CHAPTER 8 | The Writings of Mark Twain (beta)

Explanatory Notes Ⓔ
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Apparatus Notes Ⓐ
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CHAPTER 8

[begin page 103]

CHAPTER 8Ⓐ

About five o’clock Henry VIIIⒶalteration in the MS awoke out of an unrefreshing nap, and muttered to himself,Ⓐalteration in the MS “TroublousⒶalteration in the MS dreams, troublous dreams! Mine end is now at hand—so say these warnings, and my failing pulses do confirm it.” PresentlyⒶalteration in the MS a wicked light flamed upⒶalteration in the MS in his eye,Ⓐalteration in the MS and he muttered, “Yet will not I die till he go before!”

His attendants perceiving that he was awake, one of them asked his pleasure concerning the Lord Chancellor, who was waiting without.

“Admit him! admit him!” exclaimed the king, eagerly.

The Lord Chancellor entered and knelt by the king’s couch, saying—

“I have given order, and according to the king’s command, the peers of the realm,Ⓐalteration in the MS in their robes, do now stand at the bar of the House; where, having confirmed the Duke of Norfolk’s doom, they humbly wait his majesty’s further pleasure in the matter.”

The king’s face lit up with a fierce joy. Said he—

“Lift me up! In mine own person will I go beforeⒶalteration in the MS my parliament, and with mine own hand will I seal the warrant that rids me of—”

His voice failed, an ashenⒶalteration in the MS pallor swept the flush from his cheeks, and the attendants eased him back upon his pillows and hurriedly assisted him with restoratives. Presently he said, sorrowfully—

“Alack, how have I longed for this sweet hour, and lo, too late it comethⒶalteration in the MS and I am robbed of this so coveted chance! But speed ye, speed ye, let others do this happy office sith ’tis denied to me. I put [begin page 104] my Great SealⒶalteration in the MS in commission—choose thou the lords that shallⒶalteration in the MS compose it—and get ye to your work. Speed ye,Ⓐalteration in the MS man! Before the sun shall rise and set again, bring me his head that I may see it!”

“According to the king’s command, so shall it be. Will’t please your majesty to order that the Seal be now restored to me, so that I may forth upon the business?”

“The Seal? Who keepethⒶalteration in the MS the Seal but thou?”

“the attendants eased him back upon his pillows.”

“Please your majesty, you did take it from me two days sinceⒶhistorical collation,Ⓐalteration in the MS saying it should no more do its office till your own royal hand should use it upon the Duke of Norfolk’s warrant.”

“Why so in sooth I did; I do remember it.Ⓐalteration in the MS . . . . . . What did I with it? . . . . . . . I am very feeble. . . . . So oft, these days, doth my memory play the traitor with me. . . . . . . . . ’Tis strange—strange—”

The king dropped intoⒶalteration in the MS inarticulate mumblings, shaking his gray head weakly, from timeⒶalteration in the MS to time, and gropingly trying to recollect what he had done with the Seal. At last my lord Hertford ventured to kneel and offer information,—

“Sire, if that I may be so bold, here be several that do remember, [begin page 105] with me, how that you gaveⒶalteration in the MS the GreatⒶalteration in the MS Seal into the hands of his highness the Prince of Wales to keep against the day that—”Ⓐemendation

“True, most true!” interrupted the king. “Fetch it! Go—time flieth!”

Lord Hertford flew to Tom; but returned to the king before very long, troubled and empty handedⒶemendation. He delivered himself to this effect—

“It grievethⒶalteration in the MS me, my lord the king, to bear so heavy and unwelcome tidings, but it is the will of God that the prince’s affliction abideth still, and he cannot recalⒶemendation to mind that he received the Seal.Ⓐalteration in the MS So came I quickly to report, thinking it were waste of precious time, and little worth, withal, that any should attempt to search the long arrayⒶalteration in the MS of chambers and saloons that belong unto his royal high—”

A groan from the king interrupted my lord at this point. After a little while his majesty said, with a deep sadness in his tone—

“Trouble him no more, poor child. The hand of God lieth heavy upon him, and my heartⒶalteration in the MS goeth out in loving compassion for him and sorrow that I may not bear his burden on mine own old trouble-weighted shoulders and so bring him peace.”

