Joseph Collyer & Reverend Matthew William Peters

Shakspeare. King Henry the Eighth. Act V, Scene IV. The Palace. the Aldermen, Lord Mayer, Garter, Cranmer; Duke of Norfolk with his marshal's Staff, Duke of Suffolk, Dutchess of Norfolk & Marchioness of Dorset, God Mothers, etc. Pub. Decr. 1, 1803, by J & J. Boydell, at the Shakspeare Gallery, Pall Mall; & No. 90, Cheapside. London. Engraved by J. Collyer. the Prince of Wales. Painted by the Revd. W. Peters.

Cranmer: Let me speak, sir,
For heaven now bids me; and the words I utter
Let none think flattery, for they'll find them truth.
This royal infant, (heaven still move about her!)
Though in her cradle, yet now promises
Upon this land a thousand thousand blessings,
Which time shall bring to ripeness: She shall be
(But few now living can behold that goodness)
A pattern to all princes living with her,
And all that shall succeed: Saba was never
More covetous of wisdom, and fair virtue,
Than this pure soul shall be: all princely graces
That mould up such a mighty piece as this is,
With all the virtues that attend the good,
Shall still be doubled on her: truth shall nurse her,
Holy and heavenly thoughts still counsel her:
She shall be lov'd and fear'd: Her own shall bless her:
Her foes shake like a field of beaten corn,
And hang their heads with sorrow: Good grows with her:
In her days, every man shall eat in safety
Under his own vine, what he plants; and sing
The merry songs of peace to all his neighbours:
God shall be truly known; and those about her
From her shall read the perfect ways of honour,
And those by claim their greatness, not by blood.
Nor shall this peace sleep with her: But as when
The bird of wonder dies, the maiden phoenix,
Her ashes new create another heir,
As great in admiration as herself;
So shall she leave her blessedness to one,
(When heaven shall call her from this cloud of darkness,)
Who, from the sacred ashes of her honour,
Shall star-like rise, as great in fame as she was,
And so stand fix'd: Peace, plenty, love, truth, terror,
That were the servants to this chosen infant,
Shall then be his, and like a vine grow to him;
Wherever the bright sun of heaven shall shine,
His honour, and the greatness of his name,
Shall be, and make new nations: He shall flourish,
And, like a mountain cedar, reach his branches
To all the plains about him: -- Our children's children
Shall see this, and bless heaven.

This original engraving is based upon a William Shakespeare play, King Henry the Eighth: Act Five, Scene Four,. It takes place at Greenwich Palace and portrays the Christening of the royal infant, Princess Elizabeth, the future (Queen Elizabeth of England), with her father, King Henry VIII, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer (as Godfather), the Aldermen, Lord Mayer, Garter, Duke of Norfolk with his marshal's Staff, Duke of Suffolk, her God Mothers, Agnes Howard, Duchess of Norfolk, & Margaret Wotton, Marchioness of Dorset, and other attendants.

King Henry VIII of England (1491 - 1547), was the son of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. During his life he had six wives, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr and many mistresses. Of great importance is his role in the separation from the Roman Catholic Church, leaving King Henry VIII as the Supreme head of the Church of England. This was due to disagreements with the Pope based upon power and control. Henry's insistence to legitimize his divorce from his first wife, Katharine before the church of Rome only helped to accelerate the inevitable. He fathered several children; Edward VI of England was his only legitimate male heir, son of Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour. Edward was crowned King of England at the age of nine, after King Henry's death, but died six years later. Queen Mary I, the Catholic Queen, known as (Bloody Mary), was the next heir to the throne. She was the daughter of Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. His last heir to the throne was Elizabeth I, known as (the Virgin Queen, or Good Queen Bess). She was a moderate, tolerant, and strong leader, whose reign is known as the Elizabethan era. She was the daughter of Ann Boleyn, Henry's second wife. And lastly, King Henry acknowledged only one illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy. Although King Henry the Eighth has been described as one of the most charismatic English rulers of his time, He was actually a tyrant who either imprisoned or executed his opponents without a fair trail, leaving little room for criticism.

Ann Bullen 'Anne Boleyn' (c. 1501/07-1536) was the daughter of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, and Lady Elizabeth Howard. She was the sister of George Boleyn, Viscount of Rochford and Mary Boleyn, who is believed to have been a mistress of King Henry VIII until he met Anne. Anne had been the maid of honour to Catherine of Aragon. When Anne Boleyn married Henry VIII in 1533, she became his second wife and the Queen of England until 1536 when she was arrested and executed on the dubious charges of high treason. Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), was the daughter of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII.

Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556), was the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury, during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I. He was of great service to King Henry VIII, particularly with the king's annulment to Catherine of Aragon. Thomas Cranmer was present at the christening of the royal infant, Princess Elizabeth, in the role of her Godfather. Thomas Cranmer was also an important figure and played a significant part in King Henry's new and reformed Church of England, as leader of the English Reformation, he was responsible for establishing the first doctrinal and liturgical structures of this church. He published the first official authorized vernacular service, the "Exhortation and Litany, and was the author of the first two editions of the "Book of Common Prayer", along with Thomas Cromwell, he supported the translation of the bible into English. Unfortunately soon after the Roman Catholic Princess, Mary I (Bloody Mary), daughter, King Henry the VIII and Queen Katharine was crowned as the new monarch, and became the Queen of England, Thomas Cranmer was put on trial for treason, and heresy, imprisoned and executed.

Agnes Howard, Duchess of Norfolk (1477-1545) was the wife of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk. Agnes known as the Dowager Duchess; she was the step-grandmother of Anne Boleyn, and godmother of Anne's daughter, Princess Elizabeth (the Future Queen of England), during the christening at Greenwich Palace.

Margaret Wotton, Marchioness of Dorset (1487-1541), was the wife of William Medley esquire & Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, and godmother of Anne Boleyn's daughter, Princess Elizabeth (the Future Queen of England), during the christening at Greenwich Palace.

Gertrude Courtenay, Marchioness of Exeter (1504-1558), was born Gertrude Blount. She was the wife of Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter. Gertrude Courtenay was also the godmother of the infant, Princess Elizabeth at the confirmation which was performed just after the baptism.

This original engraving is an 'Artist Proof Impression'. Artist's Proofs are the earliest of states and were printed in only a handful of impressions. They are identified not only by their vibrant lines and tones but by the fact that they lack any letters along the lower margin. Note: As this is an original proof impression, it lacks the following text that appears in later impressions.

Shakspeare. King Henry the Eighth. Act V, Scene IV. The Palace. the Aldermen, Lord Mayer, Garter, Cranmer; Duke of Norfolk with his marshal's Staff, Duke of Suffolk, Dutchess of Norfolk & Marchioness of Dorset, God Mothers, etc. Pub. Decr. 1, 1803, by J & J. Boydell, at the Shakspeare Gallery, Pall Mall; & No. 90, Cheapside. London. Engraved by J. Collyer. the Prince of Wales. Painted by the Revd. W. Peters.

Cran: Let me speak, sir,
For heaven now bids me; and the words I utter
Let none think flattery, for they'll find them truth.
This royal infant, (heaven still move about her!)
Though in her cradle, yet now promises
Upon this land a thousand thousand blessings,
Which time shall bring to ripeness: She shall be
(But few now living can behold that goodness)
A pattern to all princes living with her,
And all that shall succeed;

An Important Note on Boydell States and Editions: Proof impressions and true first edition impressions are easily identified by their fine lines and strong contrasts of black and white tones. Later more common editions print in a more overall grey tone and contain areas of re-working. Briefly, the publishing history of these great engravings can be categorized into five states or editions:

1. 'Artist's Proofs'. These are the earliest of states and were printed in only a handful of impressions. They are identified not only by their vibrant lines and tones but by the fact that they lack any letters along the lower margin.
2. 'Proofs Before Title'. These impressions usually contain the names of the artist, publisher and engraver along the lower margin. They lack the title of the specific play depicted and usually the heading -- 'Shakspeare' -- is smaller than in the published edition. Once again, this state was printed in a very small numbers.
3. 'Open Letter Proofs'. These impressions bear the title of the play. the heading, 'Shakspeare' (Shakespeare), is yet to be filled in with stippling. These impressions were printed before the publication of the first edition and were probably struck from the plate at a customer's request. Perhaps ten to twenty Open Letter Proofs exist for each engraving.
4. 'First Edition Impressions'. The completed set of Boydell's Shakespeare engravings was published in London in 1803. The full publisher's address appears along the lower margin as well as the text for the play. The heading, 'Shakspeare', is now filled in with stippling. Both first edition impressions and proofs were most often printed on either hand-made, laid paper or wove paper bearing the 'J. Whatman' watermark.
5. 'Posthumous Impressions and Restrikes' As early as 1807, John Stockdale of London issued a second edition of the Shakespeare prints. They continued to be published throughout the first half of the nineteenth century. Finally, in 1852, an enterprising dentist in New York City (with the delightful name of Shearjashub Spooner) acquired the plates, restored them and produced the last edition. These prints are most commonly offered for sale.

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