King John & Henry VIII Read online

  42 stay delay

  45 creature dependant, servant

  49 perceives him perceives

  49 coasts And hedges is indirect and devious (as if traveling in a roundabout manner along a coastline or by hedgerows)

  51 physic remedy

  58 Trace the conjunction follow the marriage

  60 All men’s puns on amen

  62 Marry by the Virgin Mary (picks up on the notion of marriage)

  62 young i.e. recent news

  62 may … unrecounted perhaps not everyone will have heard it/not everyone needs to hear it

  64 gallant fine, splendid

  64 complete perfect

  65 persuade me am convinced

  66 fall befall/be born

  67 memorized made memorable

  69 Digest endure, stomach

  76 cause i.e. the divorce

  76 unhandled unresolved, without management

  77 Is posted has gone in haste

  84 He … opinions i.e. letters from him have been received ahead of his arrival; the opinions may be Cranmer’s own or, more likely, those that he was sent to gather on the divorce

  88 published announced publicly

  100 moody sullen, angry

  101 packet dispatch, packet of letters

  103 Looked … paper? i.e. Did he open it?

  105 Presently immediately

  107 heed care, attention

  111 abroad out of his bedchamber

  112 this this time

  117 visage face

  125 late former

  127 clear bright

  127 snuff it trim its wick

  130 spleeny Lutheran hot-headed Protestant

  130 wholesome beneficial, healthy

  131 lie i’th’bosom of i.e. have sex with/share the secrets of

  132 hard-ruled difficult to manage; possible erectile connotations

  133 arch-one major, principal one (plays on “archbishop”)

  134 Hath who has

  136 schedule document

  137 fret gnaw, fray/add frets or ridges (to aid tuning on a stringed instrument)

  138 master-cord main sinew, chief string

  138 on’s of his

  141 portion share

  146 commotion agitation

  149 straight straight away

  152 against toward

  157 wot know

  159 importing concerning

  160 several parcels various pieces

  160 plate gold or silver tableware

  161 stuffs material, cloth

  161 ornaments of household furnishings

  162 proud rate great cost/vast quantity

  162 outspeaks … subject far exceeds what a subject ought to own

  166 withal with

  168 contemplation thoughts/religious musing

  169 should would be allowed (to)

  171 below the moon i.e. worldly

  176 stuff matter (plays on the sense of “(rich) fabric”; the king’s loaded language continues with inventory, steal, audit)

  177 graces virtues

  179 leisure time for contemplation

  180 keep … audit see to your worldly accounts (as opposed to the spiritual reckoning at Judgment Day)

  181 ill husband poor domestic manager

  181 glad i.e. because Wolsey is so unconcerned with self-seeking material matters (ironic)

  187 times of preservation life-sustaining activities (i.e. eating, sleeping)

  187 perforce of necessity

  189 tendance attention

  197 crown … you i.e. by investing Wolsey with Church promotions

  199 alone only

  201 pared trimmed, reduced

  201 havings fortune

  206 prime foremost, most powerful (under the king)

  207 pronounce declare

  208 withal moreover, in addition

  210 graces favors

  211 could … requite my most deliberate efforts could repay

  215 filed kept pace

  216 so only to the extent

  220 allegiant loyal

  226 the … it “honor is the reward of virtue” was proverbial

  228 foulness dishonor, public shame

  232 power faculties

  233 notwithstanding … duty despite your duty to the Church/beyond the debt of allegiance of any subject to his king

  233 that your i.e. that

  234 in love’s particular on account of the intimacy of close friendship

  238 that … be I who am, have been and will be (after digressing, Wolsey never in fact finishes this sentence)

  239 crack violate, destroy

  242 horrid frightening

  243 chiding tumultuous, angry

  244 break interrupt/stem

  254 chafèd enraged

  255 galled wounded/angered

  256 makes him nothing destroys him (the huntsman)

  257 story cause/narrative

  258 undone ruined

  258 account may play on the sense of “story, narrative”

  259 world vast quantity

  261 fee pay/bribe

  262 cross perverse, thwarting

  263 main chief, significant

  265 device strategy, trick

  266 stir anger

  267 take right works properly, succeeds

  268 bring me off rescue me

  272 meridian highest point (of the sun)

  273 setting decline, sunset

  274 exhalation shooting star, meteor

  277 presently immediately

  279 Asher House Esher House, Surrey, which belonged to Wolsey as Bishop of Winchester

  282 commission warrant, authority

  284 cross challenge

  286 it i.e. obey their orders

  289 metal material/mettle (i.e. disposition, spirit)

  289 envy malice

  291 sleek fawning, oily

  291 wanton unprincipled, lawless, merciless

  295 rewards i.e. punishments

  298 enjoy use, benefit from

  300 Tied authorized, confirmed

  300 letters patents documents signed by the king conferring land, title or official position

  305 forty hours used indefinitely to convey a broad period of time

  308 scarlet sin refers to the color of a cardinal’s robes; also to Isaiah 1:18 which describes sins as “red like scarlet”

