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The Lobby before the Council-Chamber. | |
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Enter CRANMER; Pursuivants, Pages, &c., attending. | |
| Cran. I hope I am not too late; and yet the gentleman, | |
| That was sent to me from the council, pray’d me | |
| To make great haste. All fast? what means this? Ho! | 5 |
| Who waits there? | |
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Enter KEEPER. | |
| Sure, you know me? | |
| Keep. Yes, my lord; | |
| But yet I cannot help you. | 10 |
| Cran. Why? | |
| Keep. Your Grace must wait till you be call’d for. | |
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Enter DOCTOR BUTTS. | |
| Cran. So. | |
| Butts. [Aside.] This is a piece of malice. I am glad | 15 |
| I came this way so happily: the king | |
| Shall understand it presently. | |
| Cran. [Aside.] ’Tis Butts, | |
| The king’s physician. As he past along, | |
| How earnestly he cast his eyes upon me. | 20 |
| Pray heaven he sound not my disgrace! For certain, | |
| This is of purpose laid by some that hate me,— | |
| God turn their hearts! I never sought their malice,— | |
| To quench mine honour: they would shame to make me | |
| Wait else at door, a fellow-counsellor, | 25 |
| ’Mong boys, grooms, and lackeys. But their pleasures | |
| Must be fulfill’d, and I attend with patience. | |
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Enter, at a window above, the KING and BUTTS. | |
| Butts. I’ll show your Grace the strangest sight,— | |
| K. Hen. What’s that, Butts? | 30 |
| Butts. I think your highness saw this many a day. | |
| K. Hen. Body o’ me, where is it? | |
| Butts. There, my lord, | |
| The high promotion of his Grace of Canterbury; | |
| Who holds his state at door, ’mongst pursuivants, | 35 |
| Pages, and footboys. | |
| K. Hen. Ha! ’Tis he, indeed: | |
| Is this the honour they do one another? | |
| ’Tis well there’s one above ’em yet. I had thought | |
| They had parted so much honesty among ’em,— | 40 |
| At least, good manners,—as not thus to suffer | |
| A man of his place, and so near our favour, | |
| To dance attendance on their lordships’ pleasures, | |
| And at the door too, like a post with packets. | |
| By holy Mary, Butts, there’s knavery: | 45 |
| Let ’em alone, and draw the curtain close; | |
| We shall hear more anon. [Exeunt above. | |
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