Original: This cardinal,
Modern: This cardinal,

Original: Though from an humble stock, undoubtedly
Modern: Though he came from a humble family background, there’s no doubt

Original: Was fashion’d to much honour from his cradle.
Modern: He was destined for greatness from the time he was born.

Original: He was a scholar, and a ripe and good one;
Modern: He was a scholar, and a mature and excellent one;

Original: Exceeding wise, fair-spoken, and persuading:
Modern: Extremely wise, well-spoken, and convincing:

Original: Lofty and sour to them that loved him not;
Modern: Proud and bitter toward those who didn’t like him;

Original: But to those men that sought him sweet as summer.
Modern: But to those men who approached him, he was as pleasant as a summer day.

Original: And though he were unsatisfied in getting,
Modern: And though he was greedy in acquiring wealth,

Original: Which was a sin, yet in bestowing, madam,
Modern: Which was a sin, yet in giving it away, madam,

Original: He was most princely: ever witness for him
Modern: He was most generous: as proof of this

Original: Those twins Of learning that he raised in you,
Modern: Consider those two centers of learning that he established in you,

Original: Ipswich and Oxford! one of which fell with him,
Modern: Ipswich and Oxford! one of which collapsed when he did,

Original: Unwilling to outlive the good that did it;
Modern: Unwilling to survive the good man who created it;

Original: The other, though unfinish’d, yet so famous,
Modern: The other, though incomplete, yet so renowned,

Original: So excellent in art, and still so rising,
Modern: So excellent in scholarship, and still growing in reputation,

Original: That Christendom shall ever speak his virtue.
Modern: That all of Christian Europe will always speak of his excellence.

Original: His overthrow heap’d happiness upon him;
Modern: His downfall actually brought him happiness;

Original: For then, and not till then, he felt himself,
Modern: For only then, and not before, did he truly understand himself,

Original: And found the blessedness of being little:
Modern: And discovered the joy of being humble and powerless:

Original: And, to add greater honours to his age
Modern: And, to add even greater honor to his final years

Original: Than man could give him, he died fearing God.
Modern: Than any man could give him, he died with reverence for God.

In Act IV, Scene ii of “Henry VIII,” Queen Katherine lies dying in Kimbolton Castle, having been banished from court following the annulment of her marriage to King Henry VIII. She is attended by her loyal gentleman usher Griffith and her woman Patience. The scene opens with Katherine in a weakened state, reflecting on her exile and expressing her desire for peaceful rest. When Griffith speaks harshly of Cardinal Wolsey, who had recently died, Katherine defends the fallen cardinal, acknowledging both his faults and his virtues, including his learning, eloquence, and final repentance.

The scene reaches its emotional climax when Katherine experiences a vision of six personages in white robes who dance around her, place a garland of bays upon her head, and then vanish. Upon waking, Katherine interprets this vision as a sign of her impending death and eternal salvation. A messenger arrives with news that Capucius, an ambassador from her nephew Emperor Charles V, wishes to see her. Katherine agrees to the meeting, knowing her time is short. She makes her final requests, asking that her few remaining servants be cared for and that she be buried as a queen. The scene concludes with Katherine preparing for what she knows will be her final earthly encounter, having found peace and dignity in her approaching death.

Henry VIII: Plot Summary

The play opens in the court of King Henry VIII of England, where the powerful Cardinal Wolsey has orchestrated the downfall of the Duke of Buckingham, who is arrested for treason based on the testimony of his own surveyor. Despite pleas for mercy, Buckingham is condemned and executed. Meanwhile, King Henry meets Anne Bullen (Anne Boleyn) at a masque hosted by Cardinal Wolsey and becomes captivated by her. Henry also begins to express doubts about the validity of his marriage to Queen Katherine of Aragon, claiming his conscience troubles him over the legality of the union, as Katherine was previously married to his brother Prince Arthur.

Cardinal Wolsey works to manage the political situation, but his influence begins to unravel when Henry discovers that Wolsey has been secretly corresponding with the Pope to delay the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Katherine, and that Wolsey has been accumulating enormous personal wealth. Henry strips Wolsey of his offices and powers. Wolsey, broken by his fall from grace, dies before he can be brought to formal ruin. Queen Katherine, meanwhile, is put on trial regarding the annulment of her marriage. She passionately defends herself before the court but is ultimately cast aside. She later receives a vision of blessed spirits before dying, having been given the reduced title of Princess Dowager.

With Katherine removed, Henry marries Anne Bullen, and she is crowned Queen in a grand coronation celebrated by the common people. Archbishop Cranmer, a Protestant reformer and ally of the King, comes under threat from a council of nobles who attempt to bring charges against him. Henry, however, intervenes to protect Cranmer. The play concludes with the christening of Henry and Anne’s newborn daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I, where Cranmer delivers a joyful prophecy foretelling the greatness of Elizabeth’s reign and the prosperity that will follow under her successor, King James I.