Marquiss Dorset' had three of his sons there to schoole, committing as well unto him their education, as their instruction and learning. It pleased the said Lord Marquiss against a Christmas season, to send as well for the school master as for the children, home to his house, for their recreation in that pleasant and honorable feast. They being then there, my lord their father perceived them to be right well emploied in learning, for their time which contented him so well, that he having a benefice in his gift, being at that present voide, gave the same to the school master, in reward of his diligence, at his departing after Christmas to the university. And having the presentation thereof he repaired to the ordinary for his institution, and induction; and being furnished there of all his ordinary instruments at the ordinarys handes, for his preferment, he made speed without any farther delay to the said benefice to take thereof possession. And being there for that intent, one Sir Amyas Pawlet, knight, dwelling in the country thereaboute', tooke occasion of displeasure against him, upon what ground I knowe not: but, Sir by your leave, he was so bolde to set the schoole master by the feet duringe his pleasure; which after was neither forgotten nor forgiven. For when the schoole master mounted the dignity to be chancellor of England, he was not oblivious of his old displeasure cruelly ministered upon him by Mr. Pawlet, but

5 Marquiss Dorset.] Sir Thomas Grey, eldest son of the Queen of Edward IV., was created Earl of Huntingdon by his royal stepfather in 1471, and Marquess of Dorset in 1475. He had seven sons, of whom the first two, Edward and Anthony, died young, Thomas (afterwards second Marquess of Dorset, grandfather of Lady Jane Grey), John, Richard, Leonard (afterwards Viscount Garney of Ireland and Lord Deputy of that kingdom: beheaded in 1541), and George.

• Having a benefice.] The place was Lymington, now Limington, near Ilchester in Somersetshire, and in the diocese of Bath and Wells. He was instituted October 10, a.d. 1500. Fiddes's Life, p. 5.

7 Country thereaboute.] At Hinton St. George, still the seat of Sir A. Pawlett's lineal descendant Earl Poulett.

8 Mr. Pawlet.] Meaning "Sir Amyas Pawlet, knight," just before mentioned. It was not at that time an invariable custom to speak of knights with the prefix Sir. Thus Cavendish, who at one time speaks of " Sir William Fitzwilliams, a knight," and Sir Walter Walche, knight," afterwards speaks of them as Master Fitzwilliams, Master Walche. He mentions "that worshipful knight Master Kingston" and Master Shelley, Mr. Empson, Mr. Norris, Mr. Fitzwilliams, meaning Sir William Shelley, Sir Richard Empson, Sir Henry Norris, and Sir William Fitzwilliams. It must be remembered also that Sir was very often applied to ecclesiastics.

sent for him, and after many sharpe and heinous wordes, enjoyned him to attend untill he were dismissed, and not to departe out of London, withoute lycence obtained: soe that he continued there within the Middle Temple, the space of five or six yeares; whoe laye then in the gate house next the streete, which he reedified very sumptuously, garnishing the same, all over the outside, with the cardinall's arms, with his hat, with the cognisaunce and badges, and other devises, in so glorious a sorte, that he thought thereby to have appeased his old displeasure.

Nowe may this be a good example and precedent to men in authority, which will sometimes worke their will without witt, to remember in their authority, howe authority may decay; and those whome they doe punishe of will more than of justice, may after be advaunced to high honors, and dignities, in the common weale, and they based as lowe, who will then seeke the meanes to be revenged of such wronges which they suffered before. Who would have thought then when sir Amyas Pawlett punished this poore scholler the schoole master, that ever he should have mounted to so highe dignity as to be chauncellor of England, considering his baseness in every degree? These be wonderful and secret workes of God, and chaunces of fortune. Therefore I would wishe all men in authority and dignity to knowe and feare God in all their triumphs and glory; considering in all their doings, that authority be not permanent, but may slide and vanish, as princes pleasures alter and change'.

