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THE

HISTORY

OF THE

LIFE and TIMES

OF

Cardinal W OLSEY

T

1471.

HOMAS WOLSEY was born at Ipfwich in the County of Suffolk, in March, 1471. But as many Authors have fpoke of Wolfey's Original and great Abilities, and have differently reprefented both, we fhall, by way of Introduction, mention what feveral of them relate.-SPEED fays,' Wolfey's Parents were poor, but of honeft Report.GODWIN, He was born of very mean Parentage, a Butcher's Son of Ipfwich.-HALL, GRAFTON, and HOLLINGSHEAD, fpeak of Wolfey in the fame Words: This Man was born at Ipfwich, a good Philofopher,

B

very

Memorable for the Introduction of the noble Art, and Mystery

of PRINTING in England.

very eloquent and full of Wit; but for Pride, Covetoufnefs, and Ambition he excelled all others.STOW, Wolfey was but a poor Man's Son of Ipf wich, RAPIN, Wolfey was a Clergyman eminent for his Merit, tho' but a Butcher's Son of Ipfwich. DaNIEL, Hiftory reprefents Thomas Wolfey to us as one of the most vain, most ambitious, moft wicked, and, at the fame time, one of the ableft Men of his Age; he was of very mean Birth, but his Genius and Management raifed him. CAMPION, He was a Manundoubtedly born to Honour, fome Prince's Bastard, no Butcher's Son.ECHARD, This extraordinary Perfon was Son to an honeft poor Man of Ipfwich. -SALMON, Wolfey was a Clergyman of a fprightly Genius. Bifhop BURNET does not mention Wolfey's Original; he tells us, as a Minifter, Wolfey was a very extraordinary Perfon; but, as a Churchman, he was

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the Difgrace of his Profeffion.-WOOD obferves, That Thomas Wolfey was born at IpfOxonienfes. wich, and fays, Of all the Clergymen of his Time, as well as before and after him, he was indifputably the greatest: He had a vaft Mind, and a great Senfe of Regulation and Glory, which by fome is conftrued Pride. His Parts were prodigious, and it must be owned he wanted not a Senfe of his own Sufficiency, and therefore his. • Demeanour and Management of himself were fuch as were more fitted to the Greatnefs of his Mind ' and his Fortune, than to the Meannefs of his Birth. Many Hiftorians of that Time, whether out of Envy of his Order, or Contempt of his Birth, or Hatred of his Religion, have not been very favourable to his Fame; and the traditionary Reporters fince, who have pretended to an exact Account of his Actions, have, upon too flight Enquiries, and with too great Confidence, tranfcribed the former Narratives: So that we yet want an exact and faithful History of the greatest, most noble, and most difinterested

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Clergyman

Clergyman of that Age.' The great Lord BACON Age.The does not, in his Hiftory of Henry the VIIth, mention. Wolfey's Parents; but only fays, Wolfey was Chaplain, and employed by Henry the VIIth. The various Accounts, that have been given of Wolfey's Original, occafioned one of our English Poets to make the following witty Remark :

• Great Priest, whoever was thy Sire by Kind,

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Wolfey of Ipfwich ne'er begot thy Mind.

The

The SECRET HISTORY of the CARDINAL, by GEORGE CAVENDISH, Efq; his GentlemanUsher.

CHAP. I.

From the CARDINAL's Birth, to the Death of King HENRY the VIIth.

T

RUTH it is, Cardinal Wolfey was an honeft poor Man's Son in the Town of Ipfwich, in the County of Suffolk, and there born, who, being but a Child, was very apt to learn; wherefore, by means of his Parents, and other his good Friends, he 6 was maintained at the Univerfity of Oxford, where in a fhort time he profpered fo well, that in a small time (as " he told me with his own Mouth) he was made a Batchelor of Arts when he was but fifteen Years of Age, and was ⚫ most commonly called the Boy Batchelor. Thus, profpering

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It pleafed this Lord Marquefs againft Christmas, to fend as well for the School-mafter as for the Scholars home to his 'House, for their Recreation in that pleasant and honourable Foreft. They being a while there, the Lord Marquess their Father perceiving them to be well improved in Learning for the Time, he was fo well contented, that he, having a Benefice in his Gift, (being at that prefent void) gave the

in Learning, he was made Fel-School-mafter the fame, in relow of Magdalen College in gard of his Diligence. After Christmas,

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The Authors have mentioned having not agreed what Wolfey's Father's Profeffion or Bufinefs was, it will be neceffary to purfue our Enquiry farther.

