put in the Tower and then it would appear how many would inform against him The King seemed to consent to this and they resolved to execute it the next day but in the Night the King sent for Cranmer and told him what was resolved concerning him Cranmer thanked the King for giving him notice of it and not leaving him to be surprised He submitted to it only he desired he might be heard answer for himself and that he might have indifferent Judges who understood those matters The King wondered to see him so little concerned in his own Preservation but told him he must take care of him since he took so little care of himself The King therefore gave him Instructions to appear before the Council and to desire to see his Accusers before he should be sent to the Tower and that he might be used by them as they would desire to be used in the like Case And if he could not prevail by the force of Reason then he was to appeal to the King in Person and was to shew the King's Seal-Ring which he took from his Finger and gave him and they knew it all so well that they would do nothing after they once saw that so he being summoned next Morning came over to White-Hall He was kept long in the Lobbey before he was called in But when that was done and he had observed the Method the King had ordered him to use and had at last shewed the Ring they rose all in great Confusion and went to the King He chid them severely for what they had done and expressed his Esteem and Kindness to Cranmer in such Terms that his Enemies were glad to get off by pretending that they had no other Design but to have his Innocence declared in a publick Trial and were now so convinced of the King 's unalterable Favour to him that they never made any more Attempts upon him But what they durst not do in Relation to Cranmer And against the Queen they thought might be more safely tried against the Queen who was known to love the New Learning which was the common Phrase for the Reformation She used to have Sermons in her Privy Chamber which could not be so secretly carried but that it came to the King's Knowledge Yet her Conduct in all other things was so exact and she expressed such a tender care of the King's Person that it was observed she had gained much upon him but his Peevishness growing with his Distempers made him sometimes uneasy even to her They used often to talk of Matters of Religion and sometimes she held up the Argument for the Reformers so stifly that he was offended at it yet as soon as that appeared she let it fall but once the Debate continuing long the King expressed his Displeasure at it to Gardiner when she went away He took hold of this Opportunity to perswade the King that she was a great Cherisher of Hereticks Wriothesly joined with him in the same Artifice and filled the angry King's Head with many Stories in so much that he signed the Articles upon which she was to be Impeached But Wriothesly let that Paper fall from him carelesly and it happened to be taken up by one of the Queen's Friends who carried it to her Upon which she went to the King and brought on a Discourse of Religion and after a little Opposition she yielded and seemed convinced by the King's Reasons and told him That she only held up that Argument to be instructed by him and sometimes to engage him in Discourse and so to make him forget his pains and this she seconded with such Flattery that he was perfectly satisfied and reconciled to her Next day as he was walking with her in the Garden Wriothesly came thither on design to have carryed her to the Tower but the King chid him severely for it and was heard to call him Knave and Fool. The good natured Queen interposed to mitigate his Displeasure but the King told her She had no reason to be concerned for him Thus the Design against her vanished and Gardiner that had set it on lost the King's Favour entirely by it But now the Fall of the Duke of Norfolk and his Son the Earl of Surry The Duke of Norfolk's Fall came on The Father had been long Treasurer and had served the King with great Fidelity and Success His Son was a Man of rare Qualities he had a great Wit and was more than ordinary learned He particularly hated the Earl of Hartford and scorned an Alliance with him which his Father had projected The Duke of Norfolk had intended to unite his Family to the Seimours by marrying his Son to the Earl of Hartford's Daughter and his Daughter the Dutchess of Richmond to Sir Thomas Seimour But both his Children refused to comply with him in it The Seimours were apprehensive of the Opposition they might meet with if the King should die from the Earl of Surry who was a high spirited Man had a vast Fortune and was the Head of the Popish Party It was likewise suspected that he kept himself unmarried in hopes of marrying the Lady Mary The Duke's Family was also fatally divided His Dutchess had been separated from him about four Years and now turned Informer against him His Daughter did also hate her Brother and was a Spy upon him One Holland a Whore of the Duke's did also betray him and discovered all she could yet all amounted to no more than some Complaints of the Fathers who thought the Services he had done the Crown were little regarded and some Threatnings