Alas! within “the hollow round” of that coronet —
Kept death his court, and there the antick* sat,
Scoffing* her state and grinning at her pomp.
Allowing her a little breath, a little scene
To monarchize, be feared, and kill with looks,
Infusing her with self and vain conceit,
As if the flesh which walled about her life
Were brass impregnable; and humoured thus,
Bored through her castle walls; and farewell, Queen.* [...]
Three short years have yet to pass, and again, on a summer morning, Queen Anne Boleyn will leave the Tower of London not radiant then with beauty on a gay errand of coronation, but a poor wandering ghost, on a sad tragic errand, from which she will never more return, passing away out of an earth where she may stay no longer, into a presence where, nevertheless, we know that all is well for all of us and therefore for her.*
Abridged.
Historical and other Sketches (?1883), by James Anthony Froude (1818-1894).
* ‘Antic’ in this context means a grotesque figure, viz. Death.
* ‘Scoff’ means scorn, laugh derisively. Death scoffs [at] the royalty of the one wearing the crown.
* These lines of verse are a parody of some lines from William Shakespeare’s Richard II, spoken by King Richard himself:
[...]: for within the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal temples of a king
Keeps Death his court, and there the antic sits,
Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp,
Allowing him a breath, a little scene,
To monarchize, be fear’d and kill with looks,
Infusing him with self and vain conceit,
As if this flesh which walls about our life,
Were brass impregnable; and humor’d thus,
Comes at the last, and with a little pin
Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!
It will be noticed that in Froude’s parody, the second to last of Shakespeare’s lines has been omitted.
* Anne was charged with treasonous adultery and beheaded on May 19th, 1536.