He closed his eyes, fell to mumbling, and presently was silent. After a time he opened his eyes again, and gazedⒶalteration in the MS vacantly around until his glance rested upon the kneeling Lord Chancellor. Instantly his face flushed with wrath,—

“What, thou here yet! By theⒶalteration in the MS gloryⒶalteration in the MS of God, an’Ⓐalteration in the MS thou gettest not about that traitor’s business, thy mitre shall have holiday the morrow, for lack of a head to grace, withal!”

The trembling Chancellor answered—

“Good your majesty, I cry you mercy! I but waited for the Seal.”

“Man, hast lost thy wits? The small Seal which aforetime I was wont to take with me abroad, lieth in my treasury. And sinceⒶemendation the Great Seal hath flown away, shall not it suffice? Hast lost thy wits? Begone! And harkye—come no more till thou do bring his head!”

The poor Chancellor was not long in removing himself from this dangerous vicinity; nor did the CommissionⒶtextual note waste time in giving the royal assent to the workⒶalteration in the MS of the slavish parliament and appointing the morrow for the beheading of the premier peer of England, the luckless Duke of Norfolk.*Ⓐalteration in the MS

*See Note 5 at end of volume.Ⓐ [begin page 106]

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Historical Collation CHAPTER 8

Ⓐ since (A, E, C) ● sith (MS)

Editorial Emendations CHAPTER 8

Ⓐ that—” (I-C) ● that—ʌ

Ⓐ empty handed (I-C) ● empty-handed

Ⓐ recal (I-C) ● recall

Ⓐ since (A) ● sith

Alterations in the Manuscript CHAPTER 8

Ⓐ CHAPTER 8] the MS reads ‘Chap. 8.’; ‘8.’ added in ink 3 in a space originally left blank.

Ⓐ Henry VIII] interlined in ink 3 above canceled ‘the king’.

Ⓐ himself,] followed by a canceled dash.

Ⓐ Troublous] followed by a wiped-out comma.

Ⓐ Presently] follows canceled ‘A wicked light’.

Ⓐ flamed up] ‘up’ interlined in ink 3.

Ⓐ eye,] the comma added in ink 3.

Ⓐ realm,] the comma added in ink 3.

Ⓐ before] follows canceled ‘for’.

Ⓐ an ashen] originally ‘a deadly’; the ‘n’ added to ‘a’, ‘deadly’ canceled, and ‘ashen’ interlined; all revisions in ink 3.

Ⓐ cometh] followed by a canceled exclamation point.

Ⓐ my Great Seal] follows canceled ‘the’; originally ‘my great seal’; the ‘G’ and ‘S’ written over ‘g’ and ‘s’.

Ⓐ that shall] follows canceled ‘thou’.

Ⓐ Speed ye,] the comma added in ink 3.

Ⓐ keepeth] originally ‘keepest’; ‘eth’ written over ‘est’ in ink 3.

Ⓐ since,] interlined in ink 3 above canceled ‘gone,’.

Ⓐ remember it.] followed by canceled closing quotation marks.

Ⓐ into] originally ‘in | to’; altered to ‘into’ with a hyphen added in ink 3.

Ⓐ time,] the comma possibly mended from a period.

Ⓐ you gave] originally ‘thou gavest’; ‘you’ interlined in ink 3 to replace canceled ‘thou’; ‘st’ canceled in ink 3.

Ⓐ Great] originally ‘great’; ‘G’ written over ‘g’.

Ⓐ grieveth] follows ‘sore’ canceled in ink 3.

Ⓐ Seal.] the period mended from a comma and followed by canceled ‘neither can he find it in his cabinet where he is, nor I neither, that holp him seek.’

Ⓐ array] interlined in ink 3 above canceled ‘list’.

Ⓐ my heart] followed by canceled ‘of hearts’.

Ⓐ and gazed] ‘and’ interlined in ink 3.

Ⓐ By the] follows canceled ‘Is thy’.

Ⓐ glory] possibly ‘Glory’; a large ‘g’ written over the original ‘g’ appears to be an attempt to clarify rather than to capitalize the letter.

Ⓐ an'] the apostrophe added in ink 3.

Ⓐ work] follows canceled ‘doom’.

Ⓐ Norfolk.*] the asterisk added in ink 3.

Ⓐ *See . . . volume.] added in ink 3.

Textual Notes CHAPTER 8

Ⓐ Commission] At the top of the manuscript page beginning here, Mark Twain wrote in ink 2 and canceled in ink 3 “Both tanned & brown with out-door sports.”

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