"thereby cleared himfelf and Dudley of the Charge

brought against them; for that they were not "accused of executing the Laws, or obeying "the lawful Commands of the late King, but for "ftretching the Laws beyond their due Bounds, and

exceeding their Sovereign's Authority, which Ac"cufation the Council had Reafon to believe was too well grounded; and therefore it was his Majefty's Pleasure, that they fhould be committed to the "Tower, till an Enquiry could be made into the Charge "that had been brought against them.". And upon breaking up of the Council they were accordingly committed.

Rapin's Remarks on their

Cafe.

"In any other Country (fays Rapin) an Act of Sovereignty to fend thefe two Men to the Gallows would "have been feen with Joy; but it's "not the fame in England, becaufe no Man can be "condemned unheard, of which Privilege the greatest Criminals are not debarred. It was necef fary therefore to find out fome exprefs Law to " condemn The SECRET HISTORY of the CARDINAL,

66

"condemn them; but, upon examining the Accu"fation already brought against them, great Difficul"ties occurred. It appeared, that, tho' they had been guilty of numberlefs Extortions in their merciless "Execution of the Penal Laws, in carrying the Laws even beyond what they would bear, that would not be fufficient to take away their Lives, being in "themselves only Mifdemeanours. It was refolved, "at laft, to profecute them for Treafon committed "against Henry VIII."

dicted.

And, to proceed, not long after Empfon They are inand Dudley's Commitment, they were feverally indicted both in London and Northampton; the overt Acts charged against them were, that they had confpir'd against the King and State, and fummoned, during his late Majefty's Illness, fome of their Friends to be ready to take Arms at an Hour's Warning, in order, upon his Death, to haften to London; and either destroy or feize the King's Perfon.

By GEORGE CAVENDISH, Esq;

CHA P. IV.

On

The King promoting his Almoner, being made Cardinal, and Lord

Chancellor of England.

HE King being returned into England, the See of 'Lincoln became void by the 'Death of Doctor Smith late Bi

fhop there, which Bishoprick the King gave to the Almoner E'lect of Turney, who was not negligent to take Poffeffion thereof, but made all Speed for his Confecration; the Solemniza'tion thereof being ended, he 'found a Way to get into his Hands all his Predeceffor's

And convicted of High Trea

Jon.

On the 16th of July, Dudley was tried at Guildhall, London, and Empfon at Northampton, on the 14th of October then following, who were feverally found guilty of High Treafon; and the People in general not only rejoiced on their Conviction, but were fo incenfed against them, that, when they were brought out of the Tower, they were followed by the Populace with loud Acclamations of, Hang up the Commissi oners of Forfeitures! Hell-bounds! Blood Suckers, &c.

Burnet's Obfervations on their

Cafe.

66

Bishop Burnet, in his History of the Reformation, tells us, "That Empson and Dudley, apprehending the Danger "they were like to be in upon their "Master's Death, had been practising with their Partners, to gather about them all the Power they could "bring together; whether to fecure themfelves "from popular Rage, or to make themselves "feem confiderable or formidable to the new King;

The SECRET HISTORY of the CARDINAL,

compare with that of Canterbury, and did thereupon advance his Croffes in the Courts, ⚫ and every other Place, as well in the Precinct and Jurifdiction of Canterbury, as any other Place: And forafmuch as Canterbury claimeth a Superiority over York, as well as over any other Bishoprick within England, and for that caufe ⚫ claimeth an Acknowledgment, as in antient Obedience of York, to abate Advancement of his Croffes, to the Croffes of Canterbury.

་

Notwithstanding York not defifting to bear the fame, although Canterbury gave York 2 Check for the fame, and told him, it was Prefumption, by

"this

reafon whereof there ingendered 'fome Grudge between them : But fhortly after he obtained to be made Cardinal, and Legatus de Latere, unto whom the Pope fent the Cardinal's Cap, and certain Bulls for his Authority in that Behalf, whereupon he was Inftalled at Westminster in great Triumph ' which was executed by all Bifhops with their Mitres, Caps, and other Ornaments: And after all this, he was made • Chancellor of England, and Canterbury who was the Chan'cellor, was difmiffed.

