Lord of Canterbury very well. And noting his countenance, gesture, and manner,* although he somewhat marvelled how the queen should come to the knowledge thereof, and by whom; thinking that your grace might constrain and cause her to show the discoverers thereof to your highness; yet, as I perceive, he is not much altered or turned from his first faction; expressly affirming that, however displeasantly the queen took this matter, yet the truth and judgment of the law must have place and be followed. And so proceeding farther with him in communication, I have sufficiently instructed him, how he shall order himself in case the queen do demand his counsel in the said matter; which mine advertisement he doth not only like, but also hath promised me to follow the same accordingly."

On Thursday night Wolsey came to Rochester, "where," he continues, "I was lodged in the Bishop's [Fisher] palace, and was right lovingly and kindly by him entertained. After other communication, I asked him whether he had heard lately any tidings from the court, and whether any man had been sent unto him from the queen's grace. At which question he somewhat stayed and paused; nevertheless, in conclusion, he answered; true it is, that of late one was sent to him from the queen's grace, who brought him a message only by mouth, without disclosure of any particularity, that certain matters there were between your grace and her chanced, wherein she would be glad to have his counsel, alleging that your highness was content she should so have. Whereunto, as he saith, he made answer, likewise by mouth, that he was ready and prone to give unto her his counsel in any thing that concerned or touched herself only, but in matters concerning your highness, here he would nothing do, without knowledge of your pleasure and express com

*We here see Wolsey acting the not very honourable part of an inquisitor, and that too under the hospitable roof of his friend who entertained him.

mandment; and herewith dismissed the messenger. After declaration whereof, I replied and said, My lord, ye and I have been of an old acquaintance, and the one hath loved and trusted the other; wherefore, postponing all doubt and fear, ye may be frank and plain with me, like as I, for my part, will be with you.' And so I demanded of him, whether he had any special knowledge or conjecture what the matter should be, wherein the queen desired to hear his advice. Whereupon he answered, that by certain report and relation he knew nothing; howbeit, upon conjecture, rising upon such things as he had heard, he thinketh it was for a divorce between your high-. ness and the queen, to which conjecture he was specially moved upon a tale brought unto him by his brother from London; who showed him, that being there, in a certain company, he heard say that things were set forth, sounding to such a purpose; whereupon and then, calling to remembrance the question I moved unto him by your grace's commandment, with the message sent unto him from the queen, he verily supposed such a matter to be in hand; and this was all he knoweth therein, as he constantly affirmeth, without that ever he sent any word or knowledge thereof, by his faith, to the queen's grace, or any other living person. Upon this occasion, I said unto him, that although for such considerations, as in further hearing of the matter he shall perceive, your highness was minded not to disclose the same to many, but as secretly to handle it as might be, and therefore did communicate it unto very few; yet now, perceiving your good mind and gracious intent to be otherwise taken by suspicions and conjectures than was purposed; your highness had given me special charge and commission to disclose the same unto him; taking an oath of him to keep it close and secret, and to show his mind and opinion what he thought therein. After which oath taken,' &c. Wolsey then proceeds to speak of other matters, but again

reverts to this subject, as follows: " And thus declaring the whole matter to him at length, as was devised with your highness at York Place, I added that, by what means was not reprehended, an inkling of this matter is come to the queen's knowledge; who, being suspicious, and casting farther doubts than were meant or intended, hath broken with your grace thereof, after a very displeasant manner; saying that, by my procurement and setting forth, a divorce was purposed between her and your highness; and by her manner, behaviour, words, and messages sent to diverse, hath published, divulged, and opened the same; and what your highness hath said unto her therein, to the purging of the matter, how and after what sort your grace has used yourself to attain to the knowledge of him that should be author of that tale unto her. And I assure your grace, my Lord of Rochester, hearing the process of the matter after this sort, did arrest great blame unto the queen, as well for giving too light credence in so weighty a matter, as also, when she heard it, to handle the same in such fashion as rumour and bruit should speed thereof, which might not only be some stay and let to the universal peace which is now in treaty, but also to the great danger and peril of your grace's succession, if the same should be farther spread and divulged; and he doubted not, but that if he might speak with her, and disclose unto her all the circumstances of the matter as afore, he should cause her greatly to repent, humble, and submit herself unto your highness; considering that the thing done by your grace in this matter was too necessary and expedient, and the queen's act herein so perilous and dangerous. Howbeit, I have so persuaded him, that he will nothing speak or do therein, nor any thing counsel her, but as shall stand with your pleasure; for he saith, although she be queen of this realm, yet be acknowledgeth you for his high sovereign lord and king; and will not, thereupon, otherwise behave

himself, in all matters, concerning or touching your person, than as he shall be by your grace expressly commanded."

