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Shakespeare's Tragedy of King Henry Viii, With Explanatory Notes, Remarks and Historical Extr. by W. Lawson
Shakespeare's Tragedy of King Henry Viii With Explanatory Notes Remarks and Historical Extr by W Lawson Author:William Shakespeare General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1875 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: KING HENRY VIII. PROLOGUE. I come no more to make you laugh : things now, That bear a weighty and a serious brow, Sad, high, and working, full of state and woe, Such noble scenes as draw the eye to flow, We now present. Those that can pity, here 5 May, if they think it well, let fall a tear; The subject will deserve it. Such as give Their money out of hope they may believe, May here find truth too. Those that come and see Only a show or two, and so agree 10 The play may pass, if they be still, and willing, I'll undertake may see away there shilling Richly in two short hours. Only they That come to hear a merry bawdy play, A noise of targets ; or to see a fellow ! 5 In a long motley coat, guarded with yellow, Will be deceiv'd : for, gentle hearers, know, To rank our chosen truth with such a show As fool and fight is, beside forfeiting Our own brains, and the opinion that we bring, 20 (To make that only true we now intend), Will leave us never an understanding friend. Therefore, for goodness' sake, and as you are known The first and happiest hearers of the town, Be sad, as we would make you : think, ye see 25 The very persons of our noble story, As they were living ; think, you see them great And follow'd with the general throng and sweat Of thousand friends ; then, in a moment, see How soon this mightiness meets misery ! 30 And if you can be merry then, I'll say A man may weep upon his wedding-day. ACT I. SCENE I. -- London. An Antechamber in the Palace. Enter the Duke Of Norfolk, at one door; at the other, the Duke Of Buckingham, and th...« less