The Council Chamber.
 Cornets.
 Enter KING HENRY, leaning on the CARDINAL's shoulder,
 the NOBLES, and SIR THOMAS LOVELL, and a SECRETARY to Wolsey.
 The Cardinal places himself under the King's feet on his right side.

King Henry	My life itself, and the best heart of it,
	Thanks you for this great care. I stood i'th'level
	Of a full-charged confederacy, and give thanks
	To you that choked it. Let be called before us
	That gentleman of Buckingham's; in person
	I'll hear him his confessions justify,
	And point by point the treasons of his master
	He shall again relate.

               A noise within crying "Room for the Queen!"
            Enter the QUEEN, NORFOLK and SUFFOLK; she kneels.
King riseth from his state, takes her up, kisses, and placeth her by him.

Katharine	Nay, we must longer kneel; I am a suitor.

King Henry	Arise, and take place by us. Half your suit
	Never name to us - you have half our power;
	The other moiety, ere you ask, is given;
	Repeat your will and take it.

Katharine								Thank your majesty;
	That you would love yourself, and in that love,
	Not unconsidered leave your honour nor
	The dignity of your office, is the point
	Of my petition.

King Henry					Lady mine, proceed.

Katharine	I am solicited, not by a few,
	And those of true condition, that your subjects
	Are in great grievance. There have been commissions
	Sent down among 'em, which hath flawed the heart
	Of all their loyalties; wherein, although,
	My good Lord Cardinal, they vent reproaches
	Most bitterly on you, as putter-on
	Of these exactions, yet the king our master,
	Whose honour heaven shield from soil, even he escapes not
	Language unmannerly; yea, such which breaks
	The sides of loyalty, and almost appears
	In loud rebellion.

Norfolk						Not almost appears,
	It doth appear; for, upon these taxations,
	The clothiers all, not able to maintain
	The many to them 'longing, have put off
	The spinsters, carders, fullers, weavers, who
	Unfit for other life, compelled by hunger
	And lack of other means, in desperate manner
	Daring the event to the teeth, are all in uproar,
	And danger serves among them.

King Henry									Taxation?
	Wherein? And what taxation? My Lord Cardinal,
	You that are blamed for it alike with us,
	Know you of this taxation?

Cardinal								Please you sir,
	I know but of a single part in aught
	Pertains to the state, and front but in that file
	Where others tell steps with me.

Katharine								No, my lord,
	You know no more than others; but you frame
	Things that are known alike, which are not wholesome
	To those which would not know them, and yet must
	Perforce be their acquaintance. These exactions,
	Whereof my sovereign would have note, they are
	Most pestilent to the hearing; and to bear 'em,
	The back is sacrifice to the load. They say
	They are devised by you, or else you suffer
	Too hard an exclamation.

King Henry							Still exaction!
	The nature of it, in what kind let's know,
	Is this exaction?

Katharine					I am much too venturous
	In tempting of your patience, but am boldened
	Under your promised pardon. The subjects' grief
	Comes through commissions, which compels from each
	The sixth part of his substance, to be levied
	Without delay; and the pretence for this
	Is named your wars in France. This makes bold mouths;
	Tongues spit their duties out, and cold hearts freeze
	Allegiance in them; their curses now
	Live where their prayers did; and it's come to pass
	This tractable obedience is a slave
	To each incensd will. I would your highness
	Would give it quick consideration, for
	There is no primer baseness.

King Henry							By my life,
	This is against our pleasure.

Cardinal									And for me,
	I have no further gone in this than by
	A single voice, and that not passed me but
	By learnd approbation of the judges. If I am
	Traduced by ignorant tongues, which neither know
	My faculties nor person, yet will be
	The chronicles of my doing, let me say
	'Tis but the fate of place, and the rough brake
	That virtue must go through. We must not stint
	Our necessary actions, in the fear
	To cope malicious censurers, which ever,
	As ravenous fishes, do a vessel follow
	That is new trimmed, but benefit no further
	Than vainly longing. What we oft do best,
	By sick interpreters, once weak ones, is
	Not ours or not allowed; what worst, as oft
	Hitting a grosser quality, is cried up
	For our best act. If we shall stand still,
	In fear our motion will be mocked or carped at,
	We should take root here where we sit,
	Or sit state-statues only.

King Henry							Things done well,
	And with a care, exempt themselves from fear;
	Things done without example, in their issue
	Are to be feared. Have you a precedent
	Of this commission? I believe, not any.
	We must not rend our subjects from our laws,
	And stick them in our will. Sixth part of each?
	A trembling contribution! Why, we take
	From every tree, lop, bark and part o'th'timber,
	And though we leave it with a root, thus hacked,
	The air will drink the sap. To every county
	Where this is questioned, send our letters, with
	Free pardon to each man that has denied
	The force of this commission. Pray look to't;
	I put it to your care.

Cardinal			[To SECRETARY.] A word with you.
	Let there be letters writ to every shire,
	Of the king's grace and pardon. The grieved commons
	Hardly conceive of me; let it be noised
	That through our intercession this revokement
	And pardon comes. I shall anon advise you
	Further in the proceeding.
											[Exit SECRETARY.
                             Enter SURVEYOR.