of the Sons It was also said that the Father gave the Coat of Arms that belonged to the Prince of Wales and the Son gave Edward the Confessors Coat but that was only a Pretence to make a noise among the People and to cover the want of more important matter against them One Southwel objected things of a higher Nature to the Earl of Surry He denied them and desired that according to the Martial Law they might have a Trial by Combate and fight in their Shirts But that was not granted yet both Father and Son were put in the Tower The Earl of Surry was tried by a Jury of Commoners The Earl of Surry executed and was found guilty of Treason and executed on the 19th of January He was much lamented and the Blame of his Death being cast on the Seimours raised a General Odium against them The old Duke saw a Parliament called to destroy him by an Act of Attainder for there was not matter enough to ruine him at Common Law so to prevent that he made such humble Submission to the King as would have mollified any that had not Bowels of Brass He wrote to him That he had spent his whole Life in his Service without having so much as a Thought to his Prejudice He had obeyed all the King's Laws and was resolved to obey all that ever he should make He
to the House of Commons and read there upon which Mony was granted for a War with France At this time Fox to support his Party against the Lord Treasurer endeavoured to bring Thomas Wolsey into favour Car. Wolfey's Rise he was of mean Extraction but had great Parts and a wonderful Dexterity in insinuating himself into Men's Favours so he being brought into Business did so manage the King that he became very quickly the Master of his Spirit and of all his Affairs and for fifteen Years continued to be the most absolute Favourite that had ever been seen in England He saw the King was much set on his Pleasures and had a great Aversion to business and the other Counsellours being unwilling to bear the load of Affairs were uneasy to him by pressing him to govern by his own Counsels but he knew the methods of Favourites better and so was not only easy but assistant to the King in his Pleasures and undertook to free him from the Trouble of Government and to give him leisure to follow his Appetites He was Master of all the Offices at home And Greatness and Treaties abroad so that all Affairs went as he directed them He it seems became soon obnoxious to Parliaments and therefore he tried but one during his Ministry where the Supply was granted so scantily that afterwards he chused rather to raise Mony by Loans and Benevolences than by the free gift of the People in Parliament He became so scandalous for his ill Life that he grew to be a Disgrace to his Profession for he not only served the King but also shared with him in his Pleasures which were unhappy to him for he was spoiled with Venerial Distempers He was first made Bishop of Tournay in Flanders then of Lincoln after that he was promoted to the See of York and had both the Abby of St. Albans and the Bishoprick of Bath and Wells in Commendam the last he afterwards exchanged for Duresm and upon Foxes death he quitted Duresm that he might take Winchester and besides all this the King by a special Grant gave him power to dispose of all the Ecclesiastical Preferments in England so that in effect he was the Pope of this other World as was said antiently of an Arch-bishop of Canterbury and no doubt but he copied skilfully enough after those Patterns that were set him at Rome Being made a Cardinal and setting up a Legatine Court he found it fit for his Ambition to have the Great Seal likewise that there might be no clashing between those two Jurisdictions He had in one word all the Qualities necessary for a Great Minister and all the Vices ordinary in a Great Favourite During this whole Raign the Duke 's of Norfolk Father and Son were Treasurers but that long and strange course of Favour in so ticklish a Time turn'd fatally upon the Son near the end of the King's Life But he that was the longest and greatest sharer in the King's Favour Charles Brandon's Advancément was Charles Brandon who from the degree of a private Gentleman was advanced to the highest Honors The strength of his Body and the gracefulness of his Person contributed more to his Rise than his Dexterity in Affairs or the Endowments of his Mind for the greatest Evidence he gave of his Understanding was that knowing he was not made for Business he did not pretend to it a Temper seldom observed by the Creatures of Favour The frame and strength of his Body made him a great Master in the Diversions of that Age Justs and Tiltings and a fit Match for the King or rather a Second to him who delighted mightily in them His Person was so acceptable to the Ladies that the King's Sister the Queen Dowager of France liked him and by a strange sort of making Love prefixed him a time for gaining her Consent to marry him and assured him if that he did not prevail within that time he might for ever despair She married him in France and the King after a shew of some Displeasure was pacified and continued his Favours to him not only during his Sister's Life but to the last and in all the Revolutions of the Court that followed