iliforni ional ility r o LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAfl CHEQO nf jSJr jBitblnr, IX STAN DO IV CHURCH, HERTFORDSHIRE. IUE POLE or Tin: KOYAI, PTANDAKH OF scoTt.\ND \vinnr IT is SUPPOSED UK Ki) AT iiiii I;AIILE 01- pi.NKii-:, 1017. A MEMOIR THE LIFE AND TIMES RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR 1ULPH SADLEIR, COMPILED FUOSI STATE PAPERS BY HIS DESCENDANT, MAJOR F. SADLEIIl[STOXEY, KOTAL AETILLEKY. " Sir Ralph Saclleir saw tlio intcrcsl >--f tlio Stnfp altered ?ix times, and died an honest man ; the crown put njion four heads, yet ln> cuiiliiiiicd :i fiiilhlul ^r.ljict: reliuion ehnticiHl, as to the public coustitution of it) live times, yet he kept the 1'uith." LLOYD, "Statesmen and Favourites of England." LONDON: I.O:s<; MASS, GKLEX, & Co. 1877. PREFACE. SIR RALPH SAULEIR, like his colleague Lord Burghley, retained all important letters which he received, and copies of those lie sent. These documents were preserved by his descendants, and some of them were published in Edinburgh in 1720, under the title of "Letters and Nego- tiations of Sir Ralph Sadler, Ambassador of King Henry VIII. of England to Scotland ;" but a more complete series was published by his descendant, Arthur Clifford, in 1809, entitled "The State Papers and Letters of Sir Ralph Sadler, Knight Banneret," to which was added a brief "Memoir of Sir Ralph Sadler, with Historical Notes, by Walter (afterwards Sir Walter) Scott, Esq."* Since then (in 1830) a Royal Commission was appointed to arrange and publish the national collections of State Papers ; and those concerning Henry VTlI.'s reign were accordingly published in extenso, and include several letters and documents which throw a great deal of additional light on Sadleir's career. From these original sources, principally, I compiled, or rather strung together, the following pages ; and I trust I have produced an authentic * Sir Walter Scott's memoir of Sir Ralph Sadleir is the longest account of him hitherto published; yet it is very brief, and though charmingly written it contains several errors, while the information it gives on several important points is very scanty indeed. By the help of the State Papers published since Waller Scot:'s time, 1 have been able to supply the deficiencies to a great extent. For example : Scott writes, il As Sadleir daily advanced in the King's favour, he became, though at what time I cannot say. Clerk of the llanaper, one of the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber, nnd received the honour of knighthood;" whereas in the following pages not only the approximate dates but the special circumstances under which these several appointments and distinctions were received will be found recorded. Again, Scott says, with reference to Sadleir's gallant conduct at the battle of Pinkie, 1517, "I have discovered no trace of Sir Ralph Sa 11-, ir's being employed during the rest of Edward's short reign;" but Chapter X IV. details the part he took in Gardiner's committal to the Tower, the suppression of Kef's rebellion, the execution of Lord Scymcur, the deposition of the Duke of Somer.-et, aud iimilly shows that he was oue of those who subscribed ^Northumberland's ' device," IV. PREFACE. outline of a most interesting period of English and Scotch histoiy, as well as a connected narrative of the life of a celebrated Statesman whose biography has never hitherto been written, and whose memory ought to be held in high estimation by his countrymen of all ages ; for no man ever lived who contributed individually more to the union of England and Scotland into the one glorious Kingdom of Great Britain, than Sir Ralph Sadleir. I offer no apology for placing my illustrious ancestor in the prominent position he is justly entitled to amongst the English Statesmen of the sixteenth century ; nor do I think it necessary to apologise for filling in the background with important scenes from such a fascinating epoch of national history ; but for the inartistic manner in which the picture is painted I hold up my unskilled hands as a suppliant, and crave the reader's pardon. F. S. S. WOOLWICH, May, 1877. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. THE EARLY PART OF HENRY VIII/S REIGN. Henry VII. and politic marriages. Henry VIII.'s appearance and character. His acces- sion to the throne, and marriage to Katharine of Arragon. Population of England, and current prices at the time. A royal pageant. War and love. Anne Boleyn at Court. The question of Queen Katharine's divorce broached 1-8. CHAPTER II. WOLSEY, CRUMWELL, AND SADLEIR. Wolsey's birth and education. He obtains a footing at Court. His wealth and grandeur. CrumwelPs early life. He is patronised by Wolsey. Wolsey impeached before Parlia- ment and defended by Crumwell. Wolsey is disgraced. Crumwell taken into the King's service Sadleir Crurmvell's Secretary at the time. Sadleir's birth and parentage. His personal appearance. ITis marriage, and connection with the Crumwell family. His education and general character 9-16. CHAPTER III. THE DIVORCE OF KATHARINE OP ARRAGON AND THE REFORMATION OF THE CHURCH. (1528-36.) Henry VIII. refers the question of the divorce to the Pope. The Pope defers his reply. Henry marries Anne Boleyn. Divided state of public opinion in England on the divorce and Reformation. Previous efforts of Wyclifle to reform the Church. Luther. Henry disowns the Pope. The Bible published in English, and disseminated through- out the kingdom. The rise and fall of monastic institutions. .Number of monasteries dissolved. Pensions to the disestablished monks. Application of Church property. Abolition of the monasteries not without drawbacks 17-27. CHAPTER IV. JANE SEYMOUR QUEEN, SADLEIR PRIVATE SECRETARY TO THE KING. (1536.) Death of Queen. Katharine. Anne Boleyn found guiltv of adultery, and beheaded. Henry VIII.'s marriage to Jane Seymour. Honours heaped on Crumwell. Sadleir a Court official. His letter to Crumwell at the King's dictation. Crumwell carries out the Reformation. Discontent of the Catholics. Insurrection in Lincoln. " Pilgrimage of Grace " in Yorkshire. 1 . Critical political position of England. Sadleir selected as envoy to Queen Margaret of Scotland 28-34. CHAPTER V. VI. CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. SADLEIR ENVOY TO JAMES V. BIRTH OF EDWARD VI. (1537-39.) Sadleir sent to France with despatches for James V. of Scotland and the English ambassador (Gardiner) at the French Court. James V.'s marriage to the daughter of the King of France. Re requests permission to return home with his bride through England, and is refused. He threatens to "break a spear on an Englishman's breast bef>re a year.' 1 Sadleir despatched to Edinburgh to conciliate the Scotch monarch, and warn him against, priestcraft. Henry VIII.'s instructions to Sadleir on the occasion Death of the young Queen of Scots. Birth of Edward VI., and death of his mother, Queen Jane. Two uneventful year?. Council importune Henry to marry again. Crumwell brings about a marriage with Anne of Cloves. The r ving is disappointed with her personal appearance, and resolves straightway to divorce her 44-51. CHAPTER VII. SADLEIR AMBASSADOR TO THE COURT OF SCOTLAND. (1540.) Henry VIII. desires to establish friendly relations with James V., and to persuade him to reform the Church in Scotland. For this purpose Sadleir is sent as ambassador to Edinburgh. The Bishop of lioss turned out of his house to make room for Sadieir. Stories invented liy the priests t" tiring him into had odour with James. Sadleir's graphic description of liis reception and entertainment at the Scotch Court. James treats him with kindness, and is delighted with Henry's present of horses. Sadleir, though unable to undermine Cardinal Beaton's influence, lias i-.n the whole a successful mission. His interviews with Jam- s V.'s new Queen (Mary of Lorraine) and the Dowager Margaret. James half promises the ambassador to arrange a royal meeting with Henry 52-62. CHAPTER VIII. THE FALL OF CRUMWELL. (1540-42.) Sadleir appointed Seorel.irv of State. His duties and privileges as .-ucli. Crumwell sent to the Tower. Sudleir bears a letter from him to the King. Crumwell's prayer on the scalfol 1. Anne of (lev. s divorced.- Tin- Kin:: ni->rries Catherine Howard. Sadleir knigh rectioi (Cardi lal i'ole'-. n.oihir) beheaded. The King'-; vi-ii i.-i Y^rk^liiiv. Jam"S V. disap- points Henry by not coming to >neei him. Adultery and execution of Queen Catherine Howard 03-7U. CIIAJTKK IX. DEFEAT OF T.IIK SCOTCH AT soMVAY MOSS, AM) DEATH OF .IAV V. Cardinal !! a(..n -tir- in. an;ii:<>-r v !/ i W!lte li.e \;l lev of i ![ T ,\ el.- ! , r ( nrli-le. on: is'rou'e.i by the l-.ngl:- ! Ai lini'T til' ail i l:_;!i-li ill.Hl! ::: Set. anei-r and iinnoyanee. Ijirlii "t' Mar ', infant C^ieen < t' N .is. A !-'i-.'n -h )ui-a.>uri - (.> ini.-i'i-i-pi ii. .-'adleir iig .ni CONTENTS. vii. CHAPTER X. MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS AS AX INFANT, AND THE TURMOIL OF WHICH SHE WAS THE INNOCENT CAUSE. (1545.) Sadleir arrives in Edinburgh. His reception by the Governor, Lord Arran. The Scotch Parliament. Sir George Douglas. Mary of Lorraine. " I assure your Majesty it is as goodly a child as I have seen of her age." Difficulty of bringing, the Scotch to terms. At length the royal marriage is agreed to by three estates of the realm, and Sir Ralph and I, inly Sadleir arc appointed to superintend the training of the infant Queen. Cardinal Beaton interpose". The Scutch repudiate the recent treaty. Sadleir's life in danger. He retires to Tantallon Castle, and finally returns to the English Court... 77-87. CHAPTER XL FURTHER HOSTILITIES WITH SCOTLAND. DEATH OF HENRY VIII. (1544-7.) Henrv prepares far war with France and Scotland. Hertford, Sadloir, and Tunstall. the Council in the North. The Earl of Lennox and Lady Margaret Douglas. The English army under Lord .Hertford, with Sadleir as Treasurer, invades Scotland and burns Edinburgh. Henry VIII. captures Boulogne. Border raids. The French attempt to land at Portsmouth, hut arc repulsed. Sadleir still in the north. Contemplated assassiration of Cardinal Heat on. An English force again crosses the border and devas- tates the country. Sadleir builds his house at Standon. Gardiner's attempt to check Protestantism. Catherine Parr in jeopardy. Henry VIII. 's serious illness. Speculation as to his death. Duke of Norfolk sent to the Tower. Earl of Surrey beheaded. The King dies 88-99. CHAPTER XII. THE ACCESSION OF EDWARD VI. The guardianship of the young King in the hands of sixteen Executors and twelve Council- lors. Sir Ralph Sadleir one of the latter. The Earl of Hertford appointed Protector, and made Duke of Somerset. New peers created. Sadleir not included. Sadleir's lands. Puritanism. The Book of Common Praver 100-106. CHAPTER XIII. THE BATTLK OF PINKIE. :otland, to compel the Scotch to ratify (lie marriage treaty. Sadleir their strong po-dti >u to .".(lack the KnglMi. Lord drey do Wilton's charge. Discom- fiture ot the English. The Karl of \Varwick and >ir Ralph Sadleir rallythe troops and win tho Kittle. Might of the Scotch, an i fearlul carnage. Tradition that &ir Ralph Sudleir captured the Koyal Stand, ird of Scotland. -I le is dubbe i knight banneret. The victory i< burr n of | olitical results. The young Queen of Scots i? convevcd to France for the purpose of being betrothed to the Dauphin 107-111. Mill. CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIV. FALL OF THE DUKE OF SOMERSET. DEATH OF EDWARD VI. (1548-63.) Gardiner's opposition to Protestantism. His sermon before the Court. He is arrested by Sadleir and Wingfield, and conveyed to the Tower. Lord Seymour of Sudleye's fatal ambition. Suppression of the Latin services of the Church. Disturbance throughout the country. Ket's rebellion. Somerset's ill-government. He is sent to the Tower, tried, and deposed from the Protectorate. The Earl of Warwick at the head of affairs. Somerset plots to be reinstated. Is found guilty of felony and beheaded. Warwick becomes Duke of Somerset. He marries his son, Lord Guildford Dudley, to the Lady Jane Grey. His " device " to have his daughter-in-law named next heir to the throne. King Edward dies 115-125. CHAPTER XV. QUEEN MARY'S REIGN OF PERSECUTION. (1553-58.) Lady Jane Grey proclaimed Queen. The Princess Mary claims the crown, and has many supporters. Northumberland leaves London with a force to attack Mary's party. General movement in favour of Mary. -Northumberland, Lady Jane Grey, Ac., sent to the Tower. Mary Queen. Her Catholic ministry. Sir Ralph Sadleir retires from the Council. Mary's marriage to Philip of Spain. Wyatt's rebellion. Lady Jane Grey beheaded. Letters to Sadleir. The Queen disappointed in her expectations. Persecution of Protestants. Burning of Cranmer and Latimer. Loss of Calais. The Queen's illness. Elizabeth's prospects. Mary dies 126-134. CHAPTER XVI. THE COMMENCEMENT OF QUEEN ELIZABETH^ REIGN. (1558-9.) The new Queen at Hat field. Sir William Cecil Secretary of State. State entry into London. Sadleir's advice to the Queen as to religion. Loyal Catholics and moderate Protestants. Parliament wishes the Queen to marry. Her suitors. Sadleir's speech in Council. Mary Queen of Scots a rival candidate for the English crown. State of affairs in Scot- land. John Knox. The Lords of the Congregation. Their opposition to the Regent. Sadleir sent to the Border to assist them .. 135-142. CHAPTER XVII. SADLEIR COMFORTS THE SCOTCH LORDS OF THE CONGREGATION. Sadleir at Berwick. He sends the Congregation money to raise soldiers. Their agent is robbed by the Earl of Bothwell. The lords have to" retreat to Stirling. Mary Queen Q L of Scots, and IHT husband the King of France, quarter their arms with' those of England. Elizabeth determines to help the Congregation openly. Sadleir Lord VVardcn of the East and Middle Marches. An English force sent to Scotland. The siege of Leith. Death of Miiry of Lorraine. The treaty of Leitli. Lord Robert Dudley seeks the Queen's hand. Suspicious death of his wife. King of France dies, leaving Mary Queen of Scots a widow 143-152. CONTENTS. IX. CHAPTER XVIII. MARY STUART ON HER NATIVE THRONE. (1561-66.) Mary Stuart returns to Scotland. State of her kingdom. Her wish to be acknowledged as Elizabeth's successor. Stormy debate in the English Parliament on the succession question. Sadleir's fierce invective against Mary Stuart's claim. The Scotch Parlia- ment. A sermon of John Knox's. Mary marries Lord Darnley. Marriage not a happy one. David Rizzio. His assassination. Birth of James I. Discussion in the English Parliament. Sadleir's speech 153-164. CHAPTER XIX. THE QUEEN OF SCOTS DEPOSED, AND A REFUGEE IN ENGLAND. (1567-68.) Mary's dislike to Darnley, and favour to Bothwell. Davnley's illness. His murder. Mary's marriage to Bothwell. Opposition of the Scotch nobility. Bothwell a fugitive, and Queen Mary prisoner. Her infant son proclaimed King, under the title of James VI. She escapes from Loch Leven, is defeated at. Langsidc, and takes refuge in Carlisle Castle. Perplexity in the English Council regarding her. Sadleir in Council advocates the recognition of the young King's Government. Commissioners appointed to investigate the matter between the Queen of Scots and her subjects. The casket letters. The result of the enquiry 165-176. CHAPTER XX. THE RISING IN THE NORTH. (1569.) Animosity of Franco and Spain to England. Papist plots for the restoration of Mary Stuart. The Duke of Norfolk in the Tower. The Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland break out into open insurrection. Lord Ilunsdon and Sir Ralph Sadleir sent to York to aid Lord Sussex. Mary Queen of Scots removed out of reach of the rebels. The rebellion is suppressed. Earl of Northumberland taken prisoner by Murray, the Regent of Scotland. Punishment of the rebels. A gentleman spy. Wild Border life. Murray is assassinated '. 177-190. CHAPTER XXI. PLOTS. (1570-73.) The militia mustered. Sadleir Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire. Libels on Elizabeth's leading Councillors. Attempts to come to terms with the Queen of Scots. Meeting of Commissioners in London with a view to her restoration comes to naught. Anger of the Queen of Scots' party. Conspiracy. Sadleir arrests the Duke of Norfolk, who is tried and found guilty of high treason. Sadleir takes charge of the Queen of Scots at Sheffield Castle. The Duke of Norfolk beheaded. The massacre of St. Bartholomew. Affairs in Scotland. The capture of Dumbarton. The attack on Stirling. Elizabeth aids the young King's pa;! v, and Edinburgh Castle falls into their hands ... 191-202. CHAPTER XXII. "THE ELIZABETHAN AGE." (1573-83.) Commerce and literature flourish. Drake, Raleigh. Spencer, Bacon, Shakespear. Lord Macaulay's description of Elizabeth's principal statesmen. The Queen's Progresses. Her visit to Standon. James VI. 's letter to Sir Ralph Sadleir. The Duke of Aleneon a suitor for Elizabeth's hand. The Queen's indecision. Sadleir's speech against the marriage. Morton beheaded in Scotland. A now plot against Elizabeth is dis- covered 203-212. X. CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXIII. SADLEIR TAKES CHARGE OF MARY QUEEN OP SCOTS. (1584-85.) Lord Shrewsbury summoned to London, and Sadleir appointed warden of the Queen of Scots in his place. The manner in which Mary was guarded. She is removed from "Wingfield to Tutbury Castle. Incidents on the road. Tutbury insufficiently furnished. The expenses of the household. Sadleir allows the Queen of Scots to accompany him. when hawking. He is reproved by Queen Elizabeth. His indignant reply. He is relieved from the charge and proceeds home 213-224. CHAPTER XXIV. THE TRIAL AND EXECUTION OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS. (1585-87.) Mary Stuart plots against Elizabeth. V\'alsingham counterplots. Babington's conspiracy and its discovery. Mary is charged with complicity. Commissioners appointed to try her at Fotheringay. The charges against her. Her defence. She is found guilty and condemned to death. Parliament petition Elizabeth to carry out the sentence. She hesitates, but at last signs the warrant. Execution of Mary. Philip of Spain prepares the armada for the invasion of England 225-234. CHAPTER XXV. DEATH OF SADLEIR. (1587.) Sir Kalph Sadleir dies. His character, as given by Camdeii, Buchanan, Fuller, Lloyd, Sir Walter Scott. His large estates. His descendants 235-240. APPENDIX. I. DESCRIPTION OF SIR RALPH SADLEIR^S MONUMENT IN STANDON CHURCH. VERSES ON A VISIT TO THE MONUMENT. II. POST MORTEM INQUISITION ON SIR RALPH SADLEIll's PROPERTY. III. GENEALOGY OF THE DESCENDANTS OF SIR RALPH SADLEIR. IV. CHARLES II/S PATENT, CONI ERRIXH LANDS IN THE COUNTY TIPPERARY ON COi.O.NKL SAULEIH. LIFE AND TIMES OF SIR RALPH SADLEIR. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. THE EMILY PART OF HENRY Vlil.'s RKUiN. Sni RALPH SADLELR was born in 1507 two years before ITenry A 7 III. ascended the throne and died eighty years aftenvards, in the twenty-ninth year of Queen Elizabeth's reign. His life is inter- woven with nearly all the great events of his country's history which occurred in that interval ; for just as Queen Katharine's celebrated divorce and the Reformation of the Church commenced to agitate England, Sir Ralph appeared in an important official character,* and he- did not quit the polir.ical stage, except during Queen Mary's short reign, until the Queen of Scots had been beheaded and the Spanish Armada was threatening our shores. Hut before 1 withdraw the curtain from the opening scene, I must sketch the antecedent history of the drama, and give, too, at the same time, some idea of the manners and customs of the period. The wars of the. rival roses of York and Lancaster having deluged England with blood in the fifteenth century, the succeeding generation of her rulers and statesmen resolved if possible to secure undisputed possession to the throne, and consequently peace to the people. The marriage of the English monarch became therefore a matter of great importance, not only that he might leave an "heir male of his body" to the crown, but also that his power might be increased in a poli- tical point of view ; indeed at the time 1 treat of, every potentate in Europe endeavoured to strengthen his hands by a matrimonial alliance, and statesmanship, for the most part, resolved itself into royal match- making. Henry VII., founder of the House of Tudor, had great faith in political marriages. As soon as he. had snatched the crown from hi-< \orkist: antagonist on Bosworth Held, he sought the hand of Elizabeth of York, although he hated the whole of her race from th.> bottom of his heart ;f but his personal feelings were nothing in comparison to his * Si'crotavy to Lord Cruimvrll, and sam a HIT \\av.l-; < lentlt'innn of the Kind's J'nvy Cluunlvr, from which he rose in a !'e\v year? to 1v Secretary of State. + " Though Wi/abeth," ?nvs Lord Paeon, '' \v:is leautiful. c-mle, nnd fruitful, he 1 -li.>\vni himself no vory indulgent husband to her; for his aversion to th>' House of York \VUSMJ predominant in him, as it found place nut only in hi; v. ars and councils but iu hi;- chamber and bed.'' I 2 LIFE AND TIMES OP political interests, and by this marriage lie rendered his right to the throne secure by law as well as by conquest, and blended the red and white roses in harmony. Of the fruit of this union, Arthur, the eldest son, married Katharine, Princess of Arragon, and when lie died, his younger brother, Henry, was affianced to her. Margaret, the eldest daughter, was married to King James IV. of Scotland a marriage which ultimately led to the union of the two kingdoms; while the remaining child, Mary, was betrothed to Charles, Prince of Castile, and grandson of the Emperor Maximilian. Henry VIII. succeeded to the throne in 1509. He was then only nineteen, and had, thanks to his father's politic marriage and exter- mination 'of " pretenders," an undisputed title to the throne ; and, thanks, too, to his father's miserly disposition, he inherited a private fortune of about a million and a half pounds a colossal sum in those days which, as became the King of "Merrie England," lie spent with a free hand on banquets, tournaments, and gorgeous pageants. In person, Henry was tall and robust, and when arrayed in the rich robes of purple and gold which, according to the sumptuary laws of dress then in vogue, none but royalty could wear and mounted on a richly caparisoned charger, lie presented a most imposing appearance and looked every inch a king.""" His natural talents were considerable being quick, shrewd, and sagacious. His mind was capacious, and powerful for good or evil. His education in which languages and theology found prominent place was really sound and extensive. This he owed to the fact that his father intended to make him Archbishop of Canterbury, and pro- vided him from his earliest boyhood with the ablest preceptors, including the clever and erudite Erasmus. t Erom his very youth Henry appears to have been ilattered and made much of, and having come to an almost despotic throne while * Hall thus describes Henry VIII., as he appeared, "mounted on a goodly charger, trapped in rich cloth of gold," at the meeting with Anne of Cloves, on Blackheath : "His person was apparelled in a coat of purple velvet, somewhat made like a frock, all over embroidered with flat gold of damask, with small lace mixed between of the same gold, and other laces of the same so going traverswise that the ground little appeared; about which garment was a rich guard very curiously embroidered, the sleeves and breast were cut lined with cloth of gold, and tied together with great buttons of diamonds, rubies, and orient pearls. His sword and girdle were adorned witli stones and especial emeralds. His nightcap was garnished with gems, but his bonnet was so rich of jewels that few men could value them. Besides all this, he wore in bnldrick wise a collar of such balystes and pearl that few ever saw the like. And notwithstanding thai this rich apparel and precious jewels were 1 pleasant to behold, yet his princely countenance, his goodly personage, and royal gesture so far exceeded all others present, that in comparison of his person all his rich apparel was little esteemed." f The idea of Henry VIII. as Primate and perhaps Pope may provoke a smile: but had the idea been carried out, he would probably have stayed the Reformation with fire and sword, and might possibly have been canonised by the Eumish Church, SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 3 still in his teens, it was only natural that he exhibited in afterlife a hasty and capricious temper. But he nevertheless possessed many noble instincts the elements of a right royal nature. He was open, brave, and generous, and encouraged those qualities in others. He loved manliness and hated meanness. As a king, he laboured most assiduously in State affairs, held the honour of England dear to his heart, and feared neither pope nor kaiser. His ministers had evidently a high appreciation of his administrative powers, whilst amongst his subjects in general, "Bluff King Hal," who mixed with the people and joined in their village sports, was eminently popular. Katharine of Arragon, as she is commonly called, was daughter of Ferdinand, King of Arragon, and Isabella, Queen of Castile. Being great granddaughter of the Duchess of Lancaster, she had royal English blood in her veins, and in appearance she was more English than Spanish.* When hardly two years old she was affianced by her parents to Prince Arthur, who was even younger than herself. Accord- ingly when she reached sixteen (1501) she left the stately halls of the Alhambra where, amid the picturesque scenery of Granada, her girlhood had passed and came to her new home in the cold north. A few weeks after lier arrival in England, Katharine was married to Arthur with great pomp in Old St. Paul's. But their wedded life was not of long duration; Prince Arthur died before six mouths, and soon afterwards his young widow became the subject of a fresh matri- monial scheme. Ferdinand and Isabella now thought it expedient that their daughter should marry Henry, the new Prince of Wales. A dispensation from the Pope could nullify her previous marriage with his brother, the moiety of her large fortune which had been already paid would not be thrown away, and she might still be Queen of England. The other half of the fortune was not to be despised, and an alliance with Spain was as desirable as ever, Henry VII. therefore consented to the new arrangement. Katharine and young Harry accordingly became engaged, and, as the modern phrase is, were thrown much together, at Eltham, Greenwich, and Richmond. But just before the prince came of age (fifteen) he repudiated the contract, at the instance of "that wilye fox" his father, who had in the meantime set his widowed affections on Katharine's sister, and anxiously wished to espouse her. Katharine, however, adhered to The treaty, which had been duly signed by both monarchs. She was fond of the tall and comclv heir to England's crown, and did not suffer him to lose sight of her. Henry VII. died in April, 1509, and on the 23rd day of the same month Henry Ylll.was proclaimed King, "with muchc gladnessc and rcjoysing of the people." Maximilian was then Emperor of Germany, Louis XII. King of Iliovo h a portrait of her at K-iole Park. Kent. 4 LIFE AND TIMES OP France, Ferdinand was still King of Arragon and Castile, and James IV. (to whom Henry's sister Margaret had been married five years previously), reigned in Scotland. The population of England and Wales was about five millions, while that of London did not exceed two hundred thousand. Beef was a half-penny a pound, beer a farthing a quart, port wine a shilling a gallon, and the farmer only paid a couple of shillings per acre as the yearly rent of his land. At this time Henry was in his nineteenth year, and Katharine in her twenty-fifth. They had not lost sight of one another, and now while politicians debated on the propriety of a marriage between them, they themselves quietly settled the point by entering the unpretending Franciscan chapel at Greenwich, on the llth of June (1509), and getting married privately. It soon, however, became known to the public, and grand preparations were made for the coronation of the new King and Queen, which took place on the 23rd of the June month in "Westminster Abbey. All went merry as a marriage bell at the English Court for the next few years, and the old King's hoardings were spent in masking;?, tournaments, and pageants. Hall's graphic descriptions of these displays shew how costly they were, and throw a light on the fashions and customs of the day. The following is an abridged account of a pageant : "The Queen, with the ladies, repaired to see the jousts, the trumpets blew up, and in came many a nobleman and gentleman richly apparelled, after whom followed certain lords apparelled, they and their horses, in cloth of gold and russet tinsel, the knights iu cloth of gold and russet velvet. And a great number of gentlemen on foot in russet satin and yellow, and yeomen in russet damask and yellow, every man with scarlet stockings and yellow caps. Then came the King, under a pavilion of cloth of gold and purple velvet, embroidered and powdered with II. and K. of fine gold, the compass of the pavilion above embroidered richly, and valcnced with flat gold beaten into wire, with an imperial crown on the top of Hue gold. Alter, followed his three aydes, every of them under a pavilion of crimson damask and purple powdered with H. and K. of tine gold. * Then there was a device or pageant upon wheels brought in, out of which issued a gentleman (the King) richly apparelled, that showed how in a garden of pleasure there was an arbour of gold wherein were lords and ladies much desirous to shew pleasure and pastime to the Queen ;;nd her ladies. The Queen having desired to see them, the great cloth of arras iu front was taken away and the pageant brought more near. It was curiously made and pleasant to behold; it w:is solemn and rich, for every post or pillar thereof \vas covered with line gold. Therein were trees of hawthorn, eglan- tine, roses, vines, and other pleasant flowers of diverse colours, with gillofers and other herbs, all made of satin, damask, silver, and gold, according a; the natural trees, herbs, or flowers ought to be. In the arbour were six ladies in white satin and green, set and embroidered full of H. and K. in gold, all their irvinem'- replenished with ^littering spangles; on their heads were SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 5 bonnets, See., &c.* In this garden also was the King and five with him, appareled in garments of purple satin, all of cuts with H. and K., every edge of gold, and every garment full of posies made of letters of fine gold in bullion as thick as might be. After the King and his companions had danced, he appointed the ladies, gentlemen, and the ambassadors to take the letters of their garments, in token of liberality, which thing the common people perceiving, ran to the King and stripped him into his hose and doublet, and all his companions likewise. Sir Thomas Knevit stood on a stage, and for all his defence lost his apparel. The ladies were likewise spoiled, wherefore the King's guard came suddenly and put the people back, or else more inconvenience had ensued. So the King and the Queen and the ladies returned to his chamber, where they had a great banquet, and all these hurts were turned to laughing and game, and they thought that all that was taken away was but for honour and lanjew, and so this triumph ended with mirth and gladness. At this banquet a shipman of London, f caught certain letters which lie sold to a goldsmith for 3. 14s. Sd., by reason whereof it appeared that the garments were of great value.":!: The pageant thus described was only one of a scries of magnificent spectacles which took place at Westminster in February 1511, in honour of the young heir to the throne, who had been born on the new year's tlav ; but a his, the royal joy was soon turned into mourn- ing by the dcatli of the infant prince, who probably caught a chill at his elaborate christening. Much as his mother grieved for him, she would have deplored his death more deeplv could she have but looked into the dark future awaiting her. In .1513, Henry VIL!. went to war with France, on account of the English possessions in that country. It was during this campaign lie won the "battle of the spurs" (so called from the racing speed with which, in spite of the chivalrous Bayard's remonstrance, the French cavalry ran awa\). AVhile Henry was lighting in France, his brother-in-law, James IV., invaded England; but the Earl of Surrey promptly inarched with an armv against the Scotch, ami won the celebrated battle of Fioddc-n, in which King James and several of the d were killed. Love, if it deserve such an honourable name, was, much mixed up at Calais llenrv Vl'lf. iirsl met * H-iii's lull (I'.'-H'intion nt' in.' la-lii -' li*-;ul-d;vs< ini ;'ht r\!iau- : t the reader':? pi'iomv. t l.i'i: !"ii \\;is i[i;lv ili- '.ii:c-l t'lvm \V\ str.iil'.st'T ill thuse i';M's. J l'ro:ii l ! n' ' ('lii-oni, !,.> "t 1 t'.K' two noli! and iihistiv l'a;ai:i< = of Lan<'a>{iv and Yurkc." t.Tininatin,: with tlu .1 -ath of ll"nry V 1 1 L.. ilia' hi-h and pnulc-.U ]'nne>'. t!ic hvliiliiUiM.' il.v.vvr and vri'y lu'iiv of l.otii i!i,.' .said linage?." Li-is iloatli ii fan- b.iu'liin^ly r' VajHT .MS.: ; ' In iho second year of our l...rd the Ivin^. Ivr Grace iho Onit bi'iv a {n-iiiL-. 1 , wli.isc ?nul i- now ;imo:iu'jt tlV> liolv 6 LIFE AND TIMES OF Duke of Richmond. Again, when the French war was concluded, Henry's pretty young sister Mary was sent to France as the third wife of the old and infirm monarch, Louis XII. Within three months of his marriage Louis died, and a few days after his death Mary married Charles Brandon, afterwards Duke of Suffolk. King Henry was at first much displeased at this love match, but he soon forgave his favourite courtier and his fond sister, and gave a magnificent fete in their honour on the following May Day (1515), upon which occasion the royal party proceeded in gala state from Greenwich Palace to Shooter's Hill, where the King's body guard, disguised as " Robin Hood and his merrie men," invited them to come into the woods to see how outlaws lived, and regaled them in a sylvan bower with wine and venison. James IV. of Scotland was no exception to the royal rule. It was to please the goodlooking Queen of France he rushed into a war with his brother-in-law, and then, when he 'did take the field, he fatally neglected military matters and dangled after the fascinating Lady Heron.* Henry's sister Margaret became a widow by the death of her faithless husband at Flodden, but she did not feel her loss very acutely, as she married the Earl of Angus in a few montljs. Queen Margaret, her son, James V., and Margaret Douglas, her daughter by Lord Angus, occupy prominent places in the following pages ; and in fact it was on account of the Dowager Queen that, more than twenty years after the battle of Flodden, Sir Ralph Sadleir was first sent as envoy to Scotland. In 1527, Henry "VIII. was a fine-looking and vigorous man of thirty-six, whilst Katharine was a faded woman of forty-two. 'Sent into this breathing world before her time," the Queen had never enjoyed robust health, and of all her offspring, the only one who * The following extract from Sir Walter Scott's "Marniion" is historically true: ''O'er James's heart, the courtiers say, Sir Hugh the Heron's wife held sway. To Scotland's court she came To be a hostage for her lord, AVho Cessforcrs gallant heart had gored, And \\iih the King to make accord. Had sent his lovely dame. Nor to that lady free alone Did the gay King allegiance own : For the fair Queen of France Sent him a turqu.ois ring and glove. .And charged him as her knight aud love For her to break a lance. And strike three strokes with Scottish brand. And march three miles on Southron land, And bid the banners of his baud In English breezes dance. And thus for France's Queen he dressed Jiis manly limbs in mailed vest : And thus admitted English fair Jlis inmost counccls still to share: And thus for both he madly planned The ruin of himself jmd laud." SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 7 survived infancy was her delicate daughter Mary, now twelve years old. Henry and Katharine had lived together as man and wife, King and Queen, for eighteen years without any public question as to the legality of their hasty marriage at the little Franciscan chapel ; but now the King found his conscience, and believed, or affected to believe, that Heaven was angry with him for marrying his brother's widow, and had evinced its wrath by so frequently frustrating his hopes of a male heir to his kingdom. These ideas may have crossed his mind and pricked his conscience before, but he never took steps in the matter openly until a new character tripped upon the historical stage in the shape of a pretty young girl with an English face and English freshness, but with French manners and French morals. This was Anne Boleyn, daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn and his wife, Elizabeth Howard, daughter of the Duke of Norfolk.* When the Princess Mary went to France in 15 14-, as bride to Louis XII., bright-eyed little Aunct went in her train, and though Mary soon afterwards returned to England as Lady Charles Brandon, Anne remained in Paris, and was brought up at the French Court. On returning to her native land, Mistress Boleyn was appointed one of the Queen's maids of honour. Being decidedly handsome, and possessing what Sir Ralph Sadleir would call "agility of wit," Anne soon became an object of great admiration at the English Court, and before long attracted the amorous eyes of the King himself. { * Anne Boleyn was therefore cousin to Catherine Howard, afterwards Queen. t Burnet states Anne Boleyn was born iu 1507 : she could therefore be only seven years old at the time of the Princess's marriage, but other writers assert she was then in her t eens, which appears more probable. J According to Shakespeare, from whose description we obtain a glimpse of the social manners then in vogue, the King first took special notice of Anne at a banquet given by Cardinal Wolsey : '' Lord Cliamlcrlahi : Sweet ladies, will it please you sit ': Sir Harry, place you on that side, I'll take charge of this. His Grace is eut'ring. Xay, you must not freeze; Two women placed together makes cold weather. My Lord Sands, you are one will keep them waking; IVay sit between these ladies. Lord Sands : By my faith; and thank your lordship. By your leave, sweet ladies. (Scaig himself belieeen Anne Bolci/u Jici\ts. Ladies cl/osi n for a dance; t/ic Kiii/n.) The. Kiin/ : The fairest hand 1 ever touched, () beatih. Till now I never knew thoe l!y FlVaven bin 1 is a dainty one. Sweetheart! 'Tweiv unmannerly to take you out And not to kiss you. (Kissm her.)' 8 LIFE AND TIMES OP Henry was an impetuous lover, and did not conceal his fancy for his wife's inaid of honour. The courtiers, knowing his wishes, advocated a divorce on the grounds of national expediency, and a dispensation from the Pope was accordingly applied for (1527), but although the English monarch had been a great supporter of the papal power, and had written a smart book against the doctrines enunciated by Martin Luther, the Pontiff hesitated to grant the divorce, through fear of displeasing the powerful Emperor 4 *" who was nephew to Queen Katharine. During the delay which followed, the question agitated public opinion in England, and divided the State into two parties. For some years back Luther's doctrines had been gaining ground, and many influential men wished for a reformation in the Church. Now, the Queen was a staunch Roman Catholic, and, like her mother, hated "heresy;" her downfall would be a blow to the hierarchy at this crisis, and a gain to the Reformers ; hence the divorce was deprecated by the former and advocated by the latter. But the question of the divorce and the Reformation is so complicated, I must devote a separate chapter to it, and, in the meantime, will introduce AYolsey, Crumwell, and Sadleir to the reader's notice. * Charles V., of Spain, who became Emperor of Germany on the death of Maximilian, in 1519. SIR KALPH SADLEIK. CHAPTER II. WOLSEY, CRUMWELL, AND SADLEIR. I have classified these three eminent statesmen together riot only on account of the connection between them for, as Crumwell owed his rise to Wolsey, so was Sadleir indebted to Crumwell for an intro- duction to King Henry but because I think Sir Ralph Sadleir is not unworthy of being grouped with the other two. No doubt Sadleir's career was not so marked or brilliant as either Wolsey' s or Crumwell's ; but considering his long and important services to the State, extending as they did over fifty years, he was certainly the most useful minister of the three; and if he is not so well known in so-called history as either of his illustrious contemporaries, it is because his prudence exceeded his ambition, and he preferred the golden mean of calm and uniform success to the conspicuous "steep where Fame's proud temple shone," and down which it was then so easy to fall. Thomas Wolsey was born in Ipswich, in 1471. His father is commonly said to have been a butcher, but he was at all events rich enough to send his son to Oxford University, where he distinguished himself greatly, and consequently was appointed tutor to the Marquis of Dorset's sons. From this post Wolsey won his way to employment by Henry VII., and thus he had a footing at Court when Henry VIII. came to the throne, and the astute priest soon gained the young monarch's favour by pandering to his humour and fancies.* Wolsey's wealth was enormous, in fact his income exceeded the revenues of the crown ; for he not only enjoyed the emoluments of his several offices in Church and State, but received presents and pensions from foreign powers and princes. He had eight hundred servants, among whom were some noblemen and many gentlemen. His usual dress consisted of rich robes of scarlet silk and velvet, with hat and gloves of the same colour; his shoes embroidered with gold and silver, * The Commissioners appointed by William IV. to arrange and publish the State Papers, assert that " the predominant iuiluencc which Wolsey is supposed to have exercised over Henry VIII. is considerably overrated." (Pr ?face to Vol. 1., State Papers, Henry VIII.) But the Commissioners judged only from the correspondence which took place between the King and his Prime Minister alter the year 1518. The King was then twenty-eight. and had been nine years on the throne, ami probably was not so much influenced by the Cardinal as he was in the earlier part of his reign. It is certain that Wolsey had become Archbishop of York, Cardinal of St. Cecily, and Lord Chancellor of England before that date. Even after that year the King confided a great deal to him ; in 1520 he was entirely entrusted with the management of the Field of the Cloth of Gold; and indeed he was in the zenith of his power in 1-529, although his personal influence with Henry may have waned before that. 9 10 LIFE AND TIMES OF and inlaid with precious stones. In public he was always attended by a great retinue, and a pair of handsome priests carried in front of him two silver crosses, indicative of his double dignity as Archbishop and Cardinal. The moral character of this pompous prelate dis- graced his sacred calling, and afforded a bad example to the clergy. On the other hand, he was a consummate administrator of public affairs, and he encouraged learning and science. Towards the close of his career, Queen Katharine hated him because he advocated her divorce, and Anntie Boleyn hated him because he had, some years before, prevented her marriage with Lord Percy ; whilst his power and arrogance had made him generally distasteful to many of the more high-born but less successful courtiers. The contagion of the surrounding atmosphere seized the King, and Wolsey fell into disfavour. In October, 1529, Henry deprived him of the Great Seal and trans- ferred it to the accomplished Sir Thomas More the first lay Lord Chancellor of England. All his property, including the magnificent mansions he took such pains to build and furnish, was confiscated to the Crown, atid he was impeached before Parliament on forty-four charges, relating chiefly to his illegal exercise of power as legate and the scandalous irregularity of his life. The mighty minister's downfall seemed complete, but he had still one faithful and courageous ally, who was not afraid to face the over- whelming tide of royal and popular displeasure. This was his Secretary, Thomas Crumwell/* who is entitled to particular attention at my hands, not only on account of the leading part he played in the national politics during the ten years succeeding Wolsey's death, but because he was the earliest patron of Sir Ralph Sadleir, and doubtless imbued him with many of his own opinions on religion and politics. Crumwell's father, though a member of a good old Lincoln family, was obliged to go into trade in London as an iron-founder. He died in straitened circumstances, and his son Thomas soon afterwards went abroad to seek his fortune. Indeed, little is known of Thomas Crumwell's early history, further than that he travelled through Europe and found employment principally as a camp follower ; and being of a quick and observant character, he not only learned the languages of the European Continent, but made himself practically acquainted with the affairs of foreign nations, and especially those of France and Italy a knowledge which lew Englishmen then possessed, and which commended him to the great Cardinal's notice. The date at which he entered Wolsey' s service is unknown. Some sa\ not till his return from Italy in ]527, after being present at (lie sack of Rome; but this is erroneous, as a letter from Wolsey to More, * " Crumwell " is one of the lew names invariably spelt in the same way in the State Papers of the period; and I accordingly adopt it, as more correct than '' Cromwell "the more modern mode of spelling the family surname. SIR UAL I'll SADLEIT?. 1 1 written in 1526, is in Crurawell's handwriting,* and there is another letter also extant which proves he aided in suppressing the monas- teries, with whose revenues Wolsey built his Colleges at Oxford and Ipswich. In fact, it is probable he was several years in the Cardinal's service before the sack of Rome, where he perhaps was present as Wolsey's agent respecting the divorce. f At all events, he must have been married and settled in England early in Henry VIII/s reign, for his son Gregory! was married before 1538, and, moreover, Sadleir (born 1507) entered his household when quite young, and resided there till he came to man's estate, when Crumwell made him his Secretary. Crnmwell's will, too, which has been recently discovered, is dated 1529, and shews he was even then head of a large establishment and pos- sessed of ample means. Owing to Crumwcll's roving life, his early education was neglected ; but he possessed great natural ability, and was gifted with courage, energy, and determination. When Wolsey fell into disgrace, he gave up his splendid Palace of York Place|| to the King, and retired to a small residence at Esher. Crum\vell did not desert his fallen patron, but afforded him all the aid in his power; and when the Cardinal was impeached before Parliament, Crumwell made such an eloquent and vigorous appeal in his behalf, the Commons refused to find him guilty of treason, and the King, though disappointed at the result of the debate, was so pleased with Crumwell' s manliness, fidelity, and ability, that he "esteemed him a proper agent for himself in important affairs, and entertained him as his servant."^ Sadleir was then Crum well's Secretary, and thus he too attracted the King's notice in course of time. "The birth of this able and celebrated statesman," writes Sir Walter Scott, " was neither obscure or ignoble, nor so much exalted above the middling rank of society as to contribute in any material degree towards the splendid success of his career in life. " Ralph Sadleir** was the eldest son of Henry Sadleir, or Sadleyer, Esquire, * State Papers, Vol. I., p. 17-'?. f This may have been the occasion, referred to by Fuller, on which Sadleir accompanied Crumwell to Rome. J Sec Sadleir's letter to Crumwell (State Papers, Vol. I,, p. 570). See inscription on Sadleir's tomb. |j It propo-ly belonged to the See of York : nevertheless tho King retained it as a royal residence, and changed its name lo Whitehall. [ Biivh. ** I take the liberty of correcting Sir Walter Scott ns to the proper mode of spelling Sadleir, which he spells ' Sadler.'' As Sir Walter truly observes, '' the orthography of proper names in this period was far Ironi perfect." and, n^ a fact. I have met Sir Ralph's surname spelt thirteen diff. rent ways in State documents, as follows: Sadleyr. Sadleyer, Sadleir, Sadlier, Sadliar, Sadlair (Jnmes V.. of Scotland), Sadlare, Sadlar (Queen Margaret, of Scotland), 12 LIFE AND TIMES OF through whom he was heir, according to Fuller, to a fair inheritance. He was born in the year 1507 at Hacknev,* in Middlesex, where his family -had been some time settled, and had a younger brother, John Sadleir, who commanded a company at the siege of Boulogne in the year 1544. The circumstances of Henry Sadleir, their father, were not such as to exempt him from professional labour, and even from personal dependence. Indeed the chain of feudal con- nection was still so entire that the lesser gentry of the period sought not only the emolument, but protection and even honour by occupying in the domestic establishments of the nobles those situations which the nobility themselves contended for in the royal household. The pride of solitary and isolated independence was unknown in a period when the force of the laws was unequal to protect those that enjoyed it, and the closer the fortunes of a private individual were linked with those of some chieftain of rank and power, the greater was the probability of his escaping all mischances save those flowing from the fall of his patron. It does not therefore contradict what has been handed down to us concerning Henry Sadleir's rank and estate, that he seems to have acted in some domestic capacity probably as steward or surveyor to a nobleman, proprietor of a manor called Cilney, near (ireat lladham, in Essex. His office, whatever it was, consisted in keeping accounts and receiving money ; so that his son had an early example of accurate habits of business, not very common in that rude military asje, which proved not only the foun- dation of his fortune, but continued to be the means of his raising it to the highest elevation." "This worthy knight/' so runs the inscription on Sir Ralph's tomb, "in his youth was brought up with Thomas Crurnwell, and when he came to man's estate, lie became his Secretary." in fact, it would appear that the Crum-wells and Sad lei rs were intimate friends; at all events, Richard Cruimvell, a brother of the statesman, lived at Hackney, and Henry Sadleir mentions his name rather familiarly in the ap- pended letter,! from which it will be seen that the elder Sadleir was in Sadller, Sadiller (Sir Thomas Clifford), Saidleir (Earl of Arran), Sadeler. Sadler. No\v the last of these was no doubt often used for ordinary purposes, such as endorsing papers, &o. the name being simply spelt as pronounced ; but Sir Ralph almost -nvariubly signed himself as Sadleyr during Henry VIII.'s reign, according to the then common custom of writing y instead of i, when it followed t (for example, " deceyve "). This custom went out as printing came more into vogue, and accordingly, during Elizabeth's reign, Sir Ralph generally wrote Sadleir. It is spelt thus in the inscription on his tomb, and has been so spelt ever since by the only branch to my knowledge still surviving viz., the Sadleirs of Sopwell, County Tipperary. * Hackney was a fashionable suburb in the sixteenth century. The Earl of Lennox, Darnley's father, lived there while in England, and the Countess of Lennox (Margaret Douglas) died there, 1578. Lady Weston and Richard Crurnwell also resided in the locality. Anthony a. Wood, the antiquarian, states that Sir Ralph Sadleir was '' descended from an ancient family seated at Hackney." ) Henry Sadleycr tu hi? son Ralph, living with Mr. Crumwell. concerning some demands and private concerns. Original, from C'ilney. (Titus, B. I., .Xo. 48, p. 143. British Museum) : " Son Raff. I hartely recomaund me unto you, and send you godd's blessing and rnyne. T prav von sond mo word whether ye have spoken to him, if ye have, I praye you that I may SIK RALPH SADLEIR. 13 some way connected with the royal revenue, and rather confidently solicits "the office in the Towre " from his sou Ralph's patron. " Ralph Saclleir's favour with Lord Crumwell," Sir Walter Scott continues, "and the trust which he reposed in him, soon brought him under the eye of Henry VIII. It was emphatically said of that monarch that Henry loved a MAN ; hy which we are to understand that the objects of his favour were distinguished hy external strength, figure, and personal accomplishments, as well as by their temper and talents. In both respects Sadleir was fortunate ; for though of middling, or rather low stature* he was skdled in all exercises, and remarkable both tor strength and activity, nor was his address in public business int'eiior to his (eats of horsemanship, hunting, and chivalry. It was probably before he attracted the King's notice that Mr. Sadleir became the husband of the widow ot one Ralph Barrow, who does not seem to be a person of high rank, although no good grounds have been discovered for the scandal with which Sanders and other Catholic writers have stigmatised this union. f That she was a woman of credit and character must be admitted, havo knowledge in writing from you of his answer made. I trust he will knowledge that I do owe to the Kyuge's grace but IV 11 and odd money. If it please him to look upon 013- book which retnaineth in his hands, therein he shall find a labell that shall showe the truths, (desire, him to be good to me). Son Kaff, whereas I should have had of my lord, now at this audite, above XX markes, I can get never a penny but fair words, with whyche I cannot live. My l.irde hath put away many of his yeuien at this audite, and doth intend after Christmas to put many moe away, and both his lordshippe and my ladye will to the Court after Christmas and kepe a sinalle houss ; wherefore i praye you that I may be recomanded to your good maister, and desire hiru by your humble suit to gett me the office in the Towre as in oi hers, so that I shall be nigh London. Good Son, doe the best you can forme. I trust to be at the nest terine by Godd's grace. I assure you bothe my lord and my lady shall be very lothe to dep.irt with me, but with them 1 can have noo livinge ; if 1 had 1 would not depart from them. I pray you sende for your mother, and rede this letter to her. and far ler, my lorde doth intend lo lye at Cilney nil this Christina*, and there to kepe a small Christmas, though your mother my mate as yet is not come to Cilney, whereof I marvel ; for diverse cartts < dose them suivly for openying." " The effigy on Sir Ralph's torn'* is about ~> i't. 8 ins. in length. It presents a slight and compact figure and well shape. 1 brad wiiii regular features, a high forehead, a determined ir.ouih, and a pointed be.ml. Judging from the portrait at Hver'ey. in Wiltshire, Sir l\a];>h had blue eyes and light' brown hair. Hawking wa< a sport in \\hieh lie took special di light. -'See Sadler, State Papers. Vol. II., p. o.'JtS, where he excuses himself for alluding .Mary ( v >ueen of Scots to accompany him on a hawking expedition). f The scandal is tbat Sadleir married Margaret Mitchell, a laundress, during the lifetime of her husband Barrow, or Jlarre. The Jesuit Dr. Nicholas Sanders (who could hardly 14 LIFE AND TIMES OF since Lord Crumwell, to whom she was related, not only countenanced their marriage but was godfather to two of their children."* Sir Walter Scott might have added that in 1 543, when the infant Mary Queen of Scots was betrothed to Prince Edward, and it was agreed that "a noble English knight and lady/' with a retinue of forty persons, should be established at the Scotch Court, " for the better education of the young princess after the English manner/' Henry VIII. nomin- ated Lady Sadleir, together with Sir Ralph, for the high and important post ; and certainly that astute monarch would not have appointed anyone but a lady of irreproachable character to superintend the early training of his future daughter-in-law. The Scotch broke the newly made marriage treaty almost as soon as it was agreed to, and no part of the compact was carried into effect ; but the facts remain that King Henry nominated Lady Sadleir, and that Sir Ealph refused on her behalf, on account of her health, as well as because she had never been brought up at Court. We therefore may infer that Lady Sadleir was undoubtedly a woman of credit and respectability, though not belonging to the courtly circle, from which the rising young statesman might have selected a wife had he exercised a greater patience in matrimony. At all events, it is pleasant to reflect that though his marriage contri- buted nothing to the success of his career, it brought with it domestic happiness. Lady Sadleir bore Sir Ralph several sons and daughters, and after they must have been married about forty years (1569J we find her enquiring from Cecil, with affectionate solicitude, for the welfare of her husband, who was then engaged in suppressing the northern rebellion. have been born at tbe time of Sadleir s marriage), spread the scandal through his book " Do origine ac progressu Schismatis Anglican!." "lie collected in this book," says Froude, '-'every charge which malignity had imagined against Heury VIII. and his ministers ; not a scan- dalous story was current at the time of the revolt from the papacy, but Sanders took possession of it and used it." It appears, however, probable that Margaret Mitchell was originally either married or affianced (which was then equally binding) to Barfe, whom she believed to be dead at the time she married Sadleir; but he returned home after a long absence abroad, and Sir Ealph was obliged to obtain an Act of Parliament in loitj, in order to legitimatize his children. At any rate, Chalmers, in his " .Biographical Dictionary," states it as a fact, and certainly it is recorded in the t: Statutes of the Kingdom," that a private Act (subject not given) was passed for Sir Ealph in that year. * The following interesting letter from Sadleir to Crumwell is preserved in the British Museum. (Titus, B., p. 313). Original, and copied here literotlm, like the preceding letter, as a specimen of the orthography then in use: '' Sir. After mvn humble comendacions with like request, that it may please you to give me leave to trouble you amongst your \veightie affairs, with these tryfels : it is so that my \V3~fe after long travail!, and as payuel'ul labour as any woman could have, hathe at last brought furth a fa ire boy, beseching you to vouchsafe ones again to be gossip unto so poore a man as I am, and that lie may hear your name. Trusting ye shall have more rejoyce of him then ye had of the other, and yet there is no cause but of great rejoyse in the other, for he died SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 15 In addition to the habits of business acquired from his father, Sadleir's lucid and polished style of writing shews that he must have received as good an education as the country and times afforded. He, of course, was well versed in Latin the common European language of the day, in which not only the laws and Acts of Parliament were then written, but nearly all the books published on any subject, and which supplied, moreover, an international medium of communication in matters relating to diplomacy and merchandise. Greek, on the other hand, was a rare accomplishment, and yet he was well acquainted with that language too. Sadleir early adopted the reformed views of religion, and used all his influence in support of the cause throughout all the changes in the Church which took place during his long career. He was always a man of strong religious principles, and especially in his latter years which were tinged with puritanism we find him frequently advocating the spread of " Christ's gospel " and the " word of God/' His great success in life was, perhaps, due as much to the honesty an innocent aud enjoyeth the joys of heaven. I wold also be right glad to have Mr. Richard's wyf or iny Lady Weston to bo the godmother. There is a certain superstitious opinion and usage among women, which is that in case a woman go with child, she may christen no other man's child as long as she is in that case. And therefore not knowing whether Mr. Richard's wife be with child or not, I do name iny Lady Weston. I desire to have one of them, because they do lye so near Hackney; to-morrow in the after none shall be the time, and that the holye. Trinyte preserve you in long lyf and good helth with much honour. At Hackney this Saturday at III of the clocke at after none, with the rude aud hasty hand of your most assured and faithful servaule, during his lyf, -EAFE SAD LEE. ' To (he right honourable and his singular good Mr. Maister Secretarye, be these given." From this address it would appear that, as Crumwell became the King's Secretary in 1-531, and was created Lord Cruinwell in 1530; the letter must have been written in the interval. Sir Walter Scott makes the following comments on the epistle: '' Some minute intelli- gence, so dear to modern antiquaries, may be gained from this gossiping business; as 1st, that Sadleir had a former son who died an infant; 2nd, we may conclude that Lad}' Weston. was either a widow or an old woman ; 3rd. we may observe Sadleir's simplicity in telling us that he know not whether Mr. Richard's wyf were with child or not ; lastly, that Mr. Sadleir had not very well determined at what hour to christen his child, for he had first written iiinrninf/ and afterwards aftti'iioon. But in addition to all this valuable information, the letter shews his connection with Cruniwcll, and the superstition which it commemorates is a singular one." l( may further. I think, be inferred that a boy had only one godfather in those days ; that Sadleir expected both sponsors t j be present at the christening ; also, from the short notice, (hut christenings took place only on Sundays. Again, it would seem evident that the Sadleir-; wen; intimate with their respectable neighbours '' Mr. Richard" and Lady Weston. Mr. Richard was the- great minister's brother, who was afterwards knighted, and is the reputed ancestor of Oliver Cromwell. Lady Weston was probably mother of Sir Francis M citon, whoso unhappy fate in connection with Queen Anne Boleyii will be found in the sequel. 