Hume must make merry with the duchess’ gold; Marry, and shall. But how now, Sir John Hume! Seal up your lips, and give no words but mum: The business asketh silent secrecy. Dame Eleanor gives gold to bring the witch: Gold cannot come amiss, were she a devil. Yet have I gold flies from another coast; I dare not say, from the rich cardinal And from the great and new-made Duke of Suffolk, Yet I do find it so; for to be plain, They, knowing Dame Eleanor’s aspiring humour, Have hired me to undermine the duchess And buz these conjurations in her brain. They say ’A crafty knave does need no broker;’ Yet am I Suffolk and the cardinal’s broker. Hume, if you take not heed, you shall go near To call them both a pair of crafty knaves. Well, so it stands; and thus, I fear, at last Hume’s knavery will be the duchess’ wreck, And her attainture will be Humphrey’s fall: Sort how it will, I shall have gold for all.
Hume must enjoy the duchess’ gold; Indeed, he will. But now, Sir John Hume! Seal your lips, and don’t speak a word: This business requires silence and secrecy. Lady Eleanor gives gold to summon the witch: Gold is always useful, even if she’s a devil. Still, I have gold from another source; I won’t say it’s from the rich cardinal Or from the newly appointed Duke of Suffolk, But I know it is; to be honest, They, knowing Lady Eleanor’s ambitious nature, Have hired me to undermine the duchess And plant these thoughts in her mind. They say, “A crafty rogue doesn’t need a middleman;” Yet I am the middleman for Suffolk and the cardinal. Hume, if you’re not careful, you’ll almost call them both A pair of crafty rogues. Well, that’s how it is; and I fear, in the end, Hume’s trickery will cause the duchess’s downfall, And her disgrace will be Humphrey’s ruin: However it goes, I’ll get gold for all of it.
Sir John Hume · Act 1, Scene 2
Hume stands alone after the witchcraft plot and confesses that he is a broker for multiple masters—Eleanor, Suffolk, the Cardinal—and that he will profit from whoever falls. The soliloquy matters because it lays bare the machinery of court corruption: there are no loyalties, only transactions, and men like Hume make their living by selling the ambitions of others. Hume knows his own knavery will lead to ruin, but he takes the gold anyway, showing that complicity buys silence even from conscience.
Hume must make merry with the duchess’ gold; Marry, and shall. But how now, Sir John Hume! Seal up your lips, and give no words but mum: The business asketh silent secrecy. Dame Eleanor gives gold to bring the witch: Gold cannot come amiss, were she a devil. Yet have I gold flies from another coast; I dare not say, from the rich cardinal And from the great and new-made Duke of Suffolk, Yet I do find it so; for to be plain, They, knowing Dame Eleanor’s aspiring humour, Have hired me to undermine the duchess And buz these conjurations in her brain. They say ’A crafty knave does need no broker;’ Yet am I Suffolk and the cardinal’s broker. Hume, if you take not heed, you shall go near To call them both a pair of crafty knaves. Well, so it stands; and thus, I fear, at last Hume’s knavery will be the duchess’ wreck, And her attainture will be Humphrey’s fall: Sort how it will, I shall have gold for all.
Hume must enjoy the duchess’ gold; Indeed, he will. But now, Sir John Hume! Seal your lips, and don’t speak a word: This business requires silence and secrecy. Lady Eleanor gives gold to summon the witch: Gold is always useful, even if she’s a devil. Still, I have gold from another source; I won’t say it’s from the rich cardinal Or from the newly appointed Duke of Suffolk, But I know it is; to be honest, They, knowing Lady Eleanor’s ambitious nature, Have hired me to undermine the duchess And plant these thoughts in her mind. They say, “A crafty rogue doesn’t need a middleman;” Yet I am the middleman for Suffolk and the cardinal. Hume, if you’re not careful, you’ll almost call them both A pair of crafty rogues. Well, that’s how it is; and I fear, in the end, Hume’s trickery will cause the duchess’s downfall, And her disgrace will be Humphrey’s ruin: However it goes, I’ll get gold for all of it.
Sir John Hume · Act 1, Scene 2
Hume stands alone after the witchcraft plot and confesses that he is a broker for multiple masters—Eleanor, Suffolk, the Cardinal—and that he will profit from whoever falls. The soliloquy matters because it lays bare the machinery of court corruption: there are no loyalties, only transactions, and men like Hume make their living by selling the ambitions of others. Hume knows his own knavery will lead to ruin, but he takes the gold anyway, showing that complicity buys silence even from conscience.
Hume must make merry with the duchess’ gold; Marry, and shall. But how now, Sir John Hume! Seal up your lips, and give no words but mum: The business asketh silent secrecy. Dame Eleanor gives gold to bring the witch: Gold cannot come amiss, were she a devil. Yet have I gold flies from another coast; I dare not say, from the rich cardinal And from the great and new-made Duke of Suffolk, Yet I do find it so; for to be plain, They, knowing Dame Eleanor’s aspiring humour, Have hired me to undermine the duchess And buz these conjurations in her brain. They say ’A crafty knave does need no broker;’ Yet am I Suffolk and the cardinal’s broker. Hume, if you take not heed, you shall go near To call them both a pair of crafty knaves. Well, so it stands; and thus, I fear, at last Hume’s knavery will be the duchess’ wreck, And her attainture will be Humphrey’s fall: Sort how it will, I shall have gold for all.
Hume must enjoy the duchess’ gold; Indeed, he will. But now, Sir John Hume! Seal your lips, and don’t speak a word: This business requires silence and secrecy. Lady Eleanor gives gold to summon the witch: Gold is always useful, even if she’s a devil. Still, I have gold from another source; I won’t say it’s from the rich cardinal Or from the newly appointed Duke of Suffolk, But I know it is; to be honest, They, knowing Lady Eleanor’s ambitious nature, Have hired me to undermine the duchess And plant these thoughts in her mind. They say, “A crafty rogue doesn’t need a middleman;” Yet I am the middleman for Suffolk and the cardinal. Hume, if you’re not careful, you’ll almost call them both A pair of crafty rogues. Well, that’s how it is; and I fear, in the end, Hume’s trickery will cause the duchess’s downfall, And her disgrace will be Humphrey’s ruin: However it goes, I’ll get gold for all of it.
Sir John Hume · Act 1, Scene 2
Hume stands alone after the witchcraft plot and confesses that he is a broker for multiple masters—Eleanor, Suffolk, the Cardinal—and that he will profit from whoever falls. The soliloquy matters because it lays bare the machinery of court corruption: there are no loyalties, only transactions, and men like Hume make their living by selling the ambitions of others. Hume knows his own knavery will lead to ruin, but he takes the gold anyway, showing that complicity buys silence even from conscience.