  311 parts qualities

  312 Weighed equaled in weight

  312 of on

  312 policy political strategy, cunning

  314 his succour being able to help him (Buckingham)

  315 fault offense

  315 gav’st assigned to

  319 credit reputation

  322 From of

  323 cause case (tried in court)

  326 That I who

  328 mate be a match for, contend with

  334 fellow common man/servant/good-for-nothing (a contemptuous term for one of Wolsey’s status)

  335 jaded deceived, made fools of (plays on the sense of “made green”)

  337 dare daze

  337 dare … larks birds could be caught by being distracted with a piece of scarlet cloth while nets were dropped on them; there may be an implicit reference to Joan Larke, Wolsey’s mistress

  348 issues children, i.e. sons

  349 he i.e. Wolsey

  350 articles items in a list of formal charges

  352 sacring bell small bell rung at the consecration of the host, the holiest part of the Mass (after the Reformation it signified the bell rung to announce morning prayers)

  352 brown brunette/dark-complexioned (or sunburned; another dig at Wolsey, suggesting this particular lover is a common peasant)

  352 wench girl of the rustic or working class/mistress

  356 hand possession/handwriting

  357 thus much I can say this much

  357 foul plays on the sense of “illegible, blotted”

  363 out be revealed

  367 dare chall
enge, defy

  367 objections accusations

  368 want lack

  369 Have at you! i.e. here I come (standard utterance at the opening of a fight)

  371 wrought planned, connived, worked

  371 legate one of the Pope’s representatives

  374 ‘Ego … meus’ “My king and I” (Latin); literally “I and my king,” which leads Norfolk to claim that Wolsey places himself before the king; however, this is the required Latin word order and Wolsey’s real offense is to equate himself with the monarch

  375 still always

  379 Ambassador i.e. as Henry’s ambassador

  379 emperor the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V

  379 made bold dared

  380 carry … seal taking the great seal of England out of the country was forbidden

  380 Flanders part of the Netherlands

  381 Item next (on the list; Latin)

  381 commission delegation with specific instructions

  382 Gregory de Cassado English ambassador to the Pope

  383 allowance permission

  384 Ferrara the Duke of Ferrara (one of the Italian city-states)

  385 mere absolute, utter

  387 innumerable substance incalculable wealth

  389 furnish … dignities bribe Rome as a means of paving your way to personal titles and offices

  390 to … kingdom i.e. at England’s expense

  391 Many more i.e. accusations, offenses

  395 virtue i.e. virtuous not to list the offenses

  396 lie open are exposed, i.e. are at the mercy (of)

  402 legative as a papal legate

  403 praemunire the offense of recognizing papal legal authority over that of the English monarch

  404 sued instituted, legally enforced

  405 tenements houses/leased land or property

  406 Castles some editors emend to “chattels” on the basis of the equivalent passage in Holinshed, but the Folio reading is a suitable climax to the list

  407 charge order, instruction

  409 For as for

  416 tender young, fresh

  417 blushing glowing, vibrant (perhaps with reference to the red robes of a cardinal)

  419 easy comfortable, complacent

  422 wanton playful, wild, careless

  422 bladders inflated animal bladders used as floats

  423 This (for) these

  424 high-blown over-inflated (like the bladders; also a suggestion of “fully blooming,” recalling the vegetation imagery of a few lines earlier)

  427 rude stream rough current

  428 Vain proud/empty, meaningless/foolish, frivolous

  432 aspect facial appearance/gaze (with astrological connotations of “influential position of a planet”)

  432 their ruin the ruin they can cause

  433 pangs pains (often applied to labor pains)

  434 Lucifer the brightest angel in heaven, who rebelled, was cast into hell and became the devil

  435 amazed stunned

  439 decline fall

  439 an if

  443 happy fortunate

  448 pillars may recall the silver pillars that were emblems of Wolsey’s role as cardinal

  452 it i.e. self-knowledge

  458 heaviest saddest/most weighty

  459 displeasure disgrace

  466 that so that

  468 orphans the Lord Chancellor was the legal guardian of all orphans under the age of twenty-one

  475 open public

  476 voice talk

  480 gone beyond overreached

  481 In i.e. because of

  483 troops retinues, groups of followers

  491 hopeful promising

  492 make use take advantage, profit

  495 forgo forsake

  503 truth loyalty

  503 play the woman i.e. weep

  506 dull lifeless

  509 sounded fathomed, probed the depth of

  509 shoals shallows

  510 wreck shipwreck/ruin

  512 Mark note, heed

  518 Still always

  530 naked defenseless

  4.1 Location: a street in Westminster, London

  5 all my business what I’m here for

  8 general public, universal

  10 royal generous/supportive of the monarchy

  11 let … rights to give them their due

  11 forward eager, ready

  15 taken received

  22 High Steward the officer presiding over the coronation

  23 Earl Marshal a high-ranking state office

  25 beholding beholden, indebted

  30 order rank, status (i.e. other bishops)

  31 late recent Dunstable Bedfordshire town, about thirty-five miles north of London

