LETTER CXXI.

Edward Baynton to the Treasurer: declaring that only one person named Mark, will confess any thing against Queen Anne.

[MS. COTTON. OTHO c. x. fol. 209. b.]

MR THESAURER this shalbe to advertyse yow that here is myche communycacion that noman will confesse any thyng agaynst her, but allonly Marke of any actuell thynge. Wherfore (in my folishe conceyte) it shulde myche toche the Kings hono' if it shulde no And I cannot beleve but that the

farther appeere. other two bee as f

And I thynke assur councell. As many causeth me to thynk

nycacion that was last bet..
Master Norres. M Aumener
I myght speke with Mr S.

ther more playnely expresse my that they have confessyd like wret as they shulde do than my n apoynte. I have mewsed myche at

mastres Margery whiche hath used her strangely toward me of late being her fry

have ben. But no dowte it cann

* f. frynd.

Sir William Kyngston to Secretary Cromwell, May 16th 1536, upon the preparations for the execution of my Lord Rochford and Queen Anne.

[HARL. MS. 283. fol. 134. Orig.]

SIR

THYS day I was with the Kyng's Grace and declared the petysyons of my Lord of Rochford wherin I was answred. Sir the sayd Lord meche desyreth to speke with you, weche towchet hys consyens meche as he sayth, wherin I pray you I may know your plesur, for by cause of my promysse made unto my sayd Lord to do the same, and also I shall desyre you fur

ther to know the Kyngs plesur towchyng the Quene, as well for her comfyt as for the preparacion of skefolds and hother necessarys consernyng. The Kyngs grace showed me that my lord of Cantorbury shuld be hyr confessar, and was here thys day with the Quene ; & nota in that mater, Sir, the tyme ys short, for the Kyng supposeth the gentelmen to dy to morow, and my lord of Rocheford with the reysydew of gentelmen, & as zit with yowt bweche Iloke for, bot I have told my lord of Rocheford that he be in aredynes to morow to suffur execusyon, and so he accepse it very well, and will do his best to be redy, Notwithstandyng he wold have reysayved hys ryghts, weche hathe not bene used and in especiall here. Sir I shall desyre you at we here may know the Kyngs plesur here as shortly as may be, atd we here may prepayre for the same weche ys necessary, for the same we here have now may for to do execusyon. Sir I pray you have gud rymembrance in all thys for husf to do, for we shalbe redy al ways to our knowlage. Zit thys day at dyner the Quene sayd atd she shuld go to Anvures & ys in hope of lyf, and thus far you well.

d

LETTER CXXIII.

Sir William Kingston to Lord Cromwell, apparently May 18th 1536.

[MS. COTTON. OTHO c. x. fol. 223.]

SYR thys shalbe to advertyse you I have resayved your Lett' wherin yo .a have strangerys conveyed yowt of the Towre and so thay be by the.

of Richard Gressum, & Will-m Loke, & Wythe

mony; Hothe and the inbassit'of the emperor had a

ther and honestly put yowt. Sr yf we have

not anowres serten ...d be knowen in London, I thynke he wilbe bot few and I thynk

f

humbur & ware bes: for I suppose she wyll declare hyr

yng she sent for me that I myght be with hyr at . .

asshe reysayved the gud lord to the in tent I

shuld here hy

towchyng hyr innosensy al

way to be clere & in the writy

she sent

for me, and at my commyng she sayd M. Kyngston I

past my payne. I told hyr it shuld be now payne it

af. you would have. number. e an hour. d as it may be. L. Herb. a reasonable. L. Herb. g number. h be a. L. Herb. i death. morning. L. Herb. 1 I heard say I shall not. L. Herb.

⚫ here. k for this

The names of those who were called Anne Boleyn's accusers have occurred in the preceding Letters.

The close of her catastrophe shall be detailed in the words of Burnet : "A little before noon, being the 19th. of May," she was brought to the Scaffold, where she made a short speech to a great company that came to look on the last scene of this fatal Tragedy: the chief of whom were the Dukes of Suffolk and Richmond, the Lord Chancellor, and Secretary Cromwell, with the Lord Mayor, the Sheriffs, and Aldermen of London. She said she was come to die, as she was judged by the Law; she would accuse none, nor say any thing of the ground upon which she was judged. She prayed heartily for the King; and called him a most merciful and gentle Prince, and that he had been always to her, a good, gentle, sovereign lord and if any would meddle with her cause, she required them to judge the best. And so she took her leave of them and of the world; and heartily desired they would pray for her. After she had been some time in her devotions, being her last words to Christ I commend my Soul,' her head was cut off by the hangman of Calais, who was brought over as more expert at beheading than any in England: her eyes and lips were observed to move after her head was cut off, as Spelman writes; but her body was thrown into a common chest of elm tree, that was made to put arrows in, and was buried in the chapel within the Tower before twelve o'clock.

"Her brother with the other four did also suffer. None of them were quartered, but they were all beheaded, except Smeton, who was hanged. It was generally said, that he was corrupted into that confession, and had his a was so sotell. Herb. ba lyttel neck and put her hand. Herb. VOL. II.

F

⚫ that,