16 LIFE AND TIMES OP and integrity of his character as to his political sagacity and splendid administrative ability. He was evidently a most valuable and trust- worthy servant of the State; for he was not only entrusted with momentous and delicate political missions, but was constantly appointed to the tempting post of High Treasurer of the army in the field, and the consequent charge of large amounts of treasure. It may be gathered from the following pages that although Sir Ralph Sadleir was a most useful and eminent minister in both Edward VI/s and Elizabeth's reign, it was really under Henry VIII. he estab- lished his fame as a statesman, in connection with Scotch affairs. The political problem which Henry committed to him namely, the union of England and Scotland became the main object of his life, and he pursued it to his death with unflagging zeal ; nor is it too much to assert that no one man ever contributed more to the national consolidation of Great Britain than the subject of this memoir. It is not precisely known when Sadleir first took part in State affairs., but there are letters extant which prove he was at Court before Wolsey's fall. In one of these* Sadleir tells Crumwell that the Cardinal should not trust too much to Gardiner's friendship a fact which brings me to the resumption of my narrative. * Titus, B., p. 370. British Museum. Sadleir was only two-ami-twenty at the time he made this very shrewd observation about the double-dealing Gardiner. SIR RALPH SADLEIE, 17 CHAPTER III. THE DIVORCE OF KATHARINE OF ARRAGON AND THE REFORMATION OF THE CHURCH. (1628-36.) "You know my lords and gentlemen," spake Henry VIII. to a large assembly of the nobility and gentry whom he purposely sum- moned together, "that for these twenty years past Providence has granted our country such prosperity as it had never known before; but in the midst of all the glory that surrounds me, the thought of my last hour often occurs to me, and I fear that, if I should die without au heir, my death would cause more damage to my people than my life has done them good. God forbid that for want of a legitimate heir England should be again plunged into the horrors of a civil war." Then referring to the illegality of his marriage with Katharine, " that incomparable woman," he continued: "This is the only motive, as God is my witness, which had made me lay this matter before the Pontiff." Clement VII., the Pontiff to whom Henry had appealed, had just escaped from the Castle of Angelo, where he had taken refuge from the Spanish troops under the Duke of Bourbon, who had captured Rome (1527). The Pope was perplexed ; he did not like to offend either Charles V., the Queen's nephew, or Henry VIII. , the " Defender of the Faith/'*" He sent, however, Cardinal Campeggio to London, to confer with Cardinal Wolsey on the marriage question, but gave him secret instructions to reconcile the King and Queen if possible, or failing that, to induce the Queen to enter a nunnery, and in case he could succeed in neither object, to "advance slowly and never finish/' Finding it hopeless to reconcile Henry to the Queen, or to induce her to take the veil of a nun, Campeggio complied with the last direc- tions, and contrived to postpone the settlement of the question for nearly a year. In the meanwhile the Emperor Charles V. had been everywhere victorious, aiid he now prevailed on Clement to "avoke" the marriage trial to Rome, and cite Henry to appear in the eternal city. This piece of Papal arrogance was intolerable to the despotic monarch of proud England. The two Cardinals endeavoured to appease his wrath, but Campeggio was soon onlv too glad to escape from the kingdom, and ^'olsey felt the sad conviction that his connection with the Pope had cost him the King's favour. How Cardinal Wolsey was soon afterwards impeached of high * Henry obtained the title of Defender of the Faith from tho Pope, in consequence of IIH buck against Luther's views. o 18 LIFE AND TIMES OF treason, and how he was acquitted through Cromwell's energy, has already been told. Stripped of most of iiis possessions, he was sent to York, of which he was Archbishop. He was not, however, allowed to remain there long. The King ordered him to be arrested and brought back to London, and when on the way thither, the fallen favourite, doubtless affected by the fear of still direr misfortunes, took ill and died at Leicester (1530). The Pope's vacillating and arbitrary conduct displeased many in England besides the King, and the question of the divorce was the principal topic of discussion throughout the country. Dr. Cranmer, of Cambridge, who was acquainted Avith Gardiner, the King's Secretary, suggested that His Majesty should refer the matter to the learned universities of Europe, and ask an answer to the plain question, whether it is lawful for a man to marry his brother's widow. This coming to the King's ears, he sent for Cranrner, and, in short, acted upon his suggestion. Meantime Henry hovered around Anne Boleyn, sunning himself in the gleam of her bright black eyes, which were, in their turn, attracted by the splendour of the regal crown that hope presented to her ambitious gaze. Katharine was only nominally Queen ; her hated rival took her place at banquet and tournament. She nevertheless continued to reside with the King, until, enraged at her refusal to withdraw her appeal to Rome, and submit her cause to an English tribunal,* he peremptorily ordered her to depart from Court. Katharine accordingly left \Yindsor, and retired to Ampthill Palace, near Dunstable, in June, 15-11. In October of the following year, Henry, accompanied by Anne Boleyn, whom he had created Marchioness of Pembroke, crossed to Calais to confer with Francis L, ostensibly about the Turks, but in reality about the divorce. It is said that Francis recommended Henry to marry Anne without further delay, and take the Pope'* sanction for granted. It is certain that, soon after their return from France, the monarch and the marchioness were privately married. t The marriage * This Court afterwards assembled at Dunstable. under Craumer's presidency, and annul- ling Katharine's marriage, confirmed Anne's. f There are different accounts as to the scene of the private marriage, but the presumption is in favour of Sopwcll Nunnery, near St. Albai in the neighbourhood where the lovers used to i afterwards came into the possession of the Sadl. obtained a tract of laud in the county Tipperary 'a, and tradition poiuls out an old yew tree leet. Il is aii interest ing fact that Sopwell r family, and when General Thomas Sadleir he obtained the permission of Charles II. to alter its name to Sop well, and it is now in po session of his dfscend:in;. Lor.l Ashtown. The ruins of the nunnery .-till may be seen, as one enters St. Alban's by Holywcll Hili. It was built near a place to which nuns resorted prior to 1110. as is thus recorded: "Two pious women, resolved to devote the rest of their lives to strict seclusion and mortification of the ilcsh, made themselves a dwelling place on this spot with branches of trees. These two women were iu the habit of steeping their crusts of bread in the water of a neighbouring well, and hence the place iu after time was called Sop-well." SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 19 was kept secret for some months, until concealment became no longer prudent, as it affected the legitimacy of the coming heir to the throne, whereupon another marriage ceremony was publicly solemnised on the 12th of April, 15:33,, and thenceforward Anne went in state as Queen. On the 7th of the following September, Queen Anne gave birth to a Princess at Greenwich Palace.* The King's joy on the occasion was somewhat lessened by the infant's sex, but he did not know what a glorious career was in store for his little daughter, whom he called Elizabeth, after his loving mother. But how did the country at large view the state of affairs at Court? As already stated, public opinion was divided on the important point, and the history of the period has been distorted according to the bias of the several writers thereof. The papal party and the lower classes, which were still under priestly influence, were in favour of the "ortho- dox" Queen, while the increasing sect of Lutherans or Protestantsf were, on the other hand, naturally opposed to her, as were also most of the nobility and gentry, who chafed under ecclesiastical control, and, recollecting how they suffered from the Wars of the Roses, were desirous that the King should have a male heir to the throne. It is a coincidence, and a very remarkable coincidence, that just as Henry VI 11. was at variance with the Pope respecting the divorce of Queen Katharine, the reformation of the Chur.h gained ground in England ; it is, however, erroneous to suppose that the Pope's refusal to countenance the divorce was the cause of the English Reformation, or that, as a poet puts it '' Gospel light first shone from Boleyn's eyes." The antagonism of Henry to the Roman Pontiff did no doubt hasten the destruction of the papal supremacy and the suppression of the monasteries; but this would never have happened did not the growing and glaring abuses in the Church provoke the spirit of the nation to animosity, and did not the spread of religious education awaken in England, as \v< 11 as in Germany and elsewhere, an earnest desire to restore to the Christian Church its primili\e purity. Fully one hundred and fifty years luTorc the divorce was thought of, that stout Yorkshireman, John \\ycliffe, Professor of Divinity at Oxford, circulated his English translation of the Bible (hitherto only known in Latin) throughout the kingdom, and wrote tract after tract pointing out the various dogmas in the Church which had no founda- tion in ho!v writ, and exposing the luxury, indolence, and profligacy of the priests. * Greenwich Palace was situated elo>r (o I hi" 1 river, and near \vherc the left wing of the Naval College no\v stmuis. t They were first called Protestants in 1529. 20 LIFE AND TIMES OP He himself had great fervour of principle joined to great humility of life. Austere in appearance, with a russet mantle and bare feet, he lived and looked a holy and humble man.* He had many fol- lowers, and these " friends of the gospel " went so far as to petition Parliament for a reform in the Church ; but the clerical influence was still all powerful in the State, and the new sect was doomed to des- truction, and that accursed Act was passed by Parliament in 1401 which legalised the burning of "heretics." The London prisons were filled with Wycliffites, and it was decreed that they "should be hung on the King's account and burnt for God's." These men were the advanced guard of the English Reformation too far advanced, alas ! They were overpowered by the enemy, but nevertheless they pioneered the way for the main body, a century and a half in rear, and led on by the most daring of all Christian warriors, Martin Luther. Henry VIII. had hardly mounted the throne when Luther (born 1483), Professor of Philosophy in the University of Witternberg, commenced to propound his views of Christianity, and in 1517 pub- lished his ''Thesis" against the indulgences which were sold throughout Europe by the Pope's agents. The Thesis was soon followed by other trenchant works against the papacy, which, through means of the new printing presses, rapidly circulated throughout Europe. Other Reformers appeared in different quarters Zwingle in Switzerland, Melancthon in Germany, Calvin in France, Colet and Tyndal in England; and thus the fire was kindled which purified the religion of half Christendom. Already had Erasmusf unintentionally assisted in the cause. This erudite scholar collated the various Greek manu- scripts of the New Testament, and with the aid of the commentaries of the early Christian writers, Cyprian, Ambrose, Chrysostom, Jerome, &c., published in 1516 a new edition of the Greek Testament (now printed for the first time), which found its way from the printer at Basle into Germany, and across the Channel to London, Oxford, and Cambridge, and " was received by all men of upright mind with un- precedented delight. Nothing," continues D'Aubigne, "was more important at the dawn of the Reformation than the publication of the Testament of Je-us Christ in the original language." \Vhen Wolsey fell (1529), Henry appointed Sir Thomas More Lord Chancellor, and took Cruimvell into his service. More was a man of brilliant intellect and great learning. He was more- over, a conscientious man, and religions according to his lights, * Lclaiul. f Erasmus, who was at one time tutor to Henry VIII., was the most learned man of the day, and the most famous scholar iu Europe. His countrymen, the Dutch, are justly proud of hiuj, and have perpetuated his memory by a costly statue in the market-place of Bottcrdam. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 21 believing firmly in the doctrines and traditions of the Holy Mother Church, and looking on the Pope as infallible and Rome as eternal. Crumwell, on the other hand, who had seen the Holy Father skulking behind the parapets of St. Angelo whilst a hostile soldiery occupied the eternal city, had no such veneration for the papal regime, and wished to put an end to priestcraft at home and abroad. It was Crumwell who explained to the King that his subjects served two masters the Pope and himself; and as "Vatican decrees" inter- fered with "civil allegiance," recommended Henry to repudiate the Pope's authority and become supreme head of the Church in England. So far as his religious creed was concerned, Henry himself stood midway between Protestant and Papist,* and was, perhaps, what might be called an advanced High Churchman or Ritualist in the present day. He caused a Bill to be passed by Parliament known as the Six Articles Act,t which legalised the celibacy of the clergy, auricular confession, private masses, &c. most, in short, of the Romish doc- trines challenged by the Reformers and he enforced their recognition under pain of death. On the other hand, he acted on Crumwell's suggestion, and no longer acknowledged the Pope as Head of the Church; and eventually gave a great stimulus to the Reformation by causing the Bible to be published in English, and ordering a copy to be kept in every parish church throughout the kingdom. J But although Henry virtually disowned the Pope, he still desired his sanction to the divorce, and sent the Earl of Wiltshire (Anne Boleyn's father), Oranmer, and others to Rome for the purpose of obtaining it. Meantime, the universities of Europe were applied to for their opinion; but their replies were conflicting, and Henry, without waiting for the papal sanction, married Anne Boleyn, as I have narrated. Fiivd by such a direct challenge to his authority, and instigated by the Emperor, the Pope at last came to a decision, and pronounced the divorce illegal ; and so the moment arrived for the final rupture between the King and the Pontiff. Crumwell who was now Henry's Prime Minister caused two Bills to be passed by Par- liament, one appointing the King Head of the Church, and the other fixing the succession of the throne on Anne's offspring, to the exclusion of the Princess Mary. This daring coup d'etaf almost drove the papal party of England to distraction. The priests from their pulpits boldly denounced the recent marriage, and in common conversation called the new Queen * i.e.. one who recognises the Pope as Head of the Ch'ireh and Vicar of Christ on earth. t Called by the Protestants the "whip with the six strings." J The King wished the bishops to translate the UiLle ; but they refrained from doing so, and the matter was entrusted to Miles Coverdale, who, with Tyndal's assistance, com- pleted the work, and had it printed in Zurich in 163''. 22 LIFE AND TIMES OF the lowest name which can be applied to a woman. Elizabeth Barton,, the "Nun of Kent," who pretended to be inspired by heaven, grew wild in her denunciations and prophecies against the King, whilst his cousin, Cardinal Pole, industriously defamed him on the Continent. Severe measures were necessary to check the papal opposition, which threatened to overthrow the Government, and Henry, in his wrath, meeted out justice without mercy. First of all, the nun was arrested, and having confessed her imposture was hanged, together with the monks who had " inspired " her. The eminent Sir Thomas More, Fisher, the venerable Bishop of Rochester, and Haughton, the pious Prior of the Charter House, suffered death for refusing to take the oath of the King's supremacy. Many others met a similar fate. The only plea that can be urged in extenuation of such inhumanity is that capital punishment was as common in Europe then as it is now in Japan. But the King and Crumwell were not contented with taking the lives of the leaders of the papal party. They determined to confiscate the property of the clergy, and break their power and influence in the State. Few can behold the majestic ruins of some ancient abbey Tintern, for instance situated in the midst of lovely scenery, and not regret that such a beautiful and sacred edifice should have fallen into disuse and decay. But what is the history of those grand old walls, those noble naves and transepts, with their graceful pillars and exqui- site capitals, those Gothic windows, with their delicate tracery all exhibiting architectural skill of the highest order, all reared by pious hands for the worship of God in the beauty of holiness, and all now so desolate and lonely ? " Long years have darkened into time since vespers here were rung, And here has been no other dirge than what the winds have sung : And now the drooping ivy leaves in ancient clusters fall, And moss o : er each device hath grown upon the sculptured wall.'' The rise and fall of monastic institutions are easily accounted for : In the dark ages, when some sorrow-stricken man resolved to with- draw from the world and devote himself to God, he retired fo a secluded valley, lived in the humblest manner, and led a holy life, passing his time in religious exercises, and ministering, as far as lay in his power, to the spiritual wants of the people in his vicinity. Others like himself joined him by and by, and so a little brotherhood was formed. Time flowed on, the agency of the fraternity extended, and the fame of its piety was spread abroad ; then followed " the lavish offerings of the faith fa 1, the grants of the repentant lord, the endowments of the remorseful king the opulence, the power, the magnificence. The wattled hut, the rock-hewn hermitage, became the stately cloister; the lowly church of wood, the lofty and gorgeous SIR RALPH SADLEIK. 23 abbey ; the wild forest or heath, the pleasant and umbrageous grove ; the marsh, a domain of intermingling meadows and corn-fields. The superior, once a man bowed down to earth with humility, careworn, pale, emaciated, with a coarse habit bound with a cord, with naked feet, has become an abbot on his curvetting palfrey, in rich attire, with his silver cross borne before him, travelling to take his place amid the lordliest of the realm. 1 "* Such was the monastery of the middle ages in England, and its use and influence were all important in its locality; for it was not only a religious establishment, but a public institution of almost general utility, which embraced within its walls the functions of a library, a museum, a court of justice, a hospital, a school, an hotel, and a workhouse. Before printing was invented the monks were continually copying all works of importance on divinity, law, medicine, and general litera- ture in fact, including in later times immoral tales and romances.f These copies were exchanged for those of other works in possession of some other monastery, and so a library was collected, in which also were preserved valuable or curious old manuscripts as well as national and local chronicles. Ecclesiastical courts were regularly established which exercised the power of awarding punishment for the spiritual crimes of laymen, nor could a priest or even clerk be tried by other than the ecclesiastical court for any crime whatsoever. J The youth in the neighbourhood were instructed; the sick were prescribed for and supplied with medicines ; distinguished personages travelling in the locality were accommodated with bed and board, usually making an adequate present in return; even the commonest tramp received his supper and lodging for the night, and anyone begging for food was not sent hungry away. The monks were given lo hospitality in the original meaning of the word, kindness to strangers and relieved all those who were anyways distressed in inind, body, or estate. It will now be understood how, in a country thinly inhabited by an ignorant laity, the hierarchy which owned these centres of universal intelligence formed the most powerful party in the State. The abbots ;> Mdman. ' Latin Christianity." t "In our f;ii liars' time nothing was read but hooks of feigned chivalry, wherein, a man by reading should be led to none other end but only manslaughter and lexvduess. Th'ise books, a> I li;ive heu-il say. wore made the most part in abbeys and monasteries; a very likely and lit tV lit lor such an idle and Mind kind of living.'' Proin the preface of tin '' Toxopliilus" >>ii /?"//,, Ascli.tm ( r nt)!isfi,:l in lot I). J Tn later days the monks took local administration lu hand, and amongst other things undertook to keep the neighbouring highways in repair. 24 LIFE AND TIMES OP of the principal monasteries were summoned to Parliament* as spiritual peers, and ambassadors and all the great officials of the Crown were selected from the learned and intelligent ecclesiastical body. It was no wonder, then', that the leading families in England educated their younger sons for the priesthood as the best road to distinction, and considered the veil of a nun an aristocratic as well as a comfortable provision for their unmarried daughters. No wonder then, too, that the religious character of the monasteries gradually dwindled down, and that pride and covetousness succeeded humility and unselfishness. Spiritual services were no longer performed solely for the love of God ; money or goods were expected in return, and indulgences, absolutions, and the like were granted at regular rates of pay nay, even miracles were invented as an extra means of obtaining money. Nor did the ecclesiastical courts restrict, as formerly, their punishments to penances and religious exercises; a system of fines was adopted, which proved a lucrative source of gain. The superiors of the various orders of brotherhood were foreigners, and resided for the most part abroad ; and hence many a monastery escaped all scrutiny or visitation, ;ind the monks, having their own way, fell into habits of luxury and profligacy. Take Furness Abbey for example : Situated in a lonely valley in the north of Lancashire, adjoining the picturesque lake country, and con- tiguous to hills of rich red haematite iron ore, out of which the monks made no small addition to their income, it afforded a pleasant retreat to a branch of the Cistercian order. Deer and all kinds of game abounded in the neighbourhood. The abbey possessed a rare breed of hawks, and a fine pack of hounds. The monks spent their days in sport, and their nights in feasting ; and here, as elsewhere " No Baron or Squire, or Knight of the Shire, Lived half so well (?) as a holy friar." But this was not the worst by any means. Before the light of the Reformation opened the eyes of the nation, the people were so priest- ridden that through superstitious awe of the sacred calling, a layman did not venture to expose the misconduct of a monk, and too often had to bear in silent sorrow the violation of his family honour. t If any member of the priesthood, from cardinal down to a clerk, (who, in virtue of his being able to write, belonged to the great cleri- cal body) were charged with any crime, however heinous, he claimed the benefit of the clergy and was tried by an ecclesiastical court, and seldom punished in proportion to his offence. * In King John's time the English Parliament consisted of the " Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Earls, and great Barons." (See " Magna Charta.") t The gentlemen and farmers of Carnarvonshire petitioned Henry VII. against the systematic seduction of their \rires and daughters by the monks iu the vicinity. SIR RALPH SADLEIB. 25 Some of the records of these courts still exist, and furnish us with startling specimens of the manner in which they administered, or rather defeated, justice.* Such flagrant abuses must sooner or later have provoked the spirit of the nation to their suppression. Although the "Wicklyffites failed in their attempts at reform, the clerical party did not escape altogether unscathed ; public attention was directed to the evil habits of the monks, and several monasteries were closed in Henry V.'s reign. Again, in 1489 before Henry "V1I1. was born Pope Innocent, at the instigation of Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury, issued a Commission to investigate the behaviour of the English clergy, and empowered the Primate to correct and punish as he might deem necessary; whereupon Morton, among other steps, wrote a letter to the Abbot of St. Alban's a peer of the realm calling him to order for the infamous conduct of himself and his monks. The Archbishop's epistle is still extant, and even one short extract from it will suffice to give the reader a peep behind the scenes at monastic life in England before the Reformation : "You, and certain of your fellow monks, have relaxed the measure and form of religious life ; you have laid aside the pleasant yoke of contemplation, and all regular observances. Hospitality, alms, and those other offices of piety which of old time were exercised and ministered have decreased, and by your faults do daily decrea.se more and more. The pious vows of the founders are defrauded of their just intent, the ancient rule of your order is deserted, and not a few of your fellow monks, giving themselves over to a reprobate mind, laying aside the fear of God, do lead only a life of lasciviousness. They live with harlots and mistresses publicly and continuously, within the precincts of the monastery and without nay, as is horrible to relate, some of your brethren be not afraid to deiile the holy places, even the very churches of God, by infamous intercourse with the nuns."t After this, Archbishop Warham instituted another enquiry with similar results, and Cardinal Wolsey suppressed several vicious mon- asteries, J and a great number of the educated portion of the laity had lost all veneration and respect for the priesthood and its practices by the time the new Parliament assembled in 1529 ; hence it was that the King and Crumwell ventured to appoint Commissioners, in 1535, to visit and report upon the various monasteries in the Kingdom. The Commissioners performed their allotted task thoroughly, and in con- sequence of their lleport, Parliament passed an Act in the following * Frouclo quotes the case oi' a monk euuvieted ui ; a deadly siu ; whose punishment only Consisted of a slight penance and a line of six-auu-eightpciice. f The nuns of Sopxvell (see p. Ib) are those alluded to. t Wobey founded the colleges at Jpswieh raid Oxford before referred to with the proceed? thus obtained. Ail copies of the Report were carefully destroyed iu Queen Mary's reign; 4 26 LIFE AND TIMES OF March whereby the lands of all monasteries the incomes of which were less than 200 a year were "given to the King" for State purposes. Several monasteries were disestablished without delay. The process is thus described by Lingard : "As soon as an abbey surrendered, the Commissioners broke the seal and assigned pensions* to the members. The plate and jewels were reserved for the King, and the furniture and goods were sold, and the money was paid into the Augmentation Office, lately established for the purpose." In towns and populous parishes the abbey churches were retained and preserved for public worship, but all abbey buildings in remote and lonely districts were stripped of the lead and other saleable articles and allowed to fall into ruin.f The work of dissolution was subsequently extended to the larger abbeys, and altogether there were suppressed before the year 1540, 665 monasteries, of which 28 had abbots in Parliament, 90 colleges, 2374 chantries and free chapels, 110 hospitals; whose total income, as paid to the superiors, amounted to 161,000 a year. It was the intention of the King and Crumwell to follow Wolsey's example, and apply the money derived from church property to the endowment of bishoprics and schools; but this good intention was only partially carried out.J Some new bishoprics were created, no doubt, and schools established ; but the greater portion of the monastic lands was granted, at a low rent, to various powerful nobles throughout the kingdom, for acquiescing in the spoliation of the church and supporting the Government, while some were bestowed on deserving statesmen and generals, as rewards for some signal service to the State. The dissolution of religious houses in England was not without drawbacks, which Roman Catholic writers have not failed to make the most of. There seems no doubt, however, that the Church and people suffered' a considerable loss. Had all the ecclesiastical funds been devoted, as at first intended, to religious and educational purposes, no one could reasonably complain on national grounds, though there might be many individual cases of hardship and injustice with respect evident, from letters of the Commissioners and the Act of Parliament, that it furnished ample grounds for the disestablishment of many monasteries, but more especially the smaller ones, in which, from the limitation of members, the monks were enabled to connive securely at each other's glaring misdemeanours. * The average pensions per annum were 20 each (o pvn's, to m'>nks, 1 to nuns: but some of the superior abbots received as much as 200 a year pension. f In some instances, the stuine.l glass windows were removed to neighbouring parish churches. The church of Windennere, for example, still contains a window which was originally in Furness Abbey. J Thf- bishoprics of Westminster, Oxford, Peterborough. Bristol. Chester, and Gloucester, were created, and collegiate churches were endowed at Canterbury, Winchester, Worcester, c, Cheater, and other to\vns. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 27 to pious monks and well-ordered abbeys ; but as it was, little or no provision was left for the clergy, and in some instances the cure of souls in important parishes fell into the hands of very illiterate parsons. Beggars there were in plenty before the suppression of the monasteries, for the monks as a rule had ceased to be the open-handed alms-givers of olden time; but now no relief at all was given to paupers, and a new species of taxation, resulting in our Poor Law system, became necessary. But let us revert to the, King's domestic affairs. 28 LIFE AND TIMES OF CHAPTER IV, JANE SEYMOUR QUEEN. SADLEIE PRIVATE SECRETARY TO THE KING. (1536.) Queen Katharine did not live long enough to witness the downfall of the ecclesiastical system of which she was so devoted an adherent. She died on the 5th of January, 1536. On her death-bed she dictated a most affectionate epistle to her " dear lord and master," which touched the monarch's heart and sorely grieved him, as it recalled to mind the long and deep affection Katharine had always regarded him with; and well he might deplore her death, for she was the only woman who ever really and purely loved him for himself and not for his crown. Indeed, as it happened, he was ever afterwards the victim of disappointment in honest love, and even already a thunder-cloud gathered over his domestic happiness. The story goes and we have reason to believe it, as it is related by Wyatt, a contemporaneous writer, and not at all improbable that Queen Anne entered an apartment in Greenwich Palace unexpectedly one day, and found the beautiful Jane Seymour, one of her own ladies, sitting on the knee of her amorous lord. Few wives can brook such conduct, and Anne could not restrain her temper, and gave vent to expressions which cost her the capricious favour of the King. Henry was one of those who cannot conceal love or hate. All the courtiers soon perceived that the King had transferred his affec- tions from Queen Anne to Mistress Seymour. Anne had excited the jealousy of the aristocracy by giving herself airs, and made the papal party her foes by favouring the Reformers. Hence many were now ready to tell tales of her to the King's too-willing ears, and witnesses were actually at hand to prove her conjugal infidelity- high treason in a Queen. The Privy Council took up the matter, and the evidence they received was conclusive, .if true. Meantime, the usual May Day sports took place at Greenwich, and Anno, either wishing to retaliate on the King, or simply attracted by the force of levity, took too familiar notice of Sir Henry Xorris, one of the knights of the tournament. Henry abruptly withdrew from the gala scene, and ordered Anne to be committed to the Tower ; for Norris was one of the very men about whom his suspicions had been aroused. Queen Anne was accused of adultery with four others'* besides * One of these was Sir Francis Western, whose wife ami mother ottered the King 100,000 crowns as ransom for his life, but in vain. His mother was probably the Lady Wi-ston whom Sir Ralph Sadleir desired as godmother to his infant son. Another of those accused was Lord liochford. the Queen's own brother. The only evidence against him was that of his infamous wife : ho. however, suffered death, like the rest. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 29 Sir Henry Norris. The charges against her were regularly passed by a grand jury, and she was formally tried and found guilty by a tribunal of peers, of which her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, was President. Piteous were the letters which His Majesty received from " the ladye in the Towre," but they were of no avail ; and on the 19th of May (1530) one of the fairest heads that ever wore a royal crown rolled lifeless and ghastly in the dust, near the small grey chapel of St. Peter, on Tower Green. Most writers since then take the popular side of the question, and represent Anne Boleyn as a martyr to the jealousy and lust of Henry VIII. ; but, viewing the matter impartially, it must be ad- mitted that she behaved in a very improper manner, as a wife and a. queen, and if we acquit her of the crime laid to her charge, we must find the witnesses guilty of perjury and the peers of injustice. It is, moreover, a telling fact that when Queen Elizabeth came to the throne, she allowed her mother's bones to remain in an obscure grave, and raised no monument in her honour. The King himself believed Anne guilty, and had so little respect for her memory, that on the very next day after her execution he married Jane Seymour.* Jane publicly appeared as Queen at Whitsuntide, and the King, as in the case of his last marriage, lavished honours on his new wife's relations. Among the rest, her brother, Edward Seymour (afterwards so well known as the Dnke of Somerset) was immediately created Yieount Beauchamp; but Thomas Crumwell, the King's Secretary, whose son Gregory was married to the Queen's sister, received the lion's share of promotion. "lie was made," says Holinshed, "Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, and on the 10th of July he was created Lord Crumwell, on the- 13th of the same month he was knighted, and appointed Vicar- General, under the King, over the spirit ualitie, and sat diverse limes in the Convocation amongst the bishops as head over them." Lord Crumwell was now a more powerful man even than he was before, and, owing to his relationship to the new Queen, his influence was paramount in the Court as well as in the Council and Con- vocation. It is very probable that llalph Sadleir shared in his patron's good fortune, and obtained at this period his appointment at Court as "Gentleman of the King's Privy Chamber;" as the lirst letter we find from him at Court was written in the September fol- lowing, and, moreover, this assumption agrees with the inscription on 30 LIFE AND TIMES OP his tomb, which states that " he entered the King's service above the 26th year of his reign." This very letter supplies here a link in my narrative, and I give it in extenso ;* for in addition to the special interest it is entitled to on its writer's account, it is highly valuable as showing that Crumwell had a great deal of business in hand besides the dissolution of the abbeys, varying from the dismissal of a monk to the election of a prior, and from the punishment of a poacher to the coronation of the Queen. Nor will the reader fail to admire Sadleir's tact in conveying the King's imperious wishes to his all-potent minister : " Mine humble duty premised unto your good Lordship. It may please the same to be advertised that upon the arrival here of your servant, Mr. Rowse, with your letters, having first perused such as it pleased your Lordship to direct to me, I did after deliver the other unto the King's Majesty, who did not only read them over thoroughly, but also as soon as His Grace had read them, delivered them unto me and bade me keep them till His Grace had supped, being then ready to go to supper. And in his going to the Queen's chamber to supper, I waited on His Majesty, and by the way showed him that your Lordship had written to me that the Father of Syon was departed ; and that because your Lordship would right gladly have such a one to supply his place as both for honesty, learning, discretion, and good con- versation should be meet for that room, you would yourself, if it so stood with His Grace's pleasure, repair thither for the election of another. Where- unto His Grace answered that it were well done you did so. ' Howbeit,' quoth he ' the Charterhousef , in London, is not ordered as I would have it. I commanded my Lord Privy Seal a great while ago to put the monks out of the House, and now he wrote to you that they be reconciled ; but seeing that they have been so long obstinate, I will not now admit their obedience, and so write to my Lord Privy Seal.' This His Grace com- manded me to write unto your Lordship (as I do), which as you shall have opportunity you may temper with His Grace as by your wisdom shall be thought convenient. " I shewed His Highness also that your Lordship had committed to the Fleet Ealph Shelton, and how he could not deny setting up the ladder nav, that he had said heretofore that he had killed the deer, and that your Lordship thought that there would be other things proved against him very dishonest. His Grace answered to that, that your Lordship had done well in committing him to the Fleet, and said he doubted not but you would try him sufficiently or you left him. By this communication finished, His Grace was in the Queen's chamber, ready to wash and sit down to supper. " After supper His Grace returned unto his chamber, and immediately called me unto him, saying that he had digested and revolved in his breast the contents of your letters, and perceiving how the plague had reigned in "\Ycstminster and in the Abbey self, His Grace said that he stood in suspense * Modern orthography is adopted in this as well ns in all the following letters, f Of which, it will be recollected, the ill-fated Haughton had been Prior. SIB RALPH SADLEIE. 81 whether it were best to put off the time of the coronation for a season. 'Wherefore,' quoth he, 'it were good that all my Council were assembled here, that we might consult and determine upon everything touching the same accordingly ; and so write to my Lord Privy Seal, and send him word that my Lord Admiral is here, Mr. Comptroller, and the Bishop of Hereford be here, and pray him also to come hither indelayedly, and then we shall soon be at the point ; and in case my Lord Chancellor be near London, and all that be there of the Privy Council, pray my Lord Privy Seal to bring them with him.' " Thus His Grace commanded me to write unto your Lordship, assuring the same that, as I perceive, His Grace would gladly have you here; where- upon I despatched this bearer with the more speed. Nevertheless, when His Majesty bade me send for you, I said it would be to-morrow afternoon or ye could have word of the same, and then it would be too late for your Lordship to set forth hitherward that day, ' and the next day, Sir,' quoth I, 'is Michaelmas Day.' 'What then,' quoth His Grace, 'Michaelmas Day is not so high a day.' So that I perceive His Highness will look for you at Michaelmas Day at night, or the next morning after at farthest; the sooner the better. " To all the rest of the contents of your letters, the King's Highness sayeth he will make you answer himself at your coming. " I have sent your Lordship all the letters stamped ; nevertheless, you may now defer the sending of them forth till your Lordship shall know further of the King's pleasure. And thus the Holy Trinity send your Lordship long life and good health with much honour. "At Windsor* the 27th day of September [1536], at 12 o'clock of the night, which is our accustomed hour in the Court to go to bed, with the rude and hasty hand of " Your Lordship's old servant and daily Beadsman,f (Superscribed), "KAFE SADLER." " To the Right Honourable anil hi* singular good Lord niij Lord Crwnwell, Keeper of (he Ku/y's Prk-y Seal." Cromwell hud indeed many irons in (he fire, but he nevertheless paid special attention to ecclesiastical affairs. Not content with suppressing the monasteries, he determined, as Vicar-General, to support the Reformers of the Church in several of their views. A copy of the English Bible was already in every parish church, and Crmmvell ordained that the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments should he read in English instead of Latin. He pro- hibited pilgrimages to holv places, and the exhibition of sacred relics, lie exposed the so-called miracles with which the priests deceived their followers. He compelled the beneficed clergy to lay aside a * Spelt " Wyndesour" in the original. t i^-> one who tells his beads or prays, 32 LIFE AND TIMES OF considerable portion of their emoluments for the repair of churches and the relief of the poor. All these changes we may consider whole- some, but they were at variance with the thought, the training, and the tradition of the mass of the people, who accordingly regarded them with great dislike. The thousands of monks, who were now so many homeless wanderers, took care to foment the dissatisfaction of the lower classes, while many of the nobility whose ancestors had founded monasteries, and who consequently regarded them with family pride, espoused the cause of the priests and the people. Reality was bad enough, but imagination was considerably worse, and the priest- persuaded commonalty fancied that their civil and religious rights would be completely stamped out by "the godless monarch and his infidel counsellors." The uneasy feeling which pervaded the country actually came to a head in Lincolnshire, where, in October, 20,000 men broke out in open insurrection. Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, promptly marched the royal troops against the insurgents, but finding them in great force he had recourse to a parley, and invited them to state their grievances. The spoliation of the Church was the main grievance, and they added that the King had taken into his Council personages of low birth such as Crumwell and Rich who had despoiled the Church "for their own singular lucre and advantage." These complaints were forwarded to the King, who immediately returned a reply in whose vigorous bitterness one might recognise the spirit of that " low personage," the Vicar-General, even if we were not told in the State Papers that "the MS. of the original is in the handwriting of Crurnwell ": "I have never heard, read, or known, that Princes, Counsellor?;, and Prelates should be appointed by rude and ignorant common people ; nor tliat they were persons meet and of ability to discern and choose meet and sufficient Counsellors for a prince. How presumptuous then are ye, the rude commoners of one shire, and that the most brute and beastly of the whole realm and of least experience, to find fault with your Prince for the election of his Counsellors and Prelates ! " As to the suppression of religious houses and monasteries, \ve will that ye and all our subjects should well know that this is granted us by all the nobles, spiritual and temporal, of this our realm, and by all the Commons of the same, by Act of Parliament, and not set forth by any Counsellor or Counsellors upon their mere will and phantasy, as ye full falsely would persuade our realm to believe. And when ye alleged that the service of God is much thereby diminished, the truth thereof is contrary ; for there be no houses suppressed where God was well served, but where most vice, mischief, and abomination of living was used ; as doth appear by their own confes- sions, subscribed by their own hands in the time of visitation." This daring reply, which terminated in threatening their wives and SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 33 children with tire and sword, awed the peasantry of the fens into submission, and they dispersed quietly on the 30th of October, having first delivered up their ringleaders to be executed. But in a few weeks afterwards a much more formidable rebellion, called the "Pilgrimage of Grace," broke out in Yorkshire, and rapidly spread throughout the northern counties in dangerous proxi- mity to Scotland. Fully 40.000 men rose in arms, and were led on by Robert Aske, a gentleman of property and position, while Lord Darcy, the Archbishop of York, and several influential magnates in the northern district sympathised with the movement. Priests marched in the van, in the habits of their various orders, carrying- crosses, and bearing banners emblazoned with the figure of Christ upon the cross, the sacred chalice, and other emblems of Romish Christianity. Their object, they said, was the glory of God, the sup- pression of heresy, justice to the Church, and the expulsion from the King's Council of the base personages which guided it. Aske for- warded a memorial to the King similar to the Lincoln petition, but worded more boldly and demanding more concessions. The State Papers* furnish us with the "Answer to the demaundes of the Rebelles in Yorkshire/' The original is written by Sir Ralph Sadleir, and contains a few alterations in the King's handwriting. In this answer the King repeated his assertions as to the necessity of sup- pressing the monasteries and the present government of the Church. As to the laws, he maintained that they never before were so whole- some, commodious, and beneficial. The men of his Council were just and true, and good administrators of both God's laws and his own, and though some of them were not of noble estate, they were superior to some of those whom his wise father, Henry VII., had employed. In fine, the King positively refused to concede one iota of the "demaundes," and ordered the rebels to deliver up their ringleaders and retire peaceably to their homes. But the .stubborn sons of Yorkshire were not to be frightened, like the Lincolnshire peasantry, at a royal manifesto ; on the contrary, they were irritated at the King's uncompromising reply, and only showed a bolder front. Whereupon the Duke of Norfolk known and feared in those parts as the Earl of Surrey took supreme command of the royal troops, and after a series of skirmishes the unoriTrinised bands of the insurgents gave way before the regular army. A tree pardon being then promised to all con- cerned, the malcontents dispersed to their native villages and wolds. This dissatisfaction in the noil hern counties occurrred in a most critical period Cor the English Government. The King of France, the Emperor of Germany (who was also king of Spain and the Nether- lands), and the Pope of Rome in short, all the great Catholic powers * Vol. I,, p. 506. 34 LIFE AND TIMES OF of Europe had expressed their indignation at Henry's treatment of the Church, and were now planning a hostile combination against him ; his Irish subjects were even more refractory than usual ; his cousin, Cardinal Pole a possible claimant of the throne, and an active agent of Popery was actually on his way to Holland, whence he might easily communicate with the papal party in England, and fan the flame of discontent; while his nephew, James V. of Scotland, with whom he was most anxious to form a friendly alliance, had just gone over to the enemy's camp, or, in other words, was now at the French Court preparing for his nuptials with Magdalen de Valois, daughter of .Francis I. Such was the momentous state of affairs at Christmas time 1536; but Henry assumed a bold attitude before all his enemies, at home and abroad. It was, however, his political relations with Scotland which demanded his most immediate attention; and resolving to send there a trusty envoy without loss of time, he selected Sadleir for the mission. SIR RALPH SADLEIB. 35 CHAPTER V. SCOTLAND. (1537.) A firm friendly alliance with Scotland was probably the chief object of the English statesmen of the sixteenth century. " If Scotland is sure, Spain and France can do us little harm,"* Sir Ralph Sadleir wrote lo Sir \Yilliam Cecil; and he expressed, no doubt, the general conviction of all the leading politicians of the period, and, indeed, we ourselves can readily imagine how greatly our political and commercial position and progress would be paralysed were Scotland now a separate kingdom and in a chronic state of warfare with England. A couple of centuries previous the Welsh had resigned their inde- pendence, but the attempt to subjugate the more inaccessible Scotch was utterly frustrated by Bruce* s decisive victory at Bannock burn (I'il5). No further endeavour was made either to subdue or con- ciliate the hardy northerners until the politic Henry VII. gave his daughter in marriage to James IV. of Scotland. But, unfortunately, the silken cord of matrimony formed no immediate bond of international union. The rash and valiant James took advantage of his brother-in- law's (Henry VIII.) absence in France to invade England, and was defeated anci killed at the battle of Flodden (1513). King James left two infant sons James V. and the Duke of Rothesay (died young). His widow, Queen Margaret, married within a year the young Earl of Angus, f chief of the Douglas clan. The Scotch nobility, headed by the Earl of Arran, chief of the Mouse of Hamilton, were dissatisfied that the reins of Government should be held by the sister of their hereditary foe, the King of England, and her youthful husband. The Duke of Albany, cou.-in of the late King James, but a born Frenchman, and at this time Admiral of France, was appointed Regent, and Margaret and Angus, driven from the countrv, took refuge in England. The Scotch, who were before jealous of English influence in their affairs, soon became jealous of the French influence. The tide turned, and the Douglas clan and the fuel ion favourable to the English connection gained the upper hand. Queen Margaret and the Earl of Angus were again entrusted with the helm of State and the Regency of the young King; but for some reason or other the Queen now hated her * Staudon, August 1, 1570. MS. State Paper Dept.. Kecord Office, t The old F.arl \vs also killed at Floddeu. 36 LIFE A.ND TIMES OF husband, and did not rest satisfied until he was banished and Albany recalled. French influence was again in an overwhelming ascendancy. Henry YIII. sent an army of 10,000 men to Scotland, under Lord Surrey, the hero of Flodden. A force of 80,000 Scots was quickly raised, and marched to the border under Albany to repel the threatened invasion ; but when the two armies came face to face, Albany, instead of fighting, made terms with the English and ordered a retreat. The Scotch resented the Duke's pusillanimous conduct, and he had to retire to his native France for ever and aye. Once more the Earl of Angus endeavoured to return to his place in the councils of the nation, but he was effectually opposed by his disreputable wife, who, after compromising her fame by her familiarity with the Duke of Albany, had transferred her worthless affections to Henry Stuart, (Lord Methvin) an unscrupulous and ambitious man several years younger than herself, and in order to marry whom, she had (152) obtained a divorce from the Earl of Angus through means of the Pope, who, although he refused to sanction Henry Vlll/s separation from Queen Katharine, granted a similar and more groundless L request to his sister Margaret but then she was one of his faithful ! In this same year, Patrick Hamilton, Abbot of Fern, in Rossshire, was burnt to death for his Lutheran views, in front of the old college of St. Andrew's. He was a devout and learned man, and his martvr- dom created a sensation amongst his countrymen, and proved to be the keystone of the Scottish Reformation. In 1583 James V. became of age one-and-twenty and free from Eegent's control. His uncle, Henry \ III., had already won his favour by sending him presents, and humoured his ambition bv offer- ing him the Princess Mary in marriage, so that he would be heir to both crowns ; and Henry would probably have still retained his influence over him had not his quarrel with the Pope waxed hotter and hotter, and the rival potentates of Christendom bid eagerly for an alliance with the young King of Scots, whom the heat of controversy had raised from a British to a European importance. In 1536, the Emperor, Charles V., sent James the order of the Golden Fleece one of the highest orders of chivalry and the Pope endued him with his blessing, and " a cap and sword consecrated on the night of the nativity of our Saviour, to breed a terror in the heart of a wieked neighbouring Prince, against whom the sword was sharpened/''"'' 1 Henry VIII., not to be outbid, created James a Knight of the Garter, and despatched Lord William Howard, brother of the Duke of Norfolk, to Edinburgh, to induce James to arrange' a royal meeting with him, where the two Kings might "confer on matters that should ' Drummond. Hi?t. of James V. SIE RALPH SADLEIR. 37 redound to both their honours, and to the glory and weal of their realms and kingdoms/' James assented to the meeting, but he was subsequently dissuaded by James Beaton, the Archbishop of St. Andrew's, who was to King James what Wolsey had been to King Henry, and who, together with his nephew, David Beaton (after- wards his successor and Cardinal), was the mainspring of the papal and anti-English party in Scotland. The Beatons knew very well that the lower classes of their countrymen were already "tainted" with the Reformers' views, and they were resolved to keep the King and Court as much as possible free from "infection." They therefore opposed James's meeting with Henry, lest he should be "perverted from the true faith," and follow his uncle's example of appropriating the property of the Scotch monasteries; while, on the other hand, they encouraged his friendship with the French King, and very plausibly argued that as the Princess Mary had been cut off from the succession to the English crown, 'twould be wiser for James to ally himself by marriage to France, and named the daughter of the Duke of Vendome as a desirable consort. And so the young King was lost by England and won by France, and in the autumn of J53G we find him repairing to the French court in search of a political alliance, in the shape of a wife, just at the time when the hostile attitude of the continental powers and the disaffection in the north of England made his co-opera- tion, or at all events his neutrality, of greater consequence than ever to Henry VIII. In the meantime, Queen Margaret had been thrust aside by her unprincipled husband, Lord Methvin, who had married her merely for the influence she possessed during her son's minority, and now, as that was over, discarded her person although he spent her money. In short, the Queen Mother who was at this time in her 48th year had commenced to reap the fruit of the silly and discreditable conduct which had marked her previous career. Abandoned by her husband, neglected by her son, slighted at Court, and generally despised, she felt she had hardly a friend in Scotland, and turning sadly to her native land for aid, wrote piteous appeals to her brother Henry. Having thus far sketched the vexed state of affairs in Scotland, I am now in a position to resume my narrative at the point from which 1 digressed at the close of the last chapter. Ilenrv VIII. resolved to send an envoy to Scotland, to ascertain what real grounds Queen Margaret had for the complaints she wished redressed, and to discover, if possible, how far the young King had politically pledged himself to Francis I. (whose (laughter he had just married). The envoy was also to lind out whether any section of the Scotch encouraged or sympathised with the northern malcontents, and other matters of a similar nature. 38 LIFE AND TIMES OP The distance from London to Edinburgh is 400 miles, and we, who can now perform the journey in ten hours in the luxurious first-class compartment of a punctual railway, can hardly realise the difficulties which, in the winter season especially, surrounded the traveller in the Tudor times. The great northern route lay through Hertford, Peterborough, Lincoln, York, Newcastle, Berwick, and D unbar. The road, except in the neighbourhood of large towns, was in very bad repair, full of ruts and holes, and in some places not visibly defined.* Highwaymen infested portions of the route, and at the special time in question the passage through the northern counties was attended with peculiar danger to the King's messenger. Then came the perilous " border," or strip of country on each side of the frontier, inhabited by proft'ssional bus! i rangers, and finally Scotland proper, through which a passport or " safe conduct " was necessary, though not always sufficient, to secure the person and property of the traveller from outrage. Horseback was the only effective mode of locomotion, and it was the duty of the mayor of each town to provide Government officials with horses and escort, if necessary, to the next stage. t The mission to Scotland required pluck and physical strength, as well as tact and intelligence. " As a man, none was more complete than Sir Ralph Sadleir," and he was selected by Henry VIII. as envoy, although he was not more than thirty years of age and had been only a year in the King's service; but "King Harry was a good judge of two things a man and a dish of meat and was seldom deceived in either/' { and, as events proved, he could not hnve fixed upon an abler ambassador. "\Ye can fancy the young envoy bidding farewell to his anxious wife, and starting from his home at Hackney on a cold January morning (1 j37), clad in light armour, with helmet attached to the saddle bow (ready at hand, should occasion require), mounted on a strong horse, and armed with n sword and pair of clumsy pistols then considered a great invention and attended by half-a-dozen trusty followers, similarly armed and equipped. Concealed in his doublet he carried his " secret instructions," and a letter from the King to the " Eight excellent and Noble Princcsse our derest suster" Queen Margaret, stating that "having occasion at this time to send this Bearer into those parts for other our affairs and * Thorcsby, the antiquary, though writing n century and a half later, informs us that ho lost his way between Doncastor and York : and in another part of his diary he complains that he encountered a series ot disasters between Leeds and London sufficient tor a journey to the frozen ocean or io the Desert of Sahara. f Horses commonly could be obtained at the post stations which were then established on the northern road at intervals of twenty miles. J Fuller. State Papers,. Vol. V., p, 63. SIE RALPH SADLEIE, 39 business, we thought meet by these ouv letters to desire and pray you not only to signify unto us more plainly the points wherein you note yourself evil handled, both by our nephew, your son, and by the Lord Methvin, but also whether you desire that we should directly and particularly intreat such your griefs with our good brother and nephew, your son, as you will specially signify unto us; or else generally recommend your state, condition, or good entertainment unto him. Knowing certainly your mind herein, with the particularities of your griefs, such as you will avow and justify, we shall not fail to devise in such wise for the redress of the same as both to our honour and yours shall appertain; like as this Bearer can further declare unto you, to whom we require you, dearest Sister, to give firm credence/' Henry VIII. had also heard another and very different account from Scotland as to the manner in which Queen Margaret was treated ; to wit, that " she was there very well handled, and grown to much wealth, quiet, and riches. " Before, therefore, he interfered in her favour, he resolved to find out exactly on what particular points she sought redress, and to obtain her authority in writing for his intervention ; and Sadleir, we may be sure, was enjoined to use his eyes and ears, and form his own judgment in the matter. This letter is indorsed 7th of January, but it is evident from Queen Margaret's reply that Henry sent a second letter of later date respecting the marriage of Jame* V. (which took place in Paris on the 1st of the month), and expressed his regret that " his mind and counsel was not had in the same." Sadleir found the country quiet between London and York, where he arrived on the 23rd of January.* The State Papersf contain two very interesting letters he wrote to Lord Crumwell on his way to Scotland, describing the state of the country he passed through. They tell their own story so well that I cannot do better than transcribe portions of them verbatim. The first is from York : " This being the 23rd day of the month, I arrived here, in York, where Mr. La \vsou had made me good cheer; and iu my journey hithenvards, as I met with divers posts to London wards, and divers others of the Xorth, 1 always asked what ne\vs ; and indeed as they were divers of whom I asked the question, so they told me divers tales; for some told me that there was a uew insurrection, and that all Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmorland, Yorkshire, Richmondshire, and Holderness was up, and some told me again that my Lord Conyers had stayed a great part of Richmondshire, some told me that Sir Francis Bigote had raised a great company and made assault upon Hull, and that there was a great conflict and many men slain, and that * It appears that he travelled at the rate of about thirty miles a day, and that therefore we uiuy suppose he left London on the loth. t Vol. I., pp. 626, 629. 40 LIFE AND TIMES OF Sir Rauf Ellerker did his part so well that he took a great many of the rebels, and their captain Bigote fled, no man knoweth whither ; and finally all men that I have talked with agree in one tale, that the only cause of this new tumult amongst the people is a certain despair that they have conceived that my Lord of Norfolk should not come with these parts ; for all men here say that his coining shall stay it altogether. " Sir, all the towns that I have passed through hitherto are in very good quiet, and, as I can perceive, very desirous so to continue ; and yet by means they be much incited and provoked to the contrary, for in all the towns and villages hereabouts, on this side Doncaster, there have been bills and scrowes* set up upon the church doors by night containing these words in effect ; " Commons, be ye true amongst yourselves, and stick one to another, for the gentlemen have deceived you; but yet, if need be, ye shall lack no captains." Surely there be some that do nothing else but go up and down and sow sedition amongst the people, which in mine opinion might be facilly apprehended if men were willing ; but to say mine opinion, as far as I can perceive, the gentlemen be of such sort as seem to be sorry of this tumult and rebellion, and yet can be content to wink at it and make no resistance. For as I passed in these parts I communed in divers towns with some of the honest sort who were householders, and asked them on what ground the people were thus stirred to rebel against their Prince, and who they were who first stirred them thereunto ; and they, as men who would excuse themselves, said that they began in Lincolnshire, and if people had not risen there, no man would have risen in the north ; but when they were up, then came Aske into Holderness, and there he caused bills and scrowes to be set up and spread abroad in all places, the effects whereof were ' that all parish churches should be pulled down, and none to stand within five miles of another ; that no marriages, christenings, nor burials should be, but that they should pay fines to the King,' with such other mischievous devices ; whereupon the people were brought into a great rumour, and ' the gentlemen," quoth they, ' took upon them to be their captains.' ' Why,' quoth I, ' the gentlemen were taken by the commons and compelled to be their captains. 3 'Yea, yea,' quoth they, e and the gentlemen had been as they should be, they might have stayed them well enough at first.' " Amongst the rest, one merry fellow, who was my host at Tadcaster, said, ' How say you to my Lord Darcy ? Did he not turn to the commons as soon as they came to Pomfret, and take their part? and yet, being within the castle, he might have resisted them if they had been ten times as many as they were.' Whereof, I assure your lordship, I do conjecture that the gentlemen have been rather contented to wink at all this matter than to pre- pare any resistance. " I hear the people in all parts where I shall pass are very wild, now up and now clown, at no stay, but in a nuimonngf what they may do. Surely if any new commotion take place beyond York, it is like enough that they will take part with them that come first. If my Lord of Norfolk comes first, or whosoever come for the King's part, there is no doubt but that he shall rule * Scrolls. t Hesitation. SIR RALPH SADLEIE. 