"thereby cleared himself and Dudley of the Charge

1

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.

66

"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. fary therefore to find out fome

(6

It was necefexprefs Law to " condemn

Rapin's Remarks on their Cafe.

66

The SECRET HISTORY of the CARDINAL,

• called Hoddenfield, where the

"

King of Scots was flain, with

divers of his Nobility, and

eighteen thousand Men, and

they took all his Munition for • War.

ing General, where he overthrew the Scots at Balmfton,

By this time the King returned into England, and took with him divers noble Perfonages of France, being Prifoners; as the Duke of Longuido, Viscount Clerimond, with divers others that were taken in a Skirmish.

And thus God gave him
Victory at Home, and Victo-

と

ry Abroad, being in the fifth

Year of his Reign, Anno Dom.
One Thoufand Five Hundred
and Thirteen.

CHAP

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 66 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 Empson 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 Majesty's Illness, some 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.

On

By GEORGE CAVENDISH, Efq;

CHA P. IV.

The King promoting his Almoner, being made Cardinal, and Lord Chancellor of England.

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 Commissioners of Forfeitures! Hell-bounds! Blood Suckers, &c. Bishop Burnet, in his History of the Reformation, tells us, "That Empfon and Dudley, apprehending the Danger "they were like to be in upon their "Mafter's Death, had been practising with their Part"ners, to gather about them all the Power they could "bring together; whether to fecure themselves "from popular Rage, or to make themselves "feem confiderable or formidable to the new King; "this

And convicted of High Trea

Jon.

Burnet's Obfervations on their Cafe.

་

• reafon whereof there ingendered
'fome Grudge between them:

•

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

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 Bi

·

·

་

⚫ claimeth an Acknowledgment,fhops with their Mitres, Caps,

6 as in antient Obedience of York, to abate Advancement of his Croffes, to the Croffes of Canterbury.

and other Ornaments: And after all this, he was made Chancellor of England, and Canterbury who was the Chan'cellor, was difmiffed.

Now he being in the Chan'cellorship, and endowed with the promotions of Archbishop, and Cardinal de Latere, thought

"

The SECRET HISTORY of the CARDINAL,

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

·

"

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

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 deserved 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 Custody, till their Cafes fhould be laid before the Parliament, which did not meet this Year.

The

"

himself fo fully furnished, that •he was now able to furmount Canterbury in all Ju'rifdictions; and in all Eccle'fiaftical Powers to Convocate Canterbury, and all other Bifhops, and Spiritual Perfons " to affemble at his Convocations, where he would affign, and take upon him the Con'verfion of all Minilters, and ' others within their Jurifdictions, and vifited all the Spiritual 'Houses, in their Diocefe, and 'all manner of Spiritual Minifters, as Commiffioners, Scribes, Apparators, and all ' other neceffary Officers to fur'nith his Courts, and did convent by Convention, whom he 'pleased through this Realm and

'

6

"

·

By GEORGE CAVENDISH, Efq;

A Remark

thereon.

get in this Realm.

6

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

the

he rode or went, by two of the tallest Priefts that he could

The Wits in thofe Days employed themselves in making Satyrical Pieces on Empfon and Dudley, particularly, Mr. Cornish, of the King's Chapel, made feveral 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, at the Time of his Fall, had no lefs in Offices than to the yearly Value of 800%. befides 20,000 l. in ready Money, over and above Jewels, Plate, and rich Houshold Goods, to a very great Amount; and all this he gathered in lefs than 13 Years Time.

Empfon

Dudley's large

Fortune.

The SECRET HISTORY

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

6

N

OW firft for his House you fhall understand, that he had in his Hall three • Boards kept with three several • Officers (that is to fay) a Stew

·

ard, that was always a Prieft; a Treasurer, that was ever a Knight; and a Comptroller that was an Esquire: Alfo a • Confeffor, a Doctor; three Marshals, three Ufhers in the

of the CARDINAL,

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

CHAP. V.

Of the Orders and Officers of his House and Chapple.

<

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 Hall• Kitchen two Cooks, and La'bourers, and Children, twelve

Perfons; four Men of the 'Scullery, two Yeoman of the Paitry, with two other Paftlayers under the Yeomen.

Then had he in his Kitchin, · a Mafter Cook, who went daiThen had he in the Hall-ly in Velvet or Sattin, with a Kitchen two Clarks, a Clark

6

gold Chain, befides two other

Cooks,

• Hall, befides two Almoners

6

' and Grooms.

L