SCENE I. London. QUEEN KATHARINE's apartments. The Life of King Henry the Eighth  Shakespeare homepage  |  Henry VIII  | Act 3, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE I. London. QUEEN KATHARINE's apartments. 

 Enter QUEEN KATHARINE and her Women, as at work  QUEEN KATHARINE  Take thy lute, wench: my soul grows sad with troubles; 

 Sing, and disperse 'em, if thou canst: leave working. 



 SONG  Orpheus with his lute made trees, 

 And the mountain tops that freeze, 

 Bow themselves when he did sing: 

 To his music plants and flowers 

 Ever sprung; as sun and showers 

 There had made a lasting spring. 

 Every thing that heard him play, 

 Even the billows of the sea, 

 Hung their heads, and then lay by. 

 In sweet music is such art, 

 Killing care and grief of heart 

 Fall asleep, or hearing, die. 



 Enter a Gentleman  QUEEN KATHARINE  How now! 

 Gentleman  An't please your grace, the two great cardinals 

 Wait in the presence. 

 QUEEN KATHARINE  Would they speak with me? 

 Gentleman  They will'd me say so, madam. 

 QUEEN KATHARINE  Pray their graces 

 To come near. 



 Exit Gentleman  What can be their business 

 With me, a poor weak woman, fall'n from favour? 

 I do not like their coming. Now I think on't, 

 They should be good men; their affairs as righteous: 

 But all hoods make not monks. 



 Enter CARDINAL WOLSEY and CARDINAL CAMPEIUS  CARDINAL WOLSEY  Peace to your highness! 

 QUEEN KATHARINE  Your graces find me here part of a housewife, 

 I would be all, against the worst may happen. 

 What are your pleasures with me, reverend lords? 

 CARDINAL WOLSEY  May it please you noble madam, to withdraw 

 Into your private chamber, we shall give you 

 The full cause of our coming. 

 QUEEN KATHARINE  Speak it here: 

 There's nothing I have done yet, o' my conscience, 

 Deserves a corner: would all other women 

 Could speak this with as free a soul as I do! 

 My lords, I care not, so much I am happy 

 Above a number, if my actions 

 Were tried by every tongue, every eye saw 'em, 

 Envy and base opinion set against 'em, 

 I know my life so even. If your business 

 Seek me out, and that way I am wife in, 

 Out with it boldly: truth loves open dealing. 

 CARDINAL WOLSEY  Tanta est erga te mentis integritas, regina 

 serenissima,-- 

 QUEEN KATHARINE  O, good my lord, no Latin; 

 I am not such a truant since my coming, 

 As not to know the language I have lived in: 

 A strange tongue makes my cause more strange, 

 suspicious; 

 Pray, speak in English: here are some will thank you, 

 If you speak truth, for their poor mistress' sake; 

 Believe me, she has had much wrong: lord cardinal, 

 The willing'st sin I ever yet committed 

 May be absolved in English. 

 CARDINAL WOLSEY  Noble lady, 

 I am sorry my integrity should breed, 

 And service to his majesty and you, 

 So deep suspicion, where all faith was meant. 

 We come not by the way of accusation, 

 To taint that honour every good tongue blesses, 

 Nor to betray you any way to sorrow, 

 You have too much, good lady; but to know 

 How you stand minded in the weighty difference 

 Between the king and you; and to deliver, 

 Like free and honest men, our just opinions 

 And comforts to your cause. 

 CARDINAL CAMPEIUS  Most honour'd madam, 

 My Lord of York, out of his noble nature, 

 Zeal and obedience he still bore your grace, 

 Forgetting, like a good man your late censure 

 Both of his truth and him, which was too far, 

 Offers, as I do, in a sign of peace, 

 His service and his counsel. 

 QUEEN KATHARINE  [Aside]	To betray me.-- 

 My lords, I thank you both for your good wills; 

 Ye speak like honest men; pray God, ye prove so! 

 But how to make ye suddenly an answer, 

 In such a point of weight, so near mine honour,-- 

 More near my life, I fear,--with my weak wit, 

 And to such men of gravity and learning, 

 In truth, I know not. I was set at work 

 Among my maids: full little, God knows, looking 

 Either for such men or such business. 

 For her sake that I have been,--for I feel 

 The last fit of my greatness,--good your graces, 

 Let me have time and counsel for my cause: 

 Alas, I am a woman, friendless, hopeless! 

 CARDINAL WOLSEY  Madam, you wrong the king's love with these fears: 

 Your hopes and friends are infinite. 

 QUEEN KATHARINE  In England 

 But little for my profit: can you think, lords, 

 That any Englishman dare give me counsel? 

 Or be a known friend, 'gainst his highness' pleasure, 

 Though he be grown so desperate to be honest, 

 And live a subject? Nay, forsooth, my friends, 

 They that must weigh out my afflictions, 

 They that my trust must grow to, live not here: 

 They are, as all my other comforts, far hence 

 In mine own country, lords. 

 CARDINAL CAMPEIUS  I would your grace 

 Would leave your griefs, and take my counsel. 