41 all this country at his pleasure, but should the commons be stirred here before his coming, then it were doubtful ; for they like not to say openly they will take the part of him that cometh first. If the King's army come first they will take that part, and if the commons come first they needs go with them, or else be despoiled of all they have. " Now, touching my journey forthwards, albeit the people be so wild the way 1 must pass, yet I am in good hope I may safely pass them ; wherefore, God willing, I shall address myself towards the end of my journey with all con- venient speed." In three or four days afterwards Sadleir reached Newcastle-on- Tyne, 83 miles further north, whence he wrote a second letter to Lord Crumwell ou Sunday, the 28th January. He did not find the intervening country to be " very wild, as was reported," though there had been some stir in the bishopric two or three days before his coming, in consequence of a report set abroad " by some seditious persons" that the Duke of Norfolk was "coining down with a great army and power to do execution, and to hang and draw from Doncaster to Berwick, and in all places northward, notwithstanding the King's pardon/' But Sadleir " saw no lightness or desire of division amongst the people throughout the whole bishopric which is a great country* saving at one town, which is called Darlington," of which he gives us a graphic and interesting description : " My chance was to come into the town in the evening, about G of the clock, or somewhat afore, and when I alighted at my lodging, I think there were not passing three or four persons standing about the Inu door. I was scant ascended up a pair of stairs into my chamber, but there were about thirty or forty persons assembled iu the street, afore my chamber window, with clubs and bats, and there they came running out of all quarters of the street, whispering and roundingf together, whereupon I called mine host, who seemed an honest man, and I asked him what the people meant to assemble so together. He answered me that when they saw or heard of any coming out of the south, they used always so to gather together to hear news. I told him it was ill suffered of them that were the heads of the town to let them make such unlawful assemblies together in the street, and that it was a very ill example, and hard to judge what inconvenience might follow, or what attempts they would enterprise when such a number of light fellows were assembled. He answered me, by his faith, the heads of the town could not rule them, nor durst, for their lives, speak a foul word to them. ' Hut,' quoth he, '1 think myself to be in some credit with them, and ye shall see that 1 shall cause them to scatter abroad, and every man go to his home by and bv.' ' Marrv,' quoth I, ' if ve do well, ye should set some of them by the heels.':!: ' No,' quoth he, ' (Jod defend, for so might we bring a thousand * It mav. I think, be iiii'erred from the mode of expression, thai this was Sadleir's first visit to the north. t Walking round ami round. t Put them iu the stocks a very cuininou punishment in those days. (j 42 LIFE AND TIMES OF men on our tops within an hour, but ye shall see me order them well enough with fair words.' And thereupon he went to the rout in the street, as they stood whispering together, and, with his cap in his hand, prayed them to leave their whispering and every man to go home. And then they all caine about him and asked him who I was, whence I came, and what I would ? Mine host told them that I was the King's servant, and going from His Highness in Ambassade into Scotland. Whereunto one of them replied and said that could not be true, for the King of Scots was in France. Nevertheless, in fine, mine host so pacified them that every man went his way ; but much ado he had, as he told me, to persuade them to believe that I went into Scotland." The people of Newcastle may be proud of the favourable opinion Sadleir formed of the hospitality and loyalty of their forefathers : " On Friday last I arrived at Newcastle, and I assure your Lordship I have been well entertained for the King's sake, both by the Mayor and Aldermen, and at this time they have shown themselves honest, faithful, and true men to the King ; for albeit the commons of the town at the first beginning of this tumult were very unruly, and were as much disposed to rebellion as they of the country were, yet the Mayor and Aldermen, and other heads of the town, did so handle the commons with wisdom and mnnhood, that they were determined to live and die with the Mayor and his brethren, in the defence and keeping of the town to the King's use, against all his enemies and rebels. The town itself is surely a strong town, and the Mayor is a wise fellow and a substantial. He and James Lawson, who is one of the Aldermen, brought me upon the walls of the town, which be very strong, and there they shewed me how they had fortified the town. All along the walls lay sundry pieces of ordnance, and at every gate of the town they kept watch and ward, and still do. Every gatehouse is full of bows and arrows, bills,* and other habiliments of war ; and upon every gate Jay in the towers great pieces of ordnance, which would scour every way a mile or two and more. All which ordnance they told me that every merchant for his part brought out of their ships. They made also new gates of iron upon the bridge, and be victualled within the town, they think, for a whole year. They have done their parts honestly, and, in mine opinion, deserve much thnnk, praise, and commenda- tion ; and if it might please the King's Highness to send them a letter of thanks it would greatly encourage them ; for surely they have deserved thank, and been at great charge for the defence and fortification of the town." On the following day Sadleir started ior Berwick, on the Border; where, although he had sent on one of his servants a week in advance to procure it, lie had to wait a couple of days for liis "safe conduct to come out of Scotland/' as "in the King of Scots' absence they were very dangerousf in granting- of safe conducts." * In the Museum of Artillery, at Woolwich, there are two sixteenth century bills which came from Newcastle, t Cautious. (?) SIR RALPH 3ABLEIK. 43 He concludes a long letter with a postcript which proves he was well aware of the uxorious character of the Queen Dowager to whom he was accredited : " It was told me this day at Newcastle that the Queen of Scots should be entered into a religious house of sisters in Scotland, and was become a sister in the same ; which I take to be no gospel." Sadleir must have left Berwick-on-Tweed about the 1st of February, and arrived at Edinburgh a couple of days later on. The Earl of Angus was still in exile, otherwise the English envoy would probably have been entertained for a night or two on the road at Tan- tallon Castle the ancestral stronghold of the chief of the Douglases. Sadleir has left us no record of his proceedings in Edinburgh, but he no doubt addressed him to the objects of his mission with character- istic energy, and returned home without delay, bearing in his mind an intelligent impression of all he had seen and heard, and in his pocket a letter for the King from Queen Margaret, " Vryten vyth my owne hand, the 10 day Febrawr." Her Majesty informed her " Ryght excelent, Hy and myghty Prynce, and deryst Bruthar, the Kyng/'that she had received his loving writing with credence from " Raff Sadlar," which was a great comfort to her. She adds, "as touching the mar- riage of your nephew, the King, my son, in so far as your grace makes rehearse in your said writing that your mind and counsel was not had to the same, which would have been both to his honor and credit, I assure your grace that when he departed from me, that he said he Avould have your advice and counsel in all his matters that he had to do, and to my part I am very evil content that he did not the same." Lord Methvin, she continues, has spent " her lands and profits on his own kith and kin/' and has put her in debt 8,000 marks, Scotch money, for what she does not know, and she wishes her son's Council to compel Methvyn to account for the money. Margaret also com- plains that her son is not in the habit of treating her "as he ought to do, to the pleasure of God and her own honour;" and concludes by saying she had explained matters fully to Mr. Sadleir, and begs her dearest brother, the King, to give him credence in her behalf. 44 LIFE AND TIMES OP CHAPTER VI. SADLEIll ENVOY TO JAMES V. BIRTH OF EDWAUD VI. (1537-9.) Queen Margaret's letter, supplemented by Sadleir' s verbal report, satisfied Henry that his sister had just grounds for complaint, and as Cardinal Pole was now hatching treason on the French frontier, he resolved to send Sadleir to France, with a twofold object first, to visit James V., who was still in that country, in order to obtain, if possible, better treatment for Queen Margaret ; second, and more important, to bear a despatch to the Bishop of Winchester (Gardiner), the English ambassador at the French court, directing him to ask Francis I. to deliver up 'the traytour, Pole/ in accordance with the extradition treaty.* The King accordingly issued " instructions, :c., to his trusty and well-beloved servant, Kauf Sadler, Gentleman of his Privy Chamber, &c.," to deliver his letters of credence to James V., and, having obtained an audience, to represent to him the grievances of which his mother complained, and "to set forth and temper the matter with such dexterity, as he may rather gently persuade the said King to consider it than in any wise to irritate him."t Sadleir started on his new mission towards the end of March (1 537), and after a rough passage of twelve hours, from five o'clock in the morning to five at night, he landed "with much difficulty at a little village in Picardy, called St. John's Road, six miles from Boulogne.-" He found the Bishop of Winchester at Amiens (whence he wrote 28th March) and delivered to him the King's letters, whereupon "mv Lord of Winchester did immediately send to the court, being fourteen leagues from this town, to learn when he may convenientlv have access to the French King's presence, who is now in the wars, and king in camp before the Castle of Heyding." On the following day Sadleir repaired to the Scotch Kinu 1 , who was at llouen, abiding only fair wind and weather to set out for Scotland with his young bride. James V., in the preceding September, had sailed in state to France to marry Mary, the Duke of Vendome's daughter, accord inur to arran Ce- ment, but when he arrived at Paris he admired the King's daughter * Sec Sadleir's letter lo Crumwcll. (State Papers, Vol. V., p. 72). f State Papers, Vol. V., p. 70. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 45 Magdalen more than Mary, and married her on the 2nd of January, at Notre Dame.* The young bride was delicate, and James desired permission early in February to return home through England, in order to avoid the long sea passage; but the Privy Council advised Henry not to grant the request, for all the towns through which the royal couple passed should " receive them nobly and give them presents for his Grace's honour ;" moreover, "as the King's Majesty had appointed to repair to York in the summer for the Parliament and coronation,t and perfect estab- lishment of the country in quiet, and if it be true, as now alleged, that horsemcat cannot now be had for money, how shall the country sustain two so great trains as the King's Majesty and they must have, specially considering the number of bagwaletoursj that shall come with them out of France." It was, moreover, remembered that the King of Scots refused Henry's request to restore the Earl of Angus ; and that he " never wrote a letter or sent any special message to the King's Highness to make him participant to his marriage, nor of his request to come hither." James had therefore to wait for fine weather, and actually did not embark for Scotland till the following May. Sadleir, however, was successful in his mission, for Queen Margaret wrote to Henry in April saying "her son had written affectionately to the Lords of his Council to do her justice with expedition." "My Lord of Winchester" was not so successful, and Cardinal || Pole still remained at large. It is possible that Gardiner was not sorry at his failure, for he sympathised with Pole in his religious views, as was abundantly proved by his subsequent career. In the meantime, the "bills and scrowes" which had been posted on the church doors in Yorkshire in January, as Sadleir informed Crum- well, incited the people to another rising in February. The Duke of Norfolk acted vigorously, and the insurrection was suppressed. Several of the rebels escaped into Scotland, but Lord Darcy, Aske, and others, * State Tapers Vol. TIT., p. fiOO. The royal bridegroom enjoyed his honeymoon in Paris, and took delight in the shops, which were infinitely grander than (hose in Edinburgh. lie is described by an observer as ''ordering himself so foolishly, with a servant or two. running up and down the streets, buying every triile himself, he weening no man knows him; whcrefor every carter pointed with their linger, saying, " there goes le IJoi d'Kscoisse." Penman's hltcr. SVr Pinlccrfnii's " History nf Scotlaml." f It appears that the plague prevented Queen Jane's coronation in London, and the King contemplated holding the ceremony in York, during his conciliatory visit to (lie northern counties. (State Papers. Vol. V., p. 0^1. X Baggage men; from buy and valkt. State Papers, Vol. V., p. 74. I 1 Reginald 1'ole was made cardinal Deeembev 1530. 46 LIFE AND TIMES OF who had compromised themselves again, were taken prisoners and eventually hanged, as were also several monks who were the prime instigators of the movement. Norfolk, however, still remained in the north, to allay the disquietude, and the King himself determined to pay York a royal visit later on. With regard to danger from abroad, the Government were quite on the qni vive. A pastoral letter had been issued by Pope Pius III., advocating the federation of the Catholic powers for the defence of the Church against heretics, and directed evidently against Henry YIII. in particular. We are not surprised, therefore, to find the Council (Westminster, 3rd April) * considering gravely the unity of the Emperor, the French King, and the Bishop of Koine, as a matter of danger to England, and recommending that Calais, Guines, Berwick, and Carlisle should be victualled, and put in a state of defence against all sudden surprises, and that the navy should be increased. The Government had good reasouf to suppose that the King of Scots perhaps annoyed at being refused permission to pass through the country also entertained a hostile feeling towards England ; and with the view of dissipating it, they determined to send an envoy to Edinburgh for the purpose of conciliating the Scotch monarch and urging him to form a friendly alliance with the King, his uncle. Henry must have been well pleased with the tact and talent Sadlcir displayed on the former occasion, for he now entrusted him again with the new mission to James Y. "The Instructions by the King's Majesty, given unto his trusty and well beloved Rafc Sadeler, one of the Gentlemen of His Grace's Privy Chamber, sent at this time (May 1537) unto the King of Scots,"J * State Paper?, Vol. I., p. 5i5. f '-Pleasitb your majesty, when in Edinburgh, I chanced to meet with one Englishman being a gentleman, and much of council with the Vice-Admiral of France, called James Crane ; who perceiving by the arms of ycur majesty in the box upon my breast, that I was an Englishman, took acquaintance with me, and did shew unto me certain credence to be declared unto liauf Sadiller, one of the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber of your Majesty, whom he met at Rouen, to the effect that when the King of Scots, in his repair homewards, came near Scarborough, twelve of your Majesty's subjects came on board the King's ship and being on their knees before him, shewed him how they were slain and murdered, and desired him for God's sake to come in, and he would have all. * * # " The King, being on the seas near Berwick, said amongst his gentlemen, that if ho lived a year he should himself break a spear on an Englishman's breast." Ch/ffbrtl to Hrnri/ VIII., 2M!t Mny, 15.37. (State Papers, Vol. V., p. 79). J I (juite agree with the Editor of the State Papers (Vol. V., p. 81), that these instructions were given to Sadleir at this time, and not, as stated in the " Sadler State Papers," in loll. This is evident from the seasonable attack on priestcraft, the pointed allusions to strengthening the fortresses, Henry's intended tour to Yorkshire in the summer, and to Cardinal Pole's machinations. Froudc thinks that the Pope's Bull referred to means the Bull excommunicating Henry, which was published in December 1538, and that therefore these instructions were given in that winter : but the " Bull " (derived from the SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 47 state the King's case very plainly against the " Bishop of Rome " and his adherents, and is couched in language of incisive vigour. Sadleir was directed first to address himself to such persons as should be " most meet to obtain his access to the King of Scots ; " which being obtained, the ambassador was to give James Henry's " most hearty and eft'ectuouse commendations/' &c., &c., &c., and "present him with a small present and token, requiring him to accept the same in good part, considering the good heart and will rather than the smallness of the thing."* "An audience being granted, Mr. Sadleir shall expound unto him that the Kind's Majesty, having found his Grace like a kind nephew and of a very good disposition and inclination towards His Majesty, hath willed to open his mind and purpose unto him further than he hath done at any time. " And first, to the intent that his said nephew might perchance conceive, upon sundry reports and suggestions that may be made to him, some sus- picion or doubt of sincerity on his uncle's behalf by reason of certain appearances, fortifications, preparations, and provisions of war lately begun to he made by his Majesty . within His Grace's realms and dominions of England, as a thing that should tend to offend the said nephew or his friends ; His Majesty hath willed, therefore, the said Sadleir to affirm that the said preparations were only made for His Majesty's defence, and for the surety and safeguard of his subjects and realm upon certain conspiracies practised by the Bishop of Rome, his adherents and allies, intending his Grace's destruc- tion by hook or by crook, \)\ fas or nefav, and the subversion of his whole commonwealth. I 1 or avoidance whereof His Majesty hath caused suck preparations to be made as he trusted, with the help of God, shall be able to withstand all the malice and conspiracy of the said Bishop and his consorts in such a manner that they shall have little lust to go further in their attemptates. " And therefore his Majesty prayeth his good nephew, that whatsoever report shall be made unto him that might engender suspicion, or cause dimi- nution, of their amity, that he will not give ear thereunto; for His Majestv inlendeth to keep the whole treaty of peace and alliance between them, and will study to bring their amity to such perfection as may be the greatest comfort of both their realms that ever was; and therefore His Majestv prayeth him also that, like a gentle nephew, and a prudent and a wise prince, lie will be, and continue, of like mutual disposition. tii'/lti, or big s-eal attached to papal documents) was probably the pastoral letter before Mentioned. Moreover, Sadleir wa in Scotland in the beginning of June 1-337, soun after King James's ivliirn fn>M Franco, and llieiv is no reeord of bis having been there cither in 15.'!-v ''!'.) or ' II. As an instance of the irregular spelling of proper name-', it is worth remarking that " Sadeler.'' "Sadlier." and "Sadleyer" all appear on the first page of the document. Onlv a portion of the Instructions are here transcribed. *- ; T. iln not kii'iw what the present counted of, but hawks were a u-ual present in those days, and a well-trained pair would have been acceptable to James, \\lio >\ as fond of hawking. 48 LIFE AND TIMES OP " And, further, to the intent his good nephew be not deceived under the colour of religion, and persuasion of untrue and feigned tales, that might by the craft of his uncle's enemies be set forth as things of most excellent piety and holiness. Albeit, His Majesty, knowing that his nephew continueth still in the persuasion of the Bishop of Rome's holiness, and that he is Vicar of Christ on earth ; and seeing the difficulty to dissuade a thing already so beaten into his nephew's head, he is very loth to move anything concerning the said Bishop that should offend his nephew ; yet, nevertheless, as the matter is of good importance to them both, he cannot but touch upon the craft, illusion, and deceitful practices of the said Bishop to both their great disadvantage ; wherefore His Majesty prayeth his nephew to join the wisdom of the serpent to the simplicity of belief in God's word; that is, not to think himself, as perchance sundry of his priests would have him to be, as brute as a stock, or to mistrust that his wits, which he hath received of God, be not able to perceive Christ's word, which his grace hath left to us common to be understood by all Christian men, as well by such as be learned in the Latin tongue and heathen authors, as also by the unlearned, as the apostles were. And, further, His Majesty requireth his nephew to give no less credence to the works and deeds of the priests than to their fair painted words ; and then he shall be induced to lean upon the pure word of God, and pass light upon dreams of men abused by superstition, to blind princes and other persons of much simplicity. " His Majesty knoweth that the said Bishop and his principal ministers evilly report, backbite, and slander His Majesty to the princes of Christendom, and suboraeth friars and monks to defame him to the common people, because His Grace, sticking to the word of God, has not only abolished their lloman superstitions and abuses in his realm, but has taken upon him to exercise the power and authority over the Church and clergy of England which the Bishop of Home for many years craftily usurped from his Majesty, as he doth still usurp from his good nephew and other princes of Christendom, to their greater detriment than doubtless they be ware of. "The said Bishop and his adherents (for the maintenance of their authority, pride, and pompous living) will do their utmost to bring all the world in an evil opinion of his Majesty, and stir them to endamage him and his subjects. Cardinal Pole, the King's rebel, wandereth about to publish a bull of the said Bishop's against His Highness, so distant and far different and wide from all equity, humanity, and reason as Hell is from Heaven; not unworthy to be compared to Hell as a very sink of all wickedness, cruelty, and tyranny, cloaked nevertheless with a cloak of religion, to abuse the simple imprudent therewith. !Iis Highness prayeth his good nephew not to allow the publication in his dominions of this bull, which is a very ravening wolf under a sheep's skin. The practices of the prelates and clerks bu wondrous, and their juggling so crafty, as unless a man be ware of it, and as occulate as Argus, he may be lightly led by the nose and bear the yoke ; yea, and (yet for blindness) not know what he doeth. " The said Sadleir shall, as of himself, affirm to the King of Scots, that he being of His uncle's privy chamber, and long acquainted with his proceed- ings, lie knoweth the King his master's true meaning, upright dealing, and proceedings to be of such reason, truth, and iniioccucy that he wishcth the SIR RALPH SADLEIK. 49 whole world might know the very ground and secrecies thereof. And, further, it would tend to strengthen the amity and increase the love between His Highness and his nephew, if his nephew, to inform himself of his true ground and very meaning, would take pains to meet the King's Majesty in some commodious place northward, where he would with his own mouth and word declare himself to the King, his nephew. The costs and charges would not be great, intending as His Majesty does to make progress northward for this summer, and his good nephew, not far distant from the same, might make progress thitherward. He nevertheless remitteth the same to his nephew's discretion, perceiving that, by means of the clergy, he shall, by all likelihood, be (as he was sometime afore) dissauded of the same." There is no record of the manner in which Sadleir carried out his instructions on this occasion, or the success which attended him, except that afforded by a letter from Queen Margaret to the King, of the 7th of June, thanking him for 200, and concluding by assuring His Grace that Sadleir " guides himself so that the King, her son, is very well content with him/'* AVc have, however, the broad and significant fact that, in spite of King James's threat to break a spear on an Englishman's breast within a year, he remained at peace with his uncle, and did not invade England in co-operation with Francis, who was on the frontier of Flanders with a large force, and ready to attack Calais should circumstances promise him success. Henry granted the lands of the late monastery of St. Thomas the Martyr, at Lesncss, or Abbey Wood, in Kent, to Sadleir in this year, and I think we may assume that the grant was a reward for the satisfactory discharge of his diplomatic duties. Even if James had been willing to meet Henry, the opportunity did not present itself ; for Queen Jane was pregnant, and the King, with tender solicitude for her health, postponed his visit to the north. t In July, Magdalen de Valois died of consumption, leaving James V. a widower after only six months of married life. A'or was Henry VIII. more fortunate. On the 12th of the following October Queen Jane was safely delivered of a son, at Hampton Court Palace. The King and Court were intoxicated with joy at the birth of the long-Avished-for heir to the throne. Three days afterwards the young Prince was christened Edward, with great ceremony, and a grand midnight procession, with the usual concomitants of noise and light, passed through the palace, starting from the chamber of the invalid mother, who sat up for the occasion in queenly state. A cold ensued, and the Queen died a fortnight afterwards. J ' State Papers, Vol. V.. p. 90. t Staii- Papers, Vol. 1., p. ")_>. J The exact date of her death is not known. At ail events Hall is wrong in saying she ilii-il uu the lllh of October, for she was certainly alive on the '21th, when liussell wrote to Crumwell I'runi Hampton Court (see State Tapers. Vol. I., p. 573), iayiujj that the Kin^r 7 50 LIFE AND TIMES 01' Herbert describes Jane Seymour as " the fairest, the discreetest, and most meritorious of all Henry VIII/s wives," and the King, who really loved and respected her, mourned her loss with heart-felt sorrow. He caused 1200 masses to be said for her soul, and a solemn dirge to be sung at St. Paul's and all the London churches. He and his Court went into mourning till the following Candlemas, spending Christmas without any of the usual festivities ; and in his last will, written nine years afterwards, he directed that " the bones of his loving wife, Queen Jane," should be placed in his tomb.* And so the year 1537, which opened in political anxiety, closed in mourning for the King and Court. The following two years passed quietly by.f The Pope, no doubt, issued at last his famous Bull, excommunicating Henry YIIL, towards the close of 1538; but there was still too much animosity remaining between Francis and Charles to admit of the Catholic combination taking a practical shape against Henry, who was, moreover, well pre- pared to resist it. The young Prince of Wales throve in health meantime, but that the succession should not be dependent on his life alone, the Council importuned the King to marry again. Henry admitted his readiness to do so, provided a suitable consort could be found, and Crumwell, knowing what influence a Queen might exercise over the King, fixed on Anne, sister of the Duke of Cleves, and sister-in-law of the Duke of Saxony. An alliance with the Protestant Princess of Germany would, he thought, counterbalance the Catholic combination, and tend to consolidate the Reformation. He therefore recommended His Majesty to espouse Anne of Cleves, whose charms and virtues he lauded to the skies. The Duchess of Saxony, her sister, was famed as a good wife and handsome woman, but the Princess Anne, it was said " excelleth as far the Duchess as the golden sun excelleth the silvery moon.^J had postponed a visit to Esher on account of her illness. Sanders, the Jesuit, originated the story that Edward VT.'s hirth was effected by the Csesarean operation ; and hence also followed the iinprohahle statement, repeated by Miss Strickland, that when the Queen was in the throes of labour, Henry was asked whether he would wish his wife or the infant to be saved. " The infant, by all means," he replied, '' for other wives could easily be found." But no story against Henry VIII. could be too absurdly false for a Jesuit to invent or a woman to hcliove. '* The directions of the King were carried out ; and wh"it (.ieorge I V. hud the vaults of Si. George's Chapel. Windsor, searched, in 1S13, tor the body of Charles. I.. Qu.-en Jane's coffin was found next, to (lie gigantic- skeleton of Henry VJ 1 I., which S"ine accident had exposed to view. + The State Papers, Vol. I., p. o70. contain nn interesting letter, dated 1 llh July ].V!s. from Sadleir to Crumwell, written by the King's desire, relative fo a proposed marriage between Sir Thomas Seymour and the Duchess of Kichmond, widow of the King's illegitimate son, and daughter of the Duke of Norfolk. It is probable, therefore, that Sadleir renj.'unecl at Court during these two years. t Crumwell to Henry Viii. State Paper.-, Vol. I., p. (J'U. SIR RALfTT *AT>LEIT?. 51 The King, however, not being content with hearsay evidence, deputed Holbein to paint her likeness, and the exquisite miniature thus obtained represented a face sufficiently lovely to induce him to conclude a marriage treaty. But when Anne arrived in England (January 1540) to perform the matrimonial contract, Henry, who looked forward with eagerness to the coming of his bride elect, was filled with disappoint- ment and indignation. Anne was a great coarse woman, and though her features bore some resemblance to the flattering miniature, she had no pretensions to the beauty the King imagined she possessed. The courtiers who recollected the queenly graces of Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour sa\v at a glance that the unprepossessing Princess of Cleves would not satisfy the fastidious taste of the morarch, who considered himself a connoisseur of female beauty.* Henry went through the form of the marriage ceremony, though he had already resolved to procure a divorce, and angrily desired Crumwell, on whom the brunt of his resentment fell, to take immediate steps for obtaining it. The ground on which the thwarted minister urged the divorce was that Anne had been previously affianced to one of her own countrymen, and therefore, by the laws then in force, her marriage with the King was illegal. While this delicate piece of diplomacy is being negotiated, let us again turn our attention to Scotland. * The King, attended by a splendid retinue, marching in procession, met Anne of Cleves on 131ackheath, on her arrival from the Continent. " First issued (he King's trumpets, then the King's officers being sworn of his Council, next after them followed the Gentlemen of the King's Privy Chamber (Sadleir we may presume was amongst them), some apparelled in coats of velvet, others had their coats garded with chains of gold, very rich to behold, which wore well horsed and trapped ; after them ensued the Barons," &c. Hall, 52 LIFE AND TIMES OF CHAPTER VII. SADLEIR AMBASSADOR AT THE COURT OF SCOTLAND. (1540). Rebellion at home and excommunication abroad, drove Henry VIII. to still severer measures against priestly influence. In 1539 the remainder of the monasteries and religious houses were suppressed, and the temporal power of the papacy was well nigh crushed in England. Not so in Scotland ; the hierarchy was as rich and as powerful as ever there ; Cardinal Beaton was still James's Prime Minister, and the Pope his spiritual head. This diversity in the government of the two kingdoms tended to throw obstacles in the way of the union which Henry so much desired, and he resolved to send the skilful Sadleir to Scotland with the object of persuading James to follow his uncle's example, and eliminate Beaton and the papal element from his Council.* A favourable opportunity now presented itself of shaking Beaton's influence with the Scottish monarch. Henry and James were on very good terms, and on the last day of the year (1539) we find James thanking his uncle for the present of a horse and the promise of six others " a gift," as Sir Walter Scott says, "chosen with some attention to the taste and habits of the Scottish monarch. James was a good horseman ; and Lindsay, in his ' complaynt,' describes the courtiers as striving; to amuse him by their feats of horsemanship upon the sands of Leith/'t * " Cardinal David Beaton, Archbishop of St. Andrew's, approached nearly to the ideal of the Romanist statesman of the age. Devoted to the Pope and to the papacy, lie served his master with the unvarying consistency, with the mingled passion and calmness which, beyond all other known institutions the Roman Church has the power of imparting to its votaries. The sensual pleasures of which his profession as an ecclesiastic deprived him of the open enjoyment, he was permitted to obtain abundantly bv private licentiousness. Ills indul- gences were amply compensated by a fidelity- with which they never interfered : and the surrender of innocuous vices was not demanded of a man to whom no crime was difficult which would further the interests of his cause. His scent of heresy was as the sleuth hound's, and, as the sleuth hound's, was only satisfied with blood. He was cruel when the Church demanded cruelty, treacherous and false when treachery and falsehood would serve the interests to which he had sold himself. His courage was as matchless as his subtlety : his accomplishments as exquisite as his intellect." The above was Cardinal Ueaton's character as painted by a Protestant historian (Fronde). A Roman Catholic would probably represent him as a perfect saint ; but in any case ho was a very subtle and able politician, and a formidable opponent fur a young ambassador to cope with. t Sadler State Papers, Vol. I., p. 4. SIR RALPH SAD LETT;. 53 It happened, too, about this very time, that a Scotch vessel was wrecked near Bamborough, and on one of the passengers was found a letter from Cardinal Beaton to his agent in Rome containing matter which Henry VIII. thought would compromise the Cardinal, if brought to the notice of King James, and he determined accordingly to make use of the letter for this purpose. Thus, while the apparent object of Sadlcir's new mission to the Scottish Court was for the purpose of presenting the horses to King James, the real design was of a deep political nature ; and as the polished manner of the courtier masked the acumen of the statesman, so did the complimentary semblance of the embassy disguise its actual motive. On the two former occasions that Sadleir appeared at Edinburgh, it Avas more as a secret envoy than as a plenipotentiary ; but now he proceeded there with all the pomp and circumstance of an accredited ambassador from one king to another, and accompanied by a herald and an imposing retinue, including several attendants arrayed in suitable uniform with a Greek motto on the sleeve. The King's letter to James Y. is dated Greenwich, 27th January, 1510, and as Sadleir had reached Newcastle by llth* of February, we may assume he set out about the 28th of January, being preceded by one Christopher Erington, in charge of the six horses for King James. The "State Papers," which have hitherto furnished us witli official information, contain no documents regarding Sadleir's embassy to Scotland in 154-0 beyond those already quoted, but fortunately the link is most completely supplied by the " Sadler State Papers," which enables me to unfold an unbroken chain of events. The "instructions given by the King's Highness to his trusty and well beloved servant" are set forth in full; and Sadleir, after presenting the horses and usual courtly compliments, is, in the first place directed to secretly hand King James Cardinal Ueaton's intercepted letter, and point out how the Cardinal, under colour of serving the King, his master, ' labouivlh to bring into his own hand the whole spiritual jurisdiction of the realm of Scotland." Secondly, to recommend King lames, " seeing the untruth and beastly living of the monks, to increase his revenue by taking such of then 1 possessions as might best be spared, instead of trafficking in cattle and sheep, as by some it was bruited." Thirdly, to remind him that if anything happened the Prince of Wales, lleiirv hail the power of naming his successor to the crown of England, 54 LIFE AND TIMES OF and therefore it would be better for James to cultivate the favour of his uncle rather than that of the Emperor or the French King. " In declaration of these things, the said Ealph Sadleir shall most diligently note and observe King James's countenance, gesture, and fashion, and the manner of speaking the same, that at his return he may better express the same to the King's Majesty." Finally, Henry VIIL, knowing the extent of female influence in Court circles, directed " the said Ralph to desire the King of Scots that he may, on the King's Majesty's behalf, salute the Queen,* to whom at his access he shall do His Majesty's most hearty commen- dations, and congratulate the good, virtuous, and honourable life between her and his good nephew, her husband." In like manner, he is to visit the old Queen, and give her most loving messages from her dearest brother. Romance writers aye, and historians too are apt to draw on fancy for conversations and local details of olden time ; but, thanks to Sir Ralph Sadleir's graphic- communications, we have the very words and incidents that actually passed on this occasion. His letter to one of the Privy Council, t describing his reception at Edinburgh, is a good example of his descriptive powers, and will be read with interest : " My duty remembered unto your good Lordship, it may please you to understand that I arrived here on Tuesday, the 24th| of February. I did so appoint my journey that the King's horses might be in Edinburgh within three or four days after mine arrival; and afore mine entry into Scotland, I sent the herald Berwick and one of my own folks to prepare and appoint me a convenient lodging. They resorted to the Provost of the town, who was appointed to lodge me, and so he shewed them a mean lodging in a poor merchant's house which my folks liked not, and required a better. The Provost answered that the King's Council and many noblemen were lodged in the town, so that lie could not appoint any better; 'but,' quoth he to Berwick, 'ye are well acquainted here; if it like you to seek abroad in the town, look where you may find any honest house that is meet for your pur- pose, and if it be possible to have it, ye shall.' And so, in seeking for my lodging, Berwick met one of the Queen, the King's Majesty's sister's servants, and told him that he could get no lodging for me. ' Marry,' said the Queen's servant, ' the King hath appointed the Provost to see him lodged.' Quoth Berwick, 'He will appoint none that is meet.' The Queen's servant went forthwith and told her the same, whereof she advertised the King, who immediately sent express commandment to lodge me in a reasonable fair house * Mary of Lorraine, the accomplished daughter of the Duke of Guise, -whom King .Tame? had married as his second will 1 . t The letter is merely indorsed ' to ono of the Privy Council of England," but from its familiar stylo and collateral circumstances I have no doubt it was addressed to his friend, Lord Crumwell. J The day of the month is not given in the original, but according to my calculation from oth/T dates it must hnve been the 24th. SIK KALPH SADLEIK. 55 in the town, which his Grace named. Answer was made that the Bishop of Eoss lodged there. 'I say,' quoth the King;, 'in the foul evil dislodge the Bishop, and see that the house be fairly furnished against the ambassador's coming.' The Bishop was forthwith dislodged, and the lodging honestly appointed for me, both with beds and hanging of coarse tapestry and all other things necessary. I assure your lordship I am right well entertained here, specially of the King ; and surely it appeareth that I am very welcome to him, and to the most part of the noblemen and gentlemen here, that be well given to the verity of Christ's word and doctrine, whereof be a great number, but the noblemen be young. And, to be plain with you, though they be well-minded, and divers others also that be of the Council and about the King, yet I see none amongst them that hath such agility of wit, gravity, learning, or experience to set forth the same, or to take in hand the direction of affairs ; so that the King is, as far as I can perceive, of force driven to use the Bishops and his clergy as his only ministers for the direction of his realm. They be the men of wit and policy that I see here ; they be never out of the King's ear. And if they smell anything that in the least point may touch them, or that the King seem to be content with any such thing, straight they inculk to him how Catholic a Prince his father was, and feed him both witli fair words and many, in such wise as to lead him as they will; the Prince being given, as lie is, to much pleasure and pastime, giving small care to his own affairs, but only committing his whole trust to them. " But surely if he had one Counsellor well given that were a man of good stomach, and had wit, knowledge, and learning to go through with the matter, the King himself is of a right good inclination, and so is a great part of the nobility and commonalty of this realm. I assure your Lordship since my coming hither 1 have wished a hundred times in my heart that the King of Scots had one such servant and Counsellor as the King's Majesty hath of you; and I dan 1 say so would many thousands in Scotland, for some of the honest men of the Court here, and well esteemed, have wished the same before me since my coming hither. " 1 have no good-will of the Bishops and priests, or any of their band, which is yet too strong for the oilier side, as far as I can see. They raised a bruit here that I and all my folks did eat flesh here as heretics and Jews;* and thereupon a proclamation was made by the commandment of the Cardinal,! '" "U the churches within his dioceses, That whosoever should buy an egg or eat an egg within those dioceses, should forfeit no less than his body to the tire, to be burnt as an hen-tic, and all his goods confiscate to the King. And because they bruiled that I and my folks did eat flesh (wherein tlh-r, the said proclamation was ami ine soever publication; I iii honest sort to me, insomuch that the King had nt Kothsay the herald unto me L' made, the king's ploa.-nrc was would, ami that victuals should be appointed for me of I humbly thanked his Grace, and answered that ' 1 was 1 of; for L eat no flesh, nor none of my folks, nor is it * It was iii Lent, t Et'atoii. 56 LIFE AND TIMES OF permitted in England in Lent. Marry, I confess I eat eggs and white meats, because I am an evil fishman,* and I think it of none offence ; for if it were I would be as loth to eat it as the holiest of your priests that have thus belied me.' ' Oh ! ' quoth he, ' know ye not our priests ? A mischief on them all ! I trust the world will amend here once.' Thus I had liberty to eat what I would. " Another bruit they made that all my men were monks, and that I had them out of the abbeys in England, and now they were serving men.f I gave a Greek word 3: on my men's coat sleeves, which is Moi/w UVUKTI SovXeuw; the Latin whereof is soli regi servio. Now the Bishops here have interpreted my word to be, as they call it, ,,to/tachtdu>s, which, as they say, is in English ' a little monk,' as a diminution of monachus, and thus they affirmed of a verity. Whereupon they brui f ed that all my men were monks ; but it appeareth they arc no good Grecians. || And now the effect of my word is known, and they be well laughed for their learned interpretation. Thus I trouble your lordship with trifles to recreate you in your great affairs ; and forasmuch as I have written at length to the King's Majesty of all my conferences and proceedings here since mine arrival, to which your Lordship shall be privy, I therefore omit anything thereof in these my letters, trusting to bring the next advertisement myself. And thus may the holy Trinity pre- serve your lordship in health, Sec., &c." Sadleir's report to the King of his proceedings at the Scotch Court is very clear and exhaustive. A few extracts will serve my purpose : " The day after I arrived, the King of Scots sent Rothsay, one of his heralds, unto me, to congratulate me, and to enquire after your Grace's health, Sec., Sec. The herald said the King thought it convenient for me to repose a day after ray journey, and that he would send for me on the morrow to come into his presence. Accordingly, on the next day, being Thursday, at nine of the clock before noon, Sir William Ogilvy, Captain Borthwiek, who is Lieutenant of the French King's Guard, and David Lindsay.*" chief herald to the King of Scots, and Rothsay came to my lodgings to accompany me to * i.e., he disliked fish. + This clever falsehood has a good deal of humour iu it, considering the time and place and persons. J Motto. From Sadleir's giving the Latin translation I conclude Lord Crunnvcll did not under- stand Greek. || Greek scholars. ^~ The celebrated Sir David Lindsay of the Mount, so well known as a poet " Still is thy name of high account. And still thy verse hath charm-. Sir David Lindsay of the .Mount. Lord Lyon, King at Arms." Scott. SIR RALPH SADLE1R. 57 the Court. When we arrived there, they brought me into a chapel where the King was at mass, and the chapel full as well of noblemen and gentle- men, as bishops, monks, priests, and other. The King kneeled under a cloth of estate without any travail, and about him kneeled the Cardinal, divers bishops, and some noblemen. At mine entry into the chapel, place was made for me through the press, and so I was convoyed up and placed on a pire* or seat even behind the King, as he kneeled at mass. When the mass was done, the King arose and turned towards me, and so soon as he saw me, he came from under his cloth of estate and full gently embraced me and welcomed me." Saclleir and the King had then a long conversation, of a compli- mentary and general nature ; and having appointed a confidential meeting, and given permission to visit the Queen, James " made the ambassador countenance/' and committed him to the care of Ogilvy, Lindsay, and the others, who returned with him to his lodging and dined with him. " The next clay, being Friday, they all came to me again, between nine and ten afore noon, and said the King had sent them for me to come to his Grace. They brought me again to the chapel, where the Queen, the King's wife " (Mary of Lorraine), "was hearing a sermon in French, accompanied with a number of ladies and gentlewomen ; the King was not there, but, as I perceived, I was brought there on purpose to see the Queen, and salute her from your Grace. I was placed on the same seat that I had the day before, and after the sermon I repaired to the Queen and gave her your gracious message " (to which the Queen replied in suitable terms), " and immediately afterwards llothsay came to me saying the King had sent for me, and so I was forth- with brought to the King's presence in his privy chamber, where his Grace took me apart into a window, f showing to me right pleasant countenance and cheer, making semblance that he was willing to hear whatsoever I had to say." Sadleir commenced by a brief repetition of what he said the day before, and then informed James that he expected the horses to arrive that night, and felt sure his Grace would like them when he should see them, after a rest of a day or t\vo. He then came to the important point Cardinal Beaton's letter "and I told the King that ' a subject of yours, being servant, as is reported, to your Cardinal here, was by the rage and tempest of the sea driven a-land in the north part of England, very like to have been drowned/ ' Yea/ quoth he, 'that was Brunstoun, he is now newly come home/ 'This Brunstoun/ quoth I, ' when he was thus on land, by chance left cer- tain private letters and copies behind him/ ' Xo/ quoth he, ' the * The meaning of this word puzzled Sir "Walter Scott, but I think it is meant for pier (from j> '.;;<) or stone projection ; at all events llolinshed spells pier in this way. f The old-fashioned windows with deep recesses were favourite places for private con- versations. 8 58 LIFE AND TIMES OF letters were taken from him by the King, mine uncle's servants.' ' Indeed Sir/ I replied, 'the letters were found by the King, my master's officers, and sent up to his Majesty/ 'Well/ quoth he, f it is no force'" (matter). And here we have an amusing instance of diplomatic honesty, for Sadleir continues his letter thus : " Now, and it please your Highness, as I passed Bamborough, I met with John Horseley, captain of the same, who in communication told me that he had taken a packet of letters from certain Scottish men which were driven a-land there by tempest, and named the said Brunstoun to be one of them ; and therefore when the King of Scots told me that the letters were taken from Brunstoun, I would not wide too far in defence thereof, but passed it over and proceeded to the matter." The Cardinal's letter was addressed to Mr. Oliphant, Vicar of Poulis, his agent at Home. It stated that one Thomas Hutcheson had returned from Rome with a brief from the Pope to Beaton to re- instate him in the vicarage of Dummany. This order was obtained through the influence of Sir John Duncan, a rebel to the King of Scots, and James, hearing of it, put Hutcheson and his participant, Harvey, in prison ; and now Cardinal Beaton directs his agent to "solicit nothing at Duncan's inopportune solicitation that may in aways irritate the King's Majesty, considering the time is perilous, and ye shall show that we are labouring at our power to have them delivered to us as judge ordinary, and have them freed and put to liberty for the conservation of the liberty of the holy kirk." It will be seen that there was nothing treasonable in the letter, but Sadleir, according to instructions, made the most of Beaton's double dealing, and how he laboured to bring into his own hands not only the whole spiritual jurisdiction of Scotland, but, under colour of it, the temporal power also ; and he expatiated on the crafty dealings of the prelates, and to what ruin they endeavoured to bring the state of Kings that they might be rulers of all, and keep princes in their own realms their ministers and deputies, or else, by most detestable and impudent boldness, vindicate the deposing of them. " In the declaration hereof," continues Sadleir in his report, " I observed well the King's countenance, and perceived that he gave me an attentive ear, and somewhile looked very steadily on me with grave countenance; somewhile he bit his lip and bowed his head, and when I had finished, he answered, ' By my truth there are two laws the spiritual law and the temporal' the care of the one belongs to the Pope's Holiness, and the other to Kings ; and for my part I trust I shall do my duty to God in the discharge of such things as pertain to the temporal power within this realm/" As to the charge against Beaton, King James said he had seen a copy of the letter before, and excused the Cardinal in every manner, stating that he himself had ordered him to put the two men in prison, SIR RALPH SADLEIE. 59 and also to deliver them. In short, it appeared that Cardinal Beaton enjoyed the full confidence of the Scottish King, and had sagaciously foreseen and prepared for the various points which the English am- bassador urged. Henry VIII.'s advice regarding monastic property met with a similar untoward fate, though insinuated with all the diplomatist's wily skill : " The King's Majesty, your uncle, wishest that ye would rather apply yourself by good and politic means to increase your revenue, by taking some of those religious houses (such as may be best spared) into your hands, which do occupy and possess a great part of the possessions of your realm to the maintenance of their volupty and idle life, and the continual decay of your estate; and the rest of them which be most notable, to alter into colleges or cathedral churches and alms-houses, as the King's Majesty, your uncle, hath done in Canterbury* and elsewhere ; whereby ye shall per- ceive that one house so altered shall tend more to the glory of God than a number of them now doth ; and yet shall ye establish thereby in such sort as ye shall be able to live like a king, and yet not meddle with sheep, nor such mean things, being matter whereupon to occupy the meanest of your people and subjects." " In good faith," replied King James, " I have no sheep, t nor occupy no such things, but such as have tacks and farms of me peradventure have such num- bers of sheep and cattle as ye talk of going upon my lands, which I have no regard to ; but for my part, by my truth, I never knew what 1 had of my own, nor yet do ; I thank God I am able to live well enough on what I have, and I have friends that will not see me mister. There is a good old man in France, my good father, the King of France (I must needs call him so, for I am sure he is like a father unto me), that will not see me want anything he can help me with; nevertheless, I shall seek nothing of any man but love and friendship, and for my part I shall hold my word and behechtj with all princes, and for no man living shall I stain mine honour for any worldly good, with the grace of Jesu. And most heartily I thank the King's Grace, mine uncle, for his advice, but in good faith I can not do so ; for me- thinks it is against reason and God's law to put down their abbeys and religious houses, which have stood there many years, and God's service maintained and keeped in the same ; and God forbid that if a few of the monks be not good, for them all the rest should be destroyed." It is impossible not to admire the young monarch's honest and open * Cliristclmreli monastery in Canterbury had been altered from a monastery into a collegiate church, containing eight prebendaries, ten petty canons, nine scholars, and two choristers. Steven's " Monasticon." f This was not quite true. King James owned at this time ten thousand sheep in Ettricke Forest, under charge of his shepherd, Andrew Bell. I Behight, or promise. 60 LIFE AND TIMES OF character ; but although he refused to rob the Church, he was not blind to the misdemeanours of the monks, and had threatened to reform the evil ones. Just before Sadleir arrived in Scotland, Sir William Eure informed Cram well* that an " interlude " had been played before the Scotch Court, " the whole matter whereof concluded upon the 'naughtiness in religion and presumption of the bishops. After the interlude, the King of Scots did call upon the Bishop of Glasgow, and divers other Bishops, exhorting them to reform their fashion of living, saying unless they did so, he would send six of the proudest of them to his uncle of England," a most unpalatable threat we can well imagine. Sadleir did not forget his message fc' 1 Queen Margaret, and took occasion to ask James's permission to visit her. "Marry/' said his Grace, "ye need not ask my license for that, ye may see and visit her at all times." " I humbly thanked his Grace, and so went straight to the Queen, your Majesty's sister, and made your Grace's hearty commendations, and declared that your highness, thanks be to God, was healthful and merry, and had given me special charge to visit and see her, and also to know how she was used, and how all things went there. She answered, she was glad to hear that your Grace was in good health, and also asked me of the state and health of the Queen's Grace, my mistress, whereunto I answered accordingly. t But she took it the most unkindly that might be, that she had no letter from your highness, saying that she perceived your Grace set not much by her; f but though I be forgot,' quoth she, 'in England, I shall never forget England. It had been but a small matter to have spent a little paper and ink upon me, and much it had been to my comfort; and were it perceived that the King's Grace, my brother, did regard me, I should be the better regarded of all parties here.' I excused all things as well as I could, and satisfied her Grace right well or I departed.''^ On Saturday night the herald Kothsay brought Sadleir " wine from the King, both white and claret," and told him that the King was well content to receive the present the next morning, because his lords would see that his uncle did not forget him. The manner of spending the Sunday in Scotland before the Reformation was after the French fashion, and would shock the modern Presbyterian idea of the Sabbath. " The next morning being Sunday," writes Sadleir, " afore nine of the clock came Sir Walter Ogilvy, Sir John Campbell, David Lindsay, the chief * State Papers, Vol. V., p. 170. t Sadleir evidently thought the less he said about Anne of Clevcs the hotter. I And here, too, will I take leave of the Dowager Queen of Scots. Her unpraiscworlhy career was nearly finished ; she died uaregretted in the following year. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 61 herald, and Tlotlisay to my lodging to accompany me to the Court, and so I took order that your Majesty's horses were brought thither within half-an- hour after me. At my coming to the Court I was brought again to the chapel, where 1 found the Queen again at a sermon. By the time the sermon was done, your Majesty's horses were come, and I was forthwith brought to the King's presence, to whom I declared I had brought his Grace such a present of horses as your Majesty had sent to him, and if it might please him to sec them they were ready in the Court. ' I thank the King's Grace, mine uncle,' quoth he 'with all mine heart; come ye on with me, we will go see them.' And so he went into another chamber, where out of a window he looked into a fair court, and thither were the horses brought, winch the King liked exceeding well, and praised wondrously. Christopher Erington did ride them, one after another, before him, and handled them very well. I ditl set them well forth, both for their kinds and ages. He praised much the Barbary horse and the jennet,* and said, ' I like them better because they be of my uncle's own brood. If the Barbary horse were bigger, he would be worth to much good, but by my truth he is a bonny beast, and so be they all.' ' Sir,' quoth I, 'your Grace may be sure the King's Majesty, your micli 1 , would not send them to you unless he thought them a meet present for you.' ' By my soul,' quoth he, ' I thank much his Grace, and 1 assure you his gentle remembrance and kindness is more pleasant and comfort to me than ail the gifts and goods in the world ; and I beseech you do but mind me what his Grace delighteth or taketli pleasure in, and may I ken it, if I can get it, betwixt this and the farthest part of Turkey, I shall want of my will but I shall have it for him. And be they any commodity in my realm that may stand to his pleasure, it shall be at his commandment.' And so lie turned him to the lords and began to praise the horses, and every man praised them much. Immediately after came in the master-household, and told the King that his ' dinner was on the board.' \\here\vith his Grace went forth to his dining chamber, washed, sat down, and so bade the lords take me with them to dinner. The Cardinal took me by the arm, and had me to a chamber where the lords used to dine. They made me sit at the highest place of the table, and entertained me very gently. There sat the Cardinal, the Bishop of Glasgow, who is Chancellor, the Earl of lluntley, the Karl of Krrol, the Karl of Cassillis, the Karl of Athole, the Bishop of Aberdeen, the Lord Krskine, Sir Vralter Ogilvy, !6ir John Campbell, and two or three gentlemen more." After dinner Sailleir was again conducted to the Privy Chamber of the King, who took him apart into the deep recess of a window, and there conversed with him privately for some time on the various sub- jects they had previously treated of. Already Sadleir had forcibly pointed out to King James the advantage of cultivating his uncle's good will and all'ection, and the prospect of his ultimately succeeding to the Crown of England, and had urged upon James the advisability of a meeting with ilenrv. as had been once intended. " Such a Jeunets were much prized iu those days, especially fur ladies' use. 62 LIFE AND TIMES OF meeting as my Lord William (Howard) treated of," said King James, " I promise you, my Lord William* reported me untruly in that to the King's Grace, mine uncle ; for he said that I did fully agree to that meeting, as by my truth I was content with it ; but I told my Lord William that the lords of my realm would not agree to it." " Sir," replied Sadleir, " in my poor opinion, whosoever letted that meeting loved neither the King's Majesty, your uncle, nor yet your Grace, nor the wealth of your realms. And such a meeting might now redouble all ; and such an increase of hearty love and affection might grow thereby to your subjects on both parts as should for ever establish a perfect unity and kindness between them." Sadleir now touched again on the meeting, but King James only made half a promise, and finally gave the ambassador "a gentle countenance with his cap in his hand," and bade Sir Walter Ogilvy and Sir John Campbell accompany him to his residence. King James wrote to his uncle on the same day to thank him for his present ; and it is probable that Sadleir set out for England a day or two after that is, about the 2nd of March for he concludes his very interesting report thus: "The next advertisement of my farther proceedings here I think I shall bring to your Majesty myself; for, as I understand, the King here intendeth to dispatch me away shortly, because he would go abroad in his realm about his pastime, where- unto they say he is marvellously given, and specially to hawking, both to the heron and the river/'t * It would appear from this that Sadleir did not mention the subject during his previous mission. f Burton, in his " History of Scotland " (1867), Vol. III., p. 359, states that " ever since his return from France an exceeding close watch was kept on the motions of King James. The eminent Sir Ralph Sadleir was sent as an ambassador to Scotland with distinct and full instructions. That sagacious man had a clear eye for all that was going on around him; but men of lower position, who would take less scrupulous means of obtaining knowledge, were sometimes required." Mr. Burton then proceeds to give instances of information thus obtained; amongst the rest how the King had secretlv strengthenel Dunbar, Tantallon, and other castles, and how he received overtures of homage from Irish Chieftains. (Sec State Papers, Vol. V., p. 176.) SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 63 CHAPTER VIII. THE FALL OF CRUJIWELL. (1540-42.) When Sadleir returned to Greeenwich, about the middle of March, he found Anne of Cleves still nominally Queen Consort, and the King, though annoyed and perplexed at his domestic position, making administrative changes with characteristic energy and promptness. The affairs of State having increased very much of late, it was im- possible that one Chief Secretary could conduct all the Government correspondence, even though the industry and versatility of the Lord Privy Seal (Crumwell) had helped to lighten the duties ; and moreover as there were two Houses of Parliament, and as some of the Council always remained in London, while the remainder accompanied the King to Windsor and elsewhere, Henry resolved to appoint two Principal Secretaries of State. Thomas Wriothesley had succeeded Lord Crumwell as "Secretary to the King's Highness" in 1536, but his duties and position were not clearly defined, and we have accordingly seen that the work was shared by Crumwell, Sadleir, and others. It appears that Sadleir was already a member of Parliament, and the distinction of being named one of the two Principal Secretaries of State now fell to his lot. A textual copy of the warrant is appended. It is signed by the King and has no date, but it must have been issued between the end of January 1540, when Sadleir was, according to his instructions, on going to Scotland, only a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber,* and the 7th of April of the same year, when Crumwell addressedf him as " his assured and loving friend, one of the King's Majesty's two Principal Secretaries."