Shews Wol fey great Fa vour. Dean Wolfey was appointed the King's Almoner, and, as foon as he appeared at Court, his Majefty received him with great Marks of Favour, fingling him out from his other Attendants, and converfed with him in fo much Freedom, that the Courtiers paid the Refpect to him, as to one looked upon in the high Road to Preferment. And iffues a The King, after fettling his Council, iffued a Proclamation, wherein is fet forth, "That his Majefty, being in"formed his good Subjects had been oppref"ed under the fpecious Pretence of preferving "the Prerogative of the Crown, gave them Leave to bring in their Complaints, and promised them "Satisfaction:" And withal the King confirm'd his Father's general Pardon, granted before his Death, excepting, as Stow fays, all Perfons guilty of Murder, Felony, or Treafon. This The SECRET HISTORY of the CARDINAL, by GEORGE CAVENDISH, Efq; his GentlemanUfher. СНАР. II. Of King HENRY the VIIIt's Afcending the Throne, and the CARDINAL's Favour with him. AFTER the Solemnizations,and coftly Triumphs, our natural, young, couragious, luf*ty Prince, and Sovereign Lord, King Henry the Eighth, entering into his Flower and lufty Youth, took upon him the Royal Sceptre, and Imperial 6 Diadem of this fertile Nation; the two and twentieth of April, Anno Dom. 1509, which at that Time flourished with all • Abundance of Riches, whereof the King was most ineftimably furnished, called then the golden World. Now fhortly after, the Ajmoner feeing he had a plain B 2 Path Complaints brought against Emplon, Dudley, &c. This Proclamation fo much engaged the Hearts of the People towards the young King, that his Clemency was the Subject of all Converfations. Petitions were foon brought from all Parts of the Kingdom, not only against Empfon and Dudley, but also against their Under-ftrappers, called Promoters, filled with Complaints of the Extortions they had been guilty of in the Execution of their Offices; among the latter were Jofeph Derby, Jofeph Smith, and John Simfon, with whom the Government made fhort Work, inftantly trying, convicting, and fentencing them feverally according to their Deserts; and then they were conveyed thro' the City on Horseback, with their Faces to the Horfes Tails, and Papers pinned to their Breafts, denoting the Offences they had been guilty of; at which Time the Populace were not wanting in their Beneficence. This Treatment had fuch an Effect on these Mifcreants, The SECRET HISTORY of the CARDINAL, Path-way to Promotion, behaved himself fo politickly, that he was made one of the King's Privy Council, and increated in Favour daily; to whom he gave a Houfe at • Bridewell near Fleet Street, where he kept his Houfe for his Family, and fo he daily attended upon the King, being in ípecial Favour. His Sentences in the StarChamber were ever fo pithy and witty, that, upon all Occafions, they affigned him, for, the fluent Eloquence of his Tongue, to be the Expofitor to the King in all their Proceedings. In whom the King received fo great Content, that he called him ftill nearer to that his Perfon; and the rather, because he was ready to advance the King's own Will and Pleasure, having no refpect to the Cafe. Now the King being young, and much given to his Pleasure, his old Counsellors advifed him to have Recourfe fometimes to the Council about his weighty Affairs; but the Almoner, on the contrary, perfuaded him to mind his Pleasure, and he would take his Care and Charge upon himself, (if his Majesty ⚫ would Countenance him with his Authority) which the King liked well. And thus none was like to the Almoner in Favour with the King. СНАР. that divers of them fhortly after died in Newgate. A Warning, one would think, fufficient to deter Perfons from enriching themselves by ftirring up Suits on Inquifitions, and obfolete Recognizances. But Mr. Salmon remarks "Thus we find the "Ministry making a Sacrifice of their inferior Agents "and Under-strappers at the beginning of this Reign, "to remove the Odium of the late Extortions from "themselves; for it is not to be fuppofed, that those "unhappy Men durft have diftreffed the Nation in "the manner they did, if they had not been fupport"ed and encouraged in it by their Superiors: But "this has ever been the Policy of the great Men at "the Helm, when they have ventured upon any "deftructive Schemes, to give up their Inftruments, ❝ in order to turn the Fury of the People from themfelves, expecting to be looked upon as Patriots, "perhaps for punishing thofe very Facts which they "themselves advised." By GEORGE CAVENDISH, Efq; CHA P. III. Emp Of King Henry's Invading France in his own Perfon, with the Car dinal's Affiftance. THUS the Almoner