Then as all living things must of very necessity paye the dewe debt of nature, which no earthly creature can resist, it chaunced my said lord marquiss to depart out of this present life'. After whose death this schole master, then considering with himself to be but a simple beneficed man, and to have loste his fellowship in the college (for, as I understand, if a fellow of that house be once promoted to a benefice he shall by the rules of the same be dismissed of his fellowship), and perceiving himself also to be destitute of his singular good lord, and also of his fellowship, which was much of his reliefe, thought not to be long unprovided of

9

Alter and change.] It may be worth remarking here, that Sir A. Paulet's nephew, William Paulet, rose to be Lord High Treasurer of England and Marquis of Winchester, and, by the attainder of the Duke of Norfolk, in 1572, he became, for a time, premier peer of England. Sir Amyas Paulet's own lineal descendant is the present Earl Poulett.

1 This present life.] In 1501.

some other helpe, or mastershippe, to defend him from all such stormes as he lightly was vexed with.

In this his travaill thereabout, he fell in acquaintance with one sir John Nanphant, a very grave and auncient knight, who had a great rome in Calais under king Henry the seventh. This knight he served, and behaved himself so discreetly, and wittily, that he obtained the especial favor of his said master; insomuch that for his wit and gravity, he committed all the charge of his office unto his chapleine. And, as I understand, the office was the treasureship of Calais, who was in consideration of his great age, discharged of his chargeable roome, and returned again into England, intending to live more at quiet. And through his instant labor and good favor his chapleine was promoted to be the king's chapleine. And when he had once cast anker in the porte of promotion, howe he wrought, I shall somewhat declare.

He, having then a just occasion to be in the sight of the kinge dayly, by reason he attended upon him, and saide masse before his

* Sir John Nanphant.] Probably a mistake for Sir Richard Nanfan of Birtsmorton, in Worcestershire, who on the 21 Sept. 1485, was made hereditary sheriff of Worcestershire, which office, however, he held only two years, returning to the wars. He was captain of Calais and esquire of the body to Henry VII. The family became extinct in 1704.

3 The porte of promotion.] We may presume that it was to such a son of fortune as the Cardinal, that the lively description in the following narrative was designed to be applied:

"It is a common saying among us your Highnesses poore commones, that one of your Highnesses chappellanes, not many yeres sinse, used when he lusted to ryde abrode for his repaste, to carye with him a scrowle wherin were written the names of the paryshes whereof he was parson. As it fortuned, in hys jorney he espied a churche standyng pleasantlye upon an hyll, pleasantlye beset with greenes and plaine fieldes, the faire greene medowse lyinge bynethe by the banckes of a christalline ryver, garnished wyth wyllowse, poplers, palme trees and alders, moste beautifull to beholde. Thys vigilant pastore, taken wyth the syght of this terrestrial paradise, sayde unto a servaunt of hys (the clercke of hys sygnet no doubt it was, for he used to beare hys masters ryng in his mouthe), John, sayde he, yonder benifice standeth verie pleasantlye, I woulde it were myne. The servant answered, Why, syr, quod he, it is youre owne benifice, and named the paryshe. Is it so, quod your chapellane: and wyth that he pulled oute hys scrowle to see for certantye, whether it were so, or not.-See, most dread soveraigne, what care they take for the flocke: when they see theyr paryshe churches they knowe them not by the situation." A Supplication of the poor Commons, signat. b. 5. addressed to king Henry VIII. 12mo. black letter, no date.

grace in his closet, that done he spent not the rest of the day forthe in idleness, but would attend upon those whome he thought to beare most rule in the counsaille, and to be most in favor with the kinge; the which at that time were doctor Fox, bishop of Winchester, secretary and lord privy seal, and also sir Thomas Lovell knighte, a very sage counsellor, a witty man, being master of the wardes, and constable of the Tower.

These auncient and grave counsellers in process of time perceiving this chapleine to have a very fine wit, and what was in his head, thought him a meett and apt person to be preferred to witty affaires.