^ * The warrant, moreover, refers to the Statute of Precedence, which was only passed in 1530. f This is the only letter from Crumwell to Sadleir in the State Papers. X "WiSUAXX FOR THE APFOIXIilEXT OF TWO SECKETAKIES OF SlATE. (Signed) "IIESKY, E. " First, that Thomas \Vriothesley and llaf Sadler, and every of them, shall have the name and otlice of the Kinges Majesties Principal Secketaryes during llis Highnes plea- sure ; and shall receyve, to be equally divided betweuc them, all such fees, droictes, dieuties, and commodities, not hereafter specially lyuiyted, as have, doo, or ought to belong to thuflice of His Majesties Principal Secketarye. "Item, llis Highues hathe resolved, that every of the said Thomas Wriothesley, and 64 LIFE AND TIMES OF By this warrant the two Principal Secretaries of State divided certain fees, &c., between them. They kept the King's seals, to stamp state documents which were not of sufficient importance for the sign manual.* They had furnished apartments in the King's residence, and took their meals together, and in company with the Lord Privy Seal when he was at Court. In the Council Chamber and at Court they sat below the Lords, both spiritual and temporal, and some of the high officers of His Majesty's household, but took precedence of the rest of the Council and the Court. When the King or Speaker was present in the House of Lords, both Secretaries had their places on the woolsack, but on all other occasions Sadleir sat in the House of Lords, and Wriothesley in the House of Commons, week by week, alternately. Raf Sadler, shall, for the tyrne of their being iu the said office, have and kepc twoo His Graces Scales, called his Signetes; and with the same, seale al suche thinges, warraunte?, and writinges, bothe for inwarde and oufcwarde parties, as have been accusturaed to be passed heretofore by the same ; every of the sayd Thomas Wriothesley, and Raf Sadler, nevertheles, to kepe a booke, conteynying al suche things, as shall passe by either of handcs, and thonc to be made ever pryve to thothers registre. " Item, His Majestic ys contented, that every of the saide Thomas Wriothesley, and Raf Sadler, shall have an ordynary chambre or lodging within the gates of Uis Graces house, in al places where tho same may be, conveniently furnished ; and every of them to have lykc bouge of courte, in al thinges, as is appointed to the Secketai'ye. " Item, His Majestic is pleased, and ordeyneth, that al suche tyines as the Lorde Pryve Scale shall be present in the Courte, the said Thomas "Wriothesley, and Raf Sadler, shall accompany him at his table ; and whenne he shalbe absccnt oute of tho Courte, tlienne they to have his diet for thcuiselfes, and suche other as may bs appointed to that table. " Item, His Majestic ordoyneth, that in all Counseilles, as\vel iu His Majesties House- hold, as in the Sterre Chamber, and ellcswhere, all Lords, bothe of the Temporaltic and Clergie, shall sit above them; and lykewise the Threasourcr, Comptroller, Maister of tho Horsse, and Yicechambrelane of His Highnes Householde ; thenne next aftre to be placed the said Principal Seckctaries, and soo, after them, al suche other Counseillours as shal reasortc, and have place in any of the said Counseilles. And albeit that by a Statute, latelv made, thoffice of the Principal Seckctarye shuld be and sit contynuelly in the Upper House of the Parliament, uppon oon of the woll sackes, yet His Highnes, considering the good service that the said Thomas Wriothesley, and Raf Sadler, may doo him in the Jfeyther House, where they have nowe places, dothe ordeyn that, during his pleasur, thev shal use them- selfes as hereafter cnsueth; that is to saye, on al suche dayes as the Speker shalbe prescute, or that the Kiuges Majeste shalbe presentc, in personne, they shall attendeon His Highncs and shal bothe have their places upon the said wol sacke, according to the said Statute ; and, at al other tymes, thone of them to be oon weake in tho Hiegh House, and thother in the Lower House, and soo he that was in the Lower House, to bo the next weake in the Hiegher House; chauugiug their places by cours, onelcs yt be upon some special clave for matiers to be treated in the ^Xeyther House ; at which time they shal in aye bothe bo present there together, accordingly; and in all other places within His Graces Household, and clleswhere, his pleasure is, that they, and every of them, shall have, enjoye, and use the place of the Principal Socketary, as heretofore halhc been accustomed." * The King, through illness or pressure of business, sometimes stamped his name instead of writing it. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 65 Sadleir, who, in virtue of his new office, was a member of His Majesty's Privy Council,* became entitled to be styled " Eight Honourable," and was soon afterwards knighted. But as Sadleir's star rose, that of his friend and patron, Crumwell, fell. Parliament opened on the 12th of May, and the Lord Privy Seal made a speech recommending unity of religious opinions on broad Christian principles sentiments which were re-echoed by the King himself on the last occasion he spoke before Parliament.t A few days after, Crumwell was created Earl of Essex. The honour was the lightning flash which precedes a thunder storm. The King grew every day more and more dissatisfied at his union with Anne of Cleves ; nor was his political alliance with the Protestant princes of Germany a greater success, for a counter alliance was now threatened between Charles V. and Francis I. The marriage, therefore, socially and politically, was a complete failure, and the King laid all the blame on Crumwell. Now, at last, can the Duke of Norfolk and the nobility poison the royal atmosphere with complaints against the " low plebeian/' and can Gardiner and the Catholics breathe accusa- tions against the " arch heretic/' The calumniators of the Earl of Essex were not long in establishing a channel of communication to the King's ear by means of Catherine Howard J a handsome and unscrupulous young lady, who was adroitly thrown in the way of the susceptible monarch at Gardiner's house. Alas ! now for Crumwell's head, and Anne of Cleves' crown ! Since Wolsey's fall, ten years before, Crumwell's power had been almost supreme ; " he ruled the camp, the Court, the grove." The Minister, in fact, was more powerful than his Sovereign. The King's jealousy once aroused could not be allayed, and no Sultan ever visited his offending Grand Yizier with quicker or direr punishment. TVitnesses', who counted not in vain on the King's support, were found who were eager to prove high treason and heresy against the Lord Privy Seal. Nor, indeed, was it difficult to prove that a minister * Sec the list of the Privy Council, p. 68. \ " The names of Papists and heretics," said Lord Crumwell, " are bandied to and fro. The holy word of God, -which his Highness has permitted to be read in the vulgar tongue, for the comfort and edification of his people this treasure of all sacred things is abused, and made a servant of error and idolatry ; and such is the tumult of opinion, that his Highness ill knows how to bear it. His purpose is to show no favour to extremes on either side. He professes the sincere faith of the Gospel, as becomes a Christian Prince, declining neither to the right hand or to the left, but setting before his eyes the pure word of God as his only mark and guide. Of forms, ceremonies, and traditions lie will hare the reasonable use distinguished from the foolish and idolatrous use. And his first and last prayer is for the prevailing of the Word of Christ." I A niece of tin- Duke of Xorfolk's. The ,">_! iTS. volumes of Crumwell's correspondence, still extant in the State Paper Office, bear evidence of the extent and variety of his labours and influence. Even Court love affairs were not beneath, the notice of the useful and versatile premier. 9 66 LIFE AND TIMES OP who was invested with unlimited power had said and done several things in the King's name but without the King's knowledge or sanction. On the afternoon of the 10th of June* (1540) Cmmwell was present in the Council Chamber with the remainder of the Privy Council, when the Duke of Norfolk, Lord High Treasurer, who probably sat next him, suddenly rose up and said, " My Lord of Essex, I arrest you of high treason." In the evening, Crumwell was a prisoner in the Tower. " Many," says Hall, " lamented, but more rejoiced, and especially such as either had been religioust meii or favoured religious persons, for they banquetted and triumphed together that night, many wishing that the day had been seven years before ; and some fearing lest he should escape, although he were imprisoned, could not be merry ; others, who knew nothing but truth by him, both lamented him and heartily prayed for him." Among the latter, perhaps there was no one, outside his immediate family, who regretted his downfall more than Sadleir, who was. probably at the Council board when he was arrested. Archbishop Cranmer, too, was sorely grieved, and manfully but vainly interceded with the King for his fallen friend. J Crumwell was now a victim of a process which he himself had intro - duced namely, attainder by Parliament instead of trial by law and he lay in the Tower convicted of high treason, unheard and almost unfriended. In his sore distress, he wrote a letter from his prison to the King, " whereof, when none durst take the carriage upon him, Sir Ralph Sadleir went unto the King to understand his pleasure whether he would permit him to bring the letter or not ; which when the King granted, the said Master Sadleir, as lie was required, presented the letter unto the King, which he commanded thrice to be read to him, insomuch that the King seemed to be much moved there with ." The letter recalled Crumwell's great services to the State and to the King, and how he also endeavoured to serve One higher than the King, and concluded by beseeching " Mercy ! Mercy ! Mercy !" Sir Ralph Sadleir sympathised with the writer, and must have read the letter each time with good effect, as " the King was much moved * Hall says it was 011 the 9th of July; but see footnote, State Papers, Vol. I., p. 029. f i.e. in holy orders. I " I heard yesterday," he wrote to the King, "in your Grace's Council, that the Earl of Essex is a traitor. Yet who cannot he sorrowful and amazed that he should he a traitor against your Majesty? he whose surety was only hy your Majesty; he who loved your Majesty, as I ever thought, no less than God, he who studied always to set forwards what- soever was your Majesty's will and pleasure; he that cared for no man's displeasure to serve your Majesty; he that was such a servant, in my judgment, in wisdom, diligence, faithfulness, and experience as no prince in this realm ever had." Lord Herbert. "State Trials," Vol. I. Sec also Foxc's "Acts and Monuments." SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 67 therewith ;" but otherwise the appeal met with a denial, and on the 28th of July (1540) the Earl was led out to execution on Tower Hill. An official account of his last speech on the scaffold was published and circulated; but though, for the sake of his family, he was anxious to say nothing displeasing to the King, it is impossible to believe that such a proud man and true Protestant should have uttered such des- picable words on the point of death, and confessed that he died " in the Catholic faith of the holy Church ; "* and, indeed, we have Cardinal Pole's evidence that the reported speech was not genuine. The prayer, however, which he said on his knees on the scaffold is characteristic of a great mind, imbued with a sense of real religion. No martyr has left us a simpler or sublimer expression of pure Christianity. Foxe records it in full. It begins and ends thus : " Lord Jesus, which art the only health of all men living, and the everlasting life of them which die in thee; I, a wretched sinner, do submit myself wholly unto thy most blessed will, and being sure that the thing cannot perish which is committed unto thy mercy, willingly now I leave this frail flesh, in sure hope that thou wilt in better wise restore it to me again at the last day, in the resurrection of the just. # # # # * Grant me, merciful Saviour, that when death hath shut up the eyes of my body, yet the eyes of my soul may still behold and look upon thee ; and when death hath taken away the use of my tongue, yet my heart may cry and say unto thee, Lord, into thy hands I commend my soul. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit ! Amen." Having said this prayer, " he patiently suffered the stroke of the axe by a ragged and butcherly miser, which very ungoodly performed the office."t Thus perished the bold reformer and the able administrator. " Hated/' says Fronde, " by all those who had grown old in an earlier system by the wealthy, whose interests were touched by his reforms ; by the superstitious, whose prejudices he wounded he was the defender of the weak, the defender of the poor, defender of the fatherless and forsaken ; and for his work, the long maintenance of it has borne witness that it was good that he did the thing which England's true interests required to be done. Of the manner in which * It is, however, possible that Crumwell may have meant the old catholic faith of early Christians. f Hall. The rancour of his enemies pursued him to the last moment. Not only was an unskilful headsman provided, but to make Crumwell's death more humiliating, Lord Hungerford, who was convicted of a revolting and unnatural offence, was executed at tho same time. 68 LIFE AND TIMES OF that work was done, it is less easy to speak. Pierce laws fiercely executed, an unflinching resolution which neither danger could daunt nor saintly virtue move to mercy, a long list of solemn tragedies, weigh upon his memory. He had taken upon himself a task beyond the ordinary strength of man the freedom of England and the destruction of idolatry; and those who, from any motive, noble or base, pious or impious, crossed his path, he crushed, and passed on over their bodies." A century had hardly rolled on, when another statesman ruled England with equal determination and still greater power ; and who can say how far Oliver Cromwell's hatred of priestcraft and kingcraft sprung from studying the character and career of his great but un- fortunate ancestral relative ? Just a fortnight before the Earl of Essex was beheaded, the House of Convocation, consisting of two Archbishops, seventeen Bishops, and over a hundred clergy, pronounced Anne of Cleves' union with Henry illegal, on account of her pre-contract with the Marquis of Lorraine, and pronounced the marriage dissolved. Anne submitted with national placidity to the verdict, and cheerfully resigned her Queendom for an independent establishment at Bichmond Palace, and a pension of 3000 a year. Her place on the throne was soon filled by Catherine Howard ; and thus terminated, to the great satisfaction of the papal party throughout Christendom, the English monarch's social and political alliance with the Protestant powers of Germany. Sir Thomas Wyatt arid Sir John Wallop, known friends and ad- mirers of Crumvvell, were soon afterwards charged with treason, but were acquitted ; Sadleir, his greatest friend of all, was cautious enough to give his enemies not even the shadow of an accusation against him, and he remained at his honoured post in the Council, where we find him designated for the first time as Sir llalph Sadleir.* He was probably knighted on the previous May Day, when the King, as usual, celebrated the anniversary of his accession to the throne. Sir Ralph's early training had accustomed him to preserve important documents, and I think we may conclude it was mainly through his influence that a Clerk of the Council, William Paget, was now appointed to register and record the letters and decrees of the Council, t and hence originated * Knighthood was a much greater distinction then than it is now; in fact, it was an honour which even peers were proud to receive. f "CXLV. APPOINTMENT OF CLEEK OF THE COUNCIL. "The tenth day of August, in the .'32 yeare of the Kaigne of our Soveraignc Lord, King Henry thr> Eight ., King of England and of Frauucc, Defender of the Faith, Lord of Ireland, and in Earth Supreame Ueade, imodiatcly under God, of the Church of England, an order was taken and determined by His -Majesty, by thadvico of 11 is Hiyhuci Privy Counsel!, whose names herunder ensue. The Archbishop of Canterbury. The Lord Audley of Walden, Lord Chiumcdlor of England. SIR EALPH SADLEIR. 69 t the State Paper Department, which has since been such a reliable source to history. Although the Protestant Prime Minister was beheaded/and a Papist Queen sat on the throne, the King would not allow the Romanists to have their own way altogether, and the Bible still remained in every parish church. The hopes of the papal party were disappointed, and new dissatisfaction ensued. In April, 1541, a new insurrection broke out in Yorkshire, under Sir John Neville, but it was quickly crushed, the ringleaders were punished, and the Countess of Salisbury, mother of Cardinal Pole, being supposed to be implicated, was beheaded.* On the 1st of the following July the King set out on his long con- templated tour to Yorkshire, accompanied by his Queen and part of his Council. The remainder of the Council, including Cranmer (the Archbishop of Canterbury), Audley (the Lord Chancellor), Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, and Sir llalph Sadleir, stayed in London. t The object of the monarch's visit to the north was of a twofold nature namely, to encourage the loyalty of his subjects in those parts, and to induce the King of Scots to come and meet him. The first only was accomplished. The King having passed through the part of Lincolnshire where the disturbance had been greatest, was met on the Thomas Duke of Norfolk, Lord High Throsorer of England. Charles Duke of Suffolk, Great Muster of the Kinge's Howse, and President of the Consell. William Erie of Southampton, Lord Privy Scale. Kobert Erie of Sussex, Great Chamberlaiue of England. Edward Erie of llartt'ord. John Lord liusscll, Great Admirall of England. Cuthhert, Bishop of Duresme. Steephcn, Bishop of Winchester. "William Lord Sands, the Kings Chamberlaine. Sir Thomas Cheiney, Knight, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and Threasorer of the Kings Howschowld. Sir "William, Kiugstone. Knight, Comptroller of the Kings Household. Sir Anllionv Browne, Knight, Master of the Kings Horse. Sir Anthony \\ingfeekl, Kuight, the Kings Vice Chamberlainc. Sir Thomas Wriothesley, Knight, the Kings Secretary. Sir llalph Sadleir, Knight, the Kings Secretary. Sir Kit-hard liich, Kuight, Chauncolior of the Augmentations. Sir Juhu L'uker, Knight, Chancellor of the First i-'ruites and Tcnthes. That (her shold be a Clerke, attendant uppon the Counsel!, to write, enter, and register all such dcrees, determinations, letters, and other such things as he should be appointed to enter in a booke. to rcmaine alwaies as a leeger, as well for discharging of the said Coun- sellors, touching such things us the shold pass, from time to time, as also for a memcriall unto them of theire o \vne proceedings. Unto the which ollice William Paget, late the Queens Secretary, was appointed by the King* Highnes, and sworne, in the presence of the said Counsel! the ilav and year abovesaide." F/-"iii ]'<>'., I. Sd'tc Pi'pci's. ' She uas a daughter of the Uuke of Clarence. Edward IV. "s brother, and the last of the Plant agenets. f State Papers, Vol. I., p. 002. Most of the recorded letters from the Council in London to the Council \vitli the King were written by Sadleir. 70 LIFE A.ND TIMES OP borders of Yorkshire by a numerous band of gentry and clergy, who made submission on their knees, and presented him with 900 as a substantial token of their loyalty. The second object, also, was very nearly attained, and perhaps on that account its failure was more annoying. When the King was at Pontefract, " one of the King of Scots' most secret Councillors " appeared at Court to arrange a meeting at York, "in ample form and honourable manner," and a "safe- conduct " was actually prepared for James V. and his train,"* but the Scotch monarch did not keep his word, and the meeting never took place ; and the slight or treachery on the part of his nephew and vassal, as he regarded him, was more than his indignant Majesty of England could bear with composure. But half pleased with the results of his tour, Henry returned home in October, only to find a fresh trouble namely, the unfaithfulness of his Queen. The less I say about this scandalous matter, the purer my pages will be. Anne Boleyn was mother of Queen Elizabeth, and her guilt or innocence is of historical importance. Catherine Howard blackened the blue blood of the Howards, but fortunately she left no descendant to bear the stain ; and whatever doubt there may be about Anne's guilt, there is none about Catherine's. From the letters among the State Papers which passed between Sadleir, who was at Court with the King, and Cranmer and the Council, it is evident that the unfortunate Queen not only led an improper life before her marriage to the King, but was guilty of adultery afterwards. Derham and Culpepper, Catherine Howard's paramours, were hanged at Tyburn on the 1st of December, and on the 13th of the February following she herself was beheaded, in company with her very infamous accomplice, Lady Rochford, who had played a despicable part against her husband at Anne Boleyn's trial. The King's connubial misfortunes very naturally gave him a dis- taste for married life, and the Council no longer importuned him to marry ; yet after some time he actually wedded his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr ; but there was no romance nor much courtship on the occasion. She was a sensible, amiable woman, and he married her simply for companionship. * State Papers, Vol. I. p. 660, and Vol. V. p. 199. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 71 CHAPTER IX. DEFEAT OF THE SCOTCH AT SOLWAY MOSS, AND DEATH OF JAMES V. (1542*-3.) It was during Cardinal Beaton's absence in France that the royal meeting was arranged at Pontefract, but he returned in time to prevent it. Francis I. had just formed an alliance with the Turks against the Emperor, and if England and Scotland were reconciled and joined Charles, the result might be fatal to French interests. Beaton, who was a French Bishop as well as a Roman Cardinal, was, as before stated, the great exponent of French and Papal views in the Scottish Government. He had marvellous influence over King James, and he employed it with marked success, not only to prevent the meeting and the entente cordiale between uncle and nephew, but to enlist James's sympathies in favour of Francis. In this latter endea- vour the Cardinal found a persuasive supporter in Mary of Lorraine, the French wife of the Scottish King. According as James warmed towards France he cooled towards England, and Henry no longer felt disposed to cultivate the amity which Sir Ralph Sadleir had been at so much pains to establish between the two monarchs. The hostile feeling of the Court soon spread to the Border; and indeed botli the English and Scotch Bor- derers seemed only too pleased to begin again their ancient feuds, and fight out their quarrels without the interference of the Wardens of the Marches, who, when the two nations were on good terms, kept their respective countrymen on the frontier in proper order. The Scotch commenced the depredations, and as Lord Maxwell, the Warden of the Scottish Marches, neglected to keep them quiet, the English took the law into their own hands, made reprisals, and in August 1542 Sir George Bowes, having crossed the Border in pursuit of a marauding party, fell into an ambuscade at Halydon Rigg, and was taken prisoner with several other English gentlemen. Indignant at James's breach of promise with regard to the meeting, and angry with him for encouraging disaffection in Ireland and showing a decided leaning towards France, Henry was already on the verge of declaring Avar on Scotland. The affair at TIalydon Rigg turned the scale, and the Duke of Norfolk with twenty thousand men was despatched to the frontier. He crossed the Bonier in October, * During the first six months of the year 15 1:2, Sadleir was on the Council at Court with the King, as several letters iu the State Papers attest. Cm the 11 of May he was granted armorial bearings. 72 LIFE AND TIMES OP and for nine days laid waste the valley of the Tweed with fire and sword. He then retraced his steps, and placing about five thousand men in York for the winter, he disbanded the remainder of his army. King James would have attacked Norfolk while in his dominions, but his principal nobles would not support him. Burning with rage, he organized, with the help of Beaton and the clergy, a secret ex- pedition against England, consisting of about ten thousaiid men, including such of the nobility as were still at the beck of the priest- hood. The clans were gathered secretly, one dark November night,' 34 ' on the extreme west frontier that is, as far as possible from Norfolk's force at York and on the following morning they crossed the Border, and commenced to pillage the neighbourhood of Carlisle. The Scotchmen had naturally expected that Lord Maxwell, or some popular chieftain, would be invested with supreme command; but instead of that, one Oliver Sinclair a mere Court favourite mounted an improvised platform, and read out his commission from King James as Commander-in-Chief. The indignation of the chieftains and the disobedience of the clans were the result, and the host broke up into small bands of foragers. The English Borderers, accustomed to such raids, jumped into their saddles and galloped to the rallying points, and before noon the dashing Sir Thomas \\~harton, the English "Warden of the "West Marches, had a compact force of five hundred stout horsemen at his command. First one marauding party was put to rout, then another, and so on. A panic seized the Scotch ; they feared that the dreaded Norfolk was upon them ; and as the short winter evening closed in, a general stampede towards home took place. But the Sohvay tide had swelled the River Esk to an unfordable extent, and the places where they had crossed in the morning could not be found in the darkness. At last, however, the fatigued and frightened fugitives most of whom had freed themselves of their arms having managed to cross the river somehow, floundered helplessly in the adjoining morass, and lay at the mercy of their exasperated pursuers. The majority of the chieftains were taken prisoners, but the mass received no quarter; and, in short, the whole of the Scotch army was destroyed at Solway Moss, as the marsh between the Esk and Gretna is called. Next morning, King James, who was at Caerlaverock Castle (about ten leagues distant), received news of the disgraceful defeat of his troops; and to add to his perplexity, he soon afterwards learned that an English herald had, contrary to the sacred law of arm?, been basely murdered on Scottish soil by two refugees of the Pilgrimage of Grace, who were known to be under Cardinal Beaton's protection and patronage. * 24th of November, 1512, SIR RALPH SADLEIR, 73 James V., though only thirty years old, had worn out his constitu- tion with dissipation- and excitement, and his misfortunes now preyed so much on his fevered mind that he died in a few weeks (14th of December, 1542). Nor were his last days mollified by the announce- ment of the birth of a daughter to him, just one week before his death. He is said to have murmured, "It came with a lass, and it will go with a lass," in allusion to the crown coming to the Stuarts by a daughter of Bruce. The dying monarch's discontent at the birth of his little daughter was hardly warranted. Her very sex was, in the first place, the means of saving his kingdom from immediate invasion, and she after- wards became the celebrated Mary Queen of Scots, who was so beau- tiful and charming that few historians and no novelist can resist the chivalrous impulse of throwing the cloak of charity over the dark spots of her chequered career. As Sir Ralph Sadleir saw her in her cradle and was a member of the Commission that, more than forty years afterwards, condemned her of high treason, she will play no unimportant part in the following pages. Crippled by overwhelming defeat, and deprived by death of her monarch's guiding hand, unhappy Scotland was in the same helpless condition after Solway Moss as after Flodden, and Henry VIII. had a second opportunity of wreaking vengeance on her, were he so dis- posed. The Council of Scotland, appreciating the national danger, lost no time in apprising Henry of James's death, and in reply to his demand promised to give up "the abominable murderers" of the herald, assuring His Majesty that their "said sovereign and master, under- standing in his lifetime perfectly that without heralds and ambassadors might have surety to pass and repass betwixt princes and realms, all humane society should cease, and every prince and realm would stand in perpetual discord, caused the committors of the horrible slaughter to be apprehended and surely kept, to be hereafter punished by your Highness." The Council added that "since, by the disposition of God Omnipotent, which no earthly creature can resist, our Sovereign and master, your tender nephew, is departed from this present life, to our great desolation, and lias left one princess, your pro-niece, to be heritor and Queen,"*" they trusted Henry would desire tranquility between the two nations, and requested safe conduct for their ambas- sadors to treat of peace for six months, during which time matters might be amicably arranged. This soft answer of the Council turned away Henry's wrath, and instead of seizing on Scotland vi et armis, he resolved to effect the * The Council of Scotland to King Heiiry VIII, Edinburgh, 21st December, 15-12. (State Papers, Vol. V., p. 230). 10 74 LIFE AND TIMES OF ultimate union of the two realms by a process more politic and agree- able namely, a betrothal between his son Edward, Prince of Wales (now five years old), and the infant Queen of Scots. To this end the Scottish noblemen who were taken prisoners at Solway Moss, and had just arrived under escort at the Tower, were summoned before the King at Hampton Court, and the marriage question was unfolded to them. They expressed unbounded satis- faction at the proposal, and having been feted* and enriched with costly presents, they were given their liberty, and permitted to go' back to Scotland on giving a solemn promise on each of their parts to do their very utmost to bring the marriage into effect, or, failing that, to return to captivity. Henry's brother-in-law, the Earl of Angus, who all this time had been exiled from Scotland, and his brother, Sir George Douglas, accompanied their countrymen to Edin- burgh, with a view of forwarding English interests. Meantime, the Earl of Arran, who nowf was the next male heir to the throne, became Regent of Scotland ; and as all the blame of the recent misfortunes was laid at the door of the papal party, the " here- tical" nobility were placed in power by popular accord, and Cardinal Beaton was imprisoned in Blackness Castle as a disturber of the national peace. So far everything promised favourably for the fulfilment of Henry's wishes, and he granted peace on the conditions that the infant Queen should be sent to England to be educated, that the fortresses of Edinburgh, Stirling, and Dumbarton should be handed over to English garrisons, and that Cardinal Beaton should be imprisoned in London, out of reach of rescue. These conditions were accepted by the Scottish Government, as peace at any price was imperative, but they were far from agreeable to the mass of the people of Scotland, or to the French King. Before a few weeks elapsed Sir George Douglas informed Lord Lisle,J the "Warden of the East Marches, that carrying out the conditions would cause general dissatisfaction in Scotland ; while, about the same time, news came across the Channel to London that the Duke of Guise was rapidly fitting out a fleet at Rouen, for the purpose of sending troops to Leith to release the Cardinal and carry back his royal niece to France. * " The nobles were, according to their estates, appointed to dukes, earls, knights, and gentlemen, who so entertained them that they confessed themselves never to be better used, nor to have greater cheer in all their life-time." Holinshed. Lord Monkreth was the guest of Sir Ealph Sadleir, while commoners only were billeted on the Earl of Hertford and the Bishop of Westminster a fact which, I consider, may be accepted as a proof that Sadleir was at this time living in good style at Hackney. f The Duke of Albany was dead. I Afterwards the ambitious Duke of Northumberland. 8IE RALPH SADLEIR. 75 Henry prepared a counter-stroke. He strengthened Lord Lisle's force,* and despatched the Duke of Suffolk,t Lord Parr, and Sir Ralph Sadleir to form a Council in the North, in conjunction with the eminent Cuthbert Tunstall, Bishop of Durham, and instructed them in the first place to equip ships of war at Newcastle and Hull, to intercept the Duke of Guise. The State Papers contain several letters on the subject which passed between this "Council in the North " and the Council with the King, the first of which (dated Newcastle, 26th January) states that "the utmost endeavours for the furniture and setting of six ships has been done; but the haven here is so frozen that notwithstanding all the policy and good means possible used, as well in breaking of the ice by men's labour and otherwise, the said ships be not yet gotten out/'J But the ice also blocked in the Duke of Guise at Rouen, and hearing that his object was discovered and outflanked, he filially abandoned the expedition as hopeless. In the meantime, matters were very unsettled in Scotland itself. The spiritual and temporal powers were at daggers drawn. No satis- factory replies came to Henry's importunities, and his patience being exhausted, he wrote a letter to his Council in the North directing Sir Ralph Sadleir to proceed post haste to Edinburgh : " Considering the tract of time which has unfruitfully passed since the decease of the late King, and how slenderly we be answered and advertised from all parties in Scotland, we have thought it more than necessary by some good means thoroughly to decipher what they intend towards us, and the things promised by the Earl of Angus and such others as were lately with us. And forasmuch as you, Sir Rauf Sadleyr, have been heretofore sundry times in Scotland, by reason whereof yon have there and of their manners good acquaintance, and also that you be privy, not only to the things which were promised here, but also to all the proceedings and advertisements since that time, we think no man shiill so well serve us in this purpose as you : wherefore we will and desire, that with all diligence upon the sight hereof, taking only two or three servants with you, you shall by post|| address yourself to Edinburgh, and there reside till we shall by our special letters revoke you unto us. " Taking order that your train and baggage may come after you : eftsoons requiring you in your own person to set forth immediately; for considering * State Papers, Vol. V., p. 242. f Charles Brandon. I State Papers, Vol. V., p. 211. This letter is, like the others, signed by Sadleir and the rest of the Council. Henry VIII. to Suffolk, Tunstall, and Sadloir, at Newcastle, dated 13th March, 1543. (State Papers, Vol. V., p. 201.) || That is, by taking fresh horses at each post. All along the northern road these post horses were established, at intervals of about 20 miles. By changing riders as well as horses, letters \vere conveyed from London to Edinburgh in less than five days, 76 LIFE AND TIMES OF the Parliament is there begun, in your speedy repair and sudden arrival there shall consist the great benefit of your journey. And for your charges our pleasure is that you our cousin of Suffolk shall cause 200 sterling to be delivered to him imprest, of our money and treasure there, to be deducted and allowed during the time of his absence after the rate of forty shillings by the day, and also that you allow him from time to time all such money as he shall spend in postage or messages." There was a memorandum attached concerning " spial," or secret service money, as well as a design of cipher, in which Sadleir was directed to communicate very important matters. Considering the value of money at the time, especially in Scotland, and that Sir Ralph would probably obtain free quarters in Edinburgh, forty shillings a day was a handsome allowance, and quite sufficient to keep up the commissioner's dignity. As usual, Henry supported diplomacy with force. lie directed Lord Parr to proceed to Almvick and muster the Border troops, and put them in readiness for active service ; and, further, it was added : "Whereas, His Majesty hath written to his trusty and right well beloved Counsellor, Sir Kaf Sadleyr, Knight, now in Scotland, that in case His Majesty's servants there, which stand for his Highness' party, shall have need of any present aid, he w T ill see them furnished of a convenient number of horsemen of the Borders; His Majesty's pleasure is that if the said Sir Raf Sadleyr shall send unto the said* Lord Parr for any such aid, he shall upon such advertisement take order that the number demanded may with all speed be taken from the best men of the garrisons and Border, to set forth on one hour's warning."* * State Papers, Vol. V.. p. 267. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 77 CHAPTER X. MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS AS AN INFANT, AND THE TURMOIL OF WHICH SHE WAS THE INNOCENT CAUSE. (1543.) Sir Ralph Sadleir justly occupies a, leading position in connection with the Anglo-Scottish affairs of 15i3, for he was not only one of the principal actors, but he has left behind him the materials from which the history of that critical period is compiled, in the shape of about three score interesting and important documents principally long despatches to Henry VIII., or his Council in the family collection* of State Papers ; whilst the national collectionf also contains several other letter? referring specially to him. Sir Ralph lost no time in repairing to Edinburgh. He arrived there as \ve learn from his despatch "to the King's Majesty of England" on Sunday afternoon, the 19th March; that is, only six days after the order was written in London ! and though "indeed weary of riding/' he proceeded forthwith to the Governor, the Earl of Arran, whom he found walking in a garden at Holyrood Palace. Sadleir presented the King's letter?, and Arran, after expressions of hearty welcome, informed him that the Scotch Parliament had, a few da vs previously, decided on despatching ambassadors at once to His Majesty regarding the marriage of Prince Edward and the infant Queen of Scots. Having communicated this important fact, the Governor recom- mended Sadleir to retire and rest himself, because "he had so travelled." Sir George Douglas J accompanied Sir Ralph to his "lodging," and told him that although several members showed their teeth at the beginning, "yet there was none that would bite," and that, on the whole, " Parliament had pulled together." As for Douglas himself, he * The Sadler State Papers, 1809. All historians worthy of the name acknowledge Sadlcir's great services at this crisis. Fronde and Burton in particular giro him full credit; and the latter, though writing from the Scotch point of view, speaks highly of his ability and personal character. Burton describes Sadleir's graphic letters as " a contempo- rary fhroniuli- of the history of the time, which, though it lasted but a few months, is an invaluable boon to the historian of the period, as being enriched with the glimpses of the interior of the Scottish world of politics glimpses opened up by an acute, experienced, and inquisitive observer." t The State Papers, published 18-1010, from which I have already quoted so frequentlv. J The Earl of Angus' s brother, recently returned from exile, aud favourable to the English interests, 78 LIFE AND TIMES OP asserted he had not slept three hours any night during the past six weeks, in consequence of his anxiety and activity about "the King's Majesty's service," and that he had actually prevented the Papist Earls of Huntley (Gordon), Argyle (Campbell), Bothwell (Hepburn), and Murray from joining with the priests to form an opposite party ; and that he had " insinuated himself with the Governor, and was in chief credit with him, and had caused him to pull down the Cardinal who was, and would be, the chief enemy to the King's purposes ; and that he had " brought the Governor wholly to His Majesty's devotion and clean altered him from France." Sir George added that " the marriage treaty being once concluded, everything would work smoothly between the two nations, and that time would bring the nobility so far in love with His Majesty that he would have the whole direction and obedience of the same at his pleasure. But if any attempt were now made to take the Governor from his State, or to bring the Government of this realm to the King of England, there is not so little a boy but he will hurl stones against it, and the wives will handle their distaffs, and the commons universally will rather die in it; yea, and many noblemen and clergy be fully against it, the Cardinal shall be set at liberty, and a French army invited to land." In short, Sir George Douglas gave good advice and told the truth, though he was not at heart such a sincere friend to England as he pretended to be. His brother, the Earl of Angus, Lord Somerville, the Earl Glencairn, and the rest of the lords, whom Henry had treated so generously, professed profound attachment to the King's cause, and were more or less in earnest. Sir George Douglas came again on the following day, and told Sadleir that the Governor and Council wished to see him : " He brought me," writes Sadleir, '"'into the Council Chamber, where I found a great number of noblemen and others at a long board, and divers standing, but not one bishop or priest among them. At the upper end of the board sat the Governor, and caused me to sit down by him on the bench, in the first place of all the Councillors there next to himself." A long discussion then took place, and though Sadleir sounded the Council on the important points connected with the marriage such as the custody of the infant Queen and requested to know the precise instructions given to the ambassadors about to start for London, he received no satisfactory information. Two days afterwards, Sir Ralph rode to Linlithgow/* to visit the Queen Mother, and learn her views with regard to her little daughter's betrothal. The young and comely widow of James Y. received the ambassador * Twelve miles from Edinburgh. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 79 with all the fascinating manner of a Parisian lady, and all the subtlety of a female diplomatist. Sadleir naturally expected to find the Protestant Regent, the Douglases (who were so much indebted to Henry), and the Solway captives who had been set free, all appearing anxious to forward his royal master's views ; but he hardly expected to find Mary of Guise the zealous Frenchwoman and bigoted Catholic* " most willing and conformable in appearance," as he wrote to Henry, "to your Majesty's purpose for the marriage of her daughter to my lord prince'sGrace; and also thatyourMajestyshouldhave her delivered forth- with into your hands and custody, which she confesseth to be for her chief surety, and wisheth with all her heart that it were so ; saying the world might justly note her to be the most unnatural and unwise woman that lived, if she should not rejoice in the same, for greater honour or benefit could not be offered to her, for throughout the w r orld such a marriage could not be found so proper, so beneficial, and so honourable, and she cannot think otherwise but that it is the work and ordinance of God for the conjunction and union of both these realms into one." Sadleir himself could not have stated the case more plausibly, but Mary did not stop here ; she vowed she would " walk plainly on a right sort with his Majesty, as it became her not to dissemble with so noble a prince/' and warned the ambassador against Arran's insincerity, for " whatsoever pretence or fairweather the Governor made," he did not mean that the marriage should take place in the end ; in fact, that he intended her daughter to marry his own son, and consequently she urged the King to have the baby delivered into his hands, else the marriage would never take effect. "And then," continued she (it must have aroused the astute ambassador's suspicion), " the Cardinal, if he were at liberty, might do much good in the same." "I told her," says Sadleir, "I thought the Cardinal would rather do hurt, for he had no affection towards England. She said he was a wise man, and could better consider the benefit of the realm than all the rest."t Nor was Sadleir's opinion of her honesty strengthened by her admitted double-dealing : " \Yhen the Governor cometh to hear what passed betwixt us, I shall (as my custom is) make as though I were not willing to this marriage, and then, as he is a simple man, he will tell me his whole intent in that part." Finally, she complained that Arran, who was " next heir to the throne, * It was her brother, the Duke of Guise, who had attempted a few months before to lead an expeditionary force to Scotland, and who subsequently gained such unenviable notoriety in connection with the massacre of Protestants on St. Bartholomew's Day. f The bitter Anti-Papist, John Knox, did not scruple to maintain that Cardinal Beaton was the baby's real father. 80 LIFE AND TIMES OF and looketh to be king of the same," spread a report that the infant Queen was not likely to live, " but," writes Sadleir, " you shall see, quoth she, whether he saith true or not; and therewith she caused me to go with her to the chamber where the child was, and shewed her unto me, and also caused the nurse to unwrap her out of her clothes, that I might see her naked. I assure your Majesty it is as goodly a child as I have seen of her age/* and as like to live, with the grace of God." Verily, Sir Ralph was one of the first to discern the personal beauty of Mary Queen of Scots ! Sir George Douglas, who had accompanied Sadleir to Linlithgow, told him that the Queen Dowager had begged of him to help her to prevent the removal of her daughter to England, "as she was too young to be carried so far." Arran expressed his opinion that although the Dowager " ought to be content with such an honourable marriage, nevertheless, being a French woman, she could not be best inclined towards England." " And thus," writes Sadleir, " your Majesty may perceive there is some juggling." And the fact Avas, Mary of Guise did her best to deceive the English ambassador. The Scotch Parliament had sanctioned the reading of the Bible throughout the realm, Cardinal Beaton was in prison, a Protestant earl was regent, there was not one bishop or priest in the Council, several powerful nobles had promised to advance the King of England's views in short, England and the Reformation were eclipsing France and Catholicism in Scotland, and Mary now endeavoured to create dis- sension in the Protestant camp by persuading Sadleir to distrust the Regent and to trust the Cardinal. It will be borne in mind that there were at this time five distinct parties in Scotland namely, the French party, the English party, the national party, the Papist party, and the Protestant party ; and as a rule the Papist nobles sided with the French, and the Protestant nobles with the English party, while the mass of the people, influenced more by patriotism than religion, wished to be independent of both France and England. And bearing all this in mind, it will be understood how critical was the state of affairs, and how dangerous it would be for any one party to pledge itself to a particular line of conduct, lest it should be overwhelmed by a combination of the others; and why, though the leaders of each of the parties assured Sadleir of their adhesion to the English alliance, he received what they said cum yraiio, but was not deceived. lie had only been a week in Edinburgh when he thus wrote to Lord Parr : t " I have travailled here, as much as my poor wit will serve me, to decipher * Three months. t badleyr to Lord Parr, 27th March, loW. (State Papers, Vol. V., p. 271.) SIE RALPH SADLEIR. 81 the inclinations and intents of these men here towards the King's Majesty ; but the matters are so perplexed that I know not what to judge of them. In mine opinion they had lever* suffer extremity than come to the obedience and subjection of England. They will have their realm free, and live within themselves after their own laws and customs ; and undoubtedly the kirkmen labour by all the means they can to empeach the unity and estab- lishment of these two realms upon what grounds you can easily conjecture. I think assuredly all the nobles and the whole temporality desire the marriage and to join with us, and in time would abandon France; but I cannot judge the sequel." And certainly there was enough to perplex any man. Falsehood, dissimulation, and recrimination met Sadleir at every step. The Queen Dowagerf implored him not to trust Arran, and Arran entreated him not to believe the Queen Dowager. Sadleir found the Earl of Huntley "a frank and jolly young man of right good wit," and favourable to the marriage, yet Sir George Douglas denounced Huntley as "the falsest and wiliest young man in the world." Arran pro- mised to retain Cardinal Beaton in safe custody at Blackness, a prisoner for the remainder of his life, but he allowed him to return home in a few days to his own Castle of St. Andrew's, and suffered him to reside there with little or no restraint; and when Sadleir recommended the Governor to send Beaton to England, where he would be harmless, Arran only laughed, and said " the Cardinal had lever go into hell." All these conflicting circumstances and opinions Sadleir faithfully reported at full length to the King and his Council, writing some- times four or five letters in a week. This uncertain state of affairs did not at all suit Henry's impatient temperament, and he wrote letter after letter in an angry and impe- rious style^J directing his ambassador to adopt a menacing tone to the Scotch nobles, who, though unable to do much, were really the best friends he had north of the Tweed. His master's impatience only served to increase the diplomatist's embarrassment, but nevertheless Sadleir plodded manfully on in the hopes of finding some clue to the political labyrinth. Socially, too, he found Edinburgh not such a pleasant place to reside in as it was when James V. held his gay Court there ; although the Kegent en- deavoured to mend matters by asking him to dinner, and expressing his sorrow that he had no better cheer or entertainment. lie had much ado to get wine there, and then had to pay "-iO.s. a hogshead, * Fur lii'fer, the old comparative of lief, and equivalent to rather. f Mary of Lorraine, or Mary of Guise, as she is sometimes called. J The letter dated St. James's, 14th April. 1513, is a good example of the King's dis- satist'aetkm. A copy of it is in the State Papers, Vol. V., p. 230, but the original (British Museum, Caligula B. VII., leaf 301) is the best proof, for the sign manual, '' Henry K.," shows from the spluttering nature of the writing that the King was in no gentle mood. 11 82 LIFE AND TIMES OP and sometimes more."* But though Henry was not satisfied with the turn Scotch affairs were taking, he gave full credit to Sadleir for zeal and ability, and, apparently on the recommendation of the Duke of Suffolk, presented him with some more Church property.f Meantime, the Scotch ambassadors arrived in London, but they were afraid to yield to the conditions of Henry, who then angrily demanded envoys of greater power and importance. The Earl of Glencairn and Sir George Douglas were thereupon despatched^ to England, with powers to effect a treaty ; and after considerable dis- sension, it was at last agreed, on the 1st of July, at Greenwich, that a friendly alliance should be established between the two kingdoms, and that the infant Queen should marry the young Prince of Wales when she was ten years old, up to which age she was to reside in Scotland ; but in order that she might, from earliest youth, be imbued with English feelings and associations, it was further covenanted that " an honourable knight and lady of England, with a convenient number of English men and women, not above forty, should remain near the young queen's person and under the same roof." The final clause of the treaty was that Scotland should withdraw altogether from any alliance with I 1 ranee. This treaty of peace and marriage was to be affirmed by the three estates of Scotland, and by the Governor's subscription and the Queen's great seal, and Henry wrote to Sadleir to demand its ratifica- tion, and, at the same time, appointed him and Lady Sadleir as the chief English residents about the young Queen's person. * Sec Sadleir' s letter to the Duke of Suffolk, 23rd May, 1543. (State Papers, Vol. V., p. 292.) f Ibid. The advowson referred to was probably Temple Dinsley, in Hertfordshire, which belonged to the Knights Hospitallers, and, according to local chronicles, was given to Sir Kalph in this year. Previously to this (towards the latter end of April) the King appointed Pngct Secretary of State, in place of Sir Kalph Sadleir, who from his continued absence in Scotland was unable to perform the duties; but to recompense Sadleir in a pecu- niary point of view, Henry made him Master of the Great " Gardrobe " (Wardrobe), lately held by Lord Windsor a post which did not require his constant attendance at Court; in fact the duties could be done by deputy, for he wrote to the King, begging him to appoint his very good friend Mr. Wriothesley (the other Secretary) to help him to discharge the duties during his absence, and to make him joint patentee, in which case Sadleir doubted not Wriothesley was so much his friend that he would not take part of the fees, or meddle with the office on his return to England. (See Sadleir's letters to the King, Sadler Stale Papers, Vol. I., pp. 108 and 232.) J They said they would ride from Edinburgh to London in eight days. (Sadler State Papers, Vol. 1., p. 187.) Sir George Douglas got the credit of suggesting the ten years' suspension, and of illus- ed SIB RALPH SADLEIR. 83 Having promised to carry out His Majesty's wishes to the utmost of his poor wit and power, Sadleir thus thanks the King for the honour he proposed to confer on him : " I have thought it my bounden duty to render unto your royal Majesty mine humble and lowly thanks upon my knees, for that it had pleased your Majesty to conceive such an opinion of us as to think us meet to serve your highness in a place of such trust and credit. And, as I am bounden, so shall I not fail (my life enduring), to serve most willingly, either here or wheresoever and in what sort it shall please your Majesty to command me, as serving you, also for my poor wife, that she has as good will to serve, according to your Majesty's appointment, as any woman on life ; but she is most unmeet to serve for such a purpose as your Majesty hath now appointed, having never been brought up at Court, nor knowing what appertaincth thereto ; so that for lack of wit and convenient experience in all behalfs she is undoubtedly not able to supply the place to your Majesty's honour ; so also, though she were meet therefor, yet is she now in such case (being great with child), as she is not able to lake such a long journey upon her this summer, and when winter cometh the journey is such, so long, foul, and tedious, as no woman can well travel or endure."* Lest, however, his "highness should be frustrated" by Lady Sadleir' s inability to accept the appointment, Sadleir recommended Henry to appoint "Lady Edongcomb, a grave and discreet widow of good years and experience." But the nomination of suitable persons to train up the youthful Sovereign in the English manner was an easy matter compared with obtaining the ratification of the treaty by the three discordant estates of Scotland. Cardinal Beaton had employed the liberty which the imbecile Regent imprudently alloAved him in stirring up the priests and the people in opposition to England and in favour of France ; and, in point of fact, while the treaty was being signed at Greenwich, sixteen French men of war lay off the Aberdeen coast, with money and munitions for the Catholic cause, and prepared to transport the Queen Dowager and her daughter to France. Some English cruisers, however, engaged the French vessels and put them to niglit.f But the Cardinal was nothing daunted ; early in July, when the terms of the treaty became known in Scotland, he assembled a Council of the whole Catholic party, spiritual and temporal, and passed vigorous resolutions against Arran's Government and the proposed alliance with England. " The Cardinal," wrote Sadleir, " hath not only stirred almost the whole realm against the Governor, but also hath procured the Earl of * Sir Kalph Sadleir to the King's ^Majesty, 10th July, 1543. (Sadler State Papers, Vol. I., p. 2'20.) f Sadleir to the Kins, 17th July, 1513. (Sadler State Papers, Vol. I., p. 236.) 84 LIFE AND TIMES OF Bothwell, the Lord Hume, the Laird of Seaford, and the Kers, which be wholly addict to him, to stir all the mischief and trouble they can on the Borders, with the intent of breeding contention and breach between the two realms."* Popular fury was raised against the English connection, and Sadleir had a narrow escape of his life : "As 1 walked here in a garden," he wrote to the King, " and some of my folks with me, on the back side of my lodging, one (but I cannot tell who) shot an half-hag amongst us, and missed not one of my men, I daresay, four inches, besides other despiteous parts whereby they have largely declared their malice. "t The mean-spirited Regent, who wished to go with the tide, now wanted to get rid of the English Ambarsador, and advised him to take refuge, out of harm's way, in Tantallon Castle, Lord Augusts stronghold, on the Haddington coast. But Sadleir held his ground, and en- couraged Arran by offers of support from England in the shape of men and money. Arran, like most of the Scotcli nobles of the period, was impecunious to the last degree, but he had none of the pluck and honour which characterized his caste. Tie accepted 1000 from King Henry, promised wonderful tilings, and at length, on the 25th of August, crowned the delusion by ratifying and confirming the treaty in Sir Ralph Sadleir' s presence, and solemnly avowing the same at High Mass in the abbey church of Holyrood, to the sacred music of shawms and sackbuts.J And though the Cardinal and his accomplices were absent, Arran gave Sadleir to understand the treaty was concluded with their consent, and in the name of the three estates of the realm ; and yet, before another fortnight elapsed, the perjured Regent joined the Cardinal's faction, and publicly repudiated the treaty. Now Sadleir could no longer hold out hopes to the King that his views would be carried out, and Henry, who had conceded point after point to the Scotch ambassadors, lost all patience and declared war, seizing, as a preliminary thereto, some vessels belonging to citi/ens of Edinburgh. This only added fuel to the ill feeling against England which * Sadleir to Lord Parr, 20t1i of July. 15L3. (State Papers, Vol. V.) In spite of the Scotch difficulty, Henry made himself happy at home, and married Catherine Parr, sister to Lord Parr, and widow of Lord Latimer. this month.. Sadleir thanks Parr for the ''joyful tidings." f Sadleir to the Kit) th August, 1513. (Sadleir Stale Papers. Vol. I., p. 270.) In Sir Alexander bald's collection of ^ISS.. is a letter from Henry Vm.. dated Ampfhiil.27th of October. 1513 (that is, ju--| two months after the solemn ralifica'inn of the treaty), to the "Karl of Arran. scolding (lie I'arl for his conduct in not contradicting Cardinal Peafon. who. in presence of the Kind's ambassador (Sadleir) adirnied that, the King's covenant with Scotland was passed by private authority. The King adds that '{he Cardinal powdered his speech with lies." Fifth Report of t/io R<>>/ril Comniiysioii on Historical Manuscripts, 187G. SIR 17ALPII .SAW.ETT?. 85 Beaton had kindled in the Scotch metropolis. Sir Ralph was insulted and threatened: " I assure you," he. \vrotetoLord Parr, "there never was so noble a prince's servant as I am so evil intreated as I am among these unreasonable people, nor do T think never man had to do with so rude, so inconstant, and beastly a nation as this is ; they neither esteem the honour of their country, or their o\vn honesty, nor yet which thev ought principally to do their dutv to God, and love and charity to their f'hrisfian brethren."* Sadleir's just irritation was not the humour of the moment; twenty vears afterwards, when alluding in Council to this crisis, he spoke bilterly of "the false and beggarly Scots." As for Henry, he was greatly alarmed lest Sir lialph should be murdered, as the herald was in the previous year, and he lost no time in sending a proclamationf to the people of Edinburgh, threatening to '''exterminate" them "lo the third and fourth generation/' if any injurv befel the sacred person of his ambassador a threat which had tin 1 effect of securing better treatment for Sadleir for a few weeks longer. Meanwhile, the Queen Dowager, and the little Queen who was not free from infantile deseases, but suffered from c: breeding of the teeth" and small pox were removed for safety sake from the beautiful palace of Linlilhgow to the s fro no; castle of Stirling.! And as an offset to the alliance of the Regent and the Cardinal, the voung Earl of Lennox proposed to marry Lady Margaret Douglas, niece to the King and daughter of Karl Angus; and, as Sadleir informed His Majestv, "left tin 1 Governor and Cardinal's partv, and being hitherto noted a good Frenchman,^ is now become a good Englishman, and will bear his heart and service to your .Majesty. "|| Hut matters grew more and more unpromising for the English party at Edinburgh. The season was too far advanced to invade Scotland, and Henry pressed Sadleir to withdraw to Tantallon ; but Sir Ralph, who was suffering from fever, had to delav his departure, for a messenger whom he sent to enquire as to the accommodation, "brought him word that the hous.- was clearly unfurnished both of bedding and all manner of household st nll'.and no manner of provisions or victuals within 1 went v miles" ( Edinburgh) . c 1 lowever, he at length arrived in Taut all on '* I'Miuli'ir.rh. ll(!i September. i">13, (State Papers. Vol. V,. p. :5.> r ,.) 4- Slate Paper*. Vol. V., p. .TM. t s ir K-.'jih Sinilrir VIM!.'.! them at Si;r!in^. ;i:i'l ivi'.-vai-'cl liis opinion thi! Marv was a line ehiU tW her nij : n;i:l promised t<> be ' I ill. !(!;. her nmth.-r. who V.MS f jreat '!.) Tiie Karlnf l.-iii'.ox haill-oen l.nv.i^h: up in I'rance. [.n.ly 3f.'.r^nr.-t v.-.i . mnv at tho l-jiirlish ('our!. r ]'iii< marriage u as even <' ill 1.1. ire ;ni; ertav.t in i's 1 earing en t '.e !'u: ur- 1 : for the issue ..('it v, a~ \.:".-<\ .Darnl-y. tlie iil-l'at.-J luu-bando!' .Mary (>ueeii r.f S ( . t-. (Sa.ikr State Pajiers, Vol. I., p. liV.i.) " Il'i.,1., p. 3--. Aliens was so \'ordcr, and on its appearance on Scottish ground the fiery cross flashed the intelligence far and wide; the clans gathered, and when a suilicieut force was collected a battle took place. So the brunt of the invasion fell generally on the Borderers, and Edinburgh seemed, like Magdala, inaccessible to a foe. 15nt now a new feature, which lias since attained to such a wonderful develop- ment namely, the naval power of .England came into rcqui- siiiuii, and it was determined to make a joint attack on Edin- burgh bv sea and bv land ; the main army of which Sadleir was 90 LIFE AND TIMES OF Treasurer under the Earl of Hertford's command, going by sea to Leith Fort, to be joined there by 4,000 horsemen from Berwick under Lord Evers. Henry determined to cut the Scotch to the bone, and leave such a mark of his power and vengeance behind him as would ensure respect for all future treaties. His instructions to Hertford, there- fore, were to "put the towns of Leitli and Edinburgh to sack, fire, and sword, to raze the Castle of Edinburgh, if it may be done con- veniently without long tarrying about it, and afterwards to pass over to Fife, to make like spoil and wasting of the country there, chiefly at St. Andrew's (the Cardinal's town), putting all to fire and sword."