity,
An eye that knows not how to shed a tear,
A hand that’s always open for reward ”

“ ACT I. SCENE I. Putney. The entrance of a smith’s shop. [Enter three Smiths, Hodge and two other, old Cromwell’s men.]
HODGE. Come, masters, I think it be past five a clock; is it not time we were at work: my old Master he’ll be stirring anon.
FIRST SMITH. I cannot tell whether my old master will be stirring or no: but I am sure I can hardly take my afternoon’s nap, for my young Master Thomas, he keeps such a quile in his study, with the Sun, and the Moon, and the seven stars, that I do verily think he’ll read out his wife.
HODGE. He skill of the stars! ”

“ GARDINER.
Indeed these things you have alleged, my Lord,
When God doth know the infant yet unborn
Will curse the time the Abbeys were pulled down.
I pray, now where is hospitality?
Where now may poor distressed people go,
For to relieve their need, or rest their bones,
When weary travel doth oppress their limbs?
And where religious men should take them in,
Shall now be kept back with a Mastiff do,
And thousand thousand—
NORFOLK.
O, my Lord, no more: things past redress
Tis bootless to complain.
CROMWELL.
What, shall we to the Convocation house?
NORFOLK.
We’ll follow you, my Lord ”

“ Were he and his tongue in this speaker’s head,
Alive he wins me not; then, tis no conquest dead.
[Enter Cromwell like a Neopolitan, and Hodge with him.]
CROMWELL.
Sir, are you the master of the house?
HOST.
I am, sir.
CROMWELL.
By this same token you must leave this place,
And leave none but the Earl and I together,
And this my Peasant here to tend on us.
HOST.
With all my heart. God grant, you do some good.
[Exit Host. Cromwell shuts the door.]
BEDFORD.
Now, sir, what’s you will with me?
CROMWELL.
Intends your honour not to yield your self? ”

“ Here are the Dukes of Suffolk and of Norfolk,
Winchester, Bedford, and sir Richard Ratcliffe,
With others, but why they come I know not.
CROMWELL.
No matter wherefore, Cromwell is prepared;
For Gardiner has my state and life ensnared.
Bid them come in, or you shall do them wrong,
For here stands he, whom some thinks lives too long.
Learning kills learning, and instead of Ink
To dip his Pen, Cromwell’s heart blood doth drink. ”

“ A good boy Tom! I con thee thank Tom!
Well said Tom! gramarcies Tom!—
Into your work, knaves; hence, you saucy boy.
[Exit all but young Cromwell.]
CROMWELL.
Why should my birth keep down my mounting spirit?
Are not all creatures subject unto time:
To time, who doth abuse the world,
And fills it full of hodge-podge bastardy? ”

“ An Englishman, Russell, the Earl of Bedford,
Is by the French King sold unto his death:
It may fall out, that I may do him good;
To save his life, I’ll hazard my heart blood.
Therefore, kind sir, thanks for your liberal gift;
I must be gone to aide him; there’s no shift.
FRISKIBALL.
I’ll be no hinderer to so good an act.
Heaven prosper you in that you go about!
If Fortune bring you this way back again,
Pray let me see you: so I take my leave;
All good a man can wish, I do bequeath.
[Exit Friskiball.]
CROMWELL.
All good that God doth send light on your head ”

“ There is two hundred pound between us;
We will divide the same: I’ll give you one,
On that condition you will set him free:
His state is nothing, that you see your self,
And where naught is, the King must lose his right.
BAGOT.
Sir, sir, you speak out of your love,
Tis foolish love, sir, sure, to pity him:
Therefore, content your self; this is my mind:
To do him good I will not bate a penny.
BANISTER.
This is my comfort: though thou doost no good,
A mighty ebb follows a mighty flood. ”

“ HODGE.
Because, as this same fellow Neptune is God of the Seas, so
Vulcan is Lord over the Smiths, and therefore, I, being a
Smith, thought his Godhead would have some care yet of me.
CROMWELL.
A good conceit, but tell me, hast thou dined yet?
HODGE.
Thomas, to speak the truth, not a bit yet I.
CROMWELL.
Come, go with me; thou shalt have cheer good store.
And farewell, Antwerp, if I come no more.
HODGE.
I follow thee, sweet Tom, I follow thee.
[Exit omnes.]
ACT II. SCENE III. Another street in the same. ”