Dr. Fiddes, who wrote the Cardinal's Life, admits the common Tradition, that Wolfey was the Son of a Butcher; but he avers he can discover no more authentick Grounds for fuch a Tradition, than for the other Report, that his Parents were in mean and indi

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Chrifimas, at his Departure to the University, and he having the Presentation thereof, repaired to the Ordinary for his Inftitution: And, being then furnished with all his Inftruments at the Ordinary's Hands ⚫ for his Preferment, made hafte, ⚫ without any further Delay, to his Benefice to take Poffeffion thereof. Now you fhall un⚫derstand, that the School-master had not been long there, but one Sir Amias Pawlet, Kt. dwelling in the Country therea'bouts, took an Occafion of Difpleasure against him, but upon what ground I know not; infomuch that Sir Amias was fo bold as to lay the School-master by the Heels during his Difpleasure, which Affront was afterwards neither forgotten, nor forgiven; for when the School⚫ mailer mounted fo high as to be Lord Chancellor of England, he was not forgetful of his old Difpleasure, moft cruelly miniftred unto him by Sir Amias, but fent for him, and after a very fharp Reproof, enjoined him not to depart out of London, without Licence firft obtained; to that he continued in the Middle-Temple the space of 'five or fix Years; who after.

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This may be a good Precedent for Men in Authority, which work their own Wills 'without Wit, to remember that • Greatness may decay. And those whom they do punish, more of Humour than Justice, may afterwards be advanced to great Honour, (as this Cardinal was) and they abafed as low as this Sir Amias was, which feek Revenge. Who would have thought, that when Sir Amias Pawlet punished this poor School-mafter, that ever he fhould have mounted to fo great a Dignity as to be Chancellor of England, confidering his mean Parentage and Friends? These be the wonderful Works of God's Providence. And I would wish, that all Men in Authority would fear God in all Ages in the Time of their Triumph and Greatnefs; con⚫ fidering

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gent Circumstances; notwithstanding feveral Authors have related it, yet that learned Divine does not inform us what Bufinefs Wolfey's Father followed, or profeffed, fave what he gathered from fome of the before-mentioned Authors.

Still it is allowed, the Doctor has gone farther than any other Author, in refpect to his oppofing

fidering that Advancement and Authority are not permanent, • but many times flide and vanish fuddenly away, as Princes Pleafures alter and change, or as all living Creatures mult of Neceffity pay the Debt due to Nature, which no earthly Creature can refift.

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Shortly after it chanced the faid Lord Marquefs died, after whofe Deccafe the Schoolmafter thinking himself but a 'weak beneficed Man, and that he had left his Fellowship in the College, for (as I underftand) if a Fellow of that House ⚫ be once promoted to a Benefice, he fhall by the Rules of the fame Houle be difmiffed of his Fellowship; and now being alfo deftitute of his fingular good Lord, as well as of his Fellowship, which was moft of his Relief, thought long to be provided of fome other Help to defend him from all fuch Storms as he might meet with. In his Travel thereabouts he grew acquainted with a very great and ancient Knight, who had a great Place in Calais, under King Henry the VIIth. This Knight he ferved, and behaved himself fo difcreetly, that he obtained the eípecial Favour

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what

of his faid Mafter; infomuch,
that for his Wit and Gravity he
committed all the Care and
Charge of his faid Office to his
faid Chaplain. And, as I un-
derftand, his Office was the
Treafurership of Calais, who,
in regard of his great Age,
fhortly after was discharged of
his faid Office, and to returned
into England, intending to live
a more private Life. But,
through his inftant Labour and
good Favour, his Chaplain was
preferred to be the King's
Chaplain And when he had
once caft Anchor in the Port of
Promotion, how he then beftir-
red himself I fhall now declare.

He having then juit Occafion
to be daily in Sight of the King
in his Clofet, not spending the
reft of the Day in Idleness,
would attend thofe Men whom
he thought to bear moft Rule
in the Council, and were molt
in Favour with the King,
which at that time was Dr.
Fox, Bishop of Winchester, and
Lord Privy-Seal; and alfo Sir
Thomas Lovell, Kt. a very fage
and wife Counsellor, being
Mafter of the Wards, and
Conftable of the Tower.

These ancient and grave
Counfellors, in Process of Time,
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per-

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