* Edinburgh town was to be so razed and defaced that " there would remain for ever a perpetual memory of the vengeance of God lighted upon it for the falsehood and dishonesty " of its inhabitants. Late in March, Lord Lisle, who was now the Lord Admiral, sailed from London with troops from the south of England. The Earl of Hertford and Sir Ralph Sadleir, with as many men as could be mustered in the northern district, were at Newcastle, in readiness to join Lisle as soon as the fleet arrived at Tynemoutli. This occurred on the 18th of April, and is thus reported to the King: "A great many of the ships, to the number of 100 sail and more, arc arrived in the haven of Tynemoutli, and my Lord Admiral and the waiters lie all in the seas to see the whole fleet brought in in safety, trusting they shall arrive all here to-morrow, so that now we will prepare to ship- board, and no time shall be lost, with the grace of God, as much as in us is, for the accomplishment of our charge according to our most bounden duties. ;; t When a favourable wind arose, the northern troops were speedily embarked, and the whole force of two hundred sail and ten thousand men arrived off Leith Port on the 3rd of May. The Scotch were quite unprepared for such an awful apparition as the English fleet almost within cannon shot of their metropolis. Hitherto, Caledonia ruled the waves of the Xorth Sea ; her hardy fishermen keeping their English neighbours at a respectful distance in the south. The Government had heard of Lisle's. preparations, but thought they were intended for Trance. .Brief was any hup,' of aid from the warlike Border clans; in a day or two, Lord levers, with his numerous horsemen, joined Hertford, and the overwhelming force attacked and captured Edinburgh. J The Castle n.anl'ully withstood the attack. Hertford carried out his orders. .Leith, and all the SIP. EALrTT SADLEIK. 91 places right nnd loft, were set on fire, including Edinburgh itself. "Built chiefly of wood," says Burton, "and concentrated on the well known ridge rising to the Castle, the beautiful* town blazed for three days and nights, making a sight that, seen far along the Lofhians and Fifeshire, left in the recollection of the people a characteristic impression of what it was to be at the mercy of the King of 1'higland." This was precisely what the King of England wished, and it is to be hoped that: Sir Ralph Sadleir saw in the burning city suificicnt satisfaction for the maltreatment he had re- ceived from its inhabitants the year before, from the Governor who broke his solemn oath, down to the miscreant who fired the "half- hag/' Having accomplished his purpose, Hertford directed his steps home- wards ; some of his army returning by sea to Newcastle, and the remainder marching with the cavalry to Berwick. By the middle of Mav the whole force was again in England, having lost only forty men in the expedition. Part of the troops remained on the Borders, under Lords Wharton and Ever?, while the main body was transported from Newcastle to Calais, to join the army destined to operate against .France 1 ,, in conjunction with the Kmpcror Charles. The British forces in Prance were divided into two corps d'armee. The one, under the .Duke of Norfolk, marched against Montreuil; the other, under the Duke of Suffolk, laid siege to Boulogne; while the Emperor Charles, advancing from Flanders, took Ligny and besieged St. Dizier. Just as the siege of Boulogne began, the King crossed from Dover (1 Ith -July) and took supreme command, lie was probably accompanied by Sir Kalph Sadleir ; Tor in a minute of the Privy Council, written by Sadleir, at Westminster, on the 7th of July, we sec that Henry appointed the Queen .Regent in his absence, with the following Privy Council: The Archbishop of Canterbury (Cranmer), the Lord Chancellor (Wriothesley), the Earl of Hertford, the Bishop of West- minster, and Sir \Yilliam Pet re, Secretary. t Now, Sadleir was still a member of the I'rivy Council, and we may conclude he formed part of the Council rhat accompanied the King, since he is not included amongst those who remained at home; and it is probable, too, that he acted as Treasurer-in-Chief to the Knglish forces in Prance a position of importance and trust: for which he had proved himself 'rninent ly eligible. '"i'was thr Emperor's wish ihat both his own and the English army T ' : '- IvliuliurjU is cortaiiily il^CTvinj of the K'nti '' l>>'autifnl " now. but it requires nil a u\v i'i' F.nhiTb.r.'l i<) )>ny -'ich a ihu'enn.,'' compliment to tlm irregular old 1 i-.vn ' '.' \ I'.' 1 -i\l i-i jitli I'i'nl ni'v. + IVhv \V;H i!!:i-.!-> s.'civinrv of Stat'" 1 OTI AVrintliosloy's promotion. Padleir, though no l.jn^i'i- Sivivtru'v uf state, ai-p^ars to have acted as ouc on this occasion. (State Papers, Vol. I., p. 703.) 92 LIFE AND TIMES OF should march on Paris, and dictate terms to Francis from his captured capital ; but Henry, with strategical prudence, objected to move so far from his base of operations Avhile Boulogne and Montreuil remained in the enemy's hands on his line of communication and supply. Perhaps, also, he had hopes of adding these t\vo fortresses to his Trench possessions. If so, half his hopes were fulfilled ; for though Montreuil resisted his attack, Boulogne was taken after two month's siege, and remained in possession of the English in spite of various attempts of the French to re-capture it. Henry having thus strengthened his position on the French side of the Channel, returned as a conqueror to England. The Emperor made peace independently with Francis, but England still remained on bad terms with both France and Scotland, and the year 1545 opened with war-clouds lowering on England from all sides. Towards the end of January, the French, to the number of fourteen thousand, attacked Boulogne ; but the English garrison, under the gallant Hertford, sallied out before day- break one morning and utterly routed them. Matters were not so successful in Scotland. Throughout the winter Lord Evers had made several inroads on the Border land. The Scotch, exasperated to a high degree, were encouraged to a stouter resistance by the French operations against England, between whom and the Empire war was also imminent, and when the English made a fresh raid in February, they were surprised at Ancruin Muir by a strong force, under the Earl of Angus, and defeated with great loss; Evcrs, their General, being amongst the slain. At this time the Earl of Shrewsbury, Tunstall (Bishop of Durham), and Sir Knlph Sadleir formal the King's Council in the North of England, and several letters are on record which passed between them and the King during the following spring and summer. In April, Henry informed this Council that Francis I. was paring to send a force to Scotland, and directed them to increase arm}' in the north to 3D, 000 men, and strengthen the castles of .Berwick, "\Vark, and Carlisle with men and ammunition."'''" The Karl of Hertford was appointed to command the northern armv, and Sir Kalph Sadleir, in addition to his other duties, again acted as Treasurer. But it soon appeared that the French preparations were on the most extensive scale, and that the sacred soil of Albion itself Mas threatened with invasion. In addition, therefore, to Hertford's force on t he Border, nearlv one hundred thousand men were put under arms in the south 3TT? HALPTT SADLETR. 00 of England; the fortresses on the coast where a landing might be attempted were strongly armed and manned, and the fleet was put in fighting order under Lord Lisle. All, in line, was in readiness for the foe; and when, on the 18th of Inly, they appeared in the shape of over two hundred ships and sixty thousand men, oil' the Isle of \\ ight, with the intention of landing and sei/ing Portsmouth, they found the whole of the British lleet at Spit- head, quite prepared to give them a warm reception. On the following three d;iys a distant action ensued between the fleets without any material result.-'" and a landing on the Isle of AYight having been repulsed, the Fivneh Admiral withdrew from the attack, and was followed bv Lisle into the Channel, where, after three weeks' mamruvring, a general action was expected by the English, but disease having broken out in the over-crowded .French vessels, l/'Anncbault took refuge in his harbours,, and left Lisle master of the sea and the >it nation; and so the invasion of Protestant England, which all Papist Europe regarded with great expectations, came absolutely to naught. Xext to the French themselves, their Scotch allies were most dis- appointed, and they were the next to feel the weight of Henry's arm. Hertford, Tunsfall, and Sadleir had made all preparations for cross- ing the Border ; but before this occurred, the State Papers reveal a characteristic episode of the times which, regarded by modern eyes, is most repulsive, though quite allowable by the mediaeval customs of warfare, bv which if was considered fair to kill a foeman openly wherever he could lie found whether it were in the courtyard or on the Held of battle. I. refer to the proposed assassination of Cardinal Pieaton, the leader of the French faction in Scotland, coolly mentioned ina Slate document as "the matter which concerned! the killing of the Cardinal. "t In the spring of the previous year, when Hertford and Sadleir were at Xewcastle, previous to the burning of Kdmburgh, a Scotchman called \Yi-hart brought a letter from the Lord of l!nin.-tonc to the Kimr, stating that the Lord of Clause, late Treasurer of Scotland, and others "would apprehend or slav the ( annual on his wav to St. Andrew's, if ihev knew his Maje.-tv's pleasure therein, and what support and maintenance lie would mini-ter unto them in ease they 94 LIFE AND TIMES OF should be pursued afterwards by any of their enemies."* "\Vishart was "passed" to London, and had a favourable audience of the King, but the matter dropped till the next year, when Sadleir, who was again with Hertford in the north of England, received a letter from the Earl of Cassilis containing a proposal to kill the Cardinal, if His Majesty would have it done, and would promise when it were done a reward. This letter was also forwarded to the King,, and in reply, the Council,, writing from Greenwich, 30th May, 15 -14, told Hertford "that his Highness, reputing the fact not meet to be set forward expressly by his Majesty, will not seem to have to do in it, and yet, not mislikiug the offer, thinketh good that Mr. Sadleir, to whom the letter was addressed, should write to the Earl of the receipt of his letter containing such an offer which he thinketh not convenient to be communicated to the King's Majesty. Marry, to write to him what lie thinketh of the matter (he shall say) that if lie were in the Earl of Cassilis' place, and were able to do his Majesty good service, he would surely do what he could for the execution of it, believing verily to do thereby not only an acceptable service to the King's Majesty, but also a special benefit to the whole realm of Scotland, and would trust verily the King's Majesty would consider his service in the same."t Sadleir wrote to Cassilis as he was directed, and next month another letter reached him from Brimstone on the same subject, to whom Sir Kalph also replied in similar terms as to Cassilis, enlarging on the advisability of the project.:}: The State correspondence on this unpleasant topic ends here, but it is sufficient to draw down a storm of abuse on Henry and his ministers as foul abettors of murder. Evr ' !>o is a very temperate writer, says. : " These ugly reve 1 ;:ite Papers, if they show slunv olhers. IUIIIA \ 111. is an exception to hat r-hall we say for the English stales- men of that f.^L-, when the >pirit of chivalry was mellov.-ing itself inio that model < \' social excellence, the Engh>h gentleman? \Vhat for Hertford and Sir Kalph Sadler?" "What, he ought to have added, shall we say of the Scotch noblemen who oll'ered to do thed.edlv deed, not through love of country, like \\ illiam Tell, but simply for a reward ! The scheme mav or may not have been connected with * State Papors, Vol. V., p. 377. t Ibid, p. I'/'. * Hi- !'-t'rT wa= writ 'en parly in July, ju-t hofoiv tlK- abortive Fivnch invasion, ivfi rrin.j io which ho thus prophetically concludes: ' A< ft' remark, ;il-o. thai the monasteries an 1 r. !igioushou>' - : '.i.'h . r vuz -d ;uid burnt wen i y I through a bigoted hate <>!' th-' priesthood. v,a~." >.ty- JSur; n. ' a peculiarity in tin-so, vesti^'s vf winch may be seen at the pi 1 - d.iy. Tii<- iv.aaiu-- uf (he Ab'tvys ut lv<-l*u and Ji ;' ir^h. 1'or instance, have much in e 'in: . .n \\-\\\i t!: e.i-t|. s i>r f,,rti;ird hull.? - - < numerous in Se.itland. Th. 1 uivhii.vtuiv I'l'th ' 'iiVy ! ". rs i- rich and costlv. bu; ib re i~ a -\;'i-tan; i.iiit v in the structures intended than tin- d' v.jti' ill of L'u-t'y W"i'k t-' p-irp"M - . I' \\-"i-=!iip. Thesi-. in la.-:, i;; tiu-ir d.iy u.-ve ~;r 1:1^ t'oriivsses. M.r.v a ra: 1 nt' the I-]:i_ r '.;~u U.'i'd.-rer-; ha 1 they ivjist-jd, Ian iiu''-. i ! . v. us pan ui' the plaii thai they 4 UuulJ bo b,e;ie 3 r i.\l aud deui'jliihed.' 1 96 LIFE AND TIMES OP France failed to invade England, Hertford's army in the north, which cost the country the then enormous sum of 20,000 a month, should be quietly disbanded, and the Scotch allowed to escape with impunity.* The troops of the northern army having been paid off and disbanded, except those required for the Border garrisons, the Earl of Hertford and Sir Ralph Sadleir were reasonably anxious to return home. The former, writing to Secretary Paget from Newcastle, on the 5th of October (1545), adds, "Wherefore I think this matter needeth not to stay my return or Mr. Sadleir's,t referring the same nevertheless unto the King's Majesty's most gracious pleasure. "j The King appears to have granted their desire ; for in another letter to Paget, signed by Hertford and Sadleir, from Lincoln, on the 13th of the same month, they say, "We are thus far on our way to Court. " On their return to Court, one friendly and familiar face was missing that of the noble and popular Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, the King's valued comrade and brother-in-law. He died in the previous August, leaving two daughters, the Marchioness of Dorset and the Countess of Cumberland, the former of whom was mother to Lady Jane Grey now a little girl nine years old, of whom more anon. After such continuous absence on His Majesty's service, Sir Ralph was doubtless allowed to allot some of his time to his own domestic affairs, and his duties as Master of the Grand Wardrobe. The signature to the above letter is the last place his name occurs in the series of State Papers of Henry VIIl/s reign, which 1 have hitherto quoted so frequently; but there is a charter of Edward VI., hereafter quoted, from which we learn that in 1516 Sadleir possessed the following estates : " The rectorv, church, and advowson of Kemsev in * Hertford and Sadleir thus write from the Camp of Kel-o. 13th September. loi-5. to Sir William Pagvt. the Secretary of State : ' Finally, for money pray remember u- : for the sum you sent last belli L; but 1U.OU'.>. will do no more than pay the cost and conduct money. with a month's wages, of the new CIYW of men which v. ere called to be of thi- army out uf Yorkshire. Cheshire, and Lancashire: and we have no money at all for the payment of (he next month's wa^es of the garrisons, both J'hiali-hmen and strangers (/.(.,. the German and Spaniard contingent), which \\ill eon-ume ,1'lU.iAM and more/' Lur-v subsidies had to be raised for the war expenses of this year, and not without <, r rumblii:i{. Alderman Heed, a wealthy citizen of London, objected to the tax as unconstitutional, whereupon he was reminded that by an old statute he was bvund to render military service, and ordered () joi;i Lord Evers" force on the border. Lord Kvers was evident !v directed to provide him with a warm corner, ibr the worthy Alderman was afterv, a/ds taken prisoner at Aucruiu Moor, and had to pay a handsome sum for his random. t It seems that Sadleir was now on intimate and friendly uinis with the Nym.'Ur.-. Sir Thomas Seymour, in a letter In the Earl of Shrewsbury. 2l;li .March, 1-"15. concludes wi;h <; If it plea-e your Lord -hip to make my hearty uommendalins io Sir Kidpi. Sail I. ir, _}< -hall do me pl.-;i-ure."-- L.'.ln'a " Il!i>s(i\tti'' I State Paper-, Vol. V.. p. Gl.'. Ibid, p, -:jb. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 07 Worcestershire, the advowson of rectory and church of St. Martin's in London, the manors of Bromley in Middlesex, Waltham's Tong in Essex, Aston-Tinall, and North Morton in Berkshire, divers portions of tithes in Gloucestershire, and other messuages, lands, tenements, &c."* But these estates do not at all represent the entire property with which Henry VI LI. had rewarded his public services. Sadleir had been also granted all the lands of Lessness Abbey, in Kent, consisting of manors in the adjoining parishes of Woolwich and Plumstead ; the lands, &c., of the mitred abbey of Selby, Yorkshire, then worth 79 a year; the lands of Temple Dinsley, near Hitchen, Hertforshirc, which belonged to the Knights Hospitallers (granted 33rd year Henry VIII.), and the manor, rectory, and advowson of the vicarage of Standon, near AA are, Hertfordshire, "a parcel of the possessions of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem/' and probably many other places besides, of which 1 have met no record. Standon was granted to Sir llalph in the oOth year of the King's reign, after the successful expedition to Edinburgh, under Hertford (15-14). lie no\v iixed on it as his future abode, and during the next two years (15MJ-7) built the magnificent mansion where he lived in splendour for many years, and near to which, in the old grey church, his honoured remains still rest in their costly tomb.t During the year 1 5 lf> England was at peace with her neighbours, otherwise Sadleir might have been called away from his house-building; the Government, however, had some unpleasant transactions at home, in which, apparently, he was not implicated : The Protestant party in the kingdom, which had increased in numbers and in influence, was at this time nearly as powerful as the Papal parly, and the two factions regarded each other with intense antipathy. Gardiner, Bishop of \\ inchester, and the other leaders of the Catholic parly, alarmed at the strides of "heresy," as they called Protestanism, endeavoured after Crumwell/s death to suppress the Bible, but the King di.l not permit them. Thev now determined to check the new faith by destroying its prominent leaders as heretics, under the statute of the Six Articles; and a series of judicial persecutions ensued, which * It will he soon from tii' 1 charter, p. 10:!. that Sadleir was exchanging these estates with kin^ Henry fur .s>n was ], u ih just before Sir Kalph's death, in !")* 7 : I e:il elnvuieles a-si_;n th>' above perio 1. A stono in one of th" old .rnhles bears th' 1 inseripti.'!!, " R.^. 1~> !>'.'' (^ii.vn Kli/ahon is only a f-w mil^s fr.'iu Great lladham. where it will he recollected sir Ralph's father re-ided for so mo time ; we may presume, therefore, that lu' was acquainted with, the locality, aiid probably liked it on account of the family association. 13 98 LIFE AND TIMES OF ended in the trial of several people, including the outspoken Hugh Latimer ; but either through the King's favour or insufficient evidence all escaped supreme punishment except three persons who were burnt in 1546. Even the Queen, Catherine Parr, was nearly made a victim also ; but by a good deal of tact she contrived to win back the King to her side, and Gardiner, instead of gaining his point, incurred His Majesty's lasting displeasure. In Scotland, too, the reformed views had grown apace ; George Wishart and John Knox being the most effective preachers. The former is supposed to have been the "Wishart Avho in religious zeal plotted to kill Cardinal Beaton ; at all events, he was seized on a charge of heresy and burnt to death in the Cardinal's presence at St. Andrew's in May of the same year. The smouldering animosity entertained by AYishart's party against the Cardinal now burst forth into flame. Without waiting for any promise of protection or reward from England, but urged on simply by "the wild justice of revenge," the Master of Eothes, his relatives the Leslies, young Kircaldy of Grange, and some others, stole into the castle of St. Andrew's, at break of day on the morning of the 29th of May, and despatched the Cardinal before an alarm could be given ; thus delivering England and the Reformation from their most powerful opponent in Scotland. But a still more momentous event was about to take place in England. The King, who was a victim to high living, had been in bad health for some time, and in December of this year (15 1C) became suddenly worse in fact, dangerously ill. His death was at once speculated on by the two parties in the State. "Who should be the Regent to the young King, and have the direction of Church and State, was the question which agitated the public mind. The Duke of Norfolk, and his son, the Earl of Surrey, were the great lay champions of the Catholics, while the Earl of Hertford was the acknowledged head of the Protestants. The Howards were the oldest and proudest of England's nobility, and their hated rivals, the Seymours, were ennobled but yesterdny. On the other hand, Lord Hertford was uncle to the Prince, and the popular General of the army. The rash and impulsive Earl of Surrey could not keep his patience within bounds. Considering his father alreadv as liegent, he quartered his shield with the arms of England, which only the heir apparent to the crown was entitled to do. He was also heard to express his hate to the "new men," and to s\vear they should " smart for it when the King was dead." A treasonable corres- pondence with Cardinal Pole, in which the Duke of Norfolk was also implicated, was another charge to which Surrey had laid himself open. Other crimes were also alleged, and both Duke and Earl were lodged in the Tower for high treason. SIR, RALPH SADLEIR. 99 Surrey was tried first, and sentenced to death a penalty lie met with fortitude on the 13tli of January.* The, Puke's high rank caused delay, through the necessity of greater formalities, and before the Hill of Attainder obtained the royal assent; the King himself died, and the gallant old hero of Hodden escaped with his life. On Thursday evening, the 27th of January (1517), a fatal change passed over the enfeebled monarch, and he died at midnight, while pressing the hand of Cranmer, who was "speaking comfortably to him of trust in Clod through Jesus Christ."t No public character has sutl'ercd more at the hands of historians than Il.enrv VI 1.1. Neither Protestants nor Roman Catholics have done justice to him, because he kept both parties in check with a iinu hand, and favoured neither one nor the other; while the maudlin chroniclers of his domestic life have represented him as a Bluebeard, and held him np to the hatred of monogamy-loving England without either analysing the circumstances of his many marriages, or contrasting favourably his lawful wedlock with the numerous adulterous amours of the other potentates of the period, Popes and all. But considering the length of his reign (nearly thirty-eight years), the changing times he kept pace with, the manliness of his foreign policy, the vigour of his administration at home, the splendour of his C'ourt, it must be admitted that few Sovereigns of England have ever wielded her sceptre to greater purpose or with greater lustre. To his daughters and other near relations Henry bequeathed hand- some annuities ; nor did he forget to distribute legacies amongst his esteemed statesmen, as "tokens of his gentle remembrance/' Sir Ixalph Sadleir was one of those thus honoured, and received two hundred u - old marks.! f Sirypo. A mark was worth thirteen --hillings and ei^hlpence. A copy of Henry's will is .iiiu'ne.l in irate Trials.," Yvl, 1. 100 LIFE AND TIMES OF CHAPTER XII. THE ACCESSION OF EDWARD VI. (1547.) Next morning Lord Hertford rode to Hatfichl, in Hertfordshire, where his nephew, the Prince of "Wales, resided,, and tutored him for two days as to his future course of action. He then conducted the Prince to London, where he was received with acclamation, and in a few days afterwards crowned as King. Edward was at this time a little over nine years old; good-looking rather than robust, and well educated for his years indeed, many consider he was over-educated, and that his physical powers were sacrificed to his mental attainments. By Henry's will, the Government of the kingdom and the guar- dianship of the young King until he attained eighteen years of age, devolved on sixteen Executors, with a Council of twelve to advise and assist them. The Executors were the Archbishop of Canterbury (Cranmer), the Lord Chancellor (Wriothesley), the President of the Council (Lord St. John), Lord Russell, Lord Hertford, Lord Lisle, the Bishop of Durham (Tunstall), Sir Anthony .Browne (blaster of the Horse), Sir William Paget (Secretary of State), Sir Edward North (Chancellor of the Augmentations),, three of the judges viz., Sir Edward Montague, Sir Thomas Bromley, and Sir William Herbert Sir Anthony Denny, Dr. "\\otton (Dean of Canterbury), and his brother, Sir Edward (Treasurer of Calais). Of these, Cranmer, Hertford, and .Lisle were avowed Reformers ; Wriothcslev, Tunstall, and Browne decided Catholics; and the remainder were, of neutral tint. The Council of twelve comprised Henry Piizalan (Karl of Arnmlel), William Parr (Karl of Essex), Sir Thomas Cheney (Treasurer of the Household), Sir John Cage (Comptroller), Sir Anthonv Winufield (Vice-Chamberlain), Sir William .Pet re (Secretary of Slate), Sir Richard Rich, Sir John Baker, Sir Ralph Sadleir, Sir Thomas Seymour (Hertford's brother), Sir Richard Southwell, and Sir Edmund Peckham. SITC RALPH SADLEIR. 101 Tlic King's will had appointed the above Executors "with like and equal charge ;" but before the testator's lifeless body was cold, Lord Hertford buttonholed Pagct in the corridor outside the chamber of death, and persuaded him to favour his design to be appointed Protector of the Kealm. 'Twas, perhaps, reasonable ambition on Hertford's part. lie \vas uncle to the young King, held a hiu'h position at Court, had distinguished himself as a General, and was popular with the masses; and with all this was lie to have only the same weight in the administration of the State as the Master of the Horse or an ordinary judge? lie knew, moreover, that lie had several friends among his Co-Executors. No time was lost in the matter. On the 31: st of January that is, only three days after the King's death Paget proposed in Council a Protectorate, under Hertford. \Vriotheslcy opposed the motion most vigorously; but finding himself in a minority, finally agreed with the rest to give the Marl of Hertford "chief place, and also the name and title of the Protector of all the realms and dominions of the King's Majesty, and Ciovernor of his most royal person, with the special and express condition that he shall not do any act but with the advice and consent of the rest of the Executors, in such manner, order, and form as in the will of the late sovereign lord was appointed and prescribed; which the said Karl promised to do accordingly." This document was signed bv all the Kxeentors except Bromley and the two A\ ottons, who were not present at the meeting. This t't/i'p tl'r/:it being effected, Paget declared that before King lleiirv died he had expressed his intention of making some additions to the peerage, and had named several for dignities, with appropriate grants of Church lands. The idea was naturally pleasing to the Council, and met with favour at thtir hands; and on the liith of February they ordained that Hertford should be created J)uke of Somerset ; Sir Thomas Sevmour, his brother, Lord Seymour of Sudleye; the Marl of Kssex (that is, Parr, the Quern's brother), Marquis of Northampton; and Dudlev, .Lord LMe, Karl of \Varwiek; Lord \Vriothcsley, Laid of South- ampton; whin: llieh, \\ illoughby, and Sheffield were made Barons. These broadcast honours made Somerset's intluence paramount, and his principal opponent, \\ nothesley, was soon deprived of the Chan- cellorship on (\ ilim-v pretext. There was no one now left in the Council with courage to oppose His (Jrace, and on the (!th of March he had a new patent for the Protectorate drawn out in Ldward's name investing him with supreme power, independent of the. Co-K\ccutors. Tin 1 patent, however, was countersigned bv none of tile Kxeentors or Councillors except ('runnier, Si. John, .Kussell, Northampton, Cheney, .Paget, and Browne. The Duke of Somerset was now, to all intents and purposes, an 102 LIFE AND TIMES OP absolute monarch ; for his little nephew was a mere puppet in his hands, and the Council had less power and authority than it possessed under Henry YIIL* Alluding to Somerset's elevation, Sir Walter Scott observes : " In order to reconcile the rest of the King's Executors to this pre- eminence, wealth and honours were conferred on them with no sparing hand. They were named Councillors to the Protector, and a com- mission was issued under the great seal to warrant this new form of Government, in which, however, the Privy Councillors were raised to the same rank with the Executors. The special gratification," lie continues, " destined for Sir Ralph Sadleir upon these changes seems to have been a confirmation of the lame grants of church lands for- O D merly assigned to him by Henry, with splendid additions. There is said to be an illuminated deed in existence in which Sadleir is painted on his knees, receiving from Henry and Edward a grant of all the Church lands on which the town of Clifton, near Bristol, now stands, and extending down the Severn. It would seem from the indenture below quoted, that various exchanges were made between the Crown and Sir Ralph Sadleir, all doubtless to the advantage of the grantee."" The above is a good instance of the charming freedom with which Sir AYalter wrote Sir Ralph's memoir. " The indenture below quoted" is transcribed below, and a glance at it will show that it does not refer to the grants of land given by Henry to Sadleir from time to time for his services to the State, but simply confirms an exchange which Sir Ralph was evidently negotiating with the King- before he died, and also grants some new property in consideration of a large sum of money paid by Sadleir into the Augmentation Court ; and finally, that the document is dated 30th June, 1517 that is, five months after Somerset was appointed Protector. The fact seems to be that though Sir Ralph might have taken a leading part on Edward's accession, and gained Somerset's favour by open support, he looked upon the recent changes with some misgiving, and remained in the background. In the expeditions against Scotland, he had, as we have seen, been intimately associated with Hertford, and knew, most likely, that he was chivalrous, brave, and honourable; but ambitious, vain, and weak-minded, and destitute of the keen brain * Somerset's "right honorable style," as it appears on State documents, ran thus: " Edward, bv (ho grace of God, Duke of Somerset, Karl of Hertford. Viscount Beauehanip, Lord Seymour, Uncle to the King's Highness of England, Governor of his most royal person, and Protector of all his realms, dominions, and subjects, Lieutenant-General of all liis ^lujeMy's armies, both by laud and sea, Treasurer and "Karl Marshal of England. Governor of the Isles of Guernsey and Jersey, and Knight of the me>t nolle Order of the Garter." In short, few kings ever assumed such an array of astounding titles : nor. it must in fairness be added, have there been many princes with nobler mien or more commanding presence. SITC RALPH SADLEI1?. 103 and strong hand necessary in those stormy times to steer the vessel of State safely through the dangers that surrounded her.* * "''Whereas, our dear father, King Henry VIII.. by indenture under the great seal of Court of Augmentation, dated Westminster, 10th March, 31st year, granted to Anthony Southwell, of his household gentlemen, //;',; iiti,/, Allesborough Grange, and certain other lands, containing 270 acres in the whole, being the dcmeasne lands of late monastery of Pershore, in Worcestershire, and lying within pan-dies of Pershore ; and also 197 acres of pasture anil meadow land, lying in Pershore and Hodbury, part of possession; of said monastery for 21 years, paying annually for same and seite of said late monastery, 27 ISs.Vid. And said King, by another indenture, dated loth April. 32nd year, granted to Ilichard TIandall. of London. /.!/< ; ii! ; it, the sheepcote of C'otesden. count}' Gloucester, late reserved and occupied bv abbot and convent of Wynehelcombe, in said county; together with manor of llowell, and the tythes of said sheepcote, Kowell, and Hailing, in said county for 21 years, paving annually 30C Us. ^d. And said Kin^. by another indenture, dated lotli October, 31st year, granted to Michael Cmneswell. gentleman, Whitmore Grange, with houses, lands, &c.. within said grange, containing 1S1 acres, and four acres in Whitmoro Park, lately belonging to the dissolved monastery of the blessed Mary in Coventry, for 21 years, paying annually loC bs. Id. And said KiiiLT, bv another indenture, dated 12th April. 32nd year, granted to Anthony Dennv. Ksi[., the manor of Naming or Xasingbury. in Essex, belonging to late monastery of Waltham ll"lv Cro<-, in said county, certain lands there also, and the rectory of Xasing for 21 years, paying annually 31 C 1-^s. And said Kin_'. in e msideration of HOC 13s. Id. paid into the Augmentation Court, by aforesaid Anthony Denny, granted to him by his patent, dated 28th September, 30th year, the revi-ion of said manor, and rectory of Xasing before demised, for 35 years more, paying as h.-tbre. Know ye. &c., that in consideration of (lie rectory and church of Kemsey. in county of Wore-'ster. with the advowson of same granted by our faithful servant, Kalph Sadleyr, Knight. one of the Gentlemen of our Privy Chamber, to our most dear father, sealed with his s'>al. and dated I'.Hh September, 38th Henry VIII., and the advowson of rectory and church of St. Martin, in London, in like manner given by said E. S. to our said father, dat-- 1 1st January. ;> ; t'> year, and in consideration of the manors of Dromeley in Middlesex, lla-lin^et'eld in Cambrid^i-hire. Walthamstow Long in Esr-ex. Aston-Tinall and Xorth M'Ttoii in IJ.Tk-hire. diverse portions of tytbes in Gloucestershire, and all other messuages, land-, tenements, ccc., to us by said 1{. S. granted by indenture, dated 10th June. 1st year, an 1 I'or I i iltih ; nl of tlie testament and last will of our said father, and , our said father by U. S.. and for 1>37 Is. SI. paid by said E. S. Court to < ur use: we have given and granted to K. S. the reversion, the said premises in aforesaid indenture- expressed, together with all ' givealso the manor of Stoke F.piscopi. or Pi-!; p-toke, f jujT-sessions of T'ishop of Worcester, the manor of in'.y. ' .'.1 franehi 1 -'' - of If' iu'nirv. 'I'- i i \'. orce- 1 ;. >!i' i Park and Pen P.nk. in -aid countv, 1 -;. r. '. '.: -. .' T. wan . .v ..;..;; the advowson Iminnci i' ri^';t-. j.riv;! ^gt - to said above grants in any through about ")" line- of original). in c. iinty ('- til. 104 LIFE AND TIMES OP One thing, however, is evident that Sadleir was not raised to the peerage, though he had done greater service to the State, and possessed a larger fortune than some of those who were (Rich, AYilloughby, and Sheffield, for example). It is possible he may have refused a title, like some others, or may have annoyed the Protector and manor of Allcsborougli, in county Worcester, late belonging to Pcrshoro monastery, with all hamlets, lands, tythes, &c., therein, save certain exceptions. Also, the manor of Olveston, in county Gloucester, late possession of priory of Bath. And certain lands in TValtham aforesaid, parcel of the possessions of late Marquis of Exeter, and Gertrude, his wife, lately attainted of high treason. Also, certain lauds called Cussoners,. in "\Valthain, the scitc, &c., of the squire of the Carmelites Church, in Coventry, and the church yard of Carmelites Church, in Fleet Street, London, with the rectory of Welford. in county Gloucester.' (Now follows a particular enumeration of all the grants before recited, both in the inden- tures and otherwise, with much additional miiiutife, and various amplifications : and in at least 150 lines is granted, in the fullest manner, all manner of rights and privileges in any wavs appertaining thereto enjoyed by former possessors). 'Which same lordships or manors of Bishopstoke and Ueinbury. and premises thereunto belonging, are now extended at the clear annual value of 119 11s. lid., the 10s. not deducted. Mansion in Stroude, &c. 10. Manor Twynnying and Uphaiu. 71 C 2s. "d. Manor of Allesborough, and other premises in Allcsborough, Streynsham. ILvlbury. and Pershorc, 79 12s. Gd. Allesborough Grange and demeasne lands of Pershore, 10 7s. lljd. Manor of Olueston, 21 12s. 5M. Manor of Rowcll, &c., 20 Gs. 8d. Whitmore Grange. &c., 12 8s. 4d. Messuage lands and tenements in Slackstede. late monastery of Hyde, in county Southampton. 9 Os. 5jd, Manor or Farm of Woodredon, late monastery of Walthani Cross. S. Manor of Sewardston, &.c.. 27 Is. lOd. Manor and rectory of Kasiug, 31 18s. Lands in Waltham. late Marquis of Exeter, and Gertrude, his wife, 6. Cussoncrs Lands, 35. Soil, seite, &c.. of church of Carmelites of Coventry. Gs. 'd., and church-yard Carmelites in London, 201'. To have. hold. &c.. in capite by service of twentieth part of a knight's fee, and to render annually to us, and our successors, as follows, vi/t. : For Bishopstoke, 11 10s. .3d. Lwynnyng. 7 2s. 3J<1. Allcsborough, 7 10s. 3d. Allesborough Grange, 1 Os. [Ud. Olveston, 2 3s. 3d. Slackstede, ISs. 11M. Whitmore, 1 Is. lOd. Woodredou. K>s. Seweardson, 2 11;. -5:,d. Xasing, 31' 3-. Okl.. and the Messuage in Stroude. and scitcs of two Carmelite churches or church-yards in Burgage.' (Then follow sundry exceptions and reservations for eorrodics, pensions, collectors of rents. wardens, charges, &c. The latter are specified, and amount to 10 13s. Sd.) 'Witness ourselves at Westminster. 30th June (1st year).' This is firs! found in the amplified grant of Bishopstoke, litinlury. AC., late possessions of Bishop of Worcester, in following words: 'And also all that capital messuage or mansion, with the appurtenences, situate and being in the parish of S frond", near Loiidon. late parcel of the possessions of said Bisliop of "\Voi\-' st^r. aii'.l all and singular l^nds. tenements, edifices, stables. garile;:s. orchards, &c.. and also all and singular other ini'ssuagcs, &c. &e. : lying and being in Stroudo aforesaid, late parcel of the possessions of said Bishop of W(,.rcoster.' The original instrument occupies 25 sheets. For this abstract of its contf'iits. 1 am indebted to Thomas Sharpo. l^sq.. of Coveiitry. Other grar.r 7 to >ir llalpli Sadl"ir are mentioned in Dugdale's '\Varwickshire,' J'r. Thomas's edition, pa^es l^ii. :ji.)i>, 4 S 7. -J->> ; all tending to shew how deeply he participated iri the spoils acquired by the sweeping Wurk of reformation." SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 105 by sympathising with Wriothesley * but, at all events, he remained a simple knight. Somerset, having gratified his personal ambition, resolved to estab- lish his own views in religion in an arbitrary and bigoted fashion unbecoming a ruler of a people whose opinions were divided. The Ultra-Protestants, knowing they had "a friend in Court/' over- stepped the bounds to which fear of Henry had restricted them. Early in February, the Churchwardens of St. Martin's, in London, "of their own authority," whitewashed the frescoes, pulled down the crucifix and the images of the saints, and set up instead the royal arms and texts of Scripture; in March, Ridley, at St. Paul's Cross, preached doctrines for which he would have been imprisoned under Henry, and for which he was afterwards burnt under .Mary; and in the ensuing Lent, Cranmer shocked all good Catholics by eating meat. "At last," savs Fronde, "the Protector gave the popular move- ment the sanction of the Government. Injunctions were issued in May for the general purification of the churches. From every wall and window every image commemorative of saint, or prophet, or apostle was to be extirpated and put away, so that there should remain no memory of the same. Painted glass survives to show that the order was imperfectly obeyed, but, in general, spoliation became the law of the land ; the statues crashed from their niches, rood and rood-loft were laid low, and the sunlight stared in white and stainless upon the whitened aisles. The superstition which had paid an undue reverence to the symbols of holy things was avenged by the super- stition of as blind a hatred.-" It is to be hoped that the indiscriminate spirit of a mistaken Puritanism will never be let loose on continental churches. Imagine the splendid old window of St. (iudules, in Brussels, being shattered in pieces, or the countless artistic statues which adorn the magni- ficent cathedral of Milan being knocked down or defaced, to gratifv a bigotry wise in its own conceit; and yet a similar Vandalism was perpetrated in England by order of her refined statesmen men of taste and learning in the sixteenth century! The Catholic and Conservative party uas further irritated by a ".Book of Homilies/' which all the bishops mid clergy were enjoined * Sii'il.'ir ;m,l T..->nl Wrintlu^W were fxcvlh-nt fri.-ml*. If will bo ivc"llrct.-.l tli.'y wcro Principal St-m't aril's of Stute to^cth.-r, ami that wlii'ii Sa Heir u > -;,;>; -:'.'< 1 M'.i -.! t' i ';., (Inn. I \Vanh-"bi' tliii-in^ his al>se!iiv in lv:i!i!>:i!-_rh. }\.- pntp-at.'il i!,'- Ki':_- to luak.' '\Vn.,;h.--!.-\ j"int patonti'e ; and \vli.'n. in (h,- ful lowing yi :ir. \Vri')thr>l"v \\as pr. mi,,!,. 1 to Li'i-,1 ChiiiKvl'i>r. SiiilU'ir, iloul'tli-s-f t!u-"u_c!i hi- patr'Hia^.'. iv<.vivi-,l tin 1 kii-rativo oiikv of Cl-rk ct th.- Hamper. . >r llaiiajuT, unilvr th.- L'l-iiri .!' C'hamvry. It may }< a i !.,! that Loi'il St. -K-ini IM\V >uiA'ri- l R'il [> t!ic t'haiu' i!nr-hip. and ;lio\i^h Sa :! irr'-:n.ii:n j il n-iuinallv C'li'i-k. nt' (In- liaiiap. l 1 , tlic Ices i'ulllul lh..'ir \\.iv into liul'.'s's packet ulic ul tLc CoiuUiia- sioUCIa (Jll DlldoBlUX';. II 106 LIFE AND TIMES OP to adopt as a guide to doctrine, as well as by a " visitation " of the whole country by Commissioners ordered to examine and report on the services of the Church and the practices of the priests. At the same time, however, Protestantism progressed by a purer and surer path. While these somewhat intolerant measures were pursued, Cranmer translated the ancient prayers of the Latin Breviary into the vulgar tongue, and compiled the noble " Book of Common Prayer " still in use. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 107 CHAPTER XIII. THE BATTLE OF PINKIE. (1547.) But the Protector had other things to think of besides religion. By Henry VIII. 's will, the Executors were directed to enforce the marriage treaty with Scotland. So Somerset now determined to invade that country, in order to compel the Scotch to break their connection with Prance altogether, and establish their union with England by ratifying the marriage of the two youthful Sovereigns. To this end an army was collected of 18,000 men, of whom G,000 were cavalry. Somerset assumed the chief command, with Lords Warwick, Dacres, and Grey de Wilton as his Lieutenant-Generals. Sir llalph Sadleir was " named and appointed High Treasurer of the Army, by the most dread sovereign Lord King Edward VI., on the advice of the Lord Protector's Grace and others of His Majesty's most honourable Council."* Sir Francis Brian was Captain of the light horsemen, 2000 in number, the gallant Sir Ralph Vane Lieutenant of all the men at arms and demi-lances a splendid body of cavalry, clad in armour and Sir Richard Leigh "Deviser of the Fortifications." Francis Fleming commanded the artillery, consisting of 15 guns on clumsy travelling carriages, preceded by a body of pioneers. "Nine hundred carts, beside many wagons " conveyed the necessary supplies for the troops on the line of march. In fine, the army was well organised and appointed, and was, more- over, invested with all the pomp and panoply of mediaeval warfare. The Duke of Somerset proceeded in royal state, surrounded by a brilliant body-guard, one of whom bore the royal standard of England. The nobility and knights were numerously represented, and the gleaming armour, nodding plumes, silken banners, and richly caparisoned horses imparted to the procession marching on to war all the imposing and magnificent effect which distinguished this chivalrous era. The first intent ion was to convey the whole army bv sea to Leith, as on the former occasion, but it \v;is abandoned on account of the great number of vessels required as transports, as well as through * Sadler State Tapers, Vol. I., p. 351. 108 LIFE AND TIMES OP fear that the landing of the troops should be vigorously opposed; for it was unlikely that the Scotch would be taken unawares a second time. It was therefore determined that the army should inarch on Edinburgh by the coast road, while the fleet proceeded to Leith in a parallel line, so as to co-operate and assist when necessary. On Sunday, the 4th of September, the army set out from Berwick in three grand divisions; the Earl of Warwick and Sir Ralph Sadleir remaining at Berwick until the whole force had crossed the Border. Sir Francis Brian, with 400 of his light horsemen, "tended to scout a mile or two before." Dunglas, Anderwick, and various fortified castles were bombarded and destroyed en route. Dunbar being very strong, Somerset contented himself by simply marching past it, out of range of its guns. While passing through Mid-Haddingtonshire, bodies of Scotch horsemen hovered, Arab fashion, in his front, and he knew the main body of the enemy could not be far off. At length, on Thursday, the fifth day of his march, the Duke again came in sight of the sea, and saw not onlv his own fleet in the Firth, but the Scotch army encamped behind the Esk, right across his path to Edinburgh, which was only five miles distant. Arran, who was still Regent or Governor of Scotland, had been fore- warned of the coming invasion, and was immediately informed of the English army's crossing the Border by means of a line of beacons which, he had erected along the coast northward from St. Abb's Head. He had at once recourse to an old Scotch custom, and despatched the "fiery crosses" in all directions, with the name of the muster place. The result was that the various clans, with praiseworthy patriotism, promptly responded to the national call, and a force of 3(5,000 men gathered, as directed, where Somerset found them. Even Angus, Cassilis, and the other "assured lords/' though perhaps still hankering after English gold, ranged themselves at the head of their clans alongside their countrymen. The Scotch were extremely strongly posted; their left flank being protected by the sea, and their right by a deep morass, while the Fsk flowed along their front through steep hanks. On Friday, the leading EnghMi division adjoined Eawside height one of a range of hills rising on the east bank' of the Fsk. and running in a north -easterly din ction from the right flank of the Scotch. The centre division lay in the adjacent plain of Pinkie, while the rear division touched the sea on their right, in front of the town of Mnssclburgh, and communicated with the fleet. \\hile the English army lay thus encamped, and Somerset was deliberating in a council of war as to the best mode of attack, the Scotch cavalry, to the number of J.500, crossed the F-k and "prinked up and down," reconnoitring the English force; whereupon Brian's light horse charged them, and a desperate cavalry fight ensued. The SIT? RALPH SADLEIU. 109 Scotch were overpowered and routed by the English, who pursued, and put the whole force Imrs flc combat a loss which proved fatal to the Scotch on the following day. When the front was thus cleared of the enemy, Somerset and his stall' rode forward and reconnoitred the enemy's position. He noticed that Inveresk Hill commanded their camp, and he resolved to send some of his artillery there next morning and occupv it in force. Accordingly, when the early morning came (the morning of Saturday, the HMhof September "Black Saturday/' as the Scotch ever afterwards called it), some of the Lnglish t roops moved towards Invcre-k, which lay between them and .Musselburgh Harbour. This movement was interpreted by the Scotch as a retreat to the ships bv their enemy, who having seen their strength was afraid to light ! The whole of the Scotch army, therefore, abandoned its strong position and crossed the Lsk. with the intention of hemming in the Lnglish. Some crossed by Musselburgh Bridge, which was within a quarter of a mile of the harbour, but they were fired at by the Lnglish ships and put to flight; the main body, however, waded across the river, for the purpose of outflanking the Lnglish left at Fawside, and driving them into the sea without more ado. Every tyro knows that changing front in presence of an enemy is a perilous operation, and it was wilh no small exultation that Somerset and his Lieutenants saw the Scotch leaving their sfroiiT position to take up a new line. .No time was lost in attacking them while on the move. The cavalry were at once ordered to the front, and directed to charge, in order to check the foe until the infantry came up. M'uas a dangerous mamcuvre, and not without misu'ivinu's as to success did Lord (in v de \\ilton charge at the head of o.ooo horsemen. It uas against Angn-'s division of SjOUO men, including 1,000 warlike priests, that the charge was directed, and well did he meet it bv forming "ranks to resist eavalrv ;" that is, front ran!-; kneeling, with their spears eighteen feet lonu 1 resting against their feel and pointing bivas; hiirh towards the eiiemv, while the rear ranks standing, shoulder (o shoulder, thrust the spear- for \\ard over the front rank. '' In this position ihev stood \vrv brave and bragging, shaking their pike points, and crying f Come on, loons! Come on, heretic.-!' (from the priests probably) rhetoric." Down the lopedaslud the cavalrv, over p!< fields, and aero-- a ditch or deep drain,"-'" which broke several places, bill oil llleV gallop d 1 > llli pike points ; conid a bare linger pass through theskin of an angry ! the -words and shor! lances of the horsemen break thro arrav of pikes. Several saddles were emptied, and 110 LIFE AND TIMES OP were wounded that dreadful disorder ensued amongst the English cavalry, and the majority retreated hastily back. The braver portion, however, held their ground, and a fearful fight took place ; for the Scots, gaining courage by their enemy's discomfiture, broke from their impenetrable formation, and rushed in overwhelming numbers on their remaining opponents. Those who were unhorsed were slain without mercy, and many of those still mounted were killed or wounded. Amongst the latter, Lord Grey received a pike thrust in the mouth, and Sir Arthur Darcy was severely cut on " the wedding finger of his right hand."* Amongst those chivalrous Englishmen was the Pro- tector's chosen band, and the gallant Sir Andrew Flammock carried the royal standard into the thick of the fray. The scarlet flag, with its three yellow lions, had already attracted attention, and it is said Amu offered a large estate to the capturer. At all events, several rushed at Flammock, and crying " A King, a King ! " seized on the standard ; and had not " both his strength, and his heart, and his horse been good," it would have been taken ; but Sir Andrew managed to escape with it, leaving, however, the broken butt of the pole in his assailants' hands. Meantime, the portion which had retired from the combat with such precipitancy fell foul of the advancing columns of their own infantry, and the utmost confusion prevailed. This was the crisis of the battle, and had not Brian cut the Scotch cavalry to pieces on the previous day, they might now have charged the disordered English host with telling effect. As it was, the Scotch pressed forward, eager to snatch the victory thus open to them, but the tide of war was sud- denly turned ; for at this juncture the Earl of Warwick and Sir Ralph Sadleir who, we may presume, was as conspicuously clad and equipped as his position warranted with great energy and promptness rallied the horse, restored order to the foot, and led them on to meet the foe.t The Scotch had by this time reached the ditch or " cleugh " before mentioned, and they now halted with bated breath on seeing the unexpected phalanx which the cavalry had masked from their view advancing steadily to the attack. In a moment Sir Peter Mewtas was * Married men probably then wore a wedding ring on the right hand. f Some historians give the credit to the Duke of Somerset and Sir Ralph Vane for this timely and important service : but those whom I have copied appear correct, for at, this crisis the Duke was with the artillery on the hill, and it is to be hoped the doughty Sir Ralph Vane was still fighting in front with sueli of his men as had stood their ground. It cer- tainly was "\Var\\ ick's troops into which the runaways galloped, and unless Sir Ralph Sadleir had now distinguished himself, it would be difficult to account for Fuller's statement that " he ordered and brought up our scattered troops (next degree to a rout), inviting them to fight by his own example, and so for his valour was made a Knight Banneret," or for Patten's remark about " liia ready forwardness ia the cliiefest of the fray." SIR RALPH SADLEIR. Ill upon them \vith his " arquebutters " (ar([ucbus or matchlock men) and fired into tlieir faces. The archers plied their bows with fatal skill, while Fleming, who had "plucked" his artillery up the hill, enfiladed them with round shot. The Scotch line wavered, a panic seized the front ranks and spread to Arran's and Huntley's divisions, coming up to the rescue, and throwing down their arms the whole Scotch army turned and lied in all directions except the front. " The place they stood on was like a wood of staves strewed on the ground, as rushes in a chamber,* impassable (they lay so thick) for cither horse or man. Sundry shifts some shrewd, some sorry they made in tlieir running. Some lay tint in a furrow as if dead, and were thereby passed by of the Englishmen untouched, as was reported the Earl of Angus confessed he did till his horse hnpt to be brought to him. Others stayed in the river, cowering down the body at the root of some willow tree with scant the nose above water for breath. Some were seen in this race, all breathless, to fall flat down, having run themselves to death." The English cavalry still a large force followed in pursuit. Ilolinshed, copying from the minute narrator Patten, who was present, continues to describe the bloody scene : " After the strewing of the footmen's weapons, began a pitiful sight of the dead corpses, lying dispersed abroad, some with their legs off, some thrust quite through the body, others their necks half assunder, many their heads cloven, with other thousand kinds of killing ; after and further in chase all for the most part killed either in the head or in the neck, for the horsemen could not well reach them with the swords; and thus with blood and slaughter of the enemy this chase was continued five miles in length to the gates of Edinburgh and Leith, and in breadth near four miles from the Forth sands towards Dalkeith southwards, in all which places the dead bodies lay as thick as cattle grazing in a full replenished pasture. The river ran red with blood. Considering the shortness of time from one to well nigh six the mortality was so great as aforetime had not been seen. Ten thousand some say fourteen thousand men were slain. One great cause that the English spared so few was that at their first onset they killed all, and saved not a man that came within their danger; another reason was their cruel tyranny when they slew Lord Evers at Ancrum Muir; and lastly, officers and soldiers wen: dressed alike, with fustian doublets over their armour, so that only a few gentlemen were saved for the sake of ransom. Amongst the latter, the Earl of lluntlcy, appointed in good armour, likest a gentleman of any amongst them, was taken prisoner by Sir Ralph Vane. But they killed not so many as they might, for the Lord Protector moaned with pity at the sight of the dead bodies, and rather glad of vietorv than de-irou> of HaiiLditrr, soon after live of the clock stayed the standard of hi.s horsemen at the furthest part of their camp westward and caused the trmn- 112 LIFE AND TIMES OP pets to sound a retreat ; whereat, also, Sir Ralph Sadler, treasurer (whose great diligence at that time, and ready forwardness in the cJdefest of the fray before, did worthily merit no small commendation), caused all the footmen to stay ; and then with much trouble and great pain made them to be brought in some order again which was a thing not easily done, by reason they were all then busy in applying their market, the spoil of the Scottish camp, wherein was found good provision of white bread, ale, oaten cakes, oatmeal, mutton, butter in pots, cheese, and in divers tents good wine also; and in some tents among them was found some silver plate and chalices, which, with good devotion, ye may be sure, were plucked out of cold clouts and thrust into warm bosoms. 3 '* Such was the battle of Mnsselburgh, Pinkic Cleugli, or Pinkie the last pitched battle between the English and Scotch before the union. For the English " it was a glorious victory," in a military sense, but politically it was a mistake. The Queen Dowager and the young Queen escaped to Stirling., out of harm's way. So all Somerset could do, after the battle, was to strengthen and garrison Haddington and other strongholds "as a foothold in the country" and march homewards, the Scotch having promised to send Commissioners to Berwick to arrange terms of peace. Before, however, the English army left the scene of its victorv, the Lord Protector, acting as King, made three Knight Bannerets and forty-nine Knights. " Sir Ptalph Sadleir (Treasurer), Sir Francis Brian (Captain of the Light Horsemen), Sir Ralph Yane (Lieutenant of all the Horsemen), * I must not omit to mention a supposed exploit of Sir Ralph Sa< Heir's at Pinkie Cleugli: " According to tradition," says Sir Walter Scott, "lie seized with his own baud the royal standard of Scotland. A tall standard pole, plated with iron as high as a horse- man's sword c-iuld reach, long remained beside his tomb. It was believed to have been the staff from which the Scottish banner was displayed, and was appealed to for the truth of the tradition." IS'ow Arran. as lie gent of Scotland, had, like the Protector of England, a right to fly a roval standard, and as he and his division were amount the fugitives, a well-mounted IhiglMmiau might have succeeded in capturing the standard. On the other hand, such an exploit would have been well known throughout the army, and Patten, the minute historian of the expedition, would have delighted in narrating it. Sir Walter Scott says Patten also omitted to mention that Sir llalph Sadleir was dubbed Knight Banneret ; but Sir Walter wrongs the historian, for Sir lialph's name appears first in the "'list of dignities which Master Patten hath set down out of the heralds' book." The pole referre 1 to appears to have been remuved to Gilston Park, the neighbouring resi leiiee of Mr. Plunier. but it lias been replaced, and again stands he-i !e Sir .Ralph's tomb. with hi-; sword, battle-axe-, and spurs. It is sixteen feet long, and bound spirally with h".-.p-ir. ui from end to end. I think SIE RALPH SADLEIE. 113 these Knights were made Bannerets a dignity above a Knight and next to a .Baron."* These three Knights had signally distinguished themselves. Sadleir had rallied the English troops at the critical moment, Brian had annihilated the enemy's cavalry, and Vane, in addition to his prowess in the grand charge, had taken the Earl of Huntley prisoner. Among those who received the honour of simple knighthood were Lord Grey de Wilton, Lord Edward Seymour (the Protector's son), and Lord Thomas Howard, who had also distinguished themselves in the cavalry charge, and Francis Fleming, the skilful commander of the artillery. In fact, all these honours were well deserved, and Somerset exercised sound judgment in his selection of the recipients. "The rank," says Sir Walter Seoft, "to which Sir Italph Sadleir was thus raised from the degree of Knight Bachelor may be called the very pinnacle of chivalry. Knight Bannerets could only be created by the King himself, or, which was very rare, by a General vested with such powers as to represent his person. They were dubbed before or after a battle in which the royal standard was displayed; and the person so to be honoured being brought before the King, led by two distinguished knights or nobles, presented to the Sovereign his pennon, having an indenture like a swallow's tail at the extremity. The King then cut oil' the forked extremity, rendering the banner square, in shape similar to that of a Baron, which thereafter the Knight Banneret might display on every pitched field in that more noble form." A Knight Bannerett had the privilege of heading his own vassals in battle, whereas a Knight Bachelor was commanded by a superior. * Ilolinslied, who quotes irom I'atten. f This ancient and proud distinction was conferred only for conspicuous valour, and only on knights who had sullieient hinds fo support the dignity, and consequently the Knight Bannerets on record are f'e\v and far between. According to Shakespeare, Sir Kobert Faulcoubridgc was Fruissavt gives a glowing account of Sir John Chandos' appointment to Knight Banneret by the Black Prince on the battle. Held of Xa/ara. Sir Ralph Sadlrir survived hi-; two brother Bannerets, " ar. 1 \\a = ." say-; Fuller, " the last in Ki;_'!ar.d of that order:" an error unfortunately repe.it ed by Sir Walter Scott, when writing nearlv two centuries after Fuller: f r Charles I. created a Knight -Banneret on the battle-field of IvL-ehiil. and George II. made one at IVttingcn. ' t Jetu-ral Sir \\'ni. Mr ski tie. on hi- r< :urn from the continent, in 1 7iil, was made a Knight Banneret by George III., i:: llyd, I'ark. in consequence of his d>tingui. 'tween tie' standards of the loth Light Dragoons his rank was nut aekno\\ 'ed^e 1. as the ceremony di.l not take place on the ticld of battle." Mtyi'ick's ' Ant lent Ai'muiti:" 15 114 LIFE AND TIMES OF The victorious army, minus the garrison at Haddington, re-crossed the Tweed on Michaelmas Day. " The Duke of Somerset rode straight to Newcastle, and thence homewards. The Earl of Warwick, my Lord Grey, and Sir Ralph Sadleir, with divers others, rode to Berwick, to abide the coming of the Scotch Commissioners, and tarried there the full term of the appointment, which was until the 4th of October, and perceiving they came not, departed home next day."* I have stated that the victory of Pinkie was politically a mistake, and the statement is soon proved : " Such slaughter had never before been seen/' Every glen and valley to which the fiery cross had penetrated now echoed the wailings of sorrow ; every family within forty miles radius of Edinburgh deplored some kinsman's death ; and in every habitation castle as well as cabin the English name could not be mentioned without revengeful maledictions. Xo one dare even whisper of any alliance with hated England. The moment the English army had re-crossed the Border, and the coast was clear, the Scotch, instead of sending their Commissioners to Berwick to arrange the conditions of peace, as they had promised, sent them to Paris to offer their young Queen in marriage to the Dauphin, and the consequence was that in the following summer (1548) the little Sovereign, then in her sixth year, was conveyed to France, to be brought up at the Court of her future father-in-law, Henry II. ; and thus all the treasure, valour, and diplomacy the English had spent in wooing her were com- pletely thrown away, and the union with Scotland was delayed half a century ; though there were, no doubt, a few far-seeing Scotchmen who believed in Somerset's prophetic declaration, made at the time, that " the Scots and English, being made one by amity, having the sea for a wall, mutual love for a garrison, and God for a defence, should make so noble and well agreeing a monarchy that neither in peace need they be ashamed, nor in war afraid of any worldly power/'t ' f I'altcn. Sir Kalpli Sadleir rendered his account as High Treasurer on the 20th of the December following. It v,-as audited liy Lord St. John, Sir Thomas 3layle, and Sir "Walter Mildmny. who were appointed for the purpo.se by royal Id UTS patent. An abstract of the account is given from the original in Sadler State Paper?, Vol. I., p.Soj, ''being," Sir Walter Scott justly observes, "'a matter of interest and historical curio=ily." From (his abstract it apprars that the expedition cost 14.!