God, it is the first time in my life that a woman has ever been bold
enough to return me such an answer! You are a bold woman, Kate, to
hazard it, and I praise you for it. I love bravery, because it is
something I so rarely see. They all tremble before me, Kate--all!
They know that I am not intimidated by blood, and in the might of my
royalty I subscribe a death-warrant with the same calmness of soul
as a love-letter."

"Oh, you are a great king," murmured Catharine. Henry did not notice
her. He was wholly buried in one of those self-contemplations to
which he so willingly surrendered himself, and which generally had
for their subject his own greatness and superbility.

"Yes," continued he, and his eyes, which, in spite of his corpulency
and his extremely fleshy face, were yet large and wide open, shone
more brightly. "Yes, they all tremble before me, for they know that
I am a righteous and powerful king, who spares not his own blood, if
it is necessary to punish and expiate crime, and with inexorable
hand punishes the sinner, though he were the nearest to the throne.
Take heed to yourself, therefore, Kate, take heed to yourself. You
behold in me the avenger of God, and the judge of men. The king
wears the crimson, not because it is beautiful and glossy, but
because it is red like blood, and because it is the king's highest
prerogative to shed the blood of his delinquent subjects, and
thereby expiate human crime. Thus only do I conceive of royalty, and
thus only will I carry it out till the end of my days. Not the right
to pardon, but the right to punish, is that whereby the ruler
manifests himself before the lower classes of mankind. God's thunder
should be on his lips, and the king's wrath should descend like
lightning on the head of the guilty."