"On Saturday he reached Canterbury, where he was encountered by the worshipfullest of the town and country, and lodged in the abbey of Christ-church, in the prior's lodging. Here he continued three or four days;t in which time there was the great jubilee, and a fair in honour of the feast of St. Thomas, their patron. On which day of the said feast there was made a solemn procession in the abbey; and my lord cardinal went there, apparelled in his legantine ornaments, with his cardinal's hat on; who commanded the monks and all the choir to sing the Litany after this sort, Sancta Maria ora pro Papa nostro Clemente, and thus they sang through the Litany, my lord Cardinal kneeling at the choir-door, at a form covered with carpets and cushions, the monks and all the choir standing all the while in the midst of the body of the church. At which time I saw the lord Cardinal weep very tenderly; which was, as we supposed, for heaviness of heart that the Pope was, at that time, in such calamity and great danger of the Lance Knights," [the Germán mercenaries, who were so denominated].

On landing in Calais, Wolsey made an address to his followers, in which occurs the foloowing very

* "The overbearing deportment of Wolsey probably overawed these good prelates. Wolsey understood them in the manner most suitable to his purpose; and, confident that he should by some means finally gain them, he probably coloured very highly their language in his communication to Henry, whom he had just before displeased by unexpected scruples.”—Sir J. Mackintosh.

A letter from Wm. Knight, dated Windsor, 9th of July, after stating that the king accepts very thankfully the overture made to the Lords of Canterbury and Rochester, adds: "And forasmuch as in your journey ye shall not, by chance, have always venison after your appetite, his highness hath sent unto your grace at this time a red deer, by a servant of his own; and that, not because it is a deer excellent, but forasmuch as it is, at this time, a novelty and dainty, and moreover killed by his own hand."

His Holiness was at this time a prisoner in the castle of St. Angelo, after the sacking of the city.

whimsical piece of advice. “Now, to the point of the Frenchmen's nature: ye shall understand that their disposition is such, that, at the first meeting, they will be as familiar with you as if they had been acquainted with you long before, and commence with you in the French tongue, as though ye understood every word they spake therefore, in like manner, be ye as familiar with them again as they be with you. If they speak to you in the French tongue, speak you to them in the English tongue; for if you understand not them, no more shall they understand you." And here my lord spake merrily to one of the gentlemen, being a Welshman: "Rice," quoth he, speak thou Welsh to him, and I am well assured that thy Welsh shall not be more difficult to him, than his French shall be to thee."

August 3. He reaches Amiens: "within a mile and a half of which," says Wolsey, "the French king, riding upon a grey genet, apparelled in a coat of black velvet, cut in diverse places for showing the lining, which was white satin, accompanied by the King of Navarre, the Cardinal Bourbon, the Duke of Vendôme, the Count de St. Pol, the Duke of Guise, the Count de Vaudemont, the Grand Master, and the Seneschal of Normandy, with diverse archbishops, bishops, and other noblemen, advanced towards me. As soon as I had a sight of his person, dividing my company on both hands, in most reverent manner, sole and alone, I did accelerate my repair and access; and his Grace doing the like on his part, being uncovered, with his bonnet in his hand, encountered me with most hearty, kind, loving countenance and manner, and embraced me, presenting me to the aforesaid noble personages, by whom I was likewise welcomed in the time of doing whereof, the French King saluted my Lord of London [Cuthbert Tunstal]; my lord chamberlain [Lord Sandys], master controller [Sir Henry Guilford,] and the chancellor of the duchy [Sir Thomas More]. After