  32 Ampthill Ampthill Castle, in fact nearer ten miles north of Dunstable

  32 lay lodged

  33 cited summoned

  34 short brief

  35 late scruple recent doubt (over the validity of his marriage to Katherine)

  35 main assent general agreement

  37 of none effect null and void

  38 Kimbolton a castle in Cambridgeshire, not far from Huntingdon

  41 close quiet/to one side

  41.1 flourish fanfare

  41.2 Garter Garter King-at-Arms, chief herald of the College of Arms and a key official in the management of royal ceremonies

  41.3 demi-coronal small coronet

  41.4 dove emblematic of peace

  41.6 estate state

  41.5 Collars of esses ornamental gold chains composed of S-shaped links

  41.7 Cinque Ports five ports on the southeast coast of England, originally Dover, Hastings, Sandwich, Hythe and Romney; their barons had the right to hold the canopy over the king during processions

  41.8 in her hair with her hair loose, as was customary for brides

  41.9 coronal coronet

  41.10 train excess material at the back of a dress

  42 train retinue

  46 should must

  54 Indies i.e. great wealth

  55 strains embraces, with suggestion of sexual exertion

  56 conscience plays on the sense of “genitals”

  58 cloth of honour royal canopy

  59 Cinque Ports five (later seven) ports on the southeast coast of England that provided the navy and were granted privileges in return

  66 falling plays on the sense of “sexually receptive”

  68 broiling becoming heated, sweating (from struggling for a good view amongst a crowd of onlookers)

  69 i’th’Abbey in Westminster Abbey, venue for coronations

  69 finger … more perhaps with sexual connotations (especially if rankness is given its sexual sense)

  71 mere absolute, utter

  71 rankness exuberance/foul (sweaty) smell/lustfulness

  77 speak describe

  80 fell off withdrew

  83 opposing displaying

  85 goodliest finest, most good-looking

  87 arose perhaps with connotations of penile erection

  88 shrouds ropes attached to the mast, standard part of a ship’s rigging (perhaps with phallic connotations; a rope was a slang image for a penis)

  88 stiff strong; again with connotations of penile erection

  90 Doublets men’s close-fitting jackets

  92 Great-bellied i.e. pregnant

  93 rams battering rams

  94 press crowd, throng

  104 royal makings trappings of royalty bestowed during a coronation

  105 As such as

  108 music musicians

  109 Te Deum thanksgiving hymn “Te Deum laudamus” (Latin; “We praise thee O God”)

  109 parted departed

  110 state procession/pomp/dignity

  117 lately recently

  121 the one i.e. Gardiner

  122 preferred promoted

  129 will who will

  134 Master o’th’Jewel House i.e. responsible for the Crown Je
wels in the Tower of London

  140 Something … command i.e. I have some degree of influence

  4.2 Location: Kimbolton Castle, Cambridgeshire

  3 loaden laden, overburdened

  11 happily fittingly/fortunately/perhaps

  13 voice word, rumor

  14 stout brave, resolute

  15 brought him forward escorted him

  16 tainted disgraced/corrupted

  16 answer trial

  18 sit sit on

  20 roads stages (of the journey)

  20 Leicester chief town of Leicestershire, in central England

  22 convent members of the monastery

  26 little earth i.e. grave

  27 eagerly keenly/fiercely

  33 blessèd part i.e. soul

  35 speak speak of/describe

  37 stomach pride/ambitious appetite

  38 suggestion incitement, prompting (to wrongdoing)

  39 Tied subjected, tied up

  39 Simony buying and selling ecclesiastical posts

  40 I’th’presence in the royal reception chamber/presence of the king

  41 double duplicitous/ambiguous

  43 pitiful merciful, compassionate

  46 body i.e. sexual appetites, love of worldly pleasures

  46 ill immoral

  51 good goodness, virtues

  56 to for

  57 ripe mature, sophisticated

  59 Lofty haughty

  61 unsatisfied in getting never satisfied with what he had acquired

  64 you Griffith addresses Ipswich and Oxford

  65 Ipswich and Oxford Wolsey founded colleges in both towns, though only that at Oxford survived him; originally intended to be Cardinal’s College, it was renamed Christ Church

  66 did made, founded

  68 art scholarship

  68 rising growing (in reputation and excellence; plays on the idea of physical completion)

  72 little humble

  79 Whom he whom (i.e. Wolsey)

  80 religious conscientious

  80 modesty moderation, restraint

  82 set me lower i.e. help me to lie back or sit lower in the chair

  84 note tune

  85 knell funeral bell

  86 celestial harmony i.e. heaven

  86.1 tripping moving nimbly and lightly

  86.3 vizards masks

  86.2 bays bay-tree leaves, a symbol of triumph

  86.4 congee make a formal bow

  86.5 changes turns or stages of the dance

  86.6 in their i.e. still

  102 fancy imagination

  103 music leave musicians cease

  104 heavy oppressive/sorrowful

  111 An’t like if it please

  112 saucy insolent

  115 lose give up

  115 wonted accustomed

  118 staying waiting

  122 emperor Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Katherine’s nephew

  137 physic medicine

  137 had would have

  148 willing willingly