"Tis noon; the ranks are broken ; along the

royal line

20

They fly,—the braggarts of the Court, the

bullies of the Rhine; Stout Langdale's 1o cheer is heard no more,

10 and Astley's helm is down, And Rupert sheathes his rapier with a curse

and with a frown; And cold Newcastle " mutters, as he follows

in the flight, “The German boar had better far have

supped in York to-night.”

11

25

The knight is left alone, his steel cap

cleft in twain, His good buff jerkin 12 crimsoned o'er with

many a gory stain; But still he waves the standard, and cries

amid the rout, “For Church and King, fair gentlemen, spur

on, and fight it out!” And now he wards a Roundhead's 13 pike, and

now he hums a stave, And now he quotes a stage-play, and now

he fells a knave.

a

30

God aid thee now, Sir Nicholas ! thou hast

no thought of fear; God aid thee now, Sir Nicholas ! but fearful

odds are here. The traitors ring thee round, and with every

Down, down,” they cry, “with Belial, down

with him to the dust.' “I would,”quoth grim old Oliver,“that Belial's

trusty sword This day was doing battle for the Saints 14

and for the Lord !”—

35

The Lady Alice sits with her maidens in her

bower; The grey-haired warder watches from the

castle's highest tower. What news, what news, old Hubert ?”

- The field is lost and won : The ranks of war are melting as the mists

beneath the sun; And a wounded man speeds hither,- I am

old and cannot see, Or sure I am that sturdy step my master's

66

40

step must be."

" I bring thee back the standard from as rude

and rough a fray, As e'er was proof of soldier's thews, or theme

for minstrel's lay. But, Hubert, fetch the silver bowl, and liquor

quantum suff. : 16 I'll make a shift to drain it, ere I part with

boots and buff ; Though Guy through many a gaping wound

is breathing out his life, And I come to thee a landless man, my fond

45 50

“Sweet! we will fill our money-bags and

freight a ship for France, And mourn in merry Paris for this poor

realm's mischance ; Or, if the worst betide me, why better axe or

rope, Than life with Lenthal 16 for a king, and

Peters 17 for a pope! Alas, alas, my gallant Guy !-curse on the

crop-eared boor, 18 That sent me with my standard, on foot from

THE FALL OF WOLSEY.

HENRY VIII.-ACT III. SCENE 2.

Wol.

to you,

5

I do profess That for your highness' good I ever labour'd More than mine own; that am, have, and will

be. Though all the world should crack their duty And throw it from their soul; though perils

did Abound, as thick as thought could make them,

and
Appear in forms more horrid ; yet my duty
As doth a rock against the chiding flood,
Should the approach of this wild river break,
And stand unshaken yours.
K. Hen.

"Tis nobly spoken : Take notice, lords, he has a loyal breast, For you have seen him open 't.—Read o'er

[Giving him paper's. And after, this : and then to breakfast, with What appetite you have. [Exit King, frowning upon CARDINAL

WOLSEY : the Nobles throng after

him, smiling and whispering. Wol.

What should this mean? What sudden anger's this ? how have I reap'd

it ? He parted frowning from me, as if ruin

10

this;

15

“What should this mean? What sudden anger's this?"