in which every Minister fell by turns he still enjoyed his share in the King's Bounty and Affection so much happier it proved to be loved than trusted by him The King denied himself none of those Pleasures that are as much legitimated in Courts as they are condemned elsewhere but yet he declared no Mistriss but Elizabeth Blunt and owned no Issue but a Son he had by her whom he afterwards made Duke of Richmond The King's usage of his Parliaments He took great care never to imbroil himself with his Parliaments and he met with no Opposition in any except in that one which was during Cardinal Woolsey's Ministry in which 800000 l. being demanded for a War with France to be paid in four Years the debate about it rose very high and not above the half of it was offered so the Cardinal came into the House of Commons and desired to hear the Reasons of those who were against the Supply but he was told that it was against their Orders to speak to a Debate before any that was not of the House he was much disatisfied at this and cast the blame of it upon Sir Thomas Moor that was Speaker and after that he found out other means of supplying the King without Parliaments The King had been educated with more than ordinary Care The King's Education and Learning being then in its dawning after a night of long and gross Ignorance his Father had given Orders that both his elder Brother and he should be well instructed in matters of Knowledg not with any design to make him Arch-bishop of Canterbury for he had made small progress when his Brother Prince Arthur died being then but eleven Years old perhaps Henry the seventh felt the Prejudices of his own Education so much that he was more careful to have his Son better taught or may be he did it to amuze him and keep him from looking too early into matters of State The Learning then most in credit among the Clergy was the Scholastical Divinity which by a shew of Subtilty did recommend it self to curious Persons and being very sutable to a vain and contentious Temper was that which agreed best with his Disposition and it being likely to draw the most Flattery from Divines became the chief Subject of his Studies in which he grew not only to be Eminent for a Prince whose Knowledg tho ever so moderate will be admired by Flatterers as a Prodigy but he might really have past for a Learned Man had his Quality been ever so mean He delighted in the purity of the Latin Tongue and understood Philosophy and was so great a Master in Musick that he composed well He was a bountiful Patron to all Learned Men more particularly to Erasmus and Polidore
of Age he was put into the hands of Dr. Cox and Mr. Cheek the one was to form his mind and to teach him Philosophy and Divinity the other was to teach him the Tongues and Mathematicks other Masters were also appointed for the other parts of his Education He discovered very early a good disposition to Religion and Vertue and a particular Reverence for the Scriptures for he took it very ill when one about him laid a great Bible on the Floor to step up on it to somewhat which was out of his reach without such an advantage He profited well in Letters and wrote at eight Years old Latin Letters frequently both to the King to Q. Katherine Parre to the Archbishop of Canterbury and his Uncle the Earl of Hartford who had been first made Viscount Beauchamp being the Heir by his Mother of that Family and was after that advanced to be an Earl In the end of his Fathers life it had been designed to create him Prince of Wales for that was one of the reasons given to hasten the attainder of the D. of Norfolk because he held some places during life which the King intended to put in other hands in order to that Ceremony Upon his Fathers death the E. of Hartford and Sir Anth. Brown were sent to bring him up to the Tower of London and when King Henry's death was published he was proclaimed King At his coming to the Tower his Fathers Will was opened K. Hen. testament by which it was found that he had named 16. to be the Governors of the Kingdom and of his Sons person till he should be eighteen Years of Age. These were the Archbishops of Canterbury the Lord Wriothesly Lord Chancellor Lord St. John Great Master Lord Russel Lord Privy Seal Earl Hartford Lord Great Chamberlain Vis Lisle Lord Admiral Tonstall B. of Duresme Sir Anth. Brown Master of the Horse Sr Will. Paget Secretary of State Sr Ed. North Chancellour of the Augmentations Sir Ed. Mountague L d Chief Just of the Common Pleas Judge Bromley Sir Anth. Denny and Sir Will. Herbert Chief Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber Sr Ed. Wotton Treasurer of Callis Doctor Wotton Dean of Canterbury and York They were also to give the Kings Sisters in Marriage and if they married without their consent they were to forfeit their right of succession for the King was Impowered by Act of Parliament to leave the Crown to them with what limitations he should think fit to appoint There was also a Privy Council named to be their Assistants in the Government if any of the 16. died the Survivers were to continue in the Administration without a power to substitute others in their rooms who should die It was now proposed that one should be chosen out