Dramatis Perfonæ.

King Henry the Eighth.
Cardinal Wolfey.

Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Duke of Norfolk.

Duke of Buckingham.

Duke of Suffolk.

Earl of Surrey.

Lord Chamberlain.

Cardinal Campeius, the Pope's Legate.

Capucius, Ambafador from the Emperor Charles the

Fifth.

Sir Thomas Audley, Lord Keeper.
Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester.
Bishop of Lincoln.

Lord Abergavenny.
Lord Sands.

Sir Henry Guildford.
Sir Thomas Lovell.
Sir Anthony Denny.
Sir Nicholas Vaux.
Sir William Sands.

Cromwell, Servant to Wolfey.

Griffith, Gentleman-Ufber to Queen Catharine.

Three Gentlemen.

Doctor Butts, Phyfician to the King.

Garter, King at Arms.

Surveyor to the Duke of Buckingham.

Brandon.

Serjeant at Arms.

Door-keeper of the Council-Chamber.

Porter, and his Man.

Bb 2

Queen

Queen Catharine.

Anne Bullen.

An old Lady, Friend to Anne Bullen.
Patience, Woman to Queen Catharine.

Several Lords and Ladies in the Dumb Shows. Women attending upon the Queen; Spirits, which appear to ber. Scribes, Officers, Guards, and other Attendants.

The SCENE lies moftly in London and Weftminster; once, at Kimbolton.

There is no enumeration of the perfons in the old Edition: fuch as the late editions have exhibited was added by Rowe.

Of this play there is no edi tion before that of 1623, in folio.

PRO.

Come no more to make you laugh; things now,
That bear a weighty and a ferious brow,
Sad, high, and working, full of fate and woe;
Such noble fcenes, as draw the eye to flow,
We shall prefent. Thofe, that can pity, here
May, if they think it well, let fall a tear;
The fubject will deferve it. Such, as give,
Their money out of hope they may believe,
May here find truth too. Thofe, that come to fee
Only a fhow or two, and fo agree,

The Play may pafs, if they be ftill and willing,
Tll undertake, may fee away their fhilling
Richly in two fhort hours. Only they,
That come to bear a merry, bawdy play;
A noife of targets; or to fee a fellow
In a long motley coat, guarded with yellow
Will be deceiv'd: for, gentle bearers, know,
To rank our chofen truth with fuch a show
As fool and fight is, befides forfeiting

Our own brains, and th' opinion that we bring

2

or to fee a Fellow In a long motley Coat.] Alluding to the Fools and Buffoons, introduced for the generality in the plays a little before our Author's Time: and of whom he has left us a fmall Taste in his own. THEOBALD. -fuch a show As fool and fight is.] This is not the only paffage in which Shok Speare has difcovered his conviction of the impropriety of battles reprefented on the ftage. He knew that five or fix men with fwords, give a very unfatif factory idea of an army, and therefore, without much care to excufe his former practice, he al

lows that a theatrical fight would destroy all opinion of truth, and leave him never an understanding friend. Magnis ingeniis et multa nihilominus habituris fimplex convenit erroris confeffio. Yet I know not whether the coronation fhewn in this play may not be liable to all that can be objected against a battle.

3 th'opinion that we bring To make that only true we now

intend.] Thefe lines I do not understand, and fufpect them of corruption. of corruption. I believe we may better read thus:

―th'opinion which we bring Or make; that only truth we now intend,

To make that only true, we now intend,
Will leave us ne'er an understanding friend.
Therefore, for goodness' fake, as you are known
The first and happiest bearers of the town,
Be fad, as we would make ye.
4 Think ye fee
The very perfons of our noble ftory,

As they were living; think, you fee them great,
And follow'd with the gen'ral throng, and fweat
Of thousand friends; Then, in a moment, fee
How foon this mightiness meets mifery!
And, if you can be merry then, I'll say,
A man may weep upon his wedding day.