conti, of the caries an envious Gall; till at last many Prefents, Gifts, and Rewards, came in fo plentifully, that, I dare fay, he wanted nothing, for he had all Things in Abundance, that might either please his Fancy, ⚫ or enrich his Coffers; for the Times fo favourably fmiled upon him, but to what End you 'fhall hereafter hear: Therefore ⚫ let all Men, to whom Fortune ⚫ extendeth her Favour and in higheft Authority, the turneth her Favour and pleasant Countenance into Frowns. This Almoner climbing up 'Fortune's Wheel, that no Man was in Eftimation with the King, but only he, for his witty Qualities and Wisdom. He had an efpecial Gift of natural Eloquence, and a filed Tongue to pronounce the fame, that he was able therewith, to perfuade and allure all Men to his Purposes, in the time of his ⚫ continuance in Fortune's Favour. 66 66 Empfon and Dudley, the two principal Contrivers of all this Calamity, were cited before the Council, where the principal Articles against them were briefly exhibited. Empfon anfwered for them Empfon's both, "That he could not but take it Speech. as a Favour that he was allowed to "fpeak for himself and Mr. Dudley, "when he confidered with what Violence they had "been pursued; and observed, that the Accufation was of a very new and ftrange Nature; that ufually "Men were profecuted for acting against the Laws, or difobeying their Sovereign's Commands; but they were charged for executing the Laws, of "which the People were the Authors. That he "knew it was to little purpose for him to speak, when "the King, to whom they fhould appeal as their fupreme Judge and Protector, had abandoned them to the Fury of their Enemies, for no other Cause "than obeying his Father's Orders, and maintaining 66 The SECRET HISTORY of the CARDINAL, In the fifth Year of the Reign of King Henry the Eighth it chanced, that the Realm of England and France was at Variance, but upon what • Ground or Occafion I know his therein: And he being nothing fcrupulous in any Thing that the King would command, although it feemed very difficult, took upon him the whole Charge of the Business, and proceeded fo therein, that he brought all Things to good • Effect in direct Order, for all manner of Victuals and Provifion convenient for so noble a Voyage and Army. ་ All Things being thus prepared by him in Order, the King not intending to neglect or delay any Time, but with noble and valiant Courage to advance his Royal Enterprize, paffed the Seas between Dover and Calis, where he profperoufly arrived; and, after he • had 66 "his Authority. How could they expect Juftice "from the People, or have an equal Tryal from "them, who fought their Destruction before they were "heard? If any of the Statutes, that had been put "in Force, were difagreeable to the Kingdom, why were they not repealed? Was it ever known before, "that an Attempt fhould be made for condemning "Men for doing Juftice, especially when the King, "the chief Difpenfer thereof, had confirmed and "warranted every part of their Proceedings, which they were able to fhew. An Attempt (says he) "before unheard of! and if what we have thus done "be now construed as Crimes, and we fuffer thereby, "I defire it may not be divulged to Foreign Nations, " left they should infer the final Diffolution of the English Government was approaching". To this one of the Council anfwered, "That, tho' Empfon had spoken "with Boldness, yet he had not 66 66 One of the Coureil answers Emp fon. By GEORGE CAVENDISH, Efq; • had there made his Arrival, and landed all his Provifion ⚫ and Munition, and fate in Con• fultation about his weighty Affairs, marched forth in good • Order of Battle, till he came to the strong Town of Turwine, to the which he laid ftrong Siege, and made a sharp Atfault, fo that in a short space • it was yielded unto him, unto ⚫ which Place the Emperor Max⚫imilian reforted unto him with a great Army like a mighty Prince, taking of the King's • Wages. Thus, after the King had taken this frong Town, and taken Poffeffion thereof, and fet all Things in good Order, ⚫ for the Defence and Preferva 6 thereby tion thereof to his Majefty's Ufe, then he retired from thence and marched towards Turney, and there lay'd Siege in like manner; to which he gave fo fierce Affault, that the Enemies were constrained to render the Town to his Majefly. At ‹ which Time, the King gave unto the Almoner the Bithoprick of the fame Sce towards his Pains and Diligence sustained in that Journey. And when he had established all Things according to his Prince⚫ly Mind and Pleafure, and furnifhed the fame with Men and Captains of War for the Safe6 guard of the Town, he prepared for his Return to England, 6 • But |