for though he did not set forth the truth so vigorously, or in such harsh utterances as in his other dramas, he did at least present it fairly and honestly, and the subdued tone only makes the shadows more impressive. This Henry VIII. was the worst of all kings, for while other evil princes only raged against their foes, he was furious at his friends, and his love was even more dangerous than his hatred. The matrimonial history of this royal Bluebeard is horrible. And with all its horrors he mingled a certain imbecile and cruel gallantry. When he ordered the execution of Anne Bullen he sent her word that he had provided for it the best headsman in all England. The Queen thanked him obsequiously for such a delicate attention, and in her trifling, merry manner, spanned her throat with both hands and said, "It will be easy to behead me, for I have but a little neck!"
Nor is the axe with which she was decapitated a very large one. It was shown me in the armoury of the Tower, and as I held it in my hands a strange thought struck me.
"If I were Queen of England, I would have that axe sunk in the depths of the sea."
