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I am a poor fallen man, unworthy now
To be thy lord and master: Seek the king;
That sun, I pray, may never set! I have told

him

What, and how true thou art: he will advance thee: 27

Some little memory of me will stir him

(I know his noble nature), not to let

Thy hopeful service perish too: Good Cromwell,
Neglect him not; make use now, and provide
For thine own future safety.

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Crom. O my lord, Must I then leave you? must I needs forego 28 150 So good, so noble, and so true a master? Bear witness, all that have not hearts of iron, With what a sorrow Cromwell leaves his lord.The king shall have my service; but my prayers For ever, and for ever, shall be yours.

Wol. Cromwell, I did not think to shed a

tear

29

In all my miseries; but thou hast forc'd me
Out of thy honest truth to play the woman.
Let's dry our eyes: and thus far hear me,
Cromwell;

And,-when I am forgotten, as I shall be ;
And sleep in dull cold marble, where no men-

tion

Of me more must be heard of,-say, I taught thee;

Say, Wolsey, that once trod the ways of glory And sounded 30 all the depths and shoals of honour,

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160

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Found thee a way, out of his wrack, to rise

in ;

A sure and safe one, though thy master miss'd

it.

Mark but my fall, and that that ruin'd me.
Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition;
By that sin fell the angels; how can man then,
The image of his Maker, hope to win by 't?
Love thyself last cherish those hearts that
hate thee;

Corruption wins not more than honesty.
Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace,
To silence envious tongues. Be just, and fear

not:

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Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, 175 Thy God's and truth's; then if thou fall'st, O

Cromwell,

Thou fall'st a blessed martyr.
And,-Prithee, lead me in:

Serve the king;

There take an inventory 32 of all I have,
To the last penny; 'tis the king's: my robe,
And my integrity to heaven, is all

I dare now call mine own. O Cromwell, Crom

well,

age

Had I but serv'd my God with half the zeal
I serv'd my king, he would not in mine
Have left me naked to mine enemies.
Crom. Good sir, have patience.

Wol.

So I have. Farewell

The hopes of court! my hopes in heaven do

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dwell.

Exeunt.

NOTES ON THE FALL OF WOLSEY,

1 (l. 24). Full meridian, &c., the highest point of my greatness. 2 (1. 26). Exhalation, steam, vapour. 3 (1. 29). The Great Seal of England, affixed to all Acts of Parliament, Proclamations and State documents. It was kept by the Lord High-Chancellor.

4 (l. 29). Presently, at once, instantly.

5 (l. 34). Commission. The document authorising and conferring power on you to do this.

6 (7. 52). Letters patent. A sealed writing by which authority and power were granted to a person to do some act or enjoy some right.

7 (1.57). Power legatine. The power exercised by Wolsey as the Pope's legate or ambassador.

8 (1.58). Præmunire, the offence of introducing or attempting to introduce into England the authority of a foreign rule.

9 (1. 69). Tenements, dwellings. 10 ( 61). Chattels, movable goods, such as household furniture.

11 (l. 62). Outside the King's protection. Outside the law of the land, whereby he could obtain no redress for any wrong done him. 12 (1. 72). Blushing honours. New, young honours.

13 (. 77). Wanton, playful.

14 . 86). Aspire to, eagerly wish to have.

15 (l. 87). Aspect here means disposition, temper.

16 (1. 89). Lucifer. The fallen angel, Satau.

17 (1. 95). An you weep. If you weep. 18 (. 97). Grace, the title given to an

archbishop or a duke. Cardinal Wolsey was Archbishop of York. 19 (1.101). Dignities, titles, honours. 20 (1. 110). Fortitude, &c., the strength of mind which now enables me to meet troubles with strength and calmness.

21

22

23

24

25

(1. 117). Sir Thomas More, chosen
chancellor in place of Wolsey, was,
when he lost the king's favour,
beheaded.

(l. 129). Orphans' tears. By virtue
of his office the Lord Chancellor
is guardian of orphans.
(1.124). Lady Anne. Anne Boleyn,
Henry's second wife, whom he
had afterwards beheaded.

(l. 132). The voice, the common
talk.

(l. 134). The weight, &c. That Anne was the chief person concerned in effecting the disgrace of Wolsey with the king.

26 (. 137). Usher, introduce or go before.

27 (1. 143). Advance thee, the king did this. He became very rich and was created Earl of Essex, but was afterwards beheaded on Tower Hill on a charge of heresy. 28 (l. 150). Forego, resign, give up. 29 (1. 158). Play the woman, to weep. 30 (. 164). Sounded, &c. Wolsey had

had experience of all kinds and degrees of honour.

31 (l. 165). Wrack, ruin, destruction, wreck.

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PAUL REVERE'S RIDE.

LISTEN, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; 2
Hardly a man is now alive

Who remembers that famous day and year. 5

He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry-arch
Of the North Church tower as

light,

3

One, if by land, and two, if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm

4

a signal

Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country-folk to be up and to arm."

Then he said, "Good-night!" and with muffled

oar

5

Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war ;
A phantom-ship, with each mast and spar
Across the moon like a prison-bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide.

Meanwhile, his friend, through alley and street,
Wanders and watches with eager ears,
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack-door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,
Marching down to their boats on the shore.

Then he climbed to the tower of the church,
Up the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,
To the belfry-chamber overhead,

IO

15

20

25.

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And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the sombre rafters, that round him made 35
Masses and moving shapes of shade,-
Up the trembling ladder, steep and tall,

[graphic]

To the highest window in the wall,
Where he paused to listen and look down.
A moment on the roofs of the town,
And the moonlight flowing over all,

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