"O, how wretched is that poor man that hangs on princes' favours!"

"Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition:
By that sin fell the angels; how can man, then,
The image of his Maker, hope to win by it?
Love thyself last: cherish those hearts that hate thee;
Corruption wins not more than honesty.
Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace,
To silence envious tongues. Be just, and fear not:
Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's,
Thy God's, and truth's; then if thou fall'st,
O Cromwell,
Thou fall'st a blessed martyr!"

- William Shakespeare, Henry VIII, Act 3, Scene 2

I saw a wonderful production of the rarely-staged Henry VIII tonight at the Folger Library in Washington D.C. In the third act, Cardinal Wolsey, the speaker above, is destroyed by Henry when it is discovered that he has been working for his own interests rather than for those of his king. In the face of his disgrace, Wolsey realizes that he has been in error: he ought to have been serving his country, his God and truth, not himself. In this realization, Wolsey finds peace.

The speech I transcribed above reached out into the audience at the theatre and grabbed me by the throat. These lines were written in the 17th century, and yet they speak eloquently to me today. How wretched are politicians who hang on Obama's favor? Let all the ends they aim at be GOD'S, COUNTRY'S and TRUTH'S.

And if they fall in their justice, then they ought not to fear: they fall as blessed martyrs for liberty.