 QUEEN KATHARINE  How, sir? 

 CARDINAL CAMPEIUS  Put your main cause into the king's protection; 

 He's loving and most gracious: 'twill be much 

 Both for your honour better and your cause; 

 For if the trial of the law o'ertake ye, 

 You'll part away disgraced. 

 CARDINAL WOLSEY  He tells you rightly. 

 QUEEN KATHARINE  Ye tell me what ye wish for both,--my ruin: 

 Is this your Christian counsel? out upon ye! 

 Heaven is above all yet; there sits a judge 

 That no king can corrupt. 

 CARDINAL CAMPEIUS  Your rage mistakes us. 

 QUEEN KATHARINE  The more shame for ye: holy men I thought ye, 

 Upon my soul, two reverend cardinal virtues; 

 But cardinal sins and hollow hearts I fear ye: 

 Mend 'em, for shame, my lords. Is this your comfort? 

 The cordial that ye bring a wretched lady, 

 A woman lost among ye, laugh'd at, scorn'd? 

 I will not wish ye half my miseries; 

 I have more charity: but say, I warn'd ye; 

 Take heed, for heaven's sake, take heed, lest at once 

 The burthen of my sorrows fall upon ye. 

 CARDINAL WOLSEY  Madam, this is a mere distraction; 

 You turn the good we offer into envy. 

 QUEEN KATHARINE  Ye turn me into nothing: woe upon ye 

 And all such false professors! would you have me-- 

 If you have any justice, any pity; 

 If ye be any thing but churchmen's habits-- 

 Put my sick cause into his hands that hates me? 

 Alas, has banish'd me his bed already, 

 His love, too long ago! I am old, my lords, 

 And all the fellowship I hold now with him 

 Is only my obedience. What can happen 

 To me above this wretchedness? all your studies 

 Make me a curse like this. 

 CARDINAL CAMPEIUS  Your fears are worse. 

 QUEEN KATHARINE  Have I lived thus long--let me speak myself, 

 Since virtue finds no friends--a wife, a true one? 

 A woman, I dare say without vain-glory, 

 Never yet branded with suspicion? 

 Have I with all my full affections 

 Still met the king? loved him next heaven? 

 obey'd him? 

 Been, out of fondness, superstitious to him? 

 Almost forgot my prayers to content him? 

 And am I thus rewarded? 'tis not well, lords. 

 Bring me a constant woman to her husband, 

 One that ne'er dream'd a joy beyond his pleasure; 

 And to that woman, when she has done most, 

 Yet will I add an honour, a great patience. 

 CARDINAL WOLSEY  Madam, you wander from the good we aim at. 

 QUEEN KATHARINE  My lord, I dare not make myself so guilty, 

 To give up willingly that noble title 

 Your master wed me to: nothing but death 

 Shall e'er divorce my dignities. 

 CARDINAL WOLSEY  Pray, hear me. 

 QUEEN KATHARINE  Would I had never trod this English earth, 

 Or felt the flatteries that grow upon it! 

 Ye have angels' faces, but heaven knows your hearts. 

 What will become of me now, wretched lady! 

 I am the most unhappy woman living. 

 Alas, poor wenches, where are now your fortunes! 

 Shipwreck'd upon a kingdom, where no pity, 

 No friend, no hope; no kindred weep for me; 

 Almost no grave allow'd me: like the lily, 

 That once was mistress of the field and flourish'd, 

 I'll hang my head and perish. 

 CARDINAL WOLSEY  If your grace 

 Could but be brought to know our ends are honest, 

 You'ld feel more comfort: why should we, good lady, 

 Upon what cause, wrong you? alas, our places, 

 The way of our profession is against it: 

 We are to cure such sorrows, not to sow 'em. 

 For goodness' sake, consider what you do; 

 How you may hurt yourself, ay, utterly 

 Grow from the king's acquaintance, by this carriage. 

 The hearts of princes kiss obedience, 

 So much they love it; but to stubborn spirits 

 They swell, and grow as terrible as storms. 

 I know you have a gentle, noble temper, 

 A soul as even as a calm: pray, think us 

 Those we profess, peace-makers, friends, and servants. 

 CARDINAL CAMPEIUS  Madam, you'll find it so. You wrong your virtues 

 With these weak women's fears: a noble spirit, 

 As yours was put into you, ever casts 

 Such doubts, as false coin, from it. The king loves you; 

 Beware you lose it not: for us, if you please 

 To trust us in your business, we are ready 

 To use our utmost  studies in your service. 

 QUEEN KATHARINE  Do what ye will, my lords: and, pray, forgive me, 

 If I have used myself unmannerly; 

 You know I am a woman, lacking wit 

 To make a seemly answer to such persons. 

 Pray, do my service to his majesty: 

 He has my heart yet; and shall have my prayers 

 While I shall have my life. Come, reverend fathers, 

 Bestow your counsels on me: she now begs, 

 That little thought, when she set footing here, 

 She should have bought her dignities so dear. 



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