of the 16. to whom Ambassadours should address themselves and who should have the chief direction of affairs but should be restrained to do nothing but by the consent of the greater part of the other Co-executors The Chancellor who thought the Precedence fell to him by his Office since the Archbishop did not meddle much in secular Affairs opposed this much and said it was a change of the Kings will who had made them all equal in power and dignity and if any were raised above the rest in Title it would not be possible to keep him within due bounds since great Titles make way for High Power but the Earl of Hartford had so prepared his Friends that it was carried that he should be declared the Governour of the Kings Person and the Protector of the Kingdom A Protector chosen with this restriction that he should do nothing but by the advice and consent of the rest Upon this advancement and the opposition made to it two Parties were formed the one headed by the Protector and the other by the Chancellour the favourers of the Reformation were of the former and those that opposed it were of the latter The Chancellor was ordered to renew the Commissions of the Judges and Justices of Peace and King Henry's great Seal was to be made use of till a new one should be made The day after this all the Executors took their Oaths to execute their trust faithfully the Privy Councellors were also brought into the Kings presence who did all express their satisfaction in the choice that was made of the Protector and it was ordered that all dispatches to foreign Princes should be signed only by him All that held Offices were required to come and renew their Commissions Bishops take out Commissions and to swear Allegiance to the King among the rest the Bishops came and took out such Commissions as were granted in the former Reign only by those they were subaltern to the Kings Vicegerent but there being none now in that Office they were immediately subaltern to the King and by them they were to hold their Bishopricks only during the Kings pleasure and were impowered in the Kings name as his Delegates to perform all the parts of the Episcopal function Cranmer set an Example to the rest in taking out one of those It was thought fit thus to keep the Bishops under the terror of such an Arbitrary power lodged in the King that so it might be more easie to turn them out if they should much oppose what might be done in points of Religion but the ill consequences of such an unlimited power being well foreseen the Bishops that were afterwards promoted were not so fettered but were provided to hold their Bishopricks during life The late King had in his Will required his Executors to perform all the promises he had made A Creation of Noblemen so Paget was required to give an account of the Promises the late King had made and he declared upon Oath that upon the prospect of the attainder of the D. of Norfolk the King intended a Creation of Peers and to divide his Lands among them the Persons to be raised were Hartford to be a Duke Essex a Marquess Lisle Russel St. John and Wriothesly to be Earls Sir Tho. Seimour Cheyney Rich Willoughby Arundell Sheffield St. Leger Wymbish Vernon and Danby to be Barons and a division was to be made of the Duke of Norfolks Estate among them some shares were also set off for others who were not to be advanced in Title as Denny and Herbert and they finding Paget had been mindful of them but had not mentioned himself had moved the King for a share to him The King appointed Paget to give notice of this to the Persons named but many excused themselves and desired no addition of honor since the Lands which the King intended to give them were not sufficient to support that dignity The Duke of Norfolk prevented all this for being apprehensive of the ruine of his Family if his Estate were once divided he sent a message to the King desiring him to convert it all to be a Revenue to the Prince of Wales This wrought so much on the
when nothing was to be got by flattering he writ the following Character of him All the Graces were in him he had many Tongues when he was yet but a Child together with the English his Natural Tongue he had both Latin and French nor was he ignorant as I hear of the Greek Italian and Spanish and perhaps some more But for the English French and Latin he was exact in them and was apt to learn every thing Nor was he ignorant of Logick of the Principles of Natural Philosophy nor of Musick The sweetness of his Temper was such as became a Mortal his Gravity becoming the Majesty of a King and his Disposition was suitable to his high Degree In sum that Child was so bred had such parts and was of such expectation that he looked like a Miracle of a Man These things are not spoken Rhetorically and beyond the Truth but are indeed short of it And afterwards he adds He was a marvellous Boy when I was with him he was in the 15th year of his Age in which he spake Latin as politely and as promptly as I did He asked me what was the subject of my Book de Rerum varietate which I dedicated to him I answered that in the first Chapter I gave the true cause of Comets which had been long enquired into but was never found out before What is it said he I said