>12 8s. for the maintenance rind pay, including travelling expenses homewards, from the 1st August to the 20th of November. l"p to the frontiers of Scotland the troops received a fixed allowance for maintenance and travelling expends, varying from 7d. a mile for a lord down to id. a mile for a foot soldier. The army took provi.-icns with them estimated for 28 days into Scotland. f Letter of the Duke of Somerset, and others of the Council, to the Scotch. (Kolinshcd.) This well expresses Sir Ualph Sadli-ir's pri-vailing sentiment, and was perhaps actually written by him. SIR KALPIT SADLEIR. 115 CHAPTER XIV. FALL OF THE DUKE OF SOMERSET. DEATH OF EDWATID VI. (1548-53.) Though the battle of Pinkie was destined to be barren of political fruit, Somerset was received in London as a conquering hero. The King rewarded him with additional church property, and his popularity amongst the eiti/ens brimmed over. The Council and Parliament went with the tide, and the Protector found no dillieulty in repealing the " Six Articles Act" and the penal laws against "heretics." Popular preachers were sent throughout the country to disseminate Protestant doctrines, and dilate upon the super- stitions of the Church of Home. Gardiner had, in the meantime, been imprisoned by Cranmer for resisting Protestantism, and freed again by the Council; but neverthe- less he opposed the preachers to the best of his power, which was considerable, and threw many obstacles in their way. Bcinu; summoned to London from Winchester, and having mven o * ~ o only an evasive explanation of his "lewd proceedings/ 3 he was directed to preach before the Court, and state his views on the royal supremacy, the suppression of religious houses, auricular confession, processions, palms, candles, &c., and on the merits of the Book of Common Praver, and, in short, all the recent changes in the service of the Church.* In spite of the elasticity which he allowed to his conscience when preach- ing, "my Lord of \Ainchcstcrhandledhimself so eolourablv, it was determined by the King and Council that he should be committed to the Tower, and be conveyed 1 hit her by Sir Anthony AVingtleld, and that at the time of his committing, Sir Ealph Sadleir and William, Ilunnings, Clerk of the Council, should seal up the doors of such places in his house as they should think meet/'f Accordingly, on the day after .the sermon (30th Tune), as Gardiner was sitting ([iiietly in his study in his house at Southwark, inwardlv congratulating himself, perhaps, on his dexterous discourse, there appeared, as he inform- us, "the .Right \Vorshipful Sir Anthony A\ imriield and Sir .H;dph Sadleir, Knights, accompanied with a ^rcat 116 LIFE AND TIMES OP number of the Guard, and used themselves for their parts according to their worships, and (I doubt not) as they were appointed, and Sir Ealph Sadleir* began thus with me: 'My lord/ said he, f ye preached yesterday obedience, but ye did not obey yourself,' and went forth with his message very soberly, as he can, and discreetly. t I asked him wherein I obeyed not. He said touching my Lord of Somerset's letter. ' Master Sadleir/ quoth I, ' I pray you say unto my lord's grace, I would he never made mention of that letter, for the love I bear him. And yet/ quoth I, 'I have not broken that letter, and I was minded to have written to my lord upon the receipt of it, and lo ! ' quoth I, ' ye may see how I began/ and shewed him (because we were then in my study) the beginning of my letter, and reasoned with him for the declaration of myself, and told him therewith ' I will not spend many words with you, for I cannot alter this determination ; and yet in good faith/ quoth I, ' my manner to you and this declara- tion may have this effect, that I be gently handled in the prison, and for that purpose I pray you make suit in my behalf.' Master Wing- field laid his hand upon my shoulder, and arrested me in the King's name for disobedience. I asked him, whither I should? They said, to the Tower. Finally, I desired them that I might be spoken with shortly, and heard what I could say for myself, and prayed them to be suiters in it, and so they said they would."J Gardiner was the greatest and ablest opponent of the Reformation. He was now immured in the Tower, and the fact damped the ardour and opposition of the less influential men who held the same theo- logical opinions. Somerset was not slo\v in grasping the opportunity. In the succeeding session of Parliament (January, 151:9) the celebrated Act of Uniformity was passed, by which the Book of Common Prayer was ordered to be adopted in every church of England, and the old familiar Latin services, dear to the people from childhood, were forbidden, under penalties, to be used any more in public worship. The Book of Common Prayer, embracing as it does the most earnest prayers of the primitive Christians, is the purest and grandest devo- tional compilation in the English language. It would have stood on its own merits, and gradually \von its \vay into men's hearts, but it * Wingfield's name is mentioned frequently in connection with the trial of Gardiner and Bonncr, but this is the only occasion on which Sadleir's name appears recorded. Sir Ralph was a tolerant man. and did not approve of religious persecution. lmt probably the Protector and Council well knew he wa to be trusted in any proceedings a.,in~t the man \\lio had been so instrumental in the fall of his friend Cruimvell. f Gardiner arid Sadleir had been members of the Privy Council together for several years, and were well acquainted with each other's character. Hi-hop of "Winchester's statement. (" State Trials.' 1 Vol. I., p. 012.) In compiling the Prayer Book, Cranmer availed himself of the assistance of Calvin, Peter Marfyr, Bernard Ochiri, Mclancthon, &c., &c. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 117 was not to be thrust down their throats by an Act of Parliament ; and, as a matter of fact, its introduction actually caused an insurrec- tion in several parts of the Kingdom ; but in the meantime treason of quite a different sort reared its head at the Protector's very side. Sir Thomas Seymour was, at the King's death, one of the Council of twelve. lie came in for a large share of his brother's good fortune, and became Lord Seymour of Sudleye, with a corresponding grant of land, and was appointed .Lord High Admiral of England. Quite as ambitious as Somerset, he too aimed at supreme power, but by very opposite means; for whereas the Duke of Somerset, influenced by noble aspirations, rested on his fame as a great (General and states- man, Lord Seymour of Sudleye, counting on his good looks, determined to rise bv a politic marriage. . I Having failed to win the rich and handsome Duchess of Richmond, he was a bachelor at Henry's death, and lost no time in preferring his suit to the royal widow, who had, like manv another woman about the court, carried on a ilirtation with him before her marriage with the King. Seymour had not much difficulty in persuading Queen Catherine to marry, and that, too, within a couple of months of the King's death, and without the consent of the Council. The Princess Elizabeth a maiden budding into womanhood still resided in her stepmother's house, and the Lord High Admiral took advantage of his position there to romp with her to an unwarrantable extent. Queen Catherine by-and-by died in childbed, and Seymour, again free, com- menced a regular clandestine courtship with the Princess, who had been removed to llatfield.* Astime went on, he attempted to obtain posses- sion of the young King's person. As Lord Admiral he encouraged pirates rather than otherwise, to the intent they might aid him it' required. l>v foul means lie amassed a considerable stun of monev, so as to be able to command the services of ten thousand men to execute his traitorous purposes; lie established private cannon foundries: these and several other things he did, " to the danger of the King's Majesty's person, and the great peril of the state of the. realm. "f At length he was sent to ihe Tower, in January, I .")[-!). Parliament attainted him of high treason, and condemned him to death. "On the 1 Oth of March the Council resolved to press the King that jiHice might be done on tin' Admiral, and since the case was so heavv and lamentable to the * Si'vmiiur =i>!indi-,l tli>' vniuiiT Ivinjj mi the -id'JLv! . a'id iMiili-avouivtl to prevail mi him to frtvuiir liN niarriiiiji 1 \vith K!uat>eth : '>ut Kdv. .\\\\. \V!M -.vas .-lnv\nl f'>r his :ij''. an i ha 1 s.mic > f hi- I'M th, T'.- hmi'i'iir, recommend, .! him Aim,' of Cl'-ves, \\ lio was still e::j.>vin_,' in single l>le-sedne,-s the ha ils, inn' income il'-isry had s,.tt!,'d un li,-r. H'-r p^rsonnl attrac- tions, liMU-i-v.T. \\-i-\- r.nt siitlicii'iitly niimi-V' u< )'"! the I,.>r,l A i: nival, an-l marring..' with her \voul 1 11. 't Ii;n'i' 1'i'nii^lit him iii'uri'r in ih' 1 ihroiii 1 . + In-ti\ul '[' (akin.;- conuiiiiii 1 nt' the il.-ei t'.i 1 the 1'inkie campaign, he Li't i; in Clinton's hands and stay.'d at lionv to plot. 118 LIFE AND TIMES OP Protector* (so it is in the Council Book), though it was also sorrowful to them all, they resolved to proceed in it, so that neither the King nor he should be further troubled with it." Edward gave an unwilling assent, and on "the 17th of March the Lord Chancellor and the rest of the King's Council, meeting in his Highnesses palace of West- minster, condescended and agreed that the said Lord Admiral should be executed the Wednesday next following, betwixt the hours of nine and twelve in the forenoon, upon Tower Hill ; his body and head to be buried within the Tower." So ran the warrant for his execution, which was signed by fourteen of the Council, including the Protector, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor (Rich), the Earls of Warwick and Southampton (Wriothesley),t Sir William Paget, and Sir Ralph Sadlcir. Lord Seymour met his death with fortitude, Avhile not a few blamed the Duke of Somerset for not exerting his all-powerful influence to save his brother's life. But a greater trouble was already looming before the Protector. The Book of Common Prayer being adopted and the Latin service suppressed according to law on the 1st of the following May, an insurrection began in Cornwall, and spread Londonwards to an alarm- ing extent. The insurgents demanded back "the laws of King Henry VIII. concerning the Six Articles, and the Latin mass, holy bread and holy water, palms and ashes at the time accustomed, images in churches, and all other ancient ceremonies of the Holy Mother Church," and refused " to receive the new service, because it was but like a Christmas game." Lord Russell was despatched with a force against the rebels in the west. In Oxford, too, the ne\v ri'ij'i ine met with considerable opposition, and Lord Grey hanged scores of non-conforming parsons from their church towers. France and Scotland availed themselves of England's difficulty. Boulogne and Haddington Avere besieged, the Borders became troublesome, and in the midst of all the commotion another insurrection broke out nearer home :20,0(>0 rebels assembling under one Ket, near iSonvich; their particular grievance being that the nobility and gentry, templed by the high price of wool, had enclosed lands, hitherto commons,, as sheep fauns, and abandoned agriculture, from \\hich the labouring classes had mainly derived their living. j There was considerable sho\v of reason in the discontent of the Xorfolk -a vindictive and narrow- L h'_T siiter-in-la\v's precedence n> Ex-Queen, and bred a hitter quarrel between the two brothers, which eventually brought both to the block. -!- \Vriuthosley had Ijecn. iv-ailmittfHl to the Council, and remained a member of it until he died in 1 ">51. t The watchword of the insurgents was " Kill the gentlemen!" SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 110 rebels. Somerset had foreseen the hardship which the enclosing of lands would throw on the lower order, and endeavoured to prevent it by parliamentary means, but failed. He was known to sympathise with the people, and his countenance giving courage to the insurgents, they pulled down all the park palings in their neighbourhood, and driving the deer, sheep, and cattle into the camp, lived on the fat of the land,* while they armed themselves with guns, pistols, swords, pikes, and bows coollv taken from the gentlemen's houses, and appro- priated all the cannon in Norwich. Ket wa.s a born General, and maintained excellent order amongst his motley crew. But were such a state of affairs tolerated, the whole realm would soon be in a state of lawlessness. A proclamation by Somerset having failed to disperse the rebels, the Council took the matter in hand, and determined to send an armed force against them. The majority of the regular troops were with Kussell and Herbert in the south-west, and the remainder principally German mercenaries had marched under Warwick towards the Scottish frontier. Kaw levies from London could not be relied on. Some knights and noblemen, therefore, patriotically armed and equipped their vassals, and thus formed a compact force of 1500 horse. The Marquis of Northampton (Parr), at the head of this force, pro- ceeded to Norwich. "There went with the Lord Marquis divers honourable and worshipful personages as the Lord Sheflield, the Lord Went wort hj Sir Anthony Denny, Sir Kalph Sadleir, Sir llichard Leigh, together with a great many other knights, esquires, and gentle- men. "t Karly in August. Northampton and his chosen band entered Norwich, the gates being freely opened to them by the inhabitants. During the night the rebels attacked the town, and though failing to effect an entrance, showed so much strength and bravery that Northampton con- sidered it advisable to come to terms with them, and sent a herald into their can)[) offering a general pardon if they would lay down their arms ami disperse; but instead of dispersing, Ket stormed the walls again next dav. The defendants made a gallant resistance. A hundred and forty assailants fell dead on the ramparts; but, confident in their overwhelming power, the rebels pressed on, and at last forced their wa\ into the town. Lord Sheflield was among the killed, and Sir Thomas Cornwallis among the prisoners. Sir Kalph Sadleir was furt unatelv one of thoso who, with Northampton and ine remainder of t!ie (/\pi liiionary fo:ve, made their escape from the town, with the pnr- po.-e of j' lining t he Ivirl of \\ arwick, who was forthwith summoned from the niiiM li to i heir assistance. 120 LIFE AND TIMES OP Lord Warwick was an energetic soldier. He at once retraced his steps, and arriving at Cambridge with his cavalry, he joined Northampton's party, having sent orders to his German infantry to follow him as quickly as possible. On the 23rd of the month he appeared before the town, which was still in the hands of the insurgents, and summoned them to surrender, with the promise of a free pardon; but they only ridiculed the herald who made the proclamation, saving, "he was not the King's herald, but some one made out by the gentlemen, in such a gay coat, patched together of vestments and church stuff to deceive them."* Warwick thereupon blew open the gates with his artillery and entered the town, the rebels retreating 10 their old camp. The victory, however, was not all on the Royalists' side; for the enemy seized on several guns and a great quantity of ammunition, which were outside the walls an acquisition which made them much more formidable than before; in fact, the royal force was in a precarious position, for ammu- nition was all the rebels wanted to render their superior numbers efficient. Some counselled a second retreat, but Warwick resolved to hold his ground till his reinforcements came up, declaring that lie preferred death to dishonour. Then "lie and the other honourable and worshipful who were present with him,t kissed eacli other's sword?, according to an ancient custom used amongst men of war in time of great danger, and herewith they made a solemn vow, binding it with a solemn oath, that they should not depart thence till they had either vanquished the enemy or lost their lives in inaufull fight for the defence of the King's honour."! But the enemy let the opportunity slip through their fingers, and next clay the German Lanznechts, 1400 strong, reinforced the garrison. There were prophets amongst the other impostors in Ket's camp, and relying on this oracular verse bv one of them <: The country gruffs, Hob, Dick, and Hick, Shall fill up Dusseudale with blood the rebels, on the 27th. of August, descended from their vantage ground on the hill, and offered battle to Warwick in the valley. They were attacked and defeated witli great slaughter, and Dussemlale wax filled with blood, but the blood was the rebels' own. Robert Ket, their "Captain," and his brother William rode for their lives, but they were overtaken and eventually hanged. * nolinshed. f Sir Ixalph Sadleir was, 110 doubt. one of the number. I Holiushcd. SIE RALPH SADLEIR. 121 The main rebellion being thus completely crushed, "Warwick returned to London the hero of the hour, and rose in public favour, while Somerset, whose maladministration was blamed for all the mischief at home and abroad, descended in the scale. Nor was it the least cause of complaint against the Protector that while the afl'airs of State gradually ebbed towards ruin, his private fortur > increased enormously.* AVhen he was appointed Protector, "he faithfully promised and swore in open Council to do nothing touching the state of affairs without the advice of the rest of the Council, or the majority of them; and yet, nevertheless, he had been never so little in that room but he began to do things of most weight and importance by himself, without calling any of the Council thereunto; and if for manners' sake lie called any man, all was one, for he would order the matter as he pleased himself, refusing to hear any man's reason but his own, and in a short time became so haught and arrogant that he sticked not in open Council to taunt such as frankly spake their opinions so far beyond the limits of reason as not to be declared. The success of his govern- ment hath been such as there was no true-hearted Englishman that lamenteth not in his heart that ever he bare rule in the realm. "f Under these circumstances it was no wonder that the majority of the Council should take the first favourable opportunity of deposing Somerset from power. It had now presented itself, and within a few weeks after A\ anvick's triumphant return to London, some of the Council who were, opposed to Somerset met privately together to further the end they had in view. They were Warwick, St. John, Southampton, Sir Edward Xorth, Rich (Lord Chancellor), Lord Arumlel, Sir Richard Southwell, Sir Edward Peck ham, and the two "\Vottons. Somerset was at Hampton Court, with the King, and Cranmer, Paget, Cecil, Pet re, Sir Thomas Smith, and Sir John Thynne. London and Hampton Court are not far apart, and the designs against him were soon whispered into Somerset's ear. Ever impulsive,, he rushed at the conclusion that his life was in immediate danger. He 'it once pur Hampton Court in a state of defence, issued inflam- matory handbills calling on tlie peasantry to take up arms, and repair with harness and weapons to Hampton Court, to defend the Crown and the Protector the people's friend ; whilst he despatched couriers to Lord RuvM'll and Sir William Herbert, who were still in the west with the armv, to march forthwith to his assistance. This brought matters to a crisis with " the lords in London." Lords Shrewsbury, Sussex, and Went worth, Sir Ralph Sadleir, Sir "\\ilham Pet re, and Judge Montague joined them, and they i>sued a 122 LIFE AND TIMES OF counter proclamation* containing their version of the case. Intelligence, too, soon reached them that Russell and Herbert meant to take their part against the Protector. Somerset, finding himself thus deserted, surrendered to the Council, who committed him to the Tower, together with Smith, Stanhope, Thynne, and Wolf "the principal instruments whom he did use in his ill-government." This occurred in October (1549), and in the following January Somerset pleaded guilty to all the charges against him twenty-nine in number. He was then deposed by Act of Parliament from the Protectorate, and deprived of estates worth 2000 a year which he had appropriated. His "instruments" also had to refund the public money they had severally embezzled. The Earl of Warwick, though not appointed Protector, now became par excellence the leading man in the nation, and he fortified his position by obtaining promotion for his followers. Lord Russell was made Earl of Bedford, Lord St. John Earl of Wiltshire, and Sir William Paget was created Lord Pnget of Beaudesert. Paget, it was true, had taken Somerset's part, but it was clearly proved that he had repeatedly warned and cautioned the Protector against the course he "was pursuing. Paget was, moreover, one fc of the ablest men in the Council, and his services were now pressingly required by the new administration. English affairs in France seemed beyond cure. The French pressed the siege of Boulogne, and the English lacked " the sinews of war" necessary for a persistent defence. f Paget was skilled in French diplomacy, and in February he and Bedford were sent to France to treat for peace. The French ambassadors knew the difficulties of the English, and assumed an attitude they would not have dared to assume in Henry VIII. 's time. "Their orgueil," wrote Paget to Warwick, "is intolerable, their disputations be unreasonable, their conditions to us dishonourable, and, which is worst of all, our estate at home is miserable. What then ! Of many evils let us choose the least." This meant peace at any price. Accordingly, on the 24th of March, a treaty was concluded by which, for the inadequate sum of 400,000 crowns, Boulogne, with all its ordnance, stores, and fortifications, was given up to the French ; the few forts on Scottish ground still held by the English were abandoned by their garrisons, and peace was permanently ratified with France and Scotland. J * The proclamation was signed by Sir Ealph Sadlcir and tlio other members of the Council in London. f The pay of the German troops in Calais and Boulogne amounted to 0,000 a week. The provisions at Boulogne were all but exhausted. J The terms were indeed dishonourable to England, as I'agct said, and he and all her true statesmen took the national degradation to heart. Many years aitenvards, \vhen speaking SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 123 The fall of Somerset raised the drooping spirits of the Papists, but only delusively. The young King was an earnest Reformer, and there was a compact body in the Council of the same views. Warwick's religion was his own aggrandisement; he humoured the King, and Protestantism flourished, if anything, more than before. Gardiner and Bonner, in spite of piteous appeals to the Council, were replaced in their Bishoprics by Ponet and Ridley, and left in prison until Mary's accession. Heath, Bishop of Worcester, was also put into durance vile. Meantime, Somerset recovered part of his former position. He was re-admitted to the Council, and became so far reconciled to Warwick, that his daughter, Lady Anne, married Warwick's son, Lord Ambrose Dudley* (Richmond, June, 135U). But Somerset did not remain satisfied with only a second-rate position; his old ambition resumed its sway over his mind. He en- deavoured to form a party in the House of Lords to have him re-instated to the Protectorate, lie also planned a marriage between his daughter and the King, and even hinted at, the assassination of Warwick and the other lords who were opposed to him. His hopes came to sudden ruin. In October, 1551, he had the mortification of seeing his opponents honoured Warwick being created Duke of Northumberland, Dorset (CJrey), Duke of Suffolk, Wiltshire (Paulet, late Lord St. John), Marquis of Winchester, and Sir William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke whilst he himself was committed to the Tower on a charge of treason. The charges against the Duke of Somerset were really less serious now than on the former occasion, but the circumstances were changed. Nothing fails like failure, and though still a favourite with the London mob, His (I race had lost inlluence with the nobility, and Warwick or rather Northumberland, as he now was possessed the King's ear, and deafened it to anv appeal from Somerset. Somerset was tried by the peers, and though acquitted of treason, was found guilty of felony and condemned to death., which he suffered accordingly on the 22nd of February (1552), to the sorrow of a great number of the people. t in I'arliaineiit, Sir Ralph Sadleir referred to the humiliating surrender of Boulogne, which 'that noble prince of famous inemorv. Henry VIII." had captured so gloriously, and he must have iiiited with -till greater regret t he triumph of the French faction in Scotland, and that her union with Fie^land appeared further oil' than ever. * At the same time and place, Lord Robert Dudley (altcrwards the well-known Earl of Leice-trr). married the ill-t'ated Amv Rob-art. \ An incident occurred ju letters on record which Sir lialph Sadlcir received from Queen Mary was written at this time, i.Mh May (155-1-). It informed him that Lord Clinton had been appointed Commamler-in- Chief of all the forces within twenlv-five miles of London, and directed Sir lialph to put forthwith in readiness as many of his servants, tenants, and friends as he was able, to join Lord Clinton if required, as well as to repress any tumult in his own county. Though the letter was directed to "our trust v and well-beloved Sir SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 131 Ralph Sadleir," I cannot agree with Sir Walter Scott in considering it a proof of Mary's confidence. Ordering a nobleman or gentleman to arm and equip a body of men was in those days a common and indirect modi 1 of punishment, owing to the expense incurred, and in this case Sadleir was told "to fail not, as he would answer for the contrary." ' Twelve months afterwards, when scores of Protestants were burning at the stake, and war with France seemed imminent, Sir Halph received similar directions to arm his followers, so as to be "ready upon an hour's warning to be employed for repression of any sudden tumult within the realm, or for resisting of any foreign invasion." On the back of this last letter is written "Considerable papers." On the 19th of May (lool), Elizabeth was released from the Tower and sent to Woodstock Palace, where she lived for some time in a state o[ espionage. Courtenay was also released, but sent out of the country. In July, Philip landed at Southampton, and married the Queen a few davs after at Winchester. In the following November, Cardinal Pole arrived at Court, after manv years of exile from his native land.f His coming was a special gratification to Mary, lie was her cousin, had warmly espoused her mother's cause, and opposed the divorce ; and now he came as legate from His Holiness the Pope, bringing with him absolution to England for its recent apostasy. His appearance thrilled Mary's heart with pleasure, and, as she thought and said, "the babe leaped in her womb for jov" -a piece of intelligence which gladdened the Romanists beyond measure, for they now looked forward to a succession of monarchs of "the true faith;" but they and the Queen were doomed to disappoint- ment. Though the appointed time was fulfilled, though the matter was announced in Parliament, though the priests sang litanies in the streets, though the nurses stood ready with cradle and long clothes, the baby never came, and the joy at Court gradually changed to sorrow when the doctors finally agreed that the Queen was not enceinte but suffering from the fatal disease of dropsv. The disappointment, together with Philip's utter indifference towards her, served to sour Mary's temper and harden her heart. She gave her royal countenance and assent to that wholesale burning of Pro- testants, including Bishops and eminent divines, which has thrown such a hellish li^ht on the history of her reign ever since. In 1555 : S.i'll' T St:\t.' PapiM'*. Vnl. I., p. :lt>s. Thanks to Thomas Crunrwell, a good postal system I'" r l.'ti'vs h;i'i boon <>-tu!>li I.-M.T 'l''livi.-ivil.'' slu'\vs it was in ^,x"l working or>ler. StauJon is about !!\v milt's from \V;nv. t t'.cil w.'i:t to !!!>( an.l o.M'ort Polo, but this anil all his other time-serving attempts failC'i to wiu fur him Mary's confidence. 132 LIFE AND TIMES OF the persecution commenced, and continued till her death, three years afterwards. Over three hundred righteous persons suffered death by fire in that interval, the most notable of whom were llidley, Latimer, and Cranmer, who were burnt at Oxford. Cranmer, in the eyes of Church and State as then established, had offended most gravely, and he was adjudged worthy of the direst punishment. A quarter of a century previous, he originated the proposal for effecting Katharine's divorce, which he afterwards carried out, and since then he had con- stantly and uniformly opposed the Pope and Holy Mother Church, and used his influence in favour of " the accursed heresy/'' He was therefore degraded from his sacred office of Archbishop, cajoled under promise of life into the humiliation of disowning the faith he firmly believed in, and sentenced to the stake. The manly and Christian way he met his awful death,* re-asserting his religious belief, and first burning his right hand for signing his recantation, is too well known for repetition. Historians have endeavoured to throw the obloquy of such savage cruelty from English to Spanish shoulders, but this is unjust. Philip's chaplain preached against the ungodly mode of making converts, and Reuard, in his letters to the Emperor, deprecated the barbarous inhumanity. The blame seems to lie principally at the brutal Bonner's door. He was the mainspring of the ecclesiastical court; but Pole as legate, and Mary as Queen, are not free from censure, for they could have prevented the human sacrifices if they chose. Gardiner, too, took an active part in the persecution, though only for a time, Revenge and bigotry were the chief incentives. Gardiner and Bonncr had both endured the disgrace and discomfort of a long imprisonment by the Protestant party in the preceding reign, and many Catholic priests were hanged from their own church towers for maintaining their faith. It was not unnatural, therefore, that when the Papists came into power they should have avenged themselves on their adversaries ; but they overstepped the bounds of moderation to such an extent that to this very day the Protestants of England are afraid of entrusting their Roman Catholic fellow countrymen with supreme power. Gardiner died in November, 1555, t and has received a bad character from Protestant writers, but 1 think his true history is yet to be written; for his long service and great ability entitle him to n foremost position among English statesmen of the sixteenth century, and had he not proved himself so intolerant in religion, his memory might still be honoured by all classes of his countrymen. lie was succeeded in his office of Lord Chancellor by another priest, Dr. Nicholas Heath, J Archbishop of York a man of much smaller administrative calibre. * 21st March, 15oi;. t That is, be it noted, before Cranmer was burnt. t llcfith liEV.l not been three months in oflice when he wrote (23rd fob., loot!) to his SIR TCALPn SADLEIR. 133 Philip had meantime left England, as his father, Charles V., weary to ill-health of \vars and politics, had abdicated his kingdom in his favour.* lie was only too glad of the excuse for departing from his uncaptivating wife, and though he promised to return in a fortnight, he staved away for a year and a half, and then (February, 1557), only returned fora few weeks. In the meanwhile, the persecutions went on, di-contenl continued, and fresh insurrections broke out; Mary's health and temper grew worse and worse, and her Government became a total failure., socially, financially, and politically. In January, l.V)S, iln> French took Calais, which had been in posscs-jon of the Lngh-m for over two hundred years, l! is just to say that the garrison made a gallaul defence, and that the Queen was patriotic enough to feel its loss very keenly, and that Philip appeared anxious to recover it. In the following September Mary was attacked by a fever, then prevalent in London, which aggravated her const itutional disease to such an extent that death became only a matter of a few months, and the eyes of the nation turned gladly towards the Princess Kli/abeth, who had for some time back resided at Hat field, whither now courtiers secretly -wended their steps to worship the rising sllll. Kli/.abeth fully reali/ed the importance of her position. It is stated with every degree of likelihood that Cecil sometime previously had drawn out a regular line of conduct for her, in anticipation of the Queen's death ; and it is probable that Sadlcir, " whose' hand, though unseen, was in every motion of the State "t often went out hawking * . ^ in the direction of 1 1 at field (which was only lift ecu miles from Standon), and meeting Her Highness, engaged in the same pursuit (accidentally, of course' surveyed together with her the political horizon, when apparently absorded in ivatching the quarry. At all events, when Lli/abeth came to the throne, Sadkir and Cecil were the iirst she admitted into secret conclave. ' 1'ivin.ji' fivi'ii li- ' Sir Ivtlpli Sadlrir. ' -irin^ 'inn t.> :v!in |ui-h (ho Clerkship nf the I ! -in i;> r : > >:; !Y iiii-i- !i . I i a ^o > I rxauipl i.f t he hall-threati'iiing, i:a! i '-.', 1]"" lii i ^ -' \ ' 1 1 . ' ::. ' Thai^u." I he (' anc 11. 'i 1 continues, "it. ii::iv - .1 tlii 1 we it) n\iT much hard' 1 !! v.)ii \\i\\\ 1'ri. 1 :: 1-hip in -e 'kin_f. t'''!' t'ri.'ii.lship :-.ik.'. i'i hi.V' \\.u I'ILVJ; ' ' \'i:;;' living, yet i'oii-id!. ih'' snii' 1 i ". jirn'i. an i h .\v L'M_- a.-> y.ui wi'i'i 1 euiitenti'.l to suil'i-i' ll.ilosto j"', !> u ii"!. | !.'!; i : i' : ..:'. , iv I li.'ii 1> ;i ;i i-.y \y\i\' .'. i !: li t he ri- . ;..J 4- i.f i'. i' i'a;i!i '! li.' li. 'M,'- i-i'lu 1 " inn 1 ';i-.iii:ll.i;" oi' ini\v..rthv uf niir iV:r i.l ; : ' \ve rr^uir'' tin'- I hiu^ '' ynu. \\ iii !i <:i:ill lie liv hi ;i ] i- 'ti'i'-'.y "-i : 'fr i. .I'M! 1'v ..',!! iVi. n !-!r')i - il'j'li 1 ' 1 whi'i) : : e -.!' , ' nin\ in any -I- -'an. I \-'i in ); i." \\ViV Sa ii'-ii' ;'. ;> r.-'n "f ! I'-DI -equ "icr. ' ;, t ': i'i ,1 ir's !'a''!y iiav.- 1-. ,':i 1. iMiieili it-.ry. I S.. -. and th-' I.o\v ('.'tnti-i - ; (in- Linpir of I l.-many fill" l-'ei- linaii !. t 'I'ii:-. lii .;;_;h ~,i : 'l \\ith re lor 'iioe t" >e :1 Aid. l< a pr let' t [' >;i'lieir's :;reat iuiluoiue and rauli .u. 134 LIFE AND TIMES OF Queen Mary died on the 17tli of November, 1558, in the forty-fourth year of her age. " Xo English Sovereign," says Froude, " ever ascended the throne with larger popularity than Mary Tudor. She had reigned little more than five years, and she descended into the grave amidst curses deeper than the acclamations which had welcomed her accession. In that brief time she had swathed her name in the horrid epithet which will cling to it for ever ; and yet, from the passions which in general tempt sovereigns to crime she Avas entirely free. To the time of her accession she had lived a blameless, and in many respects a noble life, and few men or women have lived less capable of doing knowingly a wrong thing."* * Cardinal Pole survived bis congenial cousin only a few hours ; adding one more name to the long list of remarkable personages whom death had, in close proximity of time, removed from the political arena during Mary's reign including Cramner, Latimer, the Duke of Xorfolk, the Earl of Bedford, Gardiner, Anne of Cleves, and Charles V. .SIB RALPH SADLEIK. 135 CHAPTER XVI. THE COMMENCEMENT 01' QUEEN ELIZABETH'S REIGN. (1558-9.) Queen Mary died just before dawn on Thursday, 17th November (155 S). The Parliament met as usual at 8 o'clock that morning, and at once determined to proclaim the "Lady Elizabeth" Queen of the realm. Mary's death awakened no sorrow in the public mind, whereas the accession of Elizabeth, King Henry's favourite daughter, excited the greatest enthusiasm, and all day long the clanging church bells expressed the joy of the London citizens. " Peers, courtiers, knights, and gentlemen hastened down to Hatiield to do homage, and congratulate Elizabeth. By Saturday night, the Privy Council, with every statesman of anv side or partv of name or note, had collected there. On Sunday, the 20th, Elizabeth gave her first reception in the Hall. The oaths of allegiance were sworn; the promises of faithful service, ollicial and private, were duly otl'ered and graciously accepted. The Queen said a few words: nothing definite, yet the words seemed to implv that she did not contemplate immediate or sweeping change. The Lords withdrew. Pembroke, Clinton, Lord "\\illiam Howard, and Sir Ralph Sadleir remained in the Hall."* Sir \\ illiani (.Veil, of course, also remained. For some time back lie- had been Elizabeth's confidential adviser, and it was he who on Thursday morning hurriedlv wrote out the proclamation announcing her "the only right heir by blood and lawful succession," and while the heralds were proclaiming it in London, galloped to Hatfield with the welcome intelligence. Elizabeth now appointed him her Secrctarv, observing to him, as he took the oath-, !>. noi mi-placed; Cecil pnned himself one oi the mo-i consummate stuiesnien Knu'land ever possessed. On tin- next day (Mmidav, :! 1 -i ol November), Sadleir issued a summons. + xj^n,,,} |,\ |] u , (' llU nc;l -,\\ Haiti: id, to all the n.ibiliu and genirv 111 ami around the capital lo assemble with all tiieir trains on 136 LIFE AND TIMES Oi' the 23rd, for the purpose of attending the Queen on her State entry into London. It must have been a grand procession, and Elizabeth's mind must have exulted gratefully at the contrast between her position now and the last time she travelled that road, when she was conveyed in an invalid's litter to stand her trial for high treason. The new Queen was twenty-five years of age, good looking, well educated,* accomplished, cautious, courageous; bat flighty, vain, and fond of admiration " Brave, wary, sane to the heart of her, A Tudor schooled by the shadow of death, A Boleyn, too, glancing across the Tudor, Not so well."f The bishops Mary's nominees met the procession at Highgate, and all except one (the blood-thirsty BonnerJ) were allowed to kiss the Queen's hand. Elizabeth was a Protestant at heart, but she very cautiously and wisely abstained from declaring her religious sentiments at first, and hardly appeared to favour one party more than another ; in fact, she- acted on Sir Kalph Sadleir's dictum that "moderation was the interest of a public State that the Protestants should be kept in hope, and the Papists not cast into despair." Xo wiser advice could be given under the circumstances. The Papists were a powerful body in the State, and numerically stronger than the Protestants; were, therefore, Protestant fanaticism encouraged and Catholic spirit persecuted, an insurrection would certainly take place in favour of Mary Queen of Scots, who was next heir to the throne by right of birth, and a decided Papist. Instead, therefore, of creating an entirely new Privy Council, Elizabeth retained thirteen of the old members and added eight new ones, and thus formed a cabinet composed of loyal Catholics and moderate Protest a it fa. Those retained on the Council included Paulet, Marquis of * By Iloger A sch am a great friend of Cecil's. t Tennyson's " Queen -Mary/' Bonner refused to take the oath of supremacy, and wa= consequently deprived of his bishopric and impri-or.t d in the- Mar-.huKvri. v\here In 1 died. l-jij:>. J-^li/abeth'- fir-t Parliament ivp:s.-d i he Act of Supreie.acv, \vith th<' pmvi-'j thai r fusing a great ninny, fur he \v;i- an able statesman and a moderate ehurehma The L'roiesJnnts. Sir Ralph's conscience would hayf. in the commencement of Qii'-en Elizabeth's reign, kept in hope; the Papists, his prudence would not have cast into de-pair. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 137 Winchester (Lord Treasurer) now over eighty years old Fitzalan, Earl of Arnndel, who aspired to the Queen's hand, Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, Lord Clinton (Lord Admiral), and Lord William Howard all old statesmen of Henry VIII.'s, and loyal to the new Queen. Parr, Marquis of Northampton, and Russell, Earl of Bedford, were amongst those added. Sadleir, though he appears to have been confidentially consulted on State a flairs, was not reinstated in the Council for some months.* Archbishop Heath, probably on a hint from the now all-powerful Cecil, resigned the Great Seal in favour of Cecil's brother-in-law, Sir Nicholas Bacon (father of the still more celebrated Chancellor). The new Parliament, composed principally of the nominees of the Crown, assembled on the 25th, and Sir Nicholas Bacon, in an open- ing speech, unfolded the policy of the Crown. Before all things the Queen desired to advance God's honour and glorv, and required Parliament, for the duty they owed to Him and to their country, to secure and unite the people of the realm in one uniform order, devising nothing which in continuance of time might breed idolatry and superstition, and yet not giving occasion for contempt and irreverent behaviour towards God or godly things by which she meant the re-establishment of a Protestant religion less canting and less intolerant than that established by her brother Edward. f The next important points referred to were the impoverished exchequer, the national debt, the inellicient state of the army and navy, and, in short, the defenceless condition of " the ragged State, torn by misgoverument " and surrounded bv enemies. * Besides Lords Bedford (Francis Russell, the second Earl, born 1528) and Northampton, Sir Thomas j'arry. Sir Kdward Rogers, Sir Ambrose Cave, and Sir Francis Knollys. were also added to the Council. Of these. Sir Thomas Parry anil Sir Ambrose Cave (afterwards Chan- cellor of the Duebv of Lancaster) weiv. like Bacon, connections of Cecil ; Knollys (son of KohiTt Kii"ilys, Gentleman of the Ui-dcliamber to Henry VIII.) was a cousin of tlizabeth's, through the Holeyns; and Rogers (afterwards Comptroller of the Household) was probably a personal frii'iul to the Queen, or bad been kind to her mother, or to herself in her younger day-, like I'arr. At all events. she did not show herself unmindful of family ties and asso- ciations. For example, she created her cousin. Carey (a grandson of Sir Thomas Boleyn), Lord Hun-don, and appointed Andrew Parker, who had been her mother's chaplain, Archbi>!iop of Canterbury. Sir Ralph Sadleir was not at first put on the Council: perhaps his anti-papist principles were too well known. He certainly was a move experienced statesman than any of the new knights, not excepting Cecil; but we must make allowance for th.' Queen's stroncr partiahti.'s. and I doubt whether such an independent adviser would hav.' 5',* to January 1'iii'J. 1 cannot, therefore, say exactly when Sir Ralph was reinstated in the Council, but there is other evidence to shew it was in the first year of Queen Elizabeth's reign. t Accordingly, the English Prayer Book came again, into use iu June l-Joi 1 . 16 138 LIFE AND TIMES OF On the 3rd of February a money Bill was introduced, to legalise a subsidy for the purpose of paying back the sums borrowed from foreign merchants at a ruinous rate of interest, and putting the defences of the country in repair. In the discussion which ensued it was urged the Queen should at once marry, or make some arrangement for the suc- cession, lest the country should be plunged into war by her death, similar to the Wars of the Roses. The result of the debate was that Parliament granted the subsidy, and sent a deputation to Elizabeth begging her to " be pleased to take unto herself a husband/' She returned a vague reply, intimating her desire to spend her life for the good of her people, and if she married she would choose a husband who would be as careful for them as herself. She thought, however, she would be able, with the help of Parliament, to fix on a fit successor to the Crown. As far as her own feelings went, it would be enough "that a marble stone should declare that a Queen, having reigned such a time, lived and died a virgin." It was from no lack of suitors that the fair young queen hesitated to marry. Philip cf Spain (her brother-in-law),* the King of Sweden, and some German Princes were already in the field; but she was at this time in love with Lord Robert Dudley, t whom she had appointed her Master of the Horse and would doubtless have married, sooner or later, but for ambition and the love of supreme power, which pre- vented her sharing her crown with anyone. But in spite of the moderation with which the religion of England was again reformed, the Papists were on the edge of a revolt, and the foreign powers encouraged them. Before Parliament was dissolved (8th May), matters looked threatening. "The Council/' De Quadra, the Spanish ambassador, wrote to King Philip, "are in an agouv to have the Queen married to someone. Cecil and his immediate friends wish her to choose at home, the rest are frightened at the attitude of the Catholics they apprehend a revolt, and prefer Archduke Charles." It was probably at this time that Sadleir made his speech in the Privy- Council, to which he was "so lately called to serve,''' pointing out to the Queen the uncertain stale of aH'airs, and begging her to provide for the surety of her subjects by establishing her succession. "I am sure/' continued he, "that by the same your Majesty shall win the hearts of all your people which is the greatest strength and safeguard a prince can have. If your Majesty should now end your Parliament, * Philip offered to ohtain a dispensation from the Pope for marriage with his sister-in- law. f Youngest sou of tlie late Duke- of Xorthumltorlaml. X Sh- Walter Scott says tlie speech w:i-= d-diveivd a'lout Tool (see Sadler State Papei'3, Vol. IF., p. 533). but Sadleir wn> reeuiled to the Privy Council in the first year of the Queen's rei^n. Moreover, there is other iuierutil evidence supporting my hypothesis as to its date. SIR RALPH SADLFTT7. 1 39 and leave your people void of hope and desperate of the succession, which is no\v so much urged and required at vour hands, and so your Nobles and Commons go home grieved and discontented; and when they come home, their countrymen shall enquire of them what is done (for your Highness may be sure that all men hearken to this matter), and some of them perease \vill adviscdlv answer, and some others per- cose rashly and unadvisedly will sav, ' \Ve have done nothing but given away your money; the Queen hath what she looked for, but she hath no care of us' how your people's hearts will be wounded with this!" The speech concluded thus : "It is better, I sav, to have it decided now, when it may be done in a quiet manner, than to leave it to come to trial and judgment hereafter bv the sword, where victory in bloody bailie shall be the only judge 1 , and whereby it may come to pass that a usurper shall enjoy the garlands and the right heir be excluded." But not withstanding the forcible arguments of such a wise and experienced statesman, Kli/abeth did not name a successor, although she dallied with lover and suitor. Had the lover been suitable, or the suitor lovable, perhaps the problem would have been promptly solved. .Marv Queen of Scots, and Daupliiness of Trance (she married the Dauphin in April, l.V)S), was the most formidable of Elizabeth's rivals. On her the English Papists rested their hopes, and through her the French politicians hoped to see France, England, and Scot- land united under one crown, forming a preponderating power in Europe. Fortunately lor Elizabeth, such a combination would be fatal to Spain, and Philip accordingly gave her his countenance and support. Fortunately, too, Scotland herself now contained au influential party resolutely opposed to the papal and French faction. To explain ho\v this took place it will be necessary for me to retrace mv steps a little. The reader will p-collcct that the battle 1 of Pinkie only served to make the English hated in Scotland, and how w hen a treaty was ratified a couple of years later (1519) between England and France, one condition was that the English should retire altogether from Scotland. The French had it then their own way ; Mary of Lorraine, supported bv French soldiers, so"ii compelled the Earl of Arran"* to resign the Ixegcncv in her favour, and gradually the Hamiltons, Douglases, Gordons, and Campbells found themselves superseded by Frenchmen in all tin 1 oil ices of the State, and Scotland altogether governed by foreigners. Meantime, ihe Reformation had gained ground in Scotland, and the "Congregation," or Protestant party, was also naturally opposed to the papistical French Government. The Scotch * Arraii mvived the French Dukt j din of Chatelherault as a recompense. 140 LIFE AND TIMES OP lords, therefore some through religious conviction, and some through political expediency joined the Congregation, and thus a very power- ful national or anti-French body was formed. No one can pretend to describe, however briefly, the Reformation in Scotland without intro- ducing John Knox into the foreground. He was taken prisoner by the French when the Castle of St. Andrew's surrendered in 15i7, and remained in captivity until 1550, when he came to England and helped Cranmer in establishing the Reformation there. On Mary's accession he fled to Germany. In 1555 he returned to Scotland, where he found several pious English divines who had taken refuge there from the Marian persecution. Knox instilled new life into the rather lukewarm Protestantism of Scotland, and Lord James Murray (illegitimate brother of Mary Queen of Scots), Lord Lome (afterwards Earl of Argyle), and the Earl of Glencairn became his staunch sup- porters ; but the anger of the Papists was aroused, and Knox had to fly for his life to Geneva. Nevertheless, his preaching bore good fruit, and his principles flourished, to the annoyance of the priesthood. Mary of Lorraine, as Regent, had hitherto treated the reformed party with moderation ; but the spirit of persecution which Mary inaugurated in England had spread abroad, and Philip in the Low Countries and Henry II. in France persecuted the Reformers with fire and sword. Mary of Lorraine's brothers the Guises made themselves especially conspicuous in hunting down the Huguenots, and hounded on Mary to check the growth of heresy in Scotland. In 1558, an old man of eighty, Trailer Miln, was burnt for his reformed views, and systematic persecution plainly overshadowed Protestantism. The Congregation sprung up to attention. John Knox was invited back. He arrived on 3rd of May, 1559, amidst great excitement. His preaching and the Regent's persecution had tended to strengthen the cause, and he found that his views had spread throughout the masses, and that the Lords of the Congregation were prepared to assert their rights and doctrines. Eloquence is a powerful lever of human feelings at any time, but when men are excited and times portentous its effect is magical. The week after his return Knox preached at Perth, and inveighed with all his fiery oratory against Papists and their idolatry, and excited his congregation to such an extent that after the sermon thev not onlv broke down the shrine and its ornaments, but rushed out in headlong frenzy and demolished the religious houses of the Grey and Black Friars and the Carthusian monastery. This brought matters to a crisis. The hateful Congregation were no longer mere " heretics ;" they were "rebels and rioters," and the Queen Regent determined to crush them; and summoning Chatelherault, Atliole, and D'Osell to her aid, marched with a force to Perth. The Protestants were at first inferior in numbers, but Glencairn opportunely arrived with a sir; KALI-IT SAIH/EIK. 141 reinforcement of 2,500 men, and the Pa-gent, doubtful as to the issue of a liti'ht, came to terms. It \vas agreed that, both armies should dis- perse; lliat the town should be open to the Queen, on condition she left no French garrison there; and that no one \vas to be brought to trial for anv of the late changes in religion. So far the Congregation hid the best of it ; but. the Regent only bided her tune, as they soon learnt. The Lords of the Congregation then agreed to a compact of mutual support. A large number of Protestants assemblvd at St. Andrew's the hot-bed of 1'opery and in spite of the Archbishop, Kno\ preached there. The sermon had a similar etl'ect to that in IVrlli, and the monasteries of the Dominican and Franciscan monks \vere destroyed. Again the Queen Regent marched against the Protestants, and again she declined a battle; for she foiin 1 tile forces of the Congre- gation st rough" and skilfnllv posted on Coiiper Moor. Trn>ting no longer to promises, and elated bv their success, tin; Protestants inarched to Kdinbiiru'li and took possession of it (~'Jth June, l.j.VJ), whilst the Queen Regent took refuge in Dnnbar. The Lords of the Congregation saw thev had u'one too tar to retreat, and foreseeing that the Queen Regent would receive reinforcements from -France, while thev themselves had no funds to support their followers, resolved to demand aid from Knu'land, in the shape either of men or monev, and supported their appeal by the argument that if the Trench (ioveru- nieiit and the papal religion gained th' 1 upper hand in Scotland, Kngland would be sure to sillier for it. Xow, just at this juncture news reached Kh/abeth's Council that Henry 11. was dead* (July \~)~)'.-':, and thai consequently the Dauphin and his wife, .Marv Queen ol Scots, \\ere now kiim' and Queen of France, and also that thev had quartered the arms of Kngland and Ireland with those of France and Scotland that is to say, .Marv laid claim to Kii/.abeth's crown. The matter was of the greatest importance, and Kh/abetn's nimiMers u'ave il their anxious; and earnest attention. The recent treaty of peace with Scotland formed an obstacle to their opi-nly assisting the Lords ol' the Congregation. So it was determined to aid them secretly, at all events for the present, while, as an additional manoeuvre to ontllank Mary Qneeti of Scots, the Karl of Arran (eldest -on of tiie Duke of Chalelherault, and, failing issue on .M an 's part , heir proiunprive to the Scotti-n crown) w;'. ; invited from France, with a view to his becoming leader of the IVutrstant partv, iuarr\ing Fli/.ab-th, and uniting Knu'land and Scotland to the exclusion of Mary. I n order to earn" on! the iir-t roolve, the Queen issued a commission to Sir Ralph Sadleir, the Farl of .\ort humberlaiid (_\\ardciiol tiie Ka?t 142 LIFE AND TIMES OF Marches), and Sir James Croft (Governor of Berwick), for the osten- sible purpose of arranging certain disputes that had occurred on the Border, and overseeing the restoration of the dilapidated fortifications of Berwick. "But the more important task of supplying the wants and animating the courage of the Scottish insurgents was reposed in Sadleir alone, with power to use the advice of the others in so far as he thought it prudent or necessary.""* The instructions to Sadleir who was no doubt the advocate, if not the actual originator of the whole plan directed! him in the first place to "nourish the faction between the French and the Scotch,, so that the French may be better occupied with them, and the less busy with England. To foster a good feeling towards England, and lastly to explore the very truth whether Lord James Murray (Queen Mary's half- brother) do mean any enterprise toward the Crown of Scotland for himself or no. And if he do, and the Duke of Chatelherault be found very cold in his own cause, to let Lord JamesJ follow his own device therein without dissuading or persuading him anything therein.'" Furthi-r and final instructions, signed by the Queen at Nonsuch, Sth of August, 1559, gave Sadleir the power of conferring or treating with anv person, either in England or Scotland, for the special purposes he was entrusted with, and authorised him to reward anyone in Scotland, as he thought meet, out of three thousand pounds in gold, which she had ordered the Lord Treasurer to deliver to him. And so Sadleir was once more entrusted with the herculean task of uniting England and Scotland. * Sir Walter Scott. (Sadler State Papers, Vol. I., p. 375.) f It was customary on all these occasions to give formal instru lions, so as to prevent any misunderstanding or excess of duty on the part of the Commissioner. J Arrnn had already- arrived in London, and the sharp eve^ of Cecil and the Queen soon saw he was not the man to govern Scotland or to marry Elizabeth. Sadler Siate Papers. Vol. I., p. 392. S1K RALPH SADLE1K. 143 CHAPTER XVIT. SADLEIR COMFORTS THE SCOTC][ LORDS OF THE CONGREGATION. (1559-00.) Sir Ralph Sadleir arrived at Berwick about the ISth of August (1550). His retinue included iifteen gentlemeTi (judging from their high pay), among whom were two of his sons* and his Secretary, Railton ; and we mav presume a goodly band of servants and followers. Two hundred and forty-one letters, besides fifteen memoranda con- tained in the Sadler State Papers, refer to Sir Ralph's mission during the eight months he continued on the Border. Among them are letters from Queen Elizabeth, Mary of Lorraine (the Regent), Lord James Murray, John Ivnox, the Earl of Arran, Cecil, t Sec. The majority of them are vorv interesting and important "papers of ^reat concerns'," as sonic of them arc endorsed and furnish the historian with abundant facts concerning tins momentous occasion, while the superscription on some of them, "Hast, llast, Post Hast! for the lief, lief, lief!" reminds one of the fierceness and excitement of the age, and is suggestive of couriers who * Thomas Sa lli'ir and Ki'hard Sadleir are the nam.'s ^iven. Thomas was Sir Ralph's eldest son, and ^oil-on of Thorn-is Cnr:;\vell. Karl of Kssex. II i< other sons were F.dward anil Henrv. and iin'r-s I lie name N it mi-Ink.'. Riehard wa< probably an illegitimate S'_>ii of sir Ualph's elsewhere allndi'd I-. Th.' li-t was n..t written by Sir Ralph. for it is hea led A rat.' nf your weeklie char_ji< for your s.'ll'o and your Ivctinewe. if you slioukle bounlo within anutlu'i','' and I'liiiiu.'ralo- : XXs. FurlliiT on, in (lu- ^un' 1 si- li :--: - (ii-i-y Cr-i-t. Gr.-y S..;.|,'iv !, (MV-V !". rsi.'i 1 . (?;iy l"orst(>r. th.'bal !c nn^. tlie ii yii.l(!o. Gr,-y Pallium. Lyardc (.r.'v. Hay Markliain. Hay Howes. + (' ril i- th-' HI. i-! tVi'.jU.-nl L'.irr.'-p indent, oliioiallv a-: wi'll a-; priva;r!y. 'J lio d.'frivnc.:' \\bii-lt li' 1 .-h :\ l.i Sa.Ui ir's O])ini..ii, am! tli.' I'ri.'ii.ilv tone ol' hi- jirivate !<-tii'r>. in. Heat e the si ii iiii.l r-'_:i:d in wliirii he alway- ii.'ld >ir K.ilpli. Th' 1 f. .:!..\vi:i^ al''. .I'.i- a.i ii.-tanee of tli faiiiiliar f;';.-nd.-hi]) alr.-adv i'.\i-;;in^ be! U'e.'ii lln'-.' t\\.i irr.-at -talesmen : LVe;! writes fl'. :'i ii :- . . iillil rv ii Hl-e. i! ii'ii-i^h. '.'; :l Septr., 1 ". ">'. '. I a 1:1 h'Te. like a 1 H I'd . 'U' . if a e:i:J>'. My l-.i.-d Adaiiral iCdutoii) and 1 moau to return to Court by >l;iudou (Sir Uaiph's home), on >iuidav at diuiiei 1 .'' 144 LIFE AND TIMES OF eager eyes peering from battlements, -watch and ward night and day, horses ahvays saddled, pistols ready primed. Sadleir at once addressed himself to his triple task. Lest the real object of his coming to Berwick should be suspected by the Queen Regent, a letter was sent to her apprising her of his coming, and re- questing her to name Commissioners to confer with him, the Earl of Northumberland, and Sir James Croft (whom the Queen of England had deputed for the purpose), on the state of the Border, and come to some agreement as to the better government of it. As to the fortifications of Berwick, Sadleir reported that Sir Richard Leigh* had done as much as possible in the time, but still a great deal remained to be done, in order to put the town in a proper state of defence ; and he recommended the Queen to complete the works, costly though they would be, and also to send some of the nobility or Council to inspect the fortifications before the spring; " for surely the works be worthy the seeing, being both fair and likely to be made very strong/'t Third, and chief. On the day after Sir Ralph arrived (0th August), he penned a cautious letter, in Sir James CrofVs name, to the energetic agent of the Congregation, John Knox,j requesting that "Mr. Henry Bal naves, or some other discreet and trusty man, might secretly repair to Berwick, to confer on this threat and weighty business with Sir a o / Ralph Sadleir, who was specially come for the purpose." On the same day Sadleir and Croft wrote to Cecil, explaining how the "secret affair " stood, and saying that "nothing might advance the same more than the presence of the Earl of Arran in Scotland, who should have more estimation there than his father" the Duke of Cliatelherau.lt, who had grown more feeble and vacillating than ever. But they worshipped an unknown god ; Arran was now at the English Court, where he made no wav into the good graces of the Queen, who soon discovered lie was even more weak-minded than his father in fact, he went mad a couple of years afterwards, Sadleir distrusted the Earl of Northumberland, and did not admit him into the secret, and as events proved Sir Ralph was right ; for Northumberland was afterwards beheaded for engaging in the Papist insurrection of ] 509. * Sir Richard Leigh was the greatest military engineer of the day. and >a\v a great deal of service at the siege of Boulogne. Pinkie, arid eK"\v'mTe. Sir Ralph Sadleir's second son, Edward, married his daughter Anne, and eventually succeeded to Sopwell (near St. Albau's) and all the Leigh property. f Sadler State Papers, Vol. I., p. -I'M;. J Knox ha'l previously corresponded with Croft and Cecil on (lie subject. Sadleir did not know him at this time. "One tiling mu>t I suit of .you: to wit. that either hy yourself, or else hy Sir Rafe Sadlevr, to whom 1 could not write beeau-e no acquaintance hath been betwixt us, you woidd procure a license for my mother, Elizabeth Bowes, to visit me." Knox to Sir James Croft, 21st Sept., 155'J. (See Sadler Sttitc Tapers, Vol. I., p. 4-50 and 101). SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 145 At midnight, on the 6th of September, Balnaves stole into Berwick Castle, having come by sea, and, as arranged, landed at Holy Island. The next day Sadleir and he had a long conference. According to Balnaves, all the Lords' Congregation wanted was "comfort" in the shape of money, so as to "keep together 1000 arquebusiers and .'300 horsemen for two or three month , besides such power as they trusted to make at their own charge; and if they might have such relief at Her Majesty's hands, they would either achieve their enterprise or spend their lives in pursuit thereof."* Sadleir remembered all too well "how- liberal Her Majesty's father was in 1543 to the nobility of Scotland, and how little they considered it." " Ualnaves confessed this to be true, but said the case is now much different, for then we, sought of them, but now they seek of us." And, in fine, Sadleir gave Balnaves 2,000 for the Lords of the Congregation. " Now all the while of the talk with Mr. Balnaves, was the Earl of Arran in the Castle, the one not knowing of the other; for the Earl arrived at night, within three hours after Balnaves. We told the Earl that Balnaves was here, and brought them together, at which Balnaves seemed to rejoice very much." The next night Balnaves went back to Scotland as secretly as he came. Arran followed in a few days, and succeeded in arriving at his father's castle of Hamilton without being discovered. t The Lords of the Congregation had, as we have seen, triumphantly taken possession of Edinburgh, on the 2' ! th of the preceding June, but owing to want of funds thev were unable to maintain their followers, and had to retire before a month, with only a small band, to Stirling. But now the return of Balnaves from Berwick, with 2,000 in hand and the promise of further aid from England, gave the Lords of the Congregation fresh courage. They enrolled the "arquebusiers" and regular cavalry, gathered their clans, re-entered .Edinburgh on the 18th of October, and besieged Leith. which had in the meantime been strongly fortified and garrisoned with fresh troops from I" ranee. lleing deficient in artillery and proper siege appliances, the forces of tile Congregation made little or no impression on that strong fortress; while, owing to a want of provisions, desertions became frequent. 