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but the pope, whom the power of the emperor still kept in awe, cited the parties to Rome. Henry treated the citation as an insult, and refused submission. His answer was carried to the pope by the father of Anne Boleyn, who declined on this occasion the honour offered to him of saluting the toe of his holiness. Thus was the first step laid for the success of the reformation in England.

The king, in a subsequent parliament and convocation, was declared supreme head of the church, and measures were taken for the humiliation of Rome. The nuptials of Henry with Anne Boleyn were privately celebrated, and, on the pregnancy of Anne, made public. Catherine was still treated by the King, who, by every persuasive argument besought her to relinquish her claims, with esteem and respect. Unable to bend her from her purpose, he signified his wish that she should retire, and requested her to select a residence from amongst the royal palaces. She made choice of Ampthill, near Dunstable, where Cranmer, raised to the primacy, examined the validity of the marriage. She refused to answer either in person or by proxy, and was once more declared contumacious. The cause, however, proceeded, and, on the production of the

ions of the universities, sentence was pro

by the primate, and the marriage of the

king with Catherine annulled. A subsequent sentence ratified his nuptials with Anne, who was soon after publicly crowned.

The following letter will further serve to illustrate the manners of the

age:

"Sir Thomas Boleyn to Cardinal Wolsey upon the Christening of the Duke of Orleans, afterwards King Henry the Second of France, June 7th, 1519.

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"In a letter of Sir Thomas Boleyn, dated Poissy, April 9th, 1519, he says, he enquired of Francis the First when the christening of his son should be, who answered after Easter,' because the child had a disease in his eyes and he sayeth, all his children have, shortly after they be borne; sayeng also yt was my lady his mother's mynd, that the chyld shuld bee clene hole of any dysease afore the crystenyng; whos advyse he seyd he should folow therein *.

"In a succeeding letter, Sir Thomas Boleyn gives an account of a solempne procession at Court on April 15th, where went in the same the king, the lady his mother, with all the lords and ladys of the court. The cause of this procession was, for to honnour the holy cordon or coorde that our Lord was bounde to the pyller with, and many other relyques, which wer sent

VOL. I.

*MS. Cotton. Calig. D. VII. fol. 108.

I

to the quene here from an abbey in Poytow, and from dyvers other places, now when she was delyuered of chyld *.]

"Pleasith yt youre Grace to understand that the first day of this moneth I wrote my last lettres to your Grace; and on Sonday last past about x. of the clocke at nyght, the kings yong sonne whos title is Henry of Seynt Germayn Duke of Orleans, was crystened, the Duke of Alaunson was the second godfather, and the duchesse of Denamours the god mother. And bicause York, this berar, was there present, who can shewe your Grace all the maner and order of the crystenying, I leve to wryte to your Grace of the same; saving that according as your Grace hath here a fore tyme wryten to me I presented to the quene here in the name of the kings highnesse the salt, the cuppe, and layar of gold, which was very much praysed; and also the quene and my lady gave to the kings highnesse for the same their loving and harty thanks. And after all was doon the king came to me and sayd he thanked the king's highnesse of the great honnor that he had doon hym in crystenyng of his chyld, sayeng that when so ever yt shall fortune the kings highnesse to have a prince he shal be glad to doo for hym in lyke maner, and that he is mynded after his said sonne shall come

*MS. Cotton. Calig. D. VII. fol. 108.

to age and be able to........ he purposyth to send hym to the kings grace into Englande, to doo hym service.

"And the hundreth pounde that your Grace sent to gyve in reward, is bistowed as folowith. First the Noryce, oon hundreth crownes; to iiij. rockers of the yong Dukes chamber, ij. hundreth crownes; to iij. gentlewomen of the quenes pryve chamber, called femmes de Ret....a hundreth and fyfty crownes; and at the offrying xx nobils, which amounteth in all to the some of oone hundreth pounds sterling and xv. crownes over. All which money was paid and delyvered by the hands of York this berar and Richmount, which can shewe your Grace well inough thereof.

"Furthermore, as this berar can shewe your Grace, there hath been with me at my lodging the kings porters, the T.....and officers of armys which with importune manner asked reward, saying that the Duke of Urbyn at the crystenyng of the Dolphyn rewarded them, and wyth the best answer that I could make them nothying given they went away miscontent. Neverthelesse it is....by honorabull folks here that the gyftes to the quene, and the money that is gyven in rewardes was sufficiently honorable, and largely inough for the kings honnor.

"I have also laid out xj xijs in sendyng dyvers tymes myn own folks and other that I have hired to your Grace in to England, and to

Calais, with lettres in post and otherwise, the which xj xij and xv. crownes that I have layd out now more than hundreth poundes that your Grace sent me by York to gyve in reward, is owing me. And forasmoch as the last money that your Grace sent me for a hnndreth dayes ended the xxviijth day of May last past I besech your Grace both to send me such dyett money as shall best please your Grace, and that the said xj" xij* and xv. crownes that is owing me may be also delivered to my prest, which shall attend upon your Grace for yt."

Ambassadors are not so easily paid in modern times; but we have little to say to that matter, and would rather draw the attention of our readers to some of the most curious traits which the letters develop of the character of Henry VIII, who is told by one of his representatives*, speaking of the imperial crown, at which he aimed,

-"Oon of the cheffe points in the election off th'emperor is that he which shal be electyd must be off Germanie, subgiet to [the] empire; wheras your Grace is not, nor never sithen the Christen faith the Kings of Englond were subgiet to th'empire. But the crown of Englond is an empire of hitselff, mych bettyr then now the empire of Rome for which cause your Grace werith a close crown."

* Dr. Cuthbert Tunstall, afterwards Bishop of Durham.

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