it was the concourse of the Light of wandring Stars He answered How can that be since the Stars move in different motions How comes it that the Comets are not soon dissipated or do not move after them according to their motions To this I answered they do move after them but much quicker than they by reason of the different aspect as we see in Crystal or when a Rain-bow rebounds from a Wall for a little change makes a great difference of place But the King said How can that be where there is no subject to receive that Light as the Wall is the subject for the Rain-bow To this I answered That this was as in the Milky way or where many Candles were lighted the middle place where their shining met was white and clear From this little tast it may be imagined what he was And indeed the ingenuity and sweetness of his Disposition had raised in all good and learned Men the greatest expectation of him possible He began to love the Liberal Arts before he knew them and to know them before he could use them and in him there was such an Attempt of Nature that not only England but the World hath reason to lament his being so early snatcht away How truly was it said of such extraordinary Persons that their Lives are short and seldom do they come to be old He gave us an Essay of Vertue though he did not live to give a Pattern of it When the gravity of a King was needful he carried himself like an old Man and yet he was always affable and gentle as became his Age. He played on the Lute he medled in affairs of State and for Bounty he did in that emulate his Father though he even when he endeavoured to be too good might appear to have been bad but there was no ground of suspecting any such thing in the Son whose mind was cultivated by the study of Philosophy These extraordinary blossoms gave but too good reason to fear that a fruit which ripened so fast could not last long In Scotland there was a great change in the Government Affairs in Scotland the Governor was dealt with to resign it to the Queen Dowager who returned this Year from France and was treated with all that respect that was due to her rank as she past through England She brought Letters to the Governour advising him to resign it to her but in such terms that he saw he must either do it or maintain his power by force he was a soft Man and was the more easily wrought on because his ambitious Brother was then desperately ill but when he recovered and found what he had done he expressed his displeasure at it in very vehement terms The young Queen of Scotlands Uncles proposed a Match for her with the Dolphin which had been long in discourse and the King of France inclined much to it Constable Monmorancy opposed it He observed how much Spain suffered in having so many Territories at a distance though those were the best Provinces of Europe So he reckoned the keeping Scotland would cost France more than ever it could be worth A Revolt to England would be easie and the sending Fleets and Armies thither would be a vast charge He therefore advised the King rather to marry her to some of the Princes of the Blood and to send them to Scotland and so by a small Pension that Kingdom would be preserved in the Interests of France But the Constable was a known Enemy to the House of Guise and so those wise advices were little considered and were imputed to the fears he had of so great a strengthning as this would have given to their Interest at Court In Scotland there were now two Factions the one was headed by the Archbishop and all the Clergy were in it who were jealous of the Queen as leaning too much to some Lords who were believed to incline to the Reformation of whom the Prior of St. Andrews afterwards the Earl of Murray was the chief These offered to serve the Queen in all her designs in particular in sending the Matrimonial Crown to France upon their young Queens Marriage with the Dolphin if she would defend them from the Violence of the Clergy in matters of Religion which being made generally subservient to other Interests in all Courts this was well entertained by the Queen though she was otherwise very zealous in her own Religion There was a great and unexpected turn this year in the affairs of Germany The affairs in Germany The Emperour's Ministers began to entertain some jealousie of Maurice so that the Duke of Alva advised the Emperour to call for him and so to take him off from the head of the Army and then make him give an account of some suspicious passages in his treating with other Princes but the Bishop of Arras said he had both his Secretaries in pay and he knew by their means all his Negotiations and relied so on their Intelligence that he prevailed with the Emperour not to provoke him by seeming distrustful of him But Maurice knew all this and deluded his Secretaries so that he seemed to open to them all his secretest Negotiations yet he really let them know nothing but what he was willing should come to the Emperor's ears and had managed his Treaties so secretly that they had not the least suspicion of them At last the Emperour was so possest with the Advertisements that were sent him from all parts that he writ to Maurice to come and clear himself and then he refined it higher for he