Katharine	I am sorry that the Duke of Buckingham
	Is run in your displeasure.

King Henry								It grieves many:
	The gentleman is learned, and a most rare speaker,
	To nature none more bound; his training such
	That he may furnish and instruct great teachers,
	And never seek for aid out of himself; yet see,
	When these so noble benefits shall prove
	Not well disposed, the mind growing once corrupt,
	They turn to vicious forms, ten times more ugly
	Than ever they were fair. This man so complete,
	Who was enrolled 'mongst wonders, and when we,
	Almost with ravished list'ning, could not find
	His hour of speech a minute, he, my lady,
	Hath into monstrous habits put the graces
	That once were his, and is become as black
	As if besmeared in hell. Sit by us, you shall hear-
	This was his gentleman in trust - of him
	Things to strike honour sad. Bid him recount
	The fore-recited practices, whereof
	We cannot feel too little, hear too much.

Cardinal	Stand forth, and with bold spirit relate what you,
	Most like a careful subject, have collected
	Out of the Duke of Buckingham.

King Henry								Speak freely.

Surveyor	First, it was usual with him, every day
	It would infect his speech, that if the king
	Should without issue die, he'll carry it so
	To make the sceptre his. These very words
	I've heard him utter to his son-in-law,
	Lord Abergavenny, to whom by oath he menaced
	Revenge upon the cardinal.

Cardinal								Please your highness, note
	This dangerous conception in this point.
	Not friended by his wish to your high person,
	His will is most malignant, and it stretches
	Beyond you to your friends.

Katharine							My learned Lord Cardinal,
	Deliver all with charity.

King Henry							Speak on:
	How grounded he his title to the crown
	Upon our fail? To this point hast thou heard him
	At any time speak aught?

Surveyor						He was brought to this
	By a vain prophecy of Nicholas Henton.

King Henry	What was that Henton?

Surveyor						Sir, a Chartreux friar,
	His confessor, who fed him every minute
	With words of sovereignty.

King Henry							How know'st thou this?

Surveyor	Not long before your highness sped to France,
	The duke being at the Rose, within the parish
	Saint Lawrence Poultney, did of me demand
	What was the speech among the Londoners
	Concerning the French journey. I replied,
	Men feared the French would prove perfidious,
	To the king's danger. Presently the duke
	Said 'twas the fear indeed, and that he doubted
	'Twould prove the verity of certain words
	Spoke by a holy monk, 'that oft', says he,
	'Hath sent to me, wishing me to permit
	John de la Car, my chaplain, a choice hour
	To hear from him a matter of some moment;
	Whom after under the confession's seal
	He solemnly had sworn that what he spoke
	My chaplain to no creature living but
	To me should utter, with demure confidence
	This pausingly ensued: "Neither the king nor's heirs,
	Tell you the duke, shall prosper; bid him strive
	To gain the love o'th'commonalty: the duke
	Shall govern England".

Katharine							If I know you well,
	You were the duke's surveyor, and lost your office
	On the complaint o'th'tenants. Take good heed
	You charge not in your spleen a noble person,
	And spoil your nobler soul. I say, take heed;
	Yes, heartily beseech you.

King Henry							Let him on;
	Go forward.

Surveyor	On my soul, I'll speak but truth.
	I told my lord the duke, by the devil's illusions
	The monk might be deceived, and that 'twas dangerous
	To ruminate on this so far until
	It forged him some design, which, being believed,
	It was much like to do. He answered 'Tush!
	It can do me no damage'; adding further,
	That had the king in his last sickness failed,
	The cardinal's and Sir Thomas Lovell's heads
	Should have gone off.

King Henry						Ha! what, so rank? Ah, ha!
	There's mischief in this man. Canst thou say further?

Surveyor		I can, my liege.

King Henry					Proceed.

Surveyor							Being at Greenwich,
	After your highness had reproved the duke
	About Sir William Bulmer-

King Henry								I remember
	Of such a time; being my sworn servant,
	The duke retained him his. But on; what hence?

Surveyor	'If' quoth he 'I for this had been committed,
	As to the Tower I thought, I would have played
	The part my father meant to act upon
	The usurper Richard, who being at Salisbury,
	Made suit to come in his presence; which if granted,
	As he made semblance of his duty, would
	Have put his knife into him.'

King Henry								A giant traitor!

Cardinal	Now, madam, may his highness live in freedom,
	And this man out of prison?

Katharine							God mend all.

King Henry	There's something more would out of thee; what sayst?

Surveyor	After 'the duke his father', with the 'knife',
	He stretched him, and, with one hand on his dagger,
	Another spread on's breast, mounting his eyes,
	He did discharge a horrible oath, whose tenor
	Was, were he evil used, he would outgo
	His father by as much as a performance
	Does an irresolute purpose.

King Henry							There's his period;
	To sheath his knife in us. He is attached,
	Call him to present trial. If he may
	Find mercy in the law, 'tis his; if none,
	Let him not seek't of us. By day and night
	He's traitor to the height!
											[Exeunt.