1 nder these circumstances, Lord Onne-ton was despatched for more comfort to Sir Kalph Sadleir, who gave him 1,000. Of course Ormeston's errand was kepi as secret as possible, and every precaution taken to conceal his object and movements ; nevertheless, he was attacked 0:1 his way back, wounded and robbed of the 1 1,000. The incident is * Sa.lVr State l'ap.--v~. Vol.1, p. \W. f C'apUihi JJunialiy or 1'aiulolpli hail atvoinpnmVd Arran ir< 'Ui L^^lon M Berwick, aiul conr.'.iiiu' lo A mm'- r.'.j-.ii'jt lxwa< s.-nl at'i. r him t" r-vutl:;nell's ammunition and pro- visions, shut nil' his sea communications, and consequently obliged him ID march back Ins baffled and starving troops round, by Stirling into Leith Fort. \\ inter's objcet was to prevent fresh reinforcements Mi'-: 'i'U'iMy < i'iv .!.iir,";h itn'n V"ur h'-nnur. y>>ur d lily orntrix'. AVi!n\v TVn\\ i^k. late vit'- iif 1 >.'!,!- r.-;nvir\-. ,1 \vcll in^ in th.- t i'vi , ;' \\"ul|.-r. ihut \\ h. !-,. i~ \-niir <-ri<\ nr-itrix did C".ii|>i:ii! l.i ' !\ 1" y. i-ii- !h.\-i!ir :i;n, . I )--.\ .ill I" ir\ i.-k !n|- -'r.i'in-j; :i i'.-\v n-i! > '1' v, nir said i.i\i:.-i\'< ! '! '." ",: !<.!'. f >'. ;-.;;!. A:".;. '\' ;'. H - s; v i;, 1 ; . : , - ' [l"'l .!:!!<- r,.niplaints !u. tlii-. ill ,\ Id,' 1 ! : : i.i- >:'"iv im; n-i.ini ,'. iii.^ "'lid '-i 1 diilicuit t" un.l.ji-iiiiud. tliA \\"0 "..if kiio^v },. v;!, i'ii'!'.nvod with i i ii"nn'juv ui'.'thi.-d. and ouorirv, 148 LIFE AND TIMES OF entering Leith from Trance, and with the help of the storm he accom- plished it most satisfactorily, in addition to blockading Leith. The land forces which Elizabeth, in conformity with Sadleir's advice, decided on sending into. Scotland as soon as the spring season should favour military operations, were under the command of the Duke of Norfolk and Lord Grey de AVilton. The latter was a skilful com- mander and tried soldier, who had distinguished himself at Pinkie. The Duke of Norfolk ill-fated son of the ill-fated Surrey was an intelligent and ambitious young Catholic nobleman, to whom the Queen and Cecil desired to pay a compliment, for the purpose of encouraging his loyalty. He was therefore placed at the head of the expedition, but only nominally ; for Lord Grey actually commanded the troops, while Sadleir really conducted the diplomatic arrangements. The Duke of Norfolk and Lord Grey having reached Berwick about the middle of January, a treaty was concluded there with the Lords of the Congregation* which bound the Queen to assist the Congregation in expelling the French from Scotland, and bound the Congregation to prevent any union of Scotland and France, and to furnish an auxiliary force of four thousand men to the English in case France should now go to war with England. This treaty being concluded, and hostage? being given by the Scotch Lords as guarantees of good faith, Lord Grev crossed the Border on the 2Sth of March, with 6,000 foot and 2,000 horse. Norfolk and Sadleir remained at Berwick with the reserves. t Traversing the well- known coast road, Grey joined the army of the Congregation on the 4th of April at Preston Pans -a few miles from Leith and close to Pinkie, where, eleven years before, he met the Scotch in mortal strife. He was more than annoyed to lind that they had engaged their men for only a fortnight longer, that Leith had been exceedingly well fortified, and was garrisoned with 4,000 men, while his own heavy * ilaitland, Balnaves. Pitarrow, and Lord JJuthvin were the Scotch Commissioners. f Sir James Croft went with Lord Grey, and Sadleir was appointed Governor of Berwick. The Duke ot Norfolk and Sir Jlalph apparently messed together, and there was some difficulty in providing their table. A -MS. letter, dated February, 1359-00. in the I). ike of Devonshire's collection at Bolton Abbey, from ?.[ at Newcastle, to th" Earl of Cumberland, states the writer's intention of going to vif llnu<.">0, for instance, which according to modern mode of Computation would mean January, 1500. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 149 guns, which wore coming round by son, had not yet arrived. Tie had hardly enough of money for his own troops, and " all the Lords wanted to borrow." A well-founded rumour that Elizabeth meant to make a separate treaty with the Queen Regent disconcerted the Lords of the Congre- gation and increased Grey's perplexity still more; in fact, Norfolk received a letter from Cecil on the 15th of April saying the Queen desired to come to amicable terms, and directed him to send Sadleir to Edinburgh for the purpose. Norfolk replied that "the Queen's Majestv gathered no frustrate opinion of Sir H. Sadleir in choosing him as the meefosl instrument to serve Her Majesty there, who, making no comparison, is best esteemed with the Scots of any Englishman, and with his credit there is able to do most for the Queen's Majesty's service ; "~* but that he was already gone -not gone, however,, to diplo- matise, but at the head of 8,000 men. Sir Ralph arrived at Grey's camp next day (the Kith). His coining infused new courage and confidence into the />/v'//V/ camp. How pleased he must have been to see, as the fruit of his own diplomacy, the English and Scotch armies fighting side bv side ! The lines were pushed to within six hundred yards of the walls, and the batteries day after dav vigorously bombarded the place. Con- sei[Uentlv Elizabeth altered her mind about peace, and directed Grev to take Leitli if he could. On the 80th of April the town was set on lire, and a great portion of it was destroyed; and on the (5th of Mav, a practicable breach having been apparently made, an assault bv land and sea was determined up in. the evening, after all had been settled, Sir Ralph Sadleir, Croft, went forward to examine the ground. It as they could see, the breaches were extremely y impracticable. They agreed that the attack Sadieir and KireahK went to their tents, leavin^ g, as they supposed, to Grey, to report their opinion. For on vJ.nch was never known, the original order was main- ext mornin the stormino 1 150 LIFE AND TIMES OE nearly a thousand comrades dead before the walls. The repulse spread dismay and discomfiture in the Anglo- Scottish camp, at all events among the rank and file for the leaders were brave and persevering. " If the French knew how weak we are," wrote Sadleir to Norfolk, " it might be dangerous to us. Many fall sick, many daily and nightly steal away, or run from us ; those which remain are so wearied with watch and ward that they and their captains murmur and grudge at it ; and it is rather to be feared they will mutiny and leave us in the field, than to be hoped that any good service is to be looked for at their hands."* The French, on the other hand, had their own troubles. Winter kept up a strict blockade, starvation stared them in the face, and the French leaders feared that their men also would mutiny. The English, however, had this advantage, that there was no obstruction to their receiving reinforcements, ammunition, and provisions from England, and they were promised ten thousand additional men with plenty of stores. But in the meanwhile, both the English and French Governments desired peace. England was in an unsettled state, owing to the disaffection of the Catholics, who, secretly encouraged by French agents, threatened an insurrection. Plots to assassinate the Queen and Dudley were whispered about, money had to be borrowed from Antwerp merchants to pay the expenses of the war, and altogether an uneasy feeling pervaded the Court and the Council. France was not better off. Trou-moi'ton, the English Ambassador, fomented discontent amongst the Huguenots, and the Duke of Guise (uncle to the young Queen), had even more reason to fear them than Elizabeth had to fear the Papists. Moreover, if France drained herself of troops to attack England, her old enemy, Spain, would not let the opportunity slip of invading her. The two nations, therefore, desired peace at heart, and Commissioners were appointed to treat of it those on the English side being Sadleir, t Cecil, AVotlon, Sir Henry Percy, and Sir Peter Carcw. It was agreed that the meeting should take place at Edinburgh. Both the English and French Commissioners arrived there by the lu'th of June. But already the French diplomatists had met witli a great loss in the death of the Kegent. Mary of Lorraine, Duches-e de Eongueville, Queen Dowager and Regent of Scotland, died of dropsy ten davs previously. A high-born beauty of the ducal House of Guise, her hand was sought by many princely Minors, and she married when quite young. Left a widow soon afterwards, she married .James V. SIR KALPTT SADLEIK. 151 of Scotland as her second husband, and met with a series of misfortunes in her adopted country Solway Moss and her husband's death, Pinkie Clench and her daughter's exile, Couper Moor and the Protestant triumph ; still for nineteen years the pride and spirit that characterised the race of Guise sustained her through all her difficulties, and won admiration from friend and foe.* Tin 1 conference opened on the 17th (June, 1500). An armistice was allowed for a week, and the armies had leisure to exchange cour- tesies ;t but considerable discussion and altercation took place over each proposed term of treaty. The French Commissioners contended each point with as much pertinacity as D'Osell had defended Leith ; but those diplomatists which have the stronger army in the background must always prove superior. The English Commissioners pressed each point with the threat that unless it was conceded "all conference must be broken oil; the Duke of Norfolk should receive orders to advance with his army into Scotland, and the matter must once more he committed to the arbitrament of the sword. "J It was thus that the French Commissioners agreed that Mary should abandon "the arms and style" of England, or open claim to Elizabeth's crown; that French troops should be withdrawn for ever from Scotland, as well as the Knglish ; that none but Scotchmen should be placed in the high ollices of the State; that there was to be a general amnesty and pardon for all political offences hitherto com- mitted. These were the principal terms of the " Treaty of Leith," which was signed on the Oth of July ; and so at last, the French were driven out of Scotland, the Reformation was established on both sides of the Tweed, the Knglish and Scotch were friends once more, and the foundation >tone of the union of the two nations was permanently laid. '"'The treaty," wrote Cecil to the Queen, "would finally procure that conquest of Scotland which none of your progenitors, with all their bailies ever obtained namely, the whole hearts and goodwills of the nobility and people, which surely was better for England than the revenue of the Crown." " Xo better service/' wrote Lord Clinton, * Kvi-n \vhon slu 1 kn.'\v !i(>i' illness had ^ono he\ ond recovery, she had herself fivquriitlv carried to the leads of Kilinkn-^h Castle, to watch the defence of Leith. and continued to son I information and iiiC'.urairem.'nt to the gallant D'Os.'ll. t "The l-'iviu'h and Kn^li~h uii'nvrs inrt at it sort of picnic nil Leith Sands, ' each bringing with iiiiii sueh vietiiaU as ho had in store.' 1-Yom Grey's camp came hams, capons, chickens, will'', and I'.vr. Th.> French produced a solitary fowl, a piece of hak. 1 h-r-'. and six deHcat'-Iy roa-ted raN. Tin- last, th-y said, was the best fresh in. 'at in the town, kit ,,f that th-y ha i i\\mu\i\nci>."Kan'l->tj>h\ I, (.1/6'. JiV/s ULUSC.) j In.' threat, however, failed when Cecil deman led the restitution of C'aiai<. j I)v virtue oi' the treaty, a Scotch Parliament incl next month in I'Mtnlnir^h. It was Ih' 1 !ur_-v-' in ]> in! < f nu'.ul"-r- evi r LI;M\V:I, and eov.si-ud of the ir'hility, Barons, and CV>!:iuiNsi 'iiei's I'l'I.ionnighs. I!y a sweeping majoiity. the 1'roteituiit faith was sanctioned ai the iuuion.il rcli^i'jn, and the pupish rites were abolished. 152 LIFE AND TIMES OF " has ever been done to England." Undoubtedly, Sir Ralph's special mission on the Border had been crowned with success. The peace with France and the friendship with Scotland strengthened the Queen's home Government, and proportionately weakened the hopes and cause of the Catholics. The Council next turned to domestic affairs, and pressed Elizabeth to marry. Royal suitors from all quarters con- tinued to seek her hand and crown ; but Anne Boleyn's daughter, having the crown fixed on her head, reserved her hand for patting Lord Robert Dudley's handsome cheek, and laughed at her political admirers. In short, Dudley received so much encouragement that, though the grandson of an extortionate tax-gatherer, he aspired to the vacant seat on the throne, and the excitement and scandal which prevailed at Court reached a climax when his wife poor Amy Robsart was found dead of a broken neck at the foot of the staircase in her solitary country residence.* There was now no legal obstacle to the Queen's marriage with Lord Robert, but Elizabeth's pride prevented her bestowing her hand on the man who already owned her heart. The close of the year (1500) witnessed another death, more im- portant than Lady Dudley's. Francis II. died on the 5th of December, leaving Mary Queen of Scots a childless young widow, and no longer Queen of France. * Before this occurred, it was whispered at Court that Lord Eobcrt meant to got rid of his wife by a divorce, or some way. SIR RALPH SADLEIE. 1-Jo CHAPTER XVIII. MARY STUART ON HER NATIVE THRONE. (1561-00.) "When Francis II. died, his young brother Henry succeeded to the crown, under the regencv of his astute and unscrupulous mother, Catharine de Medici. Mary Stuart soon found herself de trop at the French Court, and, French though she was in feeling and education, she, determined to return to her native kingdom. She landed at Leith in August, 1561, after thirteen years' absence from Scotland, and took up her abode in Holyrood. Edinburgh did not contrast more unfavourably with Paris than did Mary's new Court with the one she left; but her Scottish subjects had given her a warm welcome, and she felt happier as a Queen in her own palace, such as it was, than as a Dowager in the magnificent salons over which Catharine de Medici presided. The beauty of a Greek nvmph, the weakness of a vomi woman, the */ t 1 ' i, O independence of a French widow, and the license of a mediaeval sovereign were all combined in the youthful Queen,* who now wielded Scotland's sceptre. The country was wild and unprofitable, the people rude and refractory, the nobility poor and proud, the time was turbu- lent, and the kingdom was torn with dissension. Such was Mary Queen of Scots, and such was her kingdom ; and in judging her subsequent career we must not forget the circumstances and associations that surrounded her. It was fortunate for England and Protestantism that the recent order of things had been established before Alary took the reins of Government. A Scotchwoman and a Catholic, she would have rallied round her the national and papal party, and \\ould probably have suppressed the Congregation as well as any treaty with England; but it is dillieult to undo a settled state of a II airs, and Mary was obliged to accept the party in power. She therefore appointed Maitland of Lethington as Secretary, and her natural brother, Lord James Murray, as Chief Adviser, though both were decided Protestants and advocates of the Knglish alliance. The selection was not without wisdom : Murray and Maitland had tin 1 confidence of the now powerful Con- gregation, and, in addition, possessed considerable influence with * She was only iu her nineteenth year wneii she return .1 to beoilain.1. 20 154 LIFE AND TIMES OF the English Council ; and as one of the main objects of Mary's policy was the acknowledgment of her right of succession to the English crown after Elizabeth's death, she wisely fixed on these two clever statesmen as the most likely agents to obtain the wished-for concession from Elizabeth.* The English Government, on the other hand, knew that the Queen of Scots was the fountain head of Romanism in England as well as Scotland, and that she was backed up by the Pope, the King of Spain, and the Emperor of Germany, and that she would not scruple to seize upon the crown of England, should fortune bring it within her grasp. It was the policy, therefore, of Elizabeth's Council to weaken rather than strengthen Mary's position, and to induce her to marry some native Protestant nobleman who would play into their hands rather than some foreign Catholic prince who would naturally oppose them. These were the under-currents which during the early years of Mary's reign ran in opposite directions beneath a calm surface, and prevented a thorough fusion of the interests of the two kingdoms. The two Queens wrote affectionate letters to each other as " loving sisters," but each secretly played "beggar my neighbour" all the time. Meantime, the whole English nation was anxious that Queen Elizabeth should marry, or settle the succession in some way, so as to prevent cival war in case of her death. But Elizabeth neither wished to marry or to name her successor, and treated the question with masterly inaction. The requirements of her Treasury at last compelled her to summon a Parliament to grant new supplies. Her second Parliament accordingly met in January, 1503, and a stormy session ensued. Church matters having been disposed of, a debate on the succession commenced on the ISth of the month. The Lady Catherine Grey,t sister of the unfortunate Lady Jane, and grand- daughter of Charles Brandon and the Princess Mary, had the best right in the eyes of most people, and the Catholic party staunchly advocated * Both Murray and Maitland, in the hope of gaining Queen Mary's favour, showed great eagerness, from (lie first, to have her claim recognised. "When the news of her husband's death (Dec. 1550) reached Edinburgh. Maitland started off to London to advocate her cause. He partook of Sir Ralph Sadleir's hospitality at Standon. but did not win his support. On the 6th February. 15Gi>. Maitland thus wrote to Cecil: '' I made you some overtures at London how to salve all matters. I wrote to you more amply in it from Sir II. Sadler's house. I would be glad to understand what you think in it. or how the Queen's Majesty can like it. and how it shall be followed. I know the Queen, my Sovereign, is so informed against me, that unless I be able to do her some service I cannot long be suffered to live in her realm. 1 ' J/.S'. letter, Mld at Il'ilvru.,.1. and that Philip til' Spain > n.'iira_ r >-d her pret"M-i"n>. t A -h"i-l time liet'oiv Parliament opened. C'halelar. a Frenchman, who had tKVoinpaniiH.1 her fr. 'in 1 ranee, and wli"!!! >he had treated with em'oui'iiijinjj familiarity, t \\ ii'e I'unci'alotl himself in li>T bedroom with a feliiiu:is intent a,'ain~< her royal per-oii. 1'hi 1 matter having bec"ine puMie. ChaN-lar was oxivuK-il t" snvu the Queen'., eivdit. Xr \\u> ;hi< the ouly instaiKv iu whic'h thu lair faini> ot' Mary Stuart'< \\ilowl 1 \va< tanii-hed hv her iu'.lisoroct lu'luiviour with the opposite si'X, 158 LIFE AND TIMES OF forbid I should ever forget it ! What was then, I say, my exhortation unto you? and what has fallen in vain of all that God ever promised you by my mouth? Speak, I say, for ye yourselves live to testify! " There is not one of you against whom death and destruction was threatened who hath perished in that danger; and is this to be the thankfulness ye shall render unco God to betray His cause, when you have it in your hands to establish it as you please ? The Queen says 'ye will not agree with her/ Ask of her that which by God's word ye may justly require ; and if she Avill not agree with you in God, ye are not bound to agree with her faction in the Devil. "And now, my Lords/' he concluded, "to put an end to all, I hear of the Queen's marriage Dukes,* brethren to Emperors and Kings strive all for the best gain. But this, my Lords, I will say note the day and bear witness hereafter whenever the nobility of Scotland, who profess the Lord Jesus, consent that an infidel (and all Papists are infidels) shall be head to our Sovereign, you do as far as in you lieth to banish Christ Jesus from this realm, and to bring God's vengeance on the country." The Queen, of course, heard of this remarkable sermon, and sum- moned the preacher before her for daring to meddle with the subject of her marriage. Knox, not a whit abashed, pleaded his spiritual obligations, and, availing himself of the opportunity to wound her religious susceptibilities, left her in tears. Passing out through the ante-rooms, where the line ladies of the Court regarded him with studied coldness, he paused, and " merrily said" : "Ah, fair ladies! how pleasant were this life of yours if it should ever abide, and then in the end we might pass to heaven in this gear ! Pmt lie; on that knave, Death, that will come whether ye will or not, and when lie has laid on the arrest, then foul worms will be busy with this ilesh, be it never so fair and tender; and the silly soul, 1 fear, shall be so feeble that it can neither carry with it gold, garnishing, targeting, pearl, nor precious stoncs/'t Marv Queen of Scots felt disappointed and annoved at not being nominated next heir to the English crown, but concealing her dis- pleasure, she wrote to her loving sister Eli/abeth expressing submission to her will as regards a husband, and Elizabeth, in reply, otlVivd her the choice of any English nobleman; but it soon was understood that Mary would not be named " next heir," unless she married the particular nobleman Elizabeth chose for her. Xorfolk, Arundel, and Darnlev were Catholics, and any one of the three would have been a * The Archduke Charles was a suitor for .Mary as well as for Elizabeth. f- John Knox was an honest and an earnest man, hut it would have heen more creditable t'j the cause he advocated had his tongue been les.i venomous, and had not his successful preaching produced a host of imitators who had all his bitterness and none of his brains. SIR RALPH SADLEIK. 159 suitable match for Mary; but her young and handsome cousin, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley''* a Scotch nobleman, and of the English blood royal found most favour in her eyes, and she hoped Elizabeth would propose him to her. "Once married to Darnley," says Froude, "and admitted by Parliament as heir presumptive, her course would be easy. At the bottom of her heart she had determined she would never cease to be Elizabeth's enemy. Never for a moment had she parted with the conviction that the English crown was hers,t and that Elizabeth was a usurper ; but without support from abroad she was obliged to trust to her address. Could she win her way to be ' second person/ and were she married with Elizabeth's consent to the favourite of the insurrectionary Catholics, she could show her colours with diminished danger ; she could extort concession after concession, make good her ground, inch by inch and yard by yard, and at last, when the favourable moment came, sei/e her rival by the throat and roll her from her throne into the dust." But Elizabeth was much too sagacious to play into Mary's hands; and, to everv one's surprise, she proposed Lord Robert Dudley ! Whether Elizabeth ever really intended that her favourite should marry her rival, it is difficult to say. She was a consummate dissembler, and may have wished io delude the public into the idea that she herself did not care for Dudley as much as was scandalously reported, or that for policy sake she had made up her mind to get rid of him, so that her royal suitor, "tin- Archduke Charles, need not be any longer jealous/' On the plea, however, of making him a more equal match for Mary Queen of Scots, she created him Earl of Leicester (September 156-i) a title by which he is best known in history. ?So one was more astonished at the proposal than Marv herself, and she despatched Sir -F. Melville to the English Court to discover, if pos- sible, Elizabeth's real meaning, and at the same time to secretly put the Darnley scheme in motion. Melville, who was an accomplished courtier of the French school, played his cards so well that he led Elizabeth to believe the Earl of Leicester would be most acceptable to Marv, and lulled her suspicions about Darnley, which were aroused bv the return of Lennox, to Scotland, and the restoration of his estates, which had been confiscated so far back as 15 io, when he look llenrv Vlll.'s side.j Elizabeth expatiated to .Melville on Leicester's accomplishments and ' ; |);irnl.-y was son ( ,|' die Karl of r.eimox and .Margaret Douglas, daughter of the DmvMuvr QiK.'ii Margaret of Se< >t land. Henry VUL's >i>tcr. f Marv ua< brought nji in this idea at 111' 1 French Court, and her aspiration^ \veve strengthened liv the Pope'-; pronouncing Eli/abcth illegitimate and declaring herself true heir to th'' Kn_riMi crou n. Lennox had I." en ever since that time an exile in England, where his son Darnley Tvas born and bred. 160 LIFE AND TIMES OF handsome appearance, " but," she said suddenly, to throw him off his guard, "you like better yonder long lad;" and pointed to the soft- featured Darnley, who was, as usual, present at Court. The skilled fencer parried the blow. " No woman of spirit," he replied, " could choose such a one, who more resembled a woman than a man." In October Melville returned to Scotland bearing a splendid present of jewels from the Countess of Lennox to her intended daughter-in-law, and in a few months afterwards, Elizabeth, relying on Mary's sincerity, granted Darnley permission to visit his father in Scotland. In the middle of February (1565), Darnley reached the Scotch Court. His personal appearance satisfied his cousin's expectations ; and, to make the story short, Mary Queen of Scots and the "long lad" were married on the 29th of the following July, in spite of Elizabeth's angry remonstrances and the determined opposition of John Knox and the Lords of the Congregation. The marriage strengthened the Catholic cause and Mary's claim to the English throne, and so far Her Majesty of Scotland had the best of the game. Had Daruley or King Henry, as he is henceforth entitled to be called been a man of strong mind and sound principles, the marriage might have been attended by the most beneficial results for Mary's happiness and Scotland's welfare ; but he had nothing in his favour save his good looks. So far as mental and moral qualifi- cations went, he proved weak, conceited, arrogant, and dissolute ff a young fool and proud tyrant " (he was only nineteen), quite incapable of ruling such a refractorv kingdom as Scotland, or of mana^inc; such O i O O O a wife as Mary, who was five years his senior and had been brought up at the most polished and profligate Court in Europe, but who nevertheless possessed a fond heart and a clear head, and who might in the hands of a judicious and appreciative husband, have become an honourable and loving wife. But alas ! the consequences were heartrending. Darnley soon forfeited the Queen's affection and respect by gross immorality, while he offended the proud Scotch nobility by his overbearing manner and arrogance. His influence in the Court and Council soon became nil: Mary took anyone into her confidence rather than her legitimate lord and master. She especially patronised David Eizzio an Italian musician, who acted as her Foreign Secretary and she also showed marked favour to the unprincipled and bold Earl Bothwell, who joined the Court in August (six weeks after the Queen's marriage).* Her great intimacy, however, with Eizzio gave rise to a most unpleasant suspicion, which, though probably groundless, remained long in men's minds. Even many years afterwards, that inveterate jester, Henry IV. of France, remarked that " James l.'s title to be called ' the modern * Some consider the date has aii important bearing on subsequent events. SIB RALPH SADLEIR. 161 Solomon ' doubtless arose from the fact that he was the son of David, who played upon the harp." About this time a league was formed by all the Catholic powers of Europe for the maintenance of the Papacy throughout Christendom and the thorough extirpation of Protestants. Mary Queen of Scots joined the confederation, and at lli/xio's instance prepared to re- establish Popery in Scotland. The Scotch Parliament, upon which Mary depended to carry out the change, was to meet in March (1 5(50).* The Protestant party took alarm, and determined to kill the Queen's evil adviser, Rizzio. Morton, Lindsay, Jluthveti, and others entered into the plot, and, trading on Darnley's marital jealousy, easily per- suaded him to join them. Surrounding Holyrood Palace with armed men on the evening of the 9th of March, the principal conspirators, led on by Darnley, entered the Queen's boudoir, where she sat in company with four or five lords and ladies and " Signor Davie," Avho was clothed in "a nightgown of damask furred, with a satin doublet, and hose of russet velvet," and wore his cap in the Queen's presence. Darnlev sat down beside his wife, and putting his arm round her waist restrained her, while his accomplices dragged lliz/io into an outer room and stabbed him to death. This barbarous outrage in the royal palace was at once a cruel murder and an unpardonable insult to the Queen, but she checked her resentment with a determination to be avenged on her husband and his confederates. The lords who joined in the plot having taken possession of ITolvrood, resolved to keep the Queen a prisoner there until they had arranged matters to their satisfaction; but Mary, concealing her anger and pretending to forgive Darnley, persuaded the feeble-minded youth to throw over the lords ami connive at her escape. Having stolen out of the Palace one night, Marv and her husband rode to Duubar, when 1 Bothwell came to her assistance in a few davs with two thousand men, at the head of whom M.ary marched to Edinburgh. At her approach the confederate lords lied through fear across the Border; their cuds, however, were gained, for nothing was done in Parliament against the established religion. Mary, too, having gained her object to a certain extent, treated Darnley with open aversion, and the unhappy simpleton wandered about Court despised and tabooed bv all parlies. The scandal about lii/./io and the quarrel with her husband deprived the Queen of Scots of manv partisans in England; but >he recovered them all and gained several fresh one.- when the news arrived of the birth of her son afterwards James 1. on the LUth of June. "'Alas!" 162 LIFE AND TIMES OF said Elizabeth (still worried about the succession), " She has a fair sou, while I am but a barren stock !" " Better worth/' says Froude, "to Mary Stuart's ambition was this child than all the legions of Spain and all the money of the Vatican. The cradle in which he lay, to the fevered and anxious glance of English politicians, was as a Pharos, behind which lay the calm waters of an undisturbed succession and the perpetual union of the too-long-divided realms.'" Norfolk and Bedford declared themselves in favour of Mary's claim, and Leicester (who had more influence with Elizabeth than either of them), warmly advocated her cause. The hopes of the Catholics and the fears of the Protestants rose simultaneously from the same ground. A political storm was brewing. Nearly four years had elapsed since the English Parliament met. In the meantime, Elizabeth had sent a force into France to aid the per- secuted Huguenots, and she had not yet quelled a protracted rebellion in Ireland, nor tamed the proud O'Neill, Chief of Ulster,* while the threatening aspect assumed by the Catholic powers of Europe boded no good to Protestant England. The sinews of war were urgently required, and Elizabeth summoned a new Parliament, which met in October (1506). "On the 17th Cecil brought forward in the Lower House a state- ment of the expenses of the French and Irish wars. On the 18th Mr. Molyneux, a barrister, proposed at once, amidst universal appro- bation, 'to revive the suit for the succession/ and to consider the demands for the exchequer only in connection with the determination of an heir to the throne. Elizabeth's first desire was to stifle the discussion at the commencement. Sir Ealph Sadleir rose when Molyneux sat down, and 'after divers propositions/ 'declared that he heard the Queen say in the presence of the nobility that Her Highness minded to marry. 'f Sadleir/' continues Froude, "pos- sessed the confidence of the Protestants, and from him, if from anyone, they would have accepted a declaration with which so steady an opponent of the Queen of Scots was satisfied; but the disappointment of the two previous sessions had taught them the meaning of words of this kind. A report of something said elsewhere to 'the nobility' would not meet the present irritation ; 'their mind was to continue their suit, and to know Her Highness'? answer.' Elizabeth found it necessarv to be more specific. The next day, first Cecil, then Sir Francis Knollys, then Sir Ambrose Cave, declared formally that 'the Queen, by God's special providence, was moved to marry/' but thev were not more successful than Sadleir." Both Houses sub- SIR RALPH SADLEIIJ. 1 (>3 sequently petitioned the Queen on the subject, but Elizabeth gave them no satisfaction, and much discontent ensued. Cecil's incom- parable tact poured oil on the troubled waters, and Parliament was again dissolved without anything definite being settled with regard to the succession. Sir Ralph Sadleir lias left us a copy of the speech he made the "divers propositions," as the Commons' journalist calls it at the beginning of the debate on the succession, from whicl I give a few extracts : " Surely in my poor opinion then- never was greater cause why we should grant a subsidy, and the necessity of the time did nevermore require it; for we see that the whole world, our neighbours round about us of long time have been and yet be in anus, in hostility, and in great parboil. Onlv we rest here in peace and quietness ^i hanks be to (iod therefore, and the good government of the Queen's Majesty \) Marrv, it i- a point of wi-dom in time of peace to prepare for war. \Vhen we sec our neighbour":- hon-r on lire,* it is wisdom to provide and foresee ho\v to keep the -moke and the sparks of the same as far from our own as \ve can. The principal and ridel cause of this hostility and parboil abro.id is for the matter and eau-e of religion. The malice of the enemies and adversaries of (lod's (iospel doth increase, and waxeth very hot. In France, the threat tyranny, the horrible and cruel murders and slaughter which have been committed there, doth plainly show the deadly hatred of the Papists against the profe-sors of (iod's Gospel. \\ e heal' daily of >ecivt conspiracies and confederacies between the Pope, the French King, and other popish princes a^ain-t all Protestants; and it is not to be doubted that as soon as they can settle and establish the liomi-h religion within their own territories, ihev will forthwith emplov all their forces to res. tort- the same in England, and mav be sure, to iind great aid from our Papists here at home."' Having then referred 1o tin,' disturbed state of Ireland, Sir Ralph touched on the succession: " I cannot but much commend the x.ealou- and good mind of him that had brought it here in question, and for my own part 1 desire from the bottom of my heart that some u'ood success and cll'ecl miidit follow it: and yet I am not of opinion that it i- ill for us to deal \\itli it at lid- time .-peciallv not to mix it \\ith the man. a 1 of the sub-idy, whereby we miu'lit >eem. as it were, to condition and covenant with lli-r Ma^ -ty thai if she \\ill u;ran! u- t he one we u ill _rant IK r the ol her. I herefore my advice -'.all be to u'rant tin- subsidy simply: and concenting ilie suece-sion, !e! u- p;a\ to (iod, in who-e hand-- the heart- ot prince- are, to di.-po.-e tie- iieail and mind of Her Maje-ty so to consider and deal in it, and in such conunieni and 164 LIFE AND TIMES OP due time, as may be not only for her own surety, but also for the surety and quietness of her realm and subjects. " This is my poor advice j and if all men here knew as much as I do, I think they would the sooner and the more easily be persuaded to be of mine opinion."* * Sadler State Papers, Vol. II., pp. 549-52. Sir Walter Scott says tins speech was delivered in the first Parliament of Queen Elizabeth's, but the allusions to the state of Ireland, the popish confederacy, the cruel murders in France (the massacre at Vassy, for example), coupled with Molyneux's motion, all indicate that it was made on this occasion. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 165 CHAPTER XIX. THE QUKKN OF SCOTS DEl'OSKl), AND A REFUGEE IX ENGLAND. (15(17-8.) On the '2nd of .January (15(57) the English parliamentary session closed, and though Mary Queen of Scots had not been pronouiiced next heir to the throne, her cause; had flourished in England, and her partv had increased in numbers and influence. But her popularity was only short-lived. In the following month an event occurred in Scotland which, even in that turbulent age, shocked all Christendom, and lowered Mary to zero in public estimation. This was the murder of her husband, Darnley, by her favourite, Bothwell, and his accomplices. .Alary herself was believed to be accessory to the crime. Chivalrous writers have from time to time broken a literary lance in defence of her innocence, but the majority of unbiassed historians pronounce her guilty. At all events, the fol- lowing stubborn facts cannot be denied: The birth of the royal infant proved no pledge of affection between Mary and her husband. On the contrary, Darnley was more discarded than before, and Bothwell* was treated with increased favour. On the :27th of July, when the Queen had only just recovered her strength, Bedford, who was at .Berwick, informed Cecil that " Bolhwcll has all the countenance of the Court." Soon afterwards Mary appointed Both well .Lord 1 ligh Admiral, \\ arden of the //trrc Marches, and ( lover nor of Dunbar a plurality of high posts which made him the most power- ful man in Scotland. In October the Queen proceeded with some nobles and judges to Jedburgh, to hold a court of justice. About the same time Bothwell had been wounded in the hand, in a i'rav, and kept to Ins castle at Hermitage, twenty miles distant. The wound was not at all dangerous, but Mary took .-ucii an interest in the invalid that she rode to llermitagv and back in one day to pav him a visit. Nothing, ii is reasonably argued, but the infatuation of love could have induced the Queen to pay such marked condescension to one of her subjects, and undergo a ride of forty miles over a rugged bridle 166 LIFE AND TIMES OF path in chill October. Accustomed to horseback though she -was, the Leanderlike feat threw her into a fever, from which the skill of her French physician, Nau, had difficulty in restoring her to health. When Mary had recovered sufficiently to travel, she went to Craig-Millar Castle, near Edinburgh, where she resided for some time. "When there she discussed with Bothwell, Maitland of Lethington, and others the advisability of divorcing Darnley. It was, however, objected that such a divorce might render her infant son illegitimate. A darker remedy was then suggested, but the Queen said, " I will that ye do nothing whereto any spot may be laid to my honour or con- science." "Madam," said Lethington, "let us guide the matter amongst us, and your grace shall see nothing but good and approved by Parliament.'" Mary, therefore, knew some design against Darnley was meditated, and if she wanted to further it she could not have acted more efficiently to that end, as we shall see. In December the young Prince was christened at Stirling. Darnley, though residing there at the time, was conspicuous by his absence from the ceremony, whilst Bothwell tovjonrs Bothwell did the honours of the occasion. Soon afterwards Darnley fell suddenly ill. The Court physicians pronounced his malady small pox, but sub- sequent events caused a strong suspicion of poison. He was removed to his father's residence at Glasgow, where he became convalescent. Seeing he was likely to recover, the conspirators resolved to kill him. On the 22nd of January (1567) Mary paid him a visit, treated him with a great show of affection, and making him promise to come to Craig-Millar Castle as soon as he should be strong enough, she returned to Holyrood after a few days. On the 31st Darnley fol- lowed her, but when he arrived at Edinburgh he was not conducted to Craig-Miller or Ilolyrood, but to a small isolated house at Kirk o' Field, just outside Edinburgh. The house mainly consisted of two rooms, one over the other. The upper one was fitted up as a bedroom for Darnley, and the lower one for the Queen; and Mary did actually sleep there two or three nights during the ensuing week. On Sunday, the 9th of February, a marriage took place at Iloly- rood between two of Mary's French servants, and she was present at the ceremony. At ten o'clock that night she went to Kirk o' Field, and spoke pleasantly to Darnley for some time; but suddenly, as it were, she recollected she had promised to attend the masked ball which formed part of the marriage festivity, and returned to Holvroud. "While the Queen was engaging Darnley in conversation, Bothwell caused two trunks full of gunpowder to be conveyed to the lower room of the house that is, the room which the Queen would have occupied had she remained to sleep. In the dead of night a terrible explosion woke up Edinburgh from its slumbers, and when morning dawned the SIR RALPH 8ADLEIR. 1G7 citizens learned that the house at Kirk o' Field had been blown to pieces, and that Darnley and his attendant were dead.* Mary exhibited no sorrow, but public opinion at Edinburgh revolted against the King's murder, and demanded justice against Bothwell and the others, whose names were openly placarded up in the streets as the murderers. The Earl of Lennox, Darnley's father, made a formal charge against Bothwell, and pressed Cor his trial. The application was granted, the trial look place, but Edinburgh swarmed with Bothwell's armed retainers, and Lennox being afraid of his life to enter the town, Bothwell was acquitted of the crime through want of evidence, no one being found daring enough to prosecute the powerful Earl. On the 21st of April, as Mary rode back from Stirling, whither she had gone to see her child, Bothwell, with a strong body of horsemen, took possession of her and carried her off to Dunbar Castle, where he detained her for five days. Three weeks after that (15th May) Mary and Bothwell were formally married, but on the 7th of June sudden danger startled the newly-wedded couple, and they fled from Holyrood, first to Borthvrick Castle, and finally to Dunbar. Morton, Hume, Kircaldy of Grange, and certain other noblemen, fearing the ascendancy of such an unscrupulous man as Bothwell or Duke of Orkney, as he now was confederated against him, and with a view of taking him unawares and driving him from the kingdom, had seeretlv collected their followers. Some intimation of the plot some- how reached the Queen and Duke, and hence their sudden flight. As soon as they reached Dunbar they lost no time in collecting a force of four thousand men, and marched back to Edinburgh, hoping to crush the confederate lords before they could collect greater strength. But the lords had already a force: somewhat weaker in numbers but infinitely superior in equipment and discipline, and marched to meet their opponent-. The two little armies met on the historic field of Pinkie, on the 15th of June the last day of Mary's honeymoon! and drew up facing each other, the royalist force being in possession of some entrenchments which Sir liichard Leigh had thrown up before the battle of Pinkie. Several hours were occupied in attempts to come to terms mutually satisfactory, but in the meantime frequent desertions took place from the Queen's force, and she was at last obliged to accept the conditions imposed by the lords. She accordingly delivered herself into their hands on their promising to serve her faithfully, while Bothwell was allowed to ride awav unmolested from the field. The; remainder of the 168 LIFE AND TIMES OP bridegroom's story is soon told. Having escaped from his hostile countrymen, he became a pirate in the Northern seas, was captured and taken prisoner to Denmark, where he died ten years afterwards. The unhappy bride, having bid her husband a loving farewell, and surrendered to the nobles, soon broke out into a passion, and vowed she " would have all their heads/' They conducted her to Edinburgh, where the mob received her with hootings and most opprobrious epi- thets, parading cartoons representing Darnley's murder before her eyes. The confederate lords apprehending danger from the restoration of such a vindictive and unpopular personage to supreme power, conveyed her by night to an isolated castle in Lake, or Loch, Leven, Kinross, where she was detained as prisoner, whilst her infant son was proclaimed King, with the title of James YL, under the regency of Murray. Such, in short, are the leading fads -on which hang the guilt or innocence of the unfortunate Queen of Scots respecting her husband's death, and her own voluntary abduction by Bothwell. A piece of additional evidence was put forward which, if true, would not leave the slightest doubt of her guilt on any one's mind. Three days after her surrender to the lords, Bothwell, who still loitered about Dunbar, sent a trusty messenger to Edinburgh Castle for a casket he had left there. The messenger was intercepted on his return, and the casket was found to contain certain love letters written by Mary to Bothwell from Glasgow,* when she was on a visit to Darnley previous to his murder. I shall refer again to these letters; suffice it now to say that at the time they were stated to be discovered the Scotch lords informed the English Government that they possessed decisive documentary evidence of Queen Mary's guilt, and it is difficult to con- clude that they would have taken the pains to forge a set of female love letters and sonnets at such a stirring crisis, when the sword was more serviceable than the pen. The political situation in Scotland perplexed the French and English Cabinets. Honour prompted the French to interfere in Mary's behalf ; but that country was divided against itself, and it would be imprudent to take a step which might entail a war with England. th way in which the " silver box, ov.-r-gilt. containing dyvers mi< tracts, and obligations for marriage between the Queen of Scots a usit. George Ualgleish (Bothwcll's servant) was taken to t : i" torture. In fear, he calls tor the Earl's cousin. Mr. Kobert IV.uglns. who coming, he \vcnt forth to the potter raw, and from under the seit (side) of the bed took forth a silver bos which he had brought from the c-astl" the day before. Tin' Karl (.Morton) opened it on the 21st of June, and he and others examined the content.-, letters, sonetts, &c., and kept them unchanged." SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 1G9 All the members of the English Council Cecil, Sadleir, Bedford, Bacon, and Knollys who favoured the Reformation thought the Queen of Scots had richly merited deposition and imprisonment. The Catholic party, on the other hand, \vhose cause fell with her, \vould lain free the prisoner and set her on her throne again. Eli/abeth, upholding "the divine right of kings," took the part of her sister Queen. She admitted that Mary's "fame and honour had been in all parts of Christendom impaired and decayed" by her "shocking doings," but "she could not sutler her, being by God's ordinance a Princess and Sovereign, to be in subjection to those who by nature and law were subject to her/' And accordingly Sir Nicholas Trogmorton, who had been all through a strong advo- cate of Mary's claim to the succession, was despatched in Julv to Scotland for the purpose of restoring its crown to Marv .Stuart. The ambassador soon perceived the hopelessness of the task. The whole nation ignored the "divine right/' and opposed the restitution of the Queen; and Trogmorton was compelled to inform Eli/abeth that "it is a public speech amongst all the people, and amongst all the estates, saving the Councillors, that their Queen hath no more liberty or privilege to commit murder nor adullerv than anv other private person, either by (i oil's law or the laws of the realm." In short, the stout Lords of the Congregation did not care for the Queen of England's threatening interference, and Trogmorton returned home leaving Mary Stuart still a close prisoner in Loch Levcn Castle, and no longer Queen of Scots. At the end of ten months (3rd of May, 15GS) Mary effected her escape from Loch Leven,* and, accompanied by a chosen few who were in her confidence, reached Linlitligow (twenty miles distant), where her followers increased. She then proceeded to Hamilton. The news of her escape spread like the iiery cross, and many of her old adherents, as well as those who were jealous of, or dissatisfied with, Murray's administration, gathered round her, and in a week her force amounted to about IJ,IR)U men. The Regent, -Murray, happened to be in (ilasgow, and with characteristic abilitv took steps to provide against the rising storm. Man's partv, deeming Hamilton Palace not strong enough to resist attack, determined on going to Dumbarton Castle, which, besides being strongly fortified, was open to the sen. On the l;3tli of May thev set out, hoping to overcome anv force that Murray could then brinir against theiu.t -But in tliH ihev were disappointed. The force at Murrav's command was no doubt inferior in numbers, but with Kircaldy's. aid he posted his men very skilfully in the- village anil on 170 ITFB AND TIMES OF the heights of Langside (two miles from Glasgow), and attacking the Queen's forces as they passed, utterly routed them. Mary herself, with a few devoted adherents, galloped frantically from the field and rode towards the English frontier. Three days afterwards she reached the Solway, and crossing it in an open boat she took refuge in Carlisle Castle, and wrote post haste to Queen Elizabeth, claiming protection and beseeching an interview. Elizabeth, in reply, sent Sir Francis Knollys to inform the fugitive Queen that, though desirous of affection and good will towards her, she could not admit her to court until she had proved herself innocent of her husband's murder. In fact, Elizabeth and her Council did not know how to treat Mary Queen of Scots under present circumstances. She was still the hope of the Catholic party, and they feared to introduce "a princess so young, so lovely, and so interesting" at Court. When Knollys arrived at Carlisle, he found that Mary had already been giving levees to the Catholic gentry of the Northern Counties, and that many of them had been basking in her fascinating smiles. It became a question sharply debated in Council whether her crown should not be restored to her. To this last proposition Sir Ralph Sadleir (who had lately been appointed to the high and lucrative post of Chancellor to the Duchy of Lancaster*) gave his decided opposition in a manner upon which Dr. Xares, the learned author of Lord Burleigh/s life, thus remarks : " The speech made by Sir Ralph Sadler before the Queen in Council upon * Lancaster was made a Duchy Eojal or Palatine for John of Gaunt, who consequently possessed all the revenues of the Duchy lands in Lancashire and other parts of the kingdom, and had his own courts of law. After sonic time the revenues fell into the hands of the Sovereign by right of inheritance, but its courts of law still continued, and iu Sir Kalph's time afforded rich fees to their Chancellor who was then, as now, regarded in virtue of that office, a high officer of the State. It conferred many privileges ; amongst the rest, an official residence the Duchy House, in the Savoy in London, and the right of nominating a member of Parliament for the town of Leicester, which Sadleir exercised in 158 1. Sir Ralph received the appointment (vacant by the death of Sir Ambrose Cave) on May the 10th, 15C8. which is the date of a letter to him from Sir Walter Mildmay. stating that '' the Earl of Leicester ha? informed me that the Queen has nominated you to the office of the Chan- cellor of the Duchy." In a letter to Sir .Ralph, written in the previous March. Cecil says, " The Queen does not dislike you for being recommended foi- the Chancellorship of the Duchy. She sometimes says you like to live at home.'' Again, Sir Kalph. writing to Cecil from Standon on t :e 1st of August, 157 1 .', says. ''I have no great desire to be a courtier, but prefer to live quietly at home." (MSS. in State Paper Department of 'Record Office.) From thi< it would appear that Cecil had been recommending Sadleir to come to Court more frequently, with a vi>-w to still higher promotion, but the veteran statesman wa- in this respect like his contemporary, Lurd Wilkmghhy. who was accustomed to say and it did him no good that ' he was not une of the i'! i/it'." and did not relish the com- pany !' (Jii'vii Kli/abeth"- fav.iuivd -\v.pliants : and. perhaps., this explains why lie died Sir Raipli >adluir instead of Lord Staiulou. He was. however, a regular attendant at the Council Uoard. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 171 this great emergency, has some expressions in it so strong, and, if well- founded in all particulars, so much to the purpose, that \ve cannot forbear transcribing them. The editor* of his Papers, Speeches, &c., says of the speech itself, indeed, ' Sir Ralph Sadler, like Cecil, and other Counsellors of Eli/.abeth, delivers an opinion more reconcileable to policy than to generosity, good faith, or magnanimity.' \\ e grant this ; but the question still remains, whether, if Elizabeth, or her Counsellors, overlooking or disregarding the policy of the case, had resolved to act with the heedless generosity and mag- nanimity some writers so loudly insist upon, this kingdom would have derived the smallest security from the generosity, good faith, or magnanimity of tin' other States of Europe, having Mary of Scotland in their power? "There is nothing in the history of the sixteenth century that could lead us to think so; on the contrary, \ve believe every advantage possible would have been taken of the imbecility or supineness of Elizabeth's .Ministers, had they advised the Queen to act only on the principle of generosity. We verily believe she would have been generous only to her own ruin. Pjut \ve must advert to the passages in Sir Ralph Sadler's speech, which tend to shew the dangerous position in which Elizabeth was placed at this critical moment. He professes to have come to the resolution, after much con- sideration, that it could not be good, but rather most dangerous to Elizabeth that Mary should reign and govern in Scotland ; and he therefore thinks it quite expedient that she should accept and allow of the regiment established in the young King of Scots not to question his title, but to take him for a King as she finds him. He instances the case of the Emperor Charles Y., and the French King, both of whom professed themselves ready to acknow- ledge the Lady Jane Grey, on the death of Edward VI. ; though the former must have wished to see the Princess Mary his near relative on the throne of her ancestors, having a clear title by the laws of England ; and the latter could only be seeking his own security at the expense of that Princess and her Austrian connections. " ' I have many times,' says this sagacious and experienced statesman, 'thought of this matter, and I have considered, so far forth as my poor wit can conceive, of the state and terms which your Majesty standeth in at this present \\ ith all princes abroad, specially with these which be your vicines and neighbours as with the Kiuir of' Spain and the French King, and also with the Queen of Scots and Scotland; and having entered into the con- sideration of the same, I find the Kinu; of Spain and the French King to be but fciiriH d friends to your .Maj<'-tv, Mich a< do but expect the time when they may .-hew themselves open enemies; as if they may prevail in the e-tab- li>hment of their llomish religion within their o\vn dominions, who seeth not thai then they will bend all their forces to e-tabliHi the like in England? And if they may then find a Que-Mi in Scotland that pretended) a title to the crown of En^hui'l. who seeth not that she will be a ready and apt iii-tnimeiit to serve both theirs and also her own turn, when -he may have aid thereunto both by the Tope, the Kiiu' of Spain, the 1'reneh kiinr, and al.-o by the favour of your evil Mibjects here at home, the * Xaivs inti-t ini"\n Sir "Walter Scott, who wrote the historical notes to Cliiford's rditiou of the ."Sadler 1'apors. 172 LIFE AND TIMES OP Papists, which to set up their Popish kingdom would not care to have* a murderess and an adulteressf to reign over them ? Marry, I trust your Majesty will so provide that they shall find no such Queen in Scotland. " ' liut to return where I was, I find, as I said, the King of Spain and the French Kins? to be but faint and feigned friends, which only abide the time to declare themselves open enemies. The Queen of Scots, also, I find to be a secret deadly enemy to your Majesty, lacking only power and liberty to execute and shew her malice openly; and, for Scotland, I find it is divided in two parts and factions, whereof one is addicted to the young King of Scotland, minding to maintain his State and Government, and to continue the religion in Scotland ; and they which do shew themselves to be of that party, do offer themselves to adhere to your Highness, and to depend wholly at your devotion. The other party and faction do shew themselves addicted to the Queen of Scots, seeming to have an intention and desire to have her restored to her former State and Government in Scotland ; but rather, I think, they mean under that colour to advance the House of the Ilamiltons, there having always been a mortal enmity between the two houses, the Stewarts and the Hamiltons, and they which be of this party depend altogether upon France ; and with them your rebels also do join themselves, hoping, with such aid as they look for out of France and Flanders, to be able to trouble your State, as well by procurement of a new stir and rebellion within the realm, as by inva- sions and incursions upon your frontiers, and otherwise; wherein they lack no good will to offend and annoy your Majesty by all the ways and means they can. Thus I find that your Majesty hath many enemies.' " This able statesman then proceeds to consider the means in her Majesty's hands of thwarting the purposes of these many enemies, considering them reu'ularly one after the other, and suggesting such schemes of policy as were common in those days, and scarcely to be avoided; or rather, indeed, not to be avoided, but at the positive risk of having similar practices adopted with success against the unresisting and more scrupulous party. Policy, indeed, bears a bad name when it is introduced to overrule moral obliga- tions, or violate any of the pure, perfect, and unoffending principles of Christianity : but Stale policy is, on many occasions, rather to be viewed as an extremity to which a nation is brought by the m-ce.-sity of defending itself against the hostile, not only attacks, 'out designs of oilier States; for to await the attacks, is but to afford lime for the forming more powerful con- federacies, and more extended hostile alliances. * i.r-., in modern parlance-, "would not mind having." f " These words so openlv and unreservedly proclaim ^Farv's iinputod jjuilt. that it is impo==ili!e not to look to the character of the pi-i'son who titt'-red them, as well as (o the phiee in which, and the. audience bet'ore \vh"m. they were spoken. I! was. t],,-n. in the presence <>f Qu< en Klixr.hr'.h. and before her Council, that Sir Ralph uttered th.-e opprobrious terms against a pfr^ona^e whom he hnd known from her infancy. He was a font-tier certainly, luit ro t'al-e one. as far a- we can learn : he was a hrave soldier, as every fu:c knnv.-s. and not likely, therefore, even i>i those sad times, to .l"^,.;,.],. himself HO far a- to cle-c. i;d 1. 1 the li,\v acts c.f calumny in speaking of stieh an accomplished woman as Mary Qii'-.-n of licots; nor was he. a mail much likely to be deceived, especially as. to the all'uLrs of Scotland " SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 173 " The policy recommended by Sir Ralph Sadler is, certainly, that disturbing policy which gives so great offence to certain historians of the times of which we arc writing, but which, to those who look very narrowly into the exact circumstances of those times, must appear, we should think, the only policy capable of securing the crown on the head of Elizabeth, her kingdom in any tolerable degree of peace and quietness, or her Protestant subjects in the enjoyment of that religions liberty so lately bestowed upon them. But to proceed. The sum of Sir Ralph's advice, in regard to foreign enemies, is couched in the following applicable terms : " ' If they have any intention to offend or annoy your Majesty, they have no way so lit nor so proper for them to do it as by the way of Scotland. Keep them out of Scotland, that they set no foot there, and your Majesty shall the less need to can; for any offence or annoyance they can do to your Majesty elsewhere; for, your navy being on the sea, they shall not be able to land anywhere in England, to do any great harm. And therefore your Majcstv hath specially to foresee and provide that they get no foot nor entry into Scotland; and the way thereto the best way to meet with the same is for your Majesty to enter first, to set foot first in Scotland, and there to join with that party which do offer themselves to your Highness for the mainten- ance of the State and Government of the young King of Scots, and for continuance of the religion in Scotland.' " The above speech of Sir Ralph, interspersed with Dr. Nares' com- ments, explains very clearly the political relations of England, not only \vith Scotland but with the whole of Europe, at this eventful crisis. ]t became, however, necessary to come to some decision respect- in"; Mary Stuart, who told Ivnollys that if Elizabeth did not succour her she "would seek aid from the French King and the King of Spain " while Murrav and his party pressed the English Govern- ment to take the part of the young King. At length it was agreed to investigate the cause of the quarrel betwv en tlif Queen of Scots and her subjects, and that Commissioners representing all three parties should be appointed for the purpose. It was further arranged that the conference should take place at York, in the !:rst week in < H'tober. Meantime, Marv was removed from Carlisle io Bolton Castle, in pretence (winch did nor deceive her) that she sudden invasion of her enemies;" but should escape back again to her partisans I order, and create fresh troubles; for at Carlisle sin. \\< ( >.\ to hare, and gallop so fast on everv occasion with ome ot her friends out of Scotland might oil a Queen Mary's Commissioners wen' Eeslie, P>ishop of Ross, Herries, l>oyd, and Coekhuni. Those for the Eords were the Regent, Morton, Lindsay, and (jeorge Buchanan. 