CHAPTER XXXIV. LIFE OF LORD CHANCELLOR AUDLEY. CHAP. XXXIV. 1532. Jan. 26. 1523. Sir THO MAS AUD His charac ter and WHEN Sir Thomas More resigned the Great Seal, it was delivered to Sir THOMAS AUDLEY, afterwards Lord Audley, with the title, first of Lord Keeper, and then of Lord Chan- May 20. cellor. There was a striking contrast, in almost all respects, between these two individuals, - the successor of the man so distinguished for genius, learning, patriotism, and integrity, having only common-place abilities, sufficient, with cunning LEY, Lord and shrewdness, to raise their possessor in the world, having Keeper. no acquired knowledge beyond what was professional and official, — having first recommended himself to promotion by conduct. defending, in the House of Commons, the abuses of prerogative, — and, for the sake of remaining in office, being ever willing to submit to any degradation, and to participate in the commission of any crime. He held the Great Seal for a period of above twelve years, during which, to please the humours of his capricious and tyrannical master, he sanctioned the divorce of three Queens, the execution of two of them on a scaffold,— the judicial murder of Sir Thomas More, Bishop Fisher, and many others, who, animated by their example, preferred death to infamy, the spoliation of the Church and a division of the plunder among those who planned the robbery,- and reckless changes of the established religion, which left untouched all the errors of Popery, with the absurdity of the King being constituted Pope, and which involved in a common massacre those who denied transubstantiation and those who denied the King's spiritual supremacy. Luckily for Audley, he has not much attracted the notice of historians; but there can be no doubt that he had a considerable influence upon the events which disgraced the latter half of this reign; and we must now inquire into his *Rot. Cl. 24. Hen. VIII. m. 24. CHAP. origin, and try to trace the steps by which he reached, and the means by which he retained, his "bad eminence." XXXIV. His birth. Education. A. D. 1.520. Member of Thomas Audley is said to have been of a distinguished family, which had long flourished in the county of Essex*, but he had a very slender patrimony, and he rose from his own industry and selfish arts. He was born in the latter end. of the reign of Henry VII. Having had an indifferent school education, he was sent to study at Magdalen College, Cambridge, of which he afterwards became a benefactor. He was from thence transferred to the Inner Temple, where he devoted himself very steadily to the common law, and is said to have discharged the duties of "Autumn Reader" to the society with some reputation. Being called to the degree of outer barrister, he early rose into considerable practice from his skill in the technicalities of his profession, and his eager desire to please his clients. He was of a comely and majestic presence; and by his smooth manners and systematic anxiety to give offence to no one, he acquired general popularity, although known to those who had studied his character to be unprincipled, false, and deceitful. In the 12th year of the reign of Henry VIII. he was called to the degree of Serjeant-at-Law, and, flourishing in Commons. Westminster Hall, he became eager for political advancement. Parliament so seldom met during this reign, that aspiring lawyers had but rare opportunities of gaining distinction either as patriots or courtiers. But a parliament being at last called in 1523, Audley contrived to get himself returned a burgess to the House of Commons, in the hope of now making his fortune. This was the parliament at which Sir Thomas More was Speaker of the House of Commons, and gained such distinction by preserving the privileges of the House, and resisting the exorbitant subsidy demanded by Wolsey. Audley strongly took the side of the Court, defended all the Cardinal's proceedings, and bitterly inveighed against all his opponents as disloyal subjects and favourers of Dugdale doubts his being of this family, as his arms were not the same. -Baronage, tit. " Audley." XXXIV. heresy. When the lamentation was uttered by Wolsey that CHAP. More was not at Rome instead of being made Speaker*, regret was no doubt felt that Audley had not been placed in the chair; and a resolution was formed, that he should have the Court influence in his favour on a future occasion. In the meanwhile he was made Attorney to the Duchy of Lancaster, and a King's Serjeant.† In the succeeding interval of six years, during which no parliament sat, he distinguished himself by abetting all the illegal expedients resorted to for raising money on the people. No Hampden arose to contest, in a Court of Justice, the legality of the commissions issued under the Great Seal, for levying the sixth of every man's goods; but they excited such deep discontents, that a rebellion was apprehended, and they were recalled. Against such an arbitrary Sovereign as Henry, with such tools as Audley, the only remedy for public wrongs was resistance. On the question of the divorce, Audley was equally subservient to the King's wishes; and he was so high in his favour, as not to be without hopes of the Great Seal on Wolsey's disgrace. But though no doubt was entertained of his pliancy, his character for integrity was