66

"this and other Crimes being brought against them, they were found guilty of Treafon in a legal Way."

A Remark

thereon.

The Propriety of this we fhall not examine into, but only remark on what the learned Bishop phrafes found guilty in a legal Way; for, tho' Hiftorians allow, that they met with their deferved Fate, moft believed them not guilty of the Crimes they were convicted of; not being able to conceive, that two Perfons, who had made themselves fo hateful to the Nation, could hope for any Support in an Attempt to levy War and fieze the King's Perfon.

Notwithstanding the different Juries, that tried thefe avaricious Commiffioners, found them guilty of Crimes worthy of Death, his Majefty did not think proper to order them immediately for Execution, but directed them to be detained in Cuftody, till their Cafes fhould be laid before the Parliament, which did not meet this Year.

The

By GEORGE CAVENDISH, Efq; himself fo fully furnished, that • Dominion, and all other Per'he was now able to fur- fons to the Glory of his Digmount Canterbury in all Ju-nity. Then had he two great 'rifdictions; and in all Eccle- • Croffes of Silver, whereof one 'fiaftical Powers to Convocate 6 was of his Archbishoprick, Canterbury, and all other Bifhops, and Spiritual Persons to affemble at his Convoca

、

and the other of his Legafie, 'borne before him wherefoever he rode or went, by two of 'the tallest Priefts that he could get in this Realm.

6

6

And to the Increase of his Gain, he had in his Hand the Bishoprick of Durham, and St. • Albans in Commendum: Also, when Doctor Fox, Bishop of Winchefter died, he did fur• render Durham to the King, and took himself to Winchefter. He had alfo, as it were in Farm, the Bishoprick of Bath, Worcester, and Hereford, for C 2

⚫ the

The Wits in thofe Days employed themselves in making Satyrical Pieces on Empfon and Dudley, particularly, Mr. Cornish, of the King's Chapel, made several fevere Verses on Sir Richard Empfon, at the Request of the Earl of Kent, in Return for fome hard Ufage the Earl had met with from Empfon in the Time of his Ministry.

Stow relates, that Dudley, during his Confinement, wrote a Book, intituled The Tree of Common-Wealth, which he dedicated to the King, a Copy whereof he gave to his Grandfon, the Earl of Leicester, about the Year 1562.

Dudley's large

Fortune.

Dudley, at the Time of his Fall, had no lefs in Offices than to the yearly Value of 800 l. besides 20,000 l. in ready Money, over and above Jewels, Plate, and rich Houfhold Goods, to a very great Amount; and all this he gathered in lefs than 13 Years Time.

The SECRET HISTORY of the CARDINAL,

the Incumbents of them were • Strangers. He had alfo attending upon him Men of

N

Empfon

'great Poffeffions, and the tal'left Yeomen for his Guard in 'the Realm.

Of the Orders and Officers of his House and Chapple.

OW firft for his House you fhall understand, that he had in his Hall three • Boards kept with three feveral ⚫ Officers (that is to fay) a Steward, that was always a Priest; a Treasurer, that was ever a Knight; and a Comptroller that was an Efquire: Alfo a • Confeffor, a Doctor; three Marshals, three Ufhers in the < Hall, befides two Almoners and Grooms.

Then had he in the HallKitchen two Clarks, a Clark

6

6

Comptroller, and a Surveyor over the Dreffer; a Clark in the Spicery, which kept continually a Mefs together in the Hall; alfo he had in the HallKitchen two Cooks, and La'bourers, and Children, twelve Perfons; four Men of the Scullery, two Yeoman of the Paitry, with two other Pastlayers under the Yeomen.

Then had he in his Kitchin,

6 a Mafter Cook, who went daily in Velvet or Sattin, with a gold Chain, befides two other

Cooks,