KING HENRY.Poor soul,God's goodness hath been great to thee.Let never day nor night unhallowed pass,But still remember what the Lord hath done.QUEEN.Tell me,good fellow,cam'st thou here by chance,Or of devotion,to this holy shrine?SIMPCOX.God knows,of pure devotion;being call'd A hundred times and oft'ner,in my sleep,By good Saint Alban,who said 'Simpcox,come,Come,offer at my shrine,and I will help thee.'WIFE.Most true,forsooth;and many time and oft Myself have heard a voice to call him so.CARDINAL.What,art thou lame?SIMPCOX.Ay,God Almighty help me!SUFFOLK.How cam'st thou so?SIMPCOX.A fall off of a tree.WIFE.A plum tree,master.GLOUCESTER.How long hast thou been blind?SIMPCOX.O,born so,master!GLOUCESTER.What,and wouldst climb a tree?SIMPCOX.But that in all my life,when I was a youth.WIFE.Too true;and bought his climbing very dear.GLOUCESTER.Mass,thou lov'dst plums well,that wouldst venture so.SIMPCOX.Alas,good master,my wife desir'd some damsons And made me climb,With danger of my life.GLOUCESTER.A subtle knave!But yet it shall not serve:Let me see thine eyes;wink now;now open them;In my opinion yet thou seest not well.SIMPCOX.Yes,master,clear as day,I thank God and Saint Alban.GLOUCESTER.Say'st thou me so?What colour is this cloak of?SIMPCOX.Red,master;red as blood.GLOUCESTER.Why,that's well said.What colour is my gown of?SIMPCOX.Black,forsooth;coal-black as jet.KING HENRY.Why,then,thou know'st what colour jet is of?SUFFOLK.And yet,I think,jet did he never see.GLOUCESTER.But cloaks and gowns before this day a many.WIFE.Never before this day in all his life.GLOUCESTER.Tell me,sirrah,what's my name?SIMPCOX.Alas,master,I know not.GLOUCESTER.What's his name?SIMPCOX.I know not.GLOUCESTER.Nor his?SIMPCOX.No,indeed,master.GLOUCESTER.What's thine own name?SIMPCOX.Saunder Simpcox,an if it please you,master.GLOUCESTER.Then,Saunder,sit there,the lying'st knave in Christendom.If thou hadst been born blind,thou mightst as well have known all our names as thus to name the several colours we do wear.Sight may distinguish of colours;but suddenly to nominate them all,it is impossible.My lords,Saint Alban here hath done a miracle;and would ye not think his cunning to be great that could restore this cripple to his legs again?SIMPCOX.O master,that you could!GLOUCESTER.My masters of Saint Albans,have you not beadles in your town,and things call'd whips?MAYOR.Yes,my lord,if it please your Grace.GLOUCESTER.Then send for one presently.MAYOR.Sirrah,go fetch the beadle hither straight.Exit an attendant GLOUCESTER.Now fetch me a stool hither by and by.[A stool brought]Now,sirrah,if you mean to save yourself from whipping,leap me over this stool and run away.SIMPCOX.Alas,master,I am not able to stand alone!You go about to torture me in vain.
Enter a BEADLE with whips
GLOUCESTER.Well,sir,we must have you find your legs.Sirrah beadle,whip him till he leap over that same stool.BEADLE.I will,my lord.Come on,sirrah;off with your doublet quickly.SIMPCOX.Alas,master,what shall I do?I am not able to stand.
After the BEADLE hath hit him once,he leaps over the stool and runs away;and they follow and cry 'A miracle!'
KING HENRY.O God,seest Thou this,and bearest so long?QUEEN.It made me laugh to see the villain run.GLOUCESTER.Follow the knave,and take this drab away.WIFE.Alas,sir,we did it for pure need!GLOUCESTER.Let them be whipp'd through every market town till they come to Berwick,from whence they came.Exeunt MAYOR,BEADLE,WIFE,&c.CARDINAL.Duke Humphrey has done a miracle to-day.SUFFOLK.True;made the lame to leap and fly away.GLOUCESTER.But you have done more miracles than I:You made in a day,my lord,whole towns to fly.
Enter BUCKINGHAM
KING HENRY.What tidings with our cousin Buckingham?BUCKINGHAM.Such as my heart doth tremble to unfold:A sort of naughty persons,lewdly bent,Under the countenance and confederacy Of Lady Eleanor,the Protector's wife,The ringleader and head of all this rout,Have practis'd dangerously against your state,Dealing with witches and with conjurers,Whom we have apprehended in the fact,Raising up wicked spirits from under ground,Demanding of King Henry's life and death And other of your Highness'Privy Council,As more at large your Grace shall understand.CARDINAL.And so,my Lord Protector,by this means Your lady is forthcoming yet at London.This news,I think,hath turn'd your weapon's edge;'Tis like,my lord,you will not keep your hour.GLOUCESTER.Ambitious churchman,leave to afflict my heart.Sorrow and grief have vanquish'd all my powers;And,vanquish'd as I am,I yield to the Or to the meanest groom.KING HENRY.O God,what mischiefs work the wicked ones,Heaping confusion on their own heads thereby!QUEEN.Gloucester,see here the tainture of thy nest;And look thyself be faultless,thou wert best.GLOUCESTER.Madam,for myself,to heaven I do appeal How I have lov'd my King and commonweal;And for my wife I know not how it stands.Sorry I am to hear what I have heard.Noble she is;but if she have forgot Honour and virtue,and convers'd with such As,like to pitch,defile nobility,I banish her my bed and company And give her as a prey to law and shame,That hath dishonoured Gloucester's honest name.KING HENRY.Well,for this night we will repose us here.To-morrow toward London back again To look into this business thoroughly And call these foul offenders to their answers,And poise the cause in justice'equal scales,Whose beam stands sure,whose rightful cause prevails.Flourish.Exeunt