now very low; and fears being entertained that he would bring discredit upon the government, the more prudent course was adopted of preferring Sir Thomas More. Gains the favour of King Henry VIII. Is made Duchy of Lancaster. However, More being appointed to the Great Seal, Oct. 1529. Audley was named his successor as Chancellor of the Duchy Chancellor of Lancaster; and, at the meeting of parliament, in the be- of the ginning of November, 1529, on the recommendation of the Court, he was elected Speaker of the House of Commons. Being presented at the bar of the House of Lords, he made the House an eloquent oration, consisting of two points; first, "that he much praised the King for his equity and justice, mixed with mercy and pity;" secondly, "he endeavoured to disable himself, for want of sense, learning, and discretion, for the taking of so high an office, beseeching the King to cause his Com of Com. mons. * See ante, p. 469. † Orig. Jur. 83. XXXIV. CHAP. mons to resort again to their House, and there to choose another Speaker." To this the Chancellor, by the King's command, replied with the usual courtesy, "that whereas he sought to disable himself in sense and learning, his own elaborate discourse there delivered testified to the contrary; and, touching his discredit and other qualities, the King himself had well known him and his doings, since he was in his service, to be both wise and discreet; and so as an able man he accepted him, and admitted him Speaker."* Proceedings of Commons on speech in Lords by Bishop ter. The King's designs to break with Rome were strongly supported by Audley, and were well received by the Commons; but Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, made a strong speech against them in the Lords, in which he said, that "our Holy of Roches- Mother, the Church, was about to be brought, like a bondmaid, into thraldom; and that want of faith was the true cause of the mischiefs impending over the State." When the Commons heard of this speech, they conceived great indignation against the Bishop; and not suspecting that there was any irregularity in noticing what was said in debate by a member of the other House, they sent Audley, the Speaker, attended by a deputation of their body, to complain of it to the King, and to let his Majesty know "how grievously they thought themselves injured thereby, for charging them with lack of faith as if they had been infidels or heretics." The King was well pleased with this interference, which he had most likely prompted, and sent for the Bishop of Rochester to rebuke him for the licence he had used to the displeasure of the Commons. The courageous Prelate answered, "that having seat and voice in parliament, he spake his mind freely in defence of the Church, which he saw daily injured and oppressed by the common people, whose office it was not to judge of her manners, much less to reform them." The King advised him "to use his words more temperately." † Audley had more difficulty, as Speaker, to restrain the impetuosity of a party in the Commons, who, having imbibed the new doctrines, wished in carnest for a religious reform XXXIV. ation. Trimming his own profession of faith by the per- CHAP. sonal wishes of his master, he laboured to preserve things in their present condition, with the exception of transferring the power of the Pope to the King. During the session of parliament which began in April, A. D. 1533. 1533, there was displayed among the Commons a strong sympathy with Queen Catherine, which the Speaker found it very difficult to restrain within decent bounds. He was compelled to put the question "that an humble address should be presented to the King, praying that his Majesty would be graciously pleased to take back the Queen, and live with her as his wife, according to the admonition of his Holiness the Pope." We have no account of the debate, which, however guardedly conducted, must have been most offensive to the King. The moment he heard of it, in a rage he sent for Audley, and said to him, "That he wondered any amongst them should meddle in businesses which could not properly be determined in their House, and with which they had no concern." His Majesty then condescended to reason the matter with the Speaker, who was to report to the House" that he was only actuated by a regard for the good of his soul; that he wished the marriage with Catherine were unobjectionable, but, unfortunately, the Doctors of the Universities having declared it contrary to the word of God, he could do no less than abstain from her company; that wantonness of appetite was not to be imputed to him, for being now in his forty-first year, it might justly be presumed that such motions were not so strong in him as formerly *; that, except in Spain and Portugal, no one was allowed to marry two sisters; but that for a brother to marry a brother's wife was a thing so abhorred among all nations, that he never heard that any Christian did so except himself; whereat his conscience was sorely troubled. † This is one among many proofs that occur, showing that formerly old age was supposed to come on much sooner than at present; but our ancestors began life very early, often marrying nominally when infants, and actually at fourteen, and subjecting themselves to very little restraint of any kind. † 1 Parl. Hist. 518. |