“ Nay, good master Cromwell; be not angry, sir.
I know full well you are no such man;
But if your conscience were as white as Snow,
It will be thought that you are other wise.
CROMWELL.
Will it be thought that I am other wise?
Let them that think so know they are deceived.
Shall Cromwell live to have his faith misconstered?
Antwerp, for all the wealth within thy Town,
I will not stay here not two hours longer.
As good luck serves, my accounts are all made even ”

“ CROMWELL.
My business, sir, lies unto Mantua,
Please you to give me safe conduct thether.
GOVERNOUR.
Go and conduct him to the Mantua Port,
And see him safe delivered presently.
[Exit Cromwell and Bedford.]
Go draw the curtains, let us see the Earl.—
O, he is writing; stand apart awhile.
HODGE. Fellow William, I am not as I have been: I went from you a Smith, I write to you as a Lord. I am, at this present writing, among the Polonian Sasiges. I do commend my Lordship to Raphe & to Roger, to Bridget & to Doritie, & so to all the youth of Putney. ”

“ I had thought it had been no such matter to a gone by water: for at Putney I’ll go you to Parish-garden for two pence, sit as still as may be, without any wagging or jolting in my guts, in a little boat too: here we were scarce four mile in the great green water, but I—thinking to go to my afternoon’s urgings, as twas my manner at home—but I felt a kind of rising in my guts. At last one a the Sailors spying of me, be a good cheer, says he, set down thy victuals, and up with it, thou hast nothing but an Eel in thy belly. ”

“ What’s the reason the Lord Cromwell’s men
Wear such long skirts upon their coats.
They reach almost down to their very ham.
FIRST MERCHANT.
I will resolve you, sir; and thus it is:
The Bishop of Winchester, that loves not Cromwell,
As great men are envied, as well as less—
A while ago there was a jar between them,
And it was brought to my Lord Cromwell’s ear,
That Bishop Gardiner would sit on his skirt ”

“ More than can be discerned by outward eye.
Sir Christopher, will you part with your man?
HALES.
I have sought to profer him to your Lordship,
And now I see he hath prefered himself.
WOLSEY.
What is thy name?
CROMWELL.
Cromwell, my Lord.
WOLSEY. Then, Cromwell, here we make thee Solicitor of our causes, and nearest next our self. Gardiner give you kind welcome to the man.
[Gardiner embraces him.]
MORE.
My Lord, you are a royal Winer,
Have got a man besides your bounteous dinner.
Well, Knight, pray we come no more:
If we come often, thou maist shut thy door. ”

“ Thanks to the kind master of the Rules.
Come and sit down; sit down, sir Thomas More.
Tis strange, how that we and the Spaniard differ.
Their dinner is our banquet after dinner,
And they are men of active disposition. ”

“ Being used to fast it breeds less pain.
HALES.
Fill me some Wine: I’ll answer Cardinal Wolsey.
My Lord, we English are of more freer souls
Than hungerstarved and ill complexioned spaniards.
They that are rich in Spain spare belly food,
To deck their backs with an Italian hood,
And Silks of Civil: And the poorest Snake,
That feeds on Lemons, Pilchers, and near heated
His pallet with sweet flesh, will bear a case
More fat and gallant than his starved face.
Pride, the Inquisition, and this belly evil,
Are, in my judgement, Spain’s three headed devil. ”

“ At last we grew near land, and I grew villainous hungry, went to my bag: the devil a bit there was. The Sailors had tickled me; yet I cannot blame them: it was a part of kindness, for I in kindness told them what Wood the ship was made of, and they in kindness eat up my victuals, as indeed one good turn asketh another. Well, would I could find my master Thomas in this Dutch Town ”

“ In vain it is, more of their hearts to try;
Be patient, therefore, lay thee down and die.
[He lies down.]
[Enter good man Seely, and his wife Joan.]
SEELY. Come, Joan, come; let’s see what he’ll do for us now. Iwis we have done for him, when many a time and often he might have gone a hungry to bed.
WIFE. Alas, man, now he is made a Lord, he’ll never look upon us; he’ll fulfill the old Proverb: Set beggars a horse-back, and they’ll ride.—A, welliday for my Cow! such as he hath made us come behind hand: we had never pawned our Cow else to pay our rent. ”