6

It chaunced at a certain season that the kinge had an urgent occasion to send an ambassador unto the emperor Maximillian,

4 Doctor Fox.] Richard Fox, translated from Durham in 1500.

5 Sir Thomas Lovell.] Sir Thomas Lovell, fifth son of Sir Ralph Lovell of Barton Bendish in Norfolk, was treasurer of the household to Henry VII. by whom he was knighted at the battle of Stoke in 1487, and also made K.G., and executor of his will. Soon after Henry VIII.'s accession, Lovell was made master of the wards, and constable of the Tower. His influence and wealth were great. He inherited in right of his wife, the sister of Lord Roos, the manor of Worcester in Enfield, and he purchased East Herling in Norfolk from Sir Henry Bedingfield of Oxburgh. He died s. p. in 1524. As constable of the Tower he was succeeded by Sir William Kingston.

6 A certain season.] In the autumn of 1507. The embassy, or rather message, from Richmond to Flanders and back again to Richmond occupied 80 hours. It related to the proposed double connexion between Henry VII. and Maximilian. In the beginning of 1506 Philippe le Beau and his wife Jeanne la folle had been nearly wrecked on the English coast, and during their stay at the English court, Henry VII. proposed to marry Philippe's sister, Margaret of Austria, whose second husband, Philibert, duke of Savoy, had died in Sept. 1504. The terms of a treaty were settled on the 20th of March, and further measures were proposed in May, when John Yonge, and Nicholas West (afterwards bishop of Durham) were commissioned to treat. Philippe however died on the 10th of September. In the following year another marriage was proposed between Charles (afterwards Charles V.), Philippe's son, and Mary, the daughter of Henry. On this joint business Wolsey was now sent by Henry to Maximilian, and his performance of it was so satisfactory, that in October he was sent again to Maximilian, with long instructions, the originals of which, signed by Henry, are still extant. His journey this time was not so rapid as the former; he wrote on the 22nd of October to Henry from Mechlin, and on the 7th of November Henry acknowledged his letter, and sent him, from Greenwich, further instructions. (Cott. MS. Galba B. II. ff. 128-31.) Wolsey's second embassy has hitherto escaped notice. On the 17th of December, Charles and Mary (by proxy) were solemnly betrothed at Calais.

who lay at that present in the lowe countrey of Flaunders, not far from Calaise. The bishop of Winchester and sir Thomas Lovell, whom the kinge most esteemed, as chiefe of his counseile, (the kinge one day counselling and debating with them upon this embassage,) sawe they had nowe a convenient occasion to prefer the kinge's chapleene, whose excellent witt, eloquence, and learning they highly comended to the kinge. The kinge giving eare unto them, and being a prince of an excellent judgement and modesty, comanded them to bring his chapleine, whom they so much comended, before his grace's presence. And to prove the wit of his chapleine he fell in communication with him in great matters and, perceiving his wit to be very fine, thought him sufficient to be put in trust with this embassage; commanding him thereupon to prepare himself to his journey, and for his depeche, to repaire to his grace and his counsell, of whom he should receive his commission and instructions. By means whereof he had then a due occasion to repaire from time to time into the kinge's presence, who perceived him more and more to be a very wise man, and of a good intendment. And having his depeche, he tooke his leave of the kinge at Richmond about none, and so came to London about foure of the clocke, where the barge of Gravesend was ready to launch forthe, both with a prosperous tide and winde. Without any further aboade he entered the barge, and so passed forthe. His happie speede was such that he arrived at Gravesend within little more than three hours; where he tarried no longer than his post horses were provided ; and travelled so speedily with post horses, that he came to Dover the next morning, whereas the passengers' were ready under saile to saile to Calaise. Into the which Into the which passengers without tarrying he entered, and sailed forth with them, so that long before noone, he arrived at Calaise; and having post horses in a readiness departed from thence, without tarrying. And he made such hasty speede, that he was that night with the emperor. And he having understanding of the coming of the kinge of England's ambassador, would in no wise delay the time, but sent for him incontinent (for his affection to kinge Henry the seventh was such, that he was glad when he had any occasion to shewe him pleasure). The embassador disclosed the whole summe of his embassage unto the emperor, of whom he required spedy

7 Passengers.] Passenger-boats.