174 LIFE AND TIMES OP "The English Commissioners," writes Froude, "were the Earl of Sussex, Sir Ralph Sadleir, and the Duke of Norfolk representing the three parties in the Council. Sussex was President of the Council of the North a solid, English, Conservative nobleman, neither particu- larly able nor particularly high-principled, but moderate, tolerant, and anxious above all things to settle difficult questions without quarrels or bloodshed. Sadleir, the old servant of Henry VI LI., Avas a Protestant, and almost a Puritan. He had been trained for thirty years in northern diplomacy, and had hold Mary Stuart in his arms when she was a baby. Norfolk, the premier peer of England, was a Catholic in politics, though he professed himself an Anglican. He and Aruudel, his father-in-law, were the leaders of the great party most opposed to Cecil and the Reformers, of the old aristocracy, who hated revolution, favoured the Spanish alliance, the Scotch succession, and as much Catholicism as was compatible with independence of the Roman See. " By one of the three Commissioners the office was undertaken most reluctantly. Sadleir, a man of most clear convictions and most high purpose, would have borne a part gladly in any duty in which his con- science was to be his guide ; he had little inclination to enter a slippery labyrinth, where he was to take his direction from the undefined, contradictory, and probably impracticable intentions of Elizabeth. He asked Cecil to select someone wiser and more learned than he. Questions would arise of ' "Who was a tyrant ? ' ' Who might depose a tyrant?' ' It was a matter which touched not Scotland and England only/ but all kingdoms ; and for himself, ' he had liefer serve her Majesty where he might adventure his life for her than among subjects so difficult as these/ "* Norfolk was selected, not only on account of his high rank, but because he had always advocated Mary Queen of Scots 3 claim to the succession, and Elizabeth wished that at least one of her Commis- sioners should be favourably inclined towards Mary. She did not know that the old Conservative nobility were at the very time planning a marriage between the Queen of Scotland and the premier peer of England, as the best means of securing an undisputed succession, and bringing things to the old n'yiiiie. Norfolk, with hereditary ambition, lent himself to the scheme, satisfied to sacrifice connubial purity to political ascendancy; and if lie had any rumples about taking Mary Stuart as the wife of his bosom, they were readily dispelled bv the beauty of her person and the glamour of her manner. On the iSth of September that is, soon after the Commission was nominated Norfolk, as was afterwards proved, secretly repaired to Bolton Castle, and had a private conference of his own with the Queen of Scots. After this, Mary told her confidential Counsellor, Leslie, .Bishop of Ross, * Sadleir to Cecil, August 29. MSS., Queen of Scots. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 175 that she trusted he "would find the judges favourable, principally the Duke of Norfolk, who was first in commission, and doubted not that the Earl of Sussex would be ruled by him as his tender friend, and Sir Ralph Sadleir would not gainstand their advice/' She also hinted at " the bruit which was spread abroad of a marriage betwixt the Duke and her/' On the 3rd of October the three sets of Commissioners, with their retinues, had all arrived in York, which city was consequently in a high state of excitement, and had been strongly garrisoned to prevent a conflict between such opposing elements. The conference commenced by Mary's Commissioners accusing Murray and his companions of rebellion. The latter pleaded justifica- tion, but before proceeding asked the English Commissioners whether the Queen of England would maintain the authority of the young King if his mother should be proved guilty of the charges preferred against her, and also what would be done with the Queen of Scots herself. These important questions had to be referred to London. Meantime Murray shewed the celebrated casket letters privately to the English Commissioners, which, if genuine, convicted Mary of adultery and murder out of her own mouth.* The Scotch Lords were ready to swear that the letters were in Mary's own handwriting, and Norfolk, Sussex, and Sadleir, in their report to Elizabeth, said they believed them genuine, "as it was hard to counter- feit so many and so long letters/'f of which they enclosed extracts. The extracts were probably made by Sir Ralph, as in the Sadler State Papers extracts are given of the documents in question which lead logically to the conclusion that Mary was guilty of Darnley's murder, the premisses being the special words shewing "the inordinate and filthy love between her and BothwelL" and secondly, " her loathsome- ness and abhorring of her husband that was murdered." But while Eli/abeth and her Council deliberated on the answer to the Scotch Commissioners, some counter wind of treachery blew to Court a rumour of the marriage which was projected between Norfolk and the Queen of Scots. Whereupon Elizabeth at once cancelled the York Commission, ordered Sadleir to return to Court directly, "to advertise her of their proceedings," and summoned all the witnesses to London, so that the matter miirht be heard in her own presence. On the 21-th of November her Majesty issued a new Commission to the I hike of Norolk, Bacon (the Lord Chancellor), the Earls of Arunclel and Leicester, Lord Clinton, Cecil, and Sadleir, to investigate the case * r\.>rt' ilk ;ui.l Mary's (Jomim-iioners pivssed Murray not to publicly bring forward such diva ll'u! ;i'.vi-.ui"ii> against a princess who might one day be Queen of the united king- doms <>t' Lilian 1 a::d Scotland. f The Commissioners at Yvrk to Elizabeth, October 11. 176 LIFE AND TIMES OP afresh. In the course of the proceedings, which took place at Hampton Court, Murray produced the casket, and the letters and sonnets were read. Mary's Commissioners at once pronounced them forgeries ; but " the manner of writing and fashion of orthography " being carefully compared with other letters written by the Queen of Scots, pointed to an opposite conclusion. Cecil, Sadleir, Leicester, and Bacon expressed their conviction that the documents were genuine ; and finally all the English Commissioners, including the remainder ot the peers who had meanwhile been added to the Commission, declared the case was so suspicious against the Queen of Scots she ought not to be admitted into her Majesty's presence. Charges and counter-charges between the Regent's and Mary's Commissioners took place, and at length the conference broke up in the following January (1569) without coming to any definite conclu- sion; "nothing being found against Murray and his adherents to impair their loyalty or allegiance, and nothing, on the other hand, being proved against the Queen of Scots whereby her loving sister can con- ceive evil of her." But inasmuch as Mary Stuart continued a prisoner, and Murray remained Regent, we may conclude the latter had really the best of the inquiry. SIB KALPH SADLEIE. 177 CHAPTER XX. THE EISING IN THE N011TH. (1569.) Mary Stuart and her friends were not likely to rest satisfied with the result of the conference. Queen Elizabeth having failed to succour her, Mary kept her word and applied to France and Spain for help. These powers had mastered their internal troubles, and could now afford to carry on war outside their respective dominions. The Huguenots in France were almost crushed, and the Duke of Alva (Philip's Commaiulcr-in-Chicf) had Flanders in perfect subjection. Already there was a kind of ocean war between Spain and England. Two years previously Sir John Hawkins started in command of an expedition to the \\est Indies, and parti v bv trading with the planters, partly by plundering Spanish vessels and stores, he amassed in gold and silver and precious stones property worth a million of inonev ; but in the end (December E")li s ) he was overtaken bv the Spanish fleet. A desperate fight ensued. Hawkins lost all his treasure and most of his HUM), and he and his companion Drake arrived home in England with little more than life and liberty. Those of their com- rades who fell into the hands of the Spaniards were punished as buccaneers. Soon after this, the Duke of Alva sent vessels laden with money the confiscated hoards of heretic traders from Antwerp, bound for Spain. English cruisers attacked them in the Channel, and the Spanish money found its way into Elizabeth's treasury. The Spaniards retaliated, and seized English vessels. 'Twas impossible to throw the blame of these depredations altogether on the sea rovers, and war between Spain and England seemed imminent. France, too, was dissatisfied with the injuries inflicted by English freebooters on her trade, as well as irritated bv the assistance Elizabeth had given the Huguenots. At this crisis Man Queen of Scots Appealed for aid to Philip and Catherine de Medici. But the proverbial personal .mnunsity Avliich Catherine bore to her daughter-in-law prevented an open rup- ture between France and England in Mary's behalf; Philip, however, only waited tor a favourable opportumtv to send an armv from Handel's into England, and hurl the heretic Queen from the thione. i he import unit v occurred in the Catholic reaction which now pervaded England. lncertaint\ about the succession, jealousy uf * 178 LIFE AND TIMES OP Protestant ascendancy, as well as of the "new men" who virtually ruled the kingdom, combined to make the old nobility join with the Ultramontane party in a desire to restore the Government to the aristocracy and the Church to the Papists. Cecil was the chief stumbling-block in the way. He was to Elizabeth what Crumwell had been to her father the supple agent, the sagacious adviser, and the skilful fugleman of the Council, who knew when to thrust and when to parry with the sword of State. His removal was a consummation devoutly wished by the Spanish ambassador and the leaders of the opposition. Early in the year assassination was proposed, but it gave way to the safer and more constitutional trial on the capital charge of high treason, which it was thought could be sustained and effected against him, if brought forward during one of those conjunctions in which, while in a bad odour with his confreres, he laboured under one of the Queen's fits of displeasure. And on more than one occasion did his opponents in the Council expect to see the Duke of Norfolk openly arrest Cecil in the Council Chamber, as his grandfather had arrested the Earl of Essex; but the wary Secretary rallied his party around him, and left his enemies no opening to attack.* The north of England still constituted the most Catholic portion of the kingdom. Percy Earl of Northumberland, f and Neville Earl of Westmoreland (Norfolk's brother-in-law) represented the two families best known and most honoured north of the [lumber. The spirit of feudalism still pervaded districts remote from Court ; the Percies and Nevilles were the acknowledged chieftains of the North Country, and their vassals would flock round their standards when summoned. Eor a similar reason, the .Duke of Norfolk could reckon on the support of the Eastern Counties, in which his family was known,, and where he possessed extensive estates. A rebellious combination between these three powerful noblemen alone would be dangerous to the State, without considering the Queen of Scots, the King of Spain, and several others who were prepared to join them. \\ ere the Catholic Queen of Scots married to a Conservative peer of England and placed upon Elizabeth's tin-one, the malcontents at SIR RALPH! SABLEIR. 1 79 homo, as well as the papal powers abroad, would be satisfied. Accor- dingly, in the spring of loiil), \ve find Norfolk, Arundel, and others of the I'higlish nobility plotting and scheming with Don Guerau (the Spanish ambassador), Kidolli (ostensibly a Florentine banker, but really the Pope's agent in London), and Leslie, Bishop of .lloss (Mary Smart's confidential Counsellor). A general rebellion at home, aided bv nionev from Rome and soldiers from Flanders, was the means they contemplated. Their end was to inarrv Norfolk to Marv Stuart, and place heron the united throne of Hngland and Scotland. The immediate advisers of Kli/abeth (.Veil, Sadleir, Bacon, Mildmay were much too sagacious and intelligent not to perceive that then; was considerable danger atloal, though thev eonld not fathom the depths of treason which underlay the rumoured marriage of Queen Mary with His (irace of Norfolk. By antnmn everything was ready for an insurrection, but Norfolk shrunk from taking the initiative, although pressed to do so by his friends. In September he went to his paternal home in Norfolk, uncertain how to act. A\ bile there, his contem- plated marriage with Mary Stuart assumed its proper treasonable colour. lie was ordered back to Court, and on the Sth of October found himself a prisoner in the Tower. On that same day, Don Guerau wrote to I'lnlip : "The Earls of Northumberland, Westmoreland, Cumberland, and "Derby tin 1 whole Catholic body are furious at the timidity which the Duke has shewn. The Karl of Northumberland's servant, who was here awhile ago on his business, has returned to me, and I have letters also in cipher from the; Bi.-hop of lloss. The sum of their message to me is this that they will take forcible possession of the Queen of Scots, they will make themselves masters of the Northern Counties, re-establish the Catholic religion, and restore the prizes taken from \ our Majesty's subjects. They expect some anpiebusmen from the Low Countries. 1 have referred their request to the Duke of Alva."* The examination which followed the Duke of Norfolk's committal to tlie To\\vr brought some facts to light which implicated Lords Northumberland and \\estmoivland, and they too were summoned to Court; but tearing a similar late to Norfolk's, they threw oil' the ma-k and broke out into open rebellion, and on Sundav, the 1 1-th of November, thev entered Durham \\iih their followers, restored the m 180 LIFE AND TIMES OP acquiring strength as they advanced. On the 23rd their main body, numbering tAvelve or fifteen thousand men, lay at Wetherby and Tadcaster, while some of their advanced horse occupied stations still further south, and within fifty miles of Tutbury and Mary Queen of Scots. The avowed object of the rebels was the re-establishment of the old religion and the expulsion of the Queen's ill -advisers in fact, it Avas a second and enlarged edition of the Pilgrimage of Grace, and several o o o y who had taken part in that rebellion again unfurled the banner of the cross and joined the insurgents. Meantime, Lord Sussex, who Avas inside the walls of York with only three thousand men, promptly informed the Council of the sudden insurrection and begged for money and reinforcements. The Queen and Council acted with decision and energy. Ac- cording to the old ballad of the time, " Her Grace slic turned herself about, And like a royal queen she swore She would ordaine them such a breakfast As never was in the north before."* A want of confidence in the loyalty of the Earl of Sussex Avas one of the ugliest features of the rebellion in her eyes. He was a Avell- known friend of Norfolk's, and his brother, Egreniont lladcliffe, was actually one of the rebels. f Two men of undoubted loyalty and bravery were consequently des- patched to \ork. One was Lord Hunsdon, Queen Elisabeth's cousin,, and the other Avas Sir Ivalph Sadleir; Avhile Ambrose Dudlev, Earl of AVarwick, and Lord Clinton (Lord Admiral) were placed at the head of the forces under orders to march to York as soon as possible. Hunsdon must have started on the very dav the news arrived. Sir Ralph, who Avas appointed also Treasurer of the army, followed in a day or two afterwards (the iSth of November), attended by "forty horsemen of his own servants"! as a retinue. Sadleir bore a letter of credence from the. Queen to Sussex, in Avhich, having referred to the present trouble and importance of the occasion, she informed the Earl that she had "'made special choice of our trusty and well-beloved Sir llalph Sadleir, Chancellor ol the * '' Kiting in the North Countrye." published in " Keliques of Ancient Poetry." f The Queen rather liked Sussex personally. Leicester consequently disliked him. and now endeavoured to foster suspicion against him iu Elizabeth's mind. J These horsemen were paid sixtecnpence a day each, from tin- 18th of November until the ith of February, the day on which Sir lialph arrived at home. His own allowance for "entertainment," as ''assistant to the Lord Lieutenant and Treasurer/' was twenty shillings a day. Lord llunsdon, ' General of the Horsemen," received I hi- same. Sadleir was also allowed for two clerks, two carriages, and ten ' panizeus " fur the treasure. (Sadler State Papers, Vol. II., p. 188.) SIR RALPH SADLETR. 181 Duchy, because lie is one that for the long and often services of great charge and importance wherein he hath been employed in those north parts, in I he lime both of our father and brother of good memory, is of good experience that way, and \ve do verily believe he shall be no small ease and comfort to yon. \\ e have appointed him to remain for a time with yon, to the end you ma'V use his advice and counsel in this service, knowing no man so lit for that purpose as he is."* When Sadleir reached Gainsborough, on the morning of the 22nd, he found that the rebels barred the direct road to York; he therefore followed Lord llunsdon, who for the same reason had gone round by Hull. Sir Ralph arrived at Hull at midnight on the 23rd, and he and Lord llnnsdon proceeded to \ork next day. The Earl of Sussex met them at the gate of the city, and rejoiced not a little at their coming. "After our being in his lodging," Sir Ralph writes to Queen Elizabeth, "1 delivered unto him your Majesty's letters, which, when he had read, he rendered most humble thanks to your Majesty, and said that of all the benefits which ever he did or shall receive at your Majesty's hands, he doth account this for one of the greatest, in that it pleased your Highness to send me to him in this sort and in this time. And 1 do assure vour Majesty 1 do find myself welcome unto him ; for if 1. were his own brother he could not use me with more gentle entertainment than he doth." .Sir .Ralph then proceeds to assure the Queen that Sussex is a true and faithful subject careful, diligent, and circumspect in the execution of his duty; and he justifies his conduct in waiting for reinforcements before he advanced against the rebels, who numbered " tiUDn footmen and 1000 horse; whereof a great number of them being servants to the two Earls and other gentlemen, are pistoliers, armed ami furnished with shot; which ;i d rebels. ' J lie concludes his letter by asking for reinforcements specially cavalry, as soon as possible, and for money to defray the \peiises. Tiie Hex! letter in the Sadleir collection is to Sir Ralph from his ieiid Lord Clinton, who had arrived at Lincoln on liic :,!(>! h with ome MMops. ( iintoii gives a u'lowmu; account of liie lovaltv of all !.e surrounding country, and states he lias 1:2. DIM) men ready to lareii al a moment's notice against liu; Queen's eiieiuies. One is mii-ed, however, to find another letter from Clinton, dated three days iler, in \\lnch he tells Sir Ralph thai in the former leiter he "'made real boast of the numbers of men m this county ^Lincoln), because tllel) betwixt this ami \ ork, he doubted tile illterce[)tioil." In was no Mich force as ("union boasted of then ready to list the rebels, nor did Sir Ralph think so mauv requisite. 182 LIFE AND TIMES OF " If we have/* wrote he to Cecil, " a supply out of the south of 1000 horsemen and 2000 footmen whereof, as I wrote before, I would have 500 pikes armed and 500 shot of the arquebus there is no doubt but with God's grace we shall be able to bring this matter to a good end without any danger/'' The Queen had an idea that the rebellion was of little consequence, and that her loyal subjects in Yorkshire alone could overpower the rebels ; but Sir Ralph undeceived her. " There is not," he informed Cecil, " in all this country ten gentlemen that do favour and allow of Her Majesty's proceedings in religion, and the common people be ignorant, lull of superstiti >n, and altogether blinded with the old popish doctrine, and therefore do so much favour the cause which the rebels make the colour of their rebellion, that though their persons be here with us, I assure you their hearts for the most part are with the rebels, and no doubt they had wholly rebelled if at the beginning my Lord Lieutenant (Sussex) had not both wisely and stoutly handled the matter."'" As soon as Hunsdon, on his way to York, found that the rebels were in such dangerous proximity to Tutburv, he sent a message in hot haste to the Council to remove Mary Queen of Scots elsewhere. Another spurring courier bore the order to the Earls of Shrewsbury and Huntingdon who had then charge of Mary and they at once and unceremoniously removed her to Coventry. The hope of the rebels to rescue her was therefore ballled, and their failure in this respect was of great importance ; for had they succeeded in bringing the Queen of Scots to their Cain]), Alva and his Spaniards would have come to her assistance from Antwerp. Xor was this the worst dis- appointment which befel the insurgents. The Karls of Westmoreland and Northumberland believed that not only Alva but all the old nobilitv throughout Lnglund would at once join them; but whether it was the suddenness of their rising, the unfavourable weather, or the vigorous action of the Government, or ail three combined, the Spanish contingent did not venture across the sea, the rebellion did not spread southward, and the northern Earls were left to their own resources. t AVhen the reinforcements arrived at \ork, the rovalist forces marched out against the rebels, who retreated northwards. Sussex, Hunsdon, and Sadleir led ihe way in purs"it ; \VarwickandClinton followed with the main bodv. On the 17th of December the whole of ' v Sir Jlalpli wa= S-M oi-eupietl \viih public affair*, lie nr^Lvt" 1 Id- hom' 1 correspondence. : -'Yo\l i'iir_vt.'' v.T"t C'i-jil : . liiin. DcC''luh"r Nh. " )> v.Tite t<> tuy l.mly Sadl'Ir. \vhn l;>i,'ly =!!! hiihcr (\Vinap''i'< ; V.'l. II.. p. -~.) -f ()i.--'.'ii r > s-i'.v -.- att^Uili-.i Hi- ivMs' ana~. -inns staunch to the Government. He bravely SIR RALPH SADLEIG. 183 the royal army had reached Kipon,"* while the rebels affrighted and disheartened by the persistent pursuit separated, and sought refuge in the mos! out-of-the-way parts of the country, t or lied across the Border into Scotland; nor even then were they out of danger, for the Jvegeiit, Murrav -\vlio had an interest in quelling a rebellion in favour of Otiee'i Ma rv marched with a body of men to the Border, to co- operate with Kli/abet h's generals. Aniong>t those who fell into his hands was I he Karl of Northumberland, who was treacherously deli- vered up to him by Hector Armstrong, of Ilarlaw. The Earl of \Vestmoreland was more fortunate, and found a sanctuary at Ferui- hurst, the Laird of which sympathised with him. The rebellion was thus completely suppressed, and nothing remained but to make an example of all the fugitives the royalists could capture. On the 10th of January the Queen wrote to Sussex that she "somewhat marvelled that she had as yet heard nothing from him of any execution done by martial law, as was appointed," and she directed him, if the same was not already done, to "proceed thereto with all expedition, and to certit'v her of his doings therein."]; Sussex had no need of this stimulant, for he was only too anxious to prove his loyally, even at the expense of humanity. Already he and B owes had caused several hundreds to be hanged, in various northern towns. '''Such a breakfast never was in the north before. " attacL>-l tli!' ih-ih., Kli^i'd to ivtivat into Barnard Castle. Westmoreland pui'Mi <1 ar. i bi -it'^r i liii:i. J!. . s \ - !ii -Id iiul !'"r some lime, until hi- men be^an to cle-rrt in iilurium^ mimhers : >u that lie and the faithful pn-li"!! "f hi< followers -'I'.uld he allowed to d^^art on (heir way un>ea!h<'d. The episode is thus rcfeiTL'' I to in the ancient poem: '!'}., i: Sir i ;.,.;. Howes h.' -trai^htway rose, After t!. I to m ike: Tlin.-i' ii"! !' K;r.'l- larnril liai-'v ;i_ r aiiu : . Ami aye they vowed that Knight t i take. Tlia' i; ir 11 he lo hi- castle lied. To Harnar i ' 'a le then i! ': lie : The win. , : lie. Tl Hut ill ' _' L" 1 .; !it';e luiv i.;v 1". r 1 Lieuter.aiii haihhere. to deal 184 LIFE AND TIMES OF Meantime, Sussex and Sadleir advanced their head-quarters to Hexham, while Warwick and Clinton remained in the neighbourhood of Ripou.* But all active military operations ceased early in January ; Sadleir, however, by the Queen's desire, f continued in the north, to arrange the garrisons to be left there, and to disband the remainder of the army. Elizabeth promised to recall Sir Ralph as soon as possible, " according to the old desire we know you have to be at home, if you be not employed in our service; and so surely we would presently satisfy your desire if we might spare you from thence."J Several important letters will be found in the Sadler State Papers which passed between Sir Ralph and Clinton, Cecil, Warwick, Bedford, the Queen, and the Council, and throw light on the " rising in the north/' the circumstances and consequences of which created a deep and lasting sensation amongst north-countrymen. But those to Sadleir from Sir Robert Constable are the most curiously interesting. Constable, who was a North Country gentleman (?) of good family, and a cousin to Lord T\ estmoreland, introduced himself to Sir Ralph as a servant of the Earl of Leicester's, who willed him to report himself to Sir Ralph for secret service in short, to act as spy on the rebels. * Cecil, with his usual forethought, wrote to Sadleir as follows : " I doubt there may be some interpretation of rny Lord Warwick and my Lord Admiral's doings, as though they should prejudice uiy Lord of Sussex' authority being Lieutenant; wherein, I doubt not, but as you see occasion you will help to salve things, if any be past, and to stay things hereafter. I think they all will receive your advice in good part." Cecil to Sadleir, Windsor Castle, 28th December, 1509. In reply, Sadleir informed Mr. Secretary that the lords in question were " all good noblemen, and such as I love well, and surely I see none other but good liking and agree- ment amongst them." Sadleir to Cecil, Durham, 1st January, 1570. (Arms on seal, a lion rampant) . Sir Ealph appears to have been a most useful official. In addition to other duties, the Queen had entrusted him with the charge of the Earl of Eutland a young nobleman only thirteen years old, in whom she took a great interest, and who accompanied the expedition to the north for the purpose of fleshing his maiden sword in Her Majesty's service. Elizaletli to Sadleir, Windsor, 20th of November. 1509. Thomas Cecil, the Secretary's son, attended the young Earl to the north, and his father begged of Sir Ealph " to challenge him as you would your own for things needful in youth to be reformed." As soon as all chance of further hostilities died away, the Queen directed Sir Ealph to send Lord Eutland back to Court. Thomas Cecil who was abit of a scapegrace returned with him, having previously applied to his father, and without waiting to know Her Majesty's intentions, for the administration of Norton's estate, which he expected would be confiscated for his benefit, as he had " adventured his carcase in the Queen's service." f The Queen to Sadleir, Windsor, Oth of January. 1570. J Lord Clinton, like most of his companions, was glad to leave the comfortless north. On the Oth of January he wrote to his friend Sir Ealph, " I wish I were rid out of this country, and at Standon on my way homewards." Sir Ealph, in reply, wished that he too might go to Staiulou to receive him, " but 1 must needs tarry the good hour, which I pray God may como shortly." SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 185 Accordingly, when the principal offenders took refuge on the far side of the Border, Constable followed them to their hiding places, protected by a safe conduct received from his "dear cousin" Westmoreland, whom, for the sake of reward, he was particularly desirous to betray. His graphic description of his perilous adventures presents to our minds a vivid picture of wild Border life in that troublous time. " May it please your honour to understand," wrote he to Sadleir, "on Thursday last, not taking any servant of my own with me, I committed myself to the conduction of two outlaws, who would not care to steal, and yet would not betray any man that trusts them for all the gold in Scotland or France. \\ r e came that night to George Pill's house near Jedworth (Jedburgh). On Saturday I caused George Pill to ride with me to Fernihurst,* where I found the Earl of Westmoreland, not secretly kept, but walking before the gates openly, with seven of his servants standing by. After enquiring for news, my Lord told me if I had come but six hours sooner I should have spoken to my Lady of Northumberland; for the same night, after midnight, she rode from Fernihurst to Hume Castle. My Lord told me how greatly he was beholding to the Laird that friendly had defended him from the Regent, and kept him ever within three miles of the Regent, all that while he lay at Jedworth, how near he was sought for and how straitly he escaped it was strange, and how that this day fortnight the Regent had assembled 800 horsemen and footmen, and came forth from Jedworth on purpose to search the house of Fernihurst, but so soon as he marched thitherward his company fled from him, and ere he came within a quarter of a mile of Fernihurst he had left but his own men, which were not 200; so that he returned to Jedworth, and said that he rode but to view the woods. The next morning, three hours before day, he rode with the Karl of Northumberland towards Edinburgh, and thence he rode on to Loch Levcn,t where he has left the Earl in safe keeping." Constable made Fernihurst Castle his head-quarters for several days, picking up information as to the whereabout of the unfortunate fugitives he was seeking to betray. One day Constable rode with Pill to Cavers, the abode of Douglas, High Sheritl' of Teviotdale, to visit, under the guise of friendship, ~Nr. Norton a line old ^Sorth Count TV squire, who for conscience sake had taken part in the Pilgrimage of Grace, and, true to his colours, had with eight of his sons joined the recent movement, and was now hiding at Cavers. i " By the way as we rode," continued the spy, "I told my * The baronial castle of the L;iir>l? of lYrmhurst. very strongly situated OH the banks of the . Fed, between two ami t hive miles aho\v Jeilbuix'h. Sir Thomas Ken- was Lain! at this time. f Tli,' i-luted oast le iu Kinross, win TO M:u-y (,>uivn of Scut^luul been recently immured. I Constable advised Air. Norton arid his sous to return to England arid suu the Quecu 24 186 LIFE AND TIMES OF host, George Pill, that the Laird of Fernihurst, his master, had taken such an enterprise in hand that not a subject in England durst do the like, to keep any man openly as he did the Earl of Westmoreland, against the will of the chief authority. He said that his master cared not so much for the Regent as the Regent cared for him, for he was well able to raise three thousand men within his own rule; besides that, his first wife, by whom he had goodly children, was daughter of the Lord of Grange (Kircaldy), Captain of Edinburgh Castle. This wife he lately married is sister to the Lord of Buccleugh. Also that Lord Hume and almost all the gentlemen in Teviotdale, the Marsh, and Loudyan were knit together in such friendship that they are agreed all to take one part ; and that the Lord of Grange was offended with the Lord Hume and the Lord Fernihurst because they took not the Earl of Northumberland from my Lord Regent at Jedworth, and sent plain word to my Lord of Fernihurst that if the Lord Regent came to seek him any more in Teviotdale he should let loose all his bulls both the Duke, the Lord Herries, the Secretary, and others he should set them all at liberty that would come with all their power to take his part. And by as much as I can hear, the Teviotdale men intend to do all the annoyance they can to England as soon as this storm is past." This piece of information was perfectly true. Kircaldy of Grange, whom the Regent had appointed Governor of Edinburgh Castle, was veering round to the cause of Queen Mary, and sometime afterwards he actually did ' let loose the bulls' that is, set at liberty the Duke of Chatelherau.lt, Lord Herries, and Haitian d of Lethington, who, as adherents of Mary, had been imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle. Being benighted on the road when returning from Cavers, Constable stopped at Pill's house, "where I found many guests of divers factions some outlaws of England, some of Scotland, some neighbours there- about, at cards (some for ale, some for placks and hardheads) ;* and after that I had diligently learned and enquired that there was none of for mercy. Unfortunately for themselves they ultimately took his advice, were captured, as he intended, and all except one were executed. " Thee, Xorton, with thy eight good sons They doomed to die, alas ! forsooth; Thy reverend locks thce could not save, iS'or them their fair and blooming youth." It is pleasant to record that one of the sons. Francis iXorion. was acquitted of having taken part in the rebellion, and in spite of Tom Cecil's claim, received liack a good deal of his paternal estates. The Xortons r'-f.-rred to hero are the Gortons of Kilstou or Itylstone, near Skipton, concerning whom Words\vorth composed " The Y hite Doe of JJylstone." The Xortons of Norton Conyors also joined the insurgents. (See ' Koll of Attainders." Sadler State Papers, Vol. ] I., p. Vsl,) Sir Walter Scott contused tli" two families in his footnote, p. 113, Sadler State Taper;. * Small copper coins. SIE RALPH SADLEIR. 187 any surname that had me in deadly feud, nor none that knew me, I sat down and played for hardheads amongst them, when I heard vox pojjnli that the Lord Regent would not, for his own honour nor for the honour of the country, deliver the Karls, if he had them both, unless it were to have their Queen delivered to him; and if he would agree to make that change, the Borderers would start up in his contrary and ricve both the Queen and the Lords from him, for the like shame was never done in Scotland ; and that he durst better eat his own Ings than come again to seek Fcrnihurst. If he did, he should be fought with ere he came over Sowtray Kdgc. Hector of llarlow^s* head was wished to have been eaten amongst us at supper." Tlu 1 sham sympathy with which the arch-traitor worked upon the feelings of his noble relative, may at this distance of time provoke a smile instead of the sneer to which it was then entitled: " I prayed the Earl of Westmoreland to consider the miserable estate that he had lewdly brought himself to, and to seek out the best way how to recover himself again, and not to run wilfully upon his utter destruction, to the overthrow of his house, which hath been honourable and of great antiquity, and never spotted till now by this his woful fact. He looked at me, and took all patiently that I spoke ; the tears overhailed his cheeks abundantly. I could not forbear weeping to see him suddenly fall to repentance : neither of us could speak to another for a long time. At last, he wiped his cheeks and prayed me to follow him. He went to his chamber in the tower, and commanded his men forth, and locked to the door himself, and thus he began : 'Cousin Kobert, you are my kinsman near come forth out of my house, and one whom 1 dearly love and trust.'' '' The Earl then unburdened his heart to his unworthy relative, and at the end asked him if he dare carry a token to his wife, and " he took a little ring from his finger which she knew, and prayed me to deliver it to her, and to will her to take no care nor thought of him, for all his care was for her and his children, which grieved him much more to consider the misery that he left them in than any danger that could happen to his own body, and that he hoped by God's grace to recover the Queen's favour again for all this; and to will my Lady to send by me one of her best jewels in a token to my Ladv Kerr of Fernihurst, and the fairest gelding she could get to the Laird, because my Lord puts them to great charges and they will take no money/' The spy continues to inform Sir Ralph Sadlcir of his doings: "I came forth of Scotland on Sunday, all night last, the extremcst day for wind and snow that I ever rode in. We were almost utterly con- founded, and driven forth of our way divers times upon the fall, that 188 LIFE AND TIMES OF we know not where we were, and yet, praise be to God, at last within night got home, all befrozen. I have spoiled ray best gelding, that I have refused 30* for within this half-year. I fear he will never do me more service." Having thus referred to his arduous services, and the loss of his valuable steed, Constable gives his own version of affairs at Fernihurst, and pointedly urges a further reason why Sir Ralph ought to send him money : " The Laird of Fernihurst is both poor and covetous. There is one that is as covetous as he, that may persuade him to do anything for profit. Now, what a golden hook may do to a covetous man! If it be right laid, possibly he will bite, and it may catch him ; besides that, the Laird will soon be weary with the cost he is at, and some part through the jealousy he is entered into with my Lord of Westmoreland and his new wanton lady. I dare undertake nothing, because such thing is uncertain; but I would think to do more good with a thousand pounds, or less, to be wisely bestowed that way, than can be with five thousand to be bestowed of my Lord Regent, or with ten thousand men's strength to hunt them forth of Teviotdale." He concludes with, " Your Honour may credit this bearer with carriage of your letter, if you like to write to me; but I pray you send no message otherwise, because he loveth good ale. "From Newcastle, this 12th of January. Your Honour's to command even to death." Three days afterwards, Constable wrote a second letter, describing his interview with the Countess of Westmoreland (Norfolk's sister), at Branspeth Castle the splendid seat of the Nevilles : " After I desired her faithful and honourable promise to keep secret that I had to say to her, for it touched my life, she gave her hand and faith to do so. I kissed my Lord's ring and gave it to her. She was passing joyful." Having won the confidence of the Countess, she entrusted the traitor with messages to her husband, "with further instruction by word of mouth, wherein she hath shewed herself to be the faithful servant of Cod, a dutiful subject to the Queen's Majesty, an obedient, careful, loving wife to her husband, and for ripeness of wit, readiness of memory, and plain and pithy utterance of words, I have talked with many, but never with her like. I have sent you herein enclosed a little chain, and a ring with a diamond, to be delivered to the Laird of Fernihurst, a tablet to the Lady, and a little ring to my Lord. As for the horse, I told her I had considered with myself I durst not venture to carry any."t He concludes by again recommending Sir Ralph to send him money * An exceedingly high price for a horse in those clays. + I think we may fairly conclude that Constable received the horse as well as the jewels, but kept it for himself in place of the gelding he lamed. 8IE EALPH SADLEIE. 189 for the purpose of " corrupting the Laird of Fernihurst, and to assay if the ball may be turned into my Lord Warden's lap;" that is, to induce the fugitives to re-cross the Border, that they might fall into the Lord Warden's hands. Constable's letters contained important intelligence : the where- abouts of the principal rebels, the sympathy of Mary Stuart's party with them, Kircaldy's defection, Alva's readiness for invasion; but Sir Ralph had evidently no wish to take part in Constable's treacherous dealings. He wrote a brief and cautious reply, returned poor Lady Westmoreland's tokens, which he advised Constable to deliver, .com- mended him for his painful travail in the Queen's service, referred him to the Lord Warden, and informed him that he had forwarded his letters to Her Majesty's Secretary. There were no scruples, however, at Court as to employing the spy. "Upon consideration of the matter, Her Majesty entered into sundry opinions what were meet to be done for the apprehension of the rebels," and directed Cecil to write to Sadleir that "she would have B. C. secretly dealt with to prosecute the enterprise, to train the rebels to his house, or otherwise to some places in England where they might be apprehended ; and in so doing Her Majesty assures you he shall be largely rewarded."* The message was duly transmitted to Constable, and we may presume it was through his means the Nortons and others were eventually cap- tured; but the Earl of Westmoreland, who probably knew his "loving cousin" too well, was not entrapped. He made his escape to Flanders, and entering the Spanish service there, waited anxiously for the turn of the tide which would place his patroness on the throne and restore with increased lustre the fallen honours of his ancient house; but, unfortunately for him, year upon year rolled by, Mary Queen of Scots remained in captivity, and the Earl died in Antwerp, after several years of exile, disappointment, and poverty-t On the 22nd of January Queen Elizabeth wrote to Sadleir desiring him to return to Court as soon as he had "defrayed the treasures latch sent" to him, in order to inform her of "divers things necessary to be known, as well as to be in London in Term time/' in respect of his office of Chancellor of the Duchy. But a week afterwards she sent him another letter, informing him of the assassination of the Regent, Murray, and directing him to remain in the north, as there might be occasion * CVoil to Sadleir, Windsor, l*th of January. 1570. t Th.' Karl's estates wore confiscated. !>uf Mary Queen of Scots occasionally sent Lira money. Quern Kliziib.-th allowed Lady Westmoreland 200 :i year. The wretched state i>f the Kn_;lMi fugitive-; under the Kin:* of Spain in Flanders is described in a "Discourse " published ainou the Sadler State Papers. It "'as not, however, written by Sir Ivalph Sadleir. 190 LIFE AND TIMES OF for him to go to Scotland : " For the continuance of you," writes the Queen, " in sucli troublesome journeys, we would be very sorry that you should have cause ; but such is the importance of this matter, and your understanding also therein, as we cannot but at this time make choice of you." Sir Kalph, however, did not receive the second letter time enough to prevent his coming back from the north upon his former licence ; for he arrived at Standon unexpectedly, with the Earl of Sussex, and thus escaped the fatigues and dangers of another Scottish mission. The fears of the outlaws, as reported by Constable, that the Piegent, Murray, intended to exchange his prisoner, the Earl of Northumberland, for the Queen of Scots, proved well founded. Murray actually con- templated such an exchange. It would be fatal to both prisoners, and in order to prevent it, the Hamiltons who were Mary's partisans determined to murder the Regent. Accordingly, as he passed through the narrow street of Linlithgow, on the 23rd of January, he was shot through the body by Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, who had concealed himself for the purpose in Archbishop Hamilton's house. The death of Murray the ablest and boldest Governor Scotland ever possessed was as great a loss to the Reformers and the English faction as it was a gain to the Catholics and the Queen's party. Queen Elizabeth foresaw that fresh disturbance and difficulty would crop up in Scotland, and hence her desire to send Sir Ralph there.* * The Sadler State Papers include over seventy letters concerning the northern rebellion, a statement of Sir Ealph's account as treasurer, a roll of the attainders of the rebels, and letters concerning the .Nevilles. SIR RALPH SADLEIR, CHAPTER XXI. PLOTS. (1670-73.) Though the rebellion had been prom ply put down with a strong hand, nevertheless traces of it remained which showed the extent of its ramifications, and the consequences which might have ensued and changed the course of history, had not fortune favoured the brave action of Elizabeth's Government. The disaffection of the English nobility, and the paralysis of her party in Scotland, caused by Murray's death, now rendered Elizabeth nervous as to the security of her crown and life. Nor was her anxiety diminished by the hostile feeling evinced by both Trance and Spain,, while, at the same time, Pope Pius V. issued a Bull of excommunication against her. Her first care, therefore, was to place the militia of the kingdom in proper order and readiness for active service. To this end, she wrote to the Lord Lieutenants'* of the various shires. Amongst the rest, Sir Ralph Sadleir, who had recently been "appointed by letters patent Lieutenant of the Shire of Hertford," f received a letter from the Queen (15th of February, 1570), soon after he arrived at home, stating that it was "very necessary that her subjects should, through- out the whole realm, be otherwise furnished than it seemeth they lately were ;" and directing him to muster, review, and register the troops within his lieutenancy, and take care that not only the men themselves, but their horses, armour, arms, accoutrements, and ammunition were fit for active service. Soon afterwards occasion arose to test the efficiency of these musters. The very day after the assassination of the Regent, Murray, the Lairds of Buccleugh and Fcrnihurst, accompanied by the Earl of Westmore- land, broke into England with their clans, and laid waste the frontiers with unwonted ferocitv. To avenge this insult, as well as to chastise tin- Border chieftains for the protection they afforded to her rebels, Kli/abeth sent Sussex into Scotland with 4,000 southerners (who had no svmpathv \\ith the northern insurgent-). On the lOih of March the Queen ordered Sir Ralph to send fifty foot soldiers from his shire * Liru!< 'iia:ii< IT L^r. I Lieutenants ot' Counties iu England were instituted in 1-3 11), during the re;_-u ut' Edward VI. f The sliire uf Hertford theii included Esses. 192 LIFE AND TIMES OF with all speed to York, as she had " occasion to increase her garrisons on the frontiers ; " and on the following day he received another letter directing him to despatch a body of horse to join Sussex's expedition. " For the demi-lance the horse or gelding to be of good strength and able, with all the furniture, both to travel and do the requisite service. The man to serve upon him to be also able for the purpose, and be armed with an armour having a rest for the lance. For the light horsemen, that the armour be at least a corslet, and the weapon a light staff and a pistol ; and that the coats of either of the horsemen be cloth, and the colour blue."* The Queen instructed Sussex to make the offenders " feel sword and firebrand." He carried out his orders as well as he could. The Scotch fled out of reach of his sword ; but in the course of a week lie totally wasted, burned, and destroyed the vales of Teviot, Kale, and Bowmont, levelling fifty castles and strongholds, and above three hundred villages. Of course the Sussex raid was an indirect punishment of Mary Stuart's adherents, who were now leaving no stone unturned to gain their own ends during the confusion which followed the Regent's death. Libellous publications, apparently proceeding from Scotland, were in May " put forth and circulated with no small diligence, denouncing by name the four following eminent and distinguished statesmen Bacon (the Lord Keeper), Cecil, Sadleir, and Mildmay.f These great men were represented to be the cause of all the dangers complained of; that they misgoverned the State, and abused the Sovereign.";}; The libels of the enemy only served to convince the Queen more than ever that these very statesmen formed the bulwarks of her throne ; but wishing to conciliate the Catholic nobility, she reinstated Lords Arundel and Lumley on the Council. These noblemen were no sooner installed in power than they commenced plotting for the restoration of Mary Stuart ; and through their influence a majority of the Council pressed upon Elizabeth the advisability of withdrawing her support from the young King and transferring it to his mother. This, they urged, would provide a panacea for all grievances, and the Catholic powers of Europe would be appeased. In vain Cecil's party in the * Sadler State Papers, Vol. II., p. 151. f Sir Walter Mildinay was son of Thomas Mildmay, Surveyor of the Court of Augmen- tations i.e., the augmentations to the revenue from abbey hinds, lie \vas knighted in 1547, after Edward's coronation. Queen Elizabeth made him Chancellor of the Exchequer on ascending the throne, but never advanced him higher, as " his integrity was too stiff to bend to the politics of that reign." lie was also too much of a Puritan for Elizabeth's tastes. lie married a sister of Sir Francis Walsingham's (at this time ambassador in Paris). "NYas a staunch supporter of Cecil's. J Ifares. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 193 Council protested ; Elizabeth concurred with the majority, and sent Cecil and Mildmay to Chatsworth* in October to negotiate with Mary the terms on which she should be re-seated on her native throne. As a further piece of conciliation, the Duke of Norfolk was released from the Tower, on his promising to have nothing to do in future with the Queen of Scots. It was only under conditions very favourable to herself that Eli/abeth oil'ered to restore Mary, and Cecil and Mildmay presented them to the Kx-Queen in the most forcible light ; but Mary met their arguments with a considerable amount not only of woman's wit, but of legal acumen. t To her credit be it recorded, Mary refused to agree to deliver up the Earls of Westmoreland and Northumberland, and the other English insurgents who had sought a sanctuary in Scotland. Cecil, however, came to an agreement with her, and the two parties in Scotland were requested to send Commissioners to London to make arrangements for the restoration of their Queen. The proposal was naturally most unpalatable to the young King's faction. Lennox, who had succeeded Murray as lu'gent, had neither the ability nor the inllnence of his predecessor. Kircaldy of (Grange, Maitland of Lethington, and other men of note had declared for Mary. Elizabeth was the great hope of the Scotch Protestants, and she now forsook her faction. The young King's party possessed, however, a tower of strength in Morton, and on him, as Commissioner, their hopes concen- trated and relied. Meanwhile, Cecil who still viewed Mary Stuart's return to power with alarm recommended Elizabeth to marry the Duke of Anjou, next brother and heir presumptive to her quondam suitor the Kimr of I 1 ranee. The Queen was thirty-seven, whilst the Duke was only twenty; but the political advantages of the match, and prospect of providing an heir to the throne who would totally eclipse Mary Stuart's pretensions, overcame anv objections Her Majestv may have entertained to such a marriage, and she yielded to the persuasions of Cecil, who did not scruple io avail himself of Leicester's compliant assiMance on the occa- sion, j Catherine de Medici, the Duke's mother, cordially approved * Shrewsbury had tak.-n 'M'ary fo Chatsworth instead of back to Tutbury. t In a clause. !'"] tli.' |>imi-hmr!it of Darnley's murderers, she introduced t ho words : ar< p .>r hind herself to do 1M : liii:_ r f, T tin' I'm urc in prejudice , it' the Queen ot 1-1 upland. MI - her i<-;ie ; bui -he inserted, as a marginal ii"tc a^ain n.ent i,!,. * \\"ritin^ !!' this time. I-'roiide remark-: " The Kni;li>h Court hi^.ow the surface was seething with intrigue, aud the base inilucncc of the Queen's lavouritis was at work per- 25 194 LIFE AND TIMES OF of the match, and secret negotiations were entered into between the French and English Governments on the subject. In February, 1571, the Commissioners met in London to consider the Scotch question. Morton, on the part of the young King, vigorously opposed the restoration of the Ex-Queen. Bacon, looking from an English point of view, supported Morton. "If," said the Lord Keeper, " the Queen of Scots was restored, in three months she would kindle a fire which would wrap the island in flames, and which the power of man would fail to extinguish. If Elizabeth would recog- nise and support the Regent, all Scotland would be instantly at her devotion, and with Scotland hers she might defy the malice of the world/'* The Bishop of Ross, on the other hand, urged Mary's claim, and the French ambassador supported him. Finally, Morton said the government of Scotland was already established in the young King, and that he, as Commissioner, had no power to come to any agreement without the consent of the three estates of the realm. Elizabeth, with her usual inconsistency, had been already wavering in her desire to reinstate Mary, and considering that her marriage with the Duke of Anjou would enable her to defy all her enemies, now accepted Morton's argument, and the conference was postponed sine die, to the great disappointment and annoyance of the Queen of Scots. t It was quite impossible to satisfy all parties. Partiality to Marv Queen of Scots and the Catholics meant animosity to the vounfj v V- / ^ / O King and the Protestants ; peace with France was war with Spain; hence the stormy aspect of the political horizon of England in the beginning of 1571. The Catholics of England, as well as the Pope of Rome, had looked upon the restoration of Mary Queen of Scots as the eventual restora- tion of their religion; there annoyance,, therefore, knew no bounds when the recent conference came to nothing, while the Spaniards regarded with unmixed dislike the impending union of the English Queen with the French Royal Duke. who profess God's SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 105 By the middle of March that is, less than a month after the break- ing up of the conference a ne\v conspiracy was set on foot, similar to the last one hut better planned, in which the Queen of Scots, the King of Spain, and the Pope of Koine were to unite with the English nobilitv and Cut holies for the overthrow of Elizabeth and Protestantism. -Kidulli, the Pope's agent in London, was the prime mover in the new plot. With the help of the Bishop of .Ross, he rapidly and secretly consulted with the Catholic peers, obtained their adhesion, and induced the Duke of Norfolk to take the lead. Having thus prepared all the refractory elements at home, he started on a tour abroad to Brussels, Koine, and Madrid, for the purpose of arranging with .Duke Alva, the 1'ope, and Philip, a Spanish invasion of England from Flanders. The plot was cleverly contrived, and had it been allowed to come to a liead would in all probability have eilected its object of restoring Mary Stuart and re-establishing the Romish religion in England and Scotland. lint Lord Burghley's (Cecil)* vigilance and circumspection were more than a match for Kidolli's secrecy and caution. In April a man called Bailey landed at Dover from 1'landers. He was searched by Government officials, and on him were found letters in cipher from Ilidolti, from Brussels, to the Duke of Norfolk, Lord Lumley, and the Bishop of Koss a most suspicious circumstance truly, and Burghley lost no time in putting his detective machinery at work to unravel the startling mvsterv. lie found out enough to shew him that Marv Stuart and the Duke of Norfolk were au'ain plotting * *"~ 1 O mischief, bur not enough to lead to their conviction. The summer passed on. The conspirators matured their plans ; Burghley increased his vigilance. At length, in September, he received a bag which con- tained money and a letter in cipher, which a servant of the Duke of Norfolk's had entrusted to a carrier for transmission across the Border to some of the leaders of Man's faction. This led to an examination of Howard Place the Duke's residence in London. Letters were found implicating him, the Queen of Scots, sir William C'eeil was raised to the peerage as Baron Bur^hhy. on the '25th of February, 1-"71. Saekville. the Queen's cousin, had previously been created Lord Buckhurst, and in this same year I.or 1 ( 'lint nil was promoted to tli" Karlilom of Lincoln, doubtless for services in .-uppi-esxinj- il|,. rising in I lie north. One n!mo-t regrets that Sir Ralph Sadleir "had no de>i re to be a courtier, and preferred to live quietlv at home:" for he certainly deserved a Coroii. (. on aec-oiint ,.t' his Imi^ainl brilliant -erviees to the State, and had lie been less independent mi_ r h' hav,' obtained ii i>o\v. < 'n the ."":!: of IVei ii.hi-r. i">7' '. th, Qiii en \\ role to Sir Ralph, authorising him "to deliver to Sir \\ illiani (Veil eertain oak trees i-ul of t h, 1 manor ot' llnlield." i S,.e 1., 'in oil's " Calendar of State IV i p. :-.") Tin. irees wer.' evident 1 v infant f T t he mansion Cecil was th,-n building at Theob'ilds. about thrct' mile-; distant, but 1 cannot discover \\hvsir Ralph should have charge of the royal :n:ri, ; of Knlield. in Kssex. unless he \\ as .-till .Master ^t the Great \\ ardrobe. and that it was his duly as such to superintend all the royal residences. 196 LIFE AND TIMES OF and others in the projected rebellion. Discovery led to discovery. The Bishop of Ross, amongst others, made a full confession of what he knew, and at length a fatal chain of evidence enfolded the hapless Duke. It is an illustration of the rapid and decisive action of the period that Sir Ralph Sadleir was aroused out of bed in his town residence (the Duchy House, Savoy) on the night of the 3rd of September, and ordered to proceed with some of the Queen's Guard to Howard Place and arrest the Duke. His Grace was restricted to his chamber for the next three days, during which Sir Ralph remained at Howard Place at daytime, but went home each night, leaving half-a-dozen of his men with Sir Henry Neville on guard. On the 7th Sir Ralph received the Queen's warrant to conduct the Duke to the Tower, and thither he was accordingly conveyed on a "foot-cloth nag,"* Sir Ralph riding on one side of him and Sir Thomas Smithf on the other. Sadleir remained in the Tower also during the day time, begging the while to be relieved from his unpleasant duty. On the 10th, as, writing from the To\ver, he informs Burghley, the Duke sent for him in the morning to the Savoy, and falling on his knees said he had made his humble submission to the Queen, and begged Sir Ralph to intercede for him. On the last day of October the Duke was finally examined by Sadleir and Bromley (afterwards Lord Chancellor), and his answers being not satisfactory, the Queen, on the advice of the Council, deter- mined to try him for high treason J before his peers. The trial took place in Westminster Hall, on the IGtli of January (1572), commencing at eight o'clock in the morning, and not ending till eight o'clock at night. Tin: Earl of Shrewsbury who had come from Sheffield Castle for th-' purpose acted as Lord High Steward. The Duke was charged with imagining the Queen's deprivation and death, and alteration of the State and religion; practising marriage with the Queen of Scots against his promise and allegiance, knowing she laid claim to the English crown; conspiring with the said Queen to stir a rebellion, and to bring in a foreign power, from the King of Spain by Flanders, with the help of money from the Pope. And though he made a vigorous defence, he was condemned to death. 6 DO* " * A small pack horse, covered with a sumptcr or burden cloth. f Sir T. Smith had succeeded Cecil as Secretary of State. J Sadleir and Bromley had also examined the Duke on the occasion of his previous com- mittal to the Tower, in lot'.'.t. (See " State Trials.' 1 Vol. I., p. 1.>7.) The information relative to the Duke's arrest and examination is obtained from letters written by Sadleir to Burghley at the time, and printed in Murdin's collection of the Tjuryhley State i'upers. " On receiving his judgment, he said, the will of God be fulfilled. The judgment was judgment for a traitor, but he wns a true man. and always had been, and so would die, and SIR RALPH SADLETR. 197 The Qnccn having appointed Sir Ralph Sadleir guardian of Mary Queen of Scots during Lord Shrewsbury's temporary absence in London, he arrived at {Sheffield Castle* before the commencement of the new vear, and immediately had an interview with the fair object of his charge, and assured her of his wish to do everything acceptable to her consistent with his duty. In consequence of her complicity in the Xorfolk conspiracy, and the rumoured enterprises for her rescue, extreme precautions were taken For her safe custody. She had been confined to one room ever since the Duke's arrest in September, the number of her servants had bivn reduced from thirty-nine to ten, the sentries on the castle were increased, and the woods and moors for miles around were constantly patrolled by soldiers. Mary complained of this harsh treatment to Sir Ralph, and he replied that her own conscience would tell her that the Queen had good cause to do more than she had done, as he would convince her, if she pleased; but Mary protested her innocence and declined discussion. t Sadleir, however, was not heedless of her complaints. Sir Ralph remained only a month in charge of Mary Queen of Scots. On the 1st of February Elizabeth wrote to him, thanking him t O for his "diligence and painfulness," and not doubting he would come back readily as soon as the Earl of Shrewsbury returned which he did in a few davs afterwards.J "On his return to (.'ourf, Kii/abeth was curious to learn from Sadleir all particulars respecting her prisoner; and the report of the veteran statesman was so favourable that his mistress peevishly observed there seemed to be something incomprehensible about this Queen of Scots, who could thus compel her very enemies to speak well of her. It was in consequence, apparently, of Sadleir' s report that some relaxation was now made in the treatment of the unhappy captive. On his return to Shetlield, Shrewsbury allowed her to take exercise outside the walls of her prison, within which she had been coiiMantly confined for upwards of live months. Even in the bleak month of February >he hailed tins privilege with delight ; and we learn from Shrewsbury that on the first cccasion on which she walked that In- iliit not ilr-hv to live- luit ^ci'inj the lov' Qui-i'ii i'f Si'ots \v,is rciuuvc 1 i" sli^lli-'M Ca-tli 1 . hrl in^in^ to l.^rd Shr.".\ -'uiry, in 1 ">7' '. an 1 ri'inain.' 1 thiT.> till 1 ")-~ I, wlii'ii .-'u> \\ a^ couvr'Vi' 1 hv Sir llalpli t" \\'in_-li i 1. + [,1-tti'r iVi'iu sa il.'ir to (',,!!, .i;-.i o( .lanu.iry. Io7_. i;i sta^' I'ap-r ( >:;ii-,'. an 1 ,|:i..p;o..l l>y '.'Ira'.iurrs in liis Ijtc ,.[' .Marv Ijiici-ii o| SfuK. * Tii' 1 I ! ti'r L. r ivf;i in p. li--. \"oi.ll.. Sadler .Stati 1 I'ajii'i's, ovi K'litlv refers to this occa- sion ; thi' y> ar tlirrr ^ivrn nui.-t br a ini-lak''. Feueluu, IV., Wl. 198 LIFE AND TIMES OP abroad^ she could not refrain, in the ecstasy of her newly recovered liberty, from plunging up to her ankles in the snow."* It was a remarkable trait in SadleiYs character that while he was the most humane and considerate man of the age, he discharged his public duties with Spartan firmness. About the same time that he recom- mended Queen Elizabeth to treat her royal captive with greater leniency, he wrote to Burghleyt a letter, evidently intended for the Queen's ear, reminding him of the dangerous practices which had been carried on, and begging him to " press Her Majesty to do justice whereby the hopes of her enemies may be ended/" This referred to the execution of the Duke of Norfolk, which the Queen, with true feminine kindness, put off from day to dav, and would fain have put off for ever.J Sadleir' s advice and Cecil's persuasion failed, nor was it till the Parliament insisted on his execution that the Queen gave her reluctant assent, and the Duke was beheaded (2nd of June, 1572) on Tower Hill, where Surrey, his gifted father, met his death in a similar manner twenty-five years before. Two months after Norfolk's execution, the Earl of Northumberland, who had meanwhile been delivered up to the English Government for 2000 by the Regent Mar, was hanged at York. The same Parliament, in the meantime, had taken the dangerous practices of the Queen of Scots into consideration. On the 12th of May there was a conference between a Committee of the House of Lords and a Committee of the House of Commons (Sadleir was a member of the latter) on "the great matter touching the Queen of Scots." The result of the conference was that a Bill of Attainder "touching the Queen of Scots in life as well as in title" passed both Houses without a dissentient voice. The Convocation followed the example of Parliament, and the bishops petitioned the Crown to execute Mary ; but Elizabeth humanely exercised her royal prerogative with true Tudor determination. She reprimanded the bishops, peremptorily rejected the Bill of Attainder, and thereby rescued from the jaws of death the kinswoman who had conspired so recently against her life.|| * " Mary Queen of Scots and her Accusers." Vol. II.. p. 115. Second Edition. f Sadlcir to JJur^liley. Standon. 2~tli of February, lo~_. MurJm'.s Buryhley State Papers. J The Duke was second cousin to Her Majesty. Burijhley had again a majority in the Council, as Arundel and Lumley had been arrested for treason. [ Elizabeth, however, did not wish Mary to escape without a warning: '' A fe- days after Norfolk was beheaded, certain eminent persons Lord Delaware. Sir Kulph Sadleir, Sir Thomas M"il nature, and he preached an excited sermon on the awful event. The effort proved too much for his strength; lie was seixed 202 LIFE AND TIMES OF 60UU afterwards with paralysis, uuu cued 011 the 24th of November (1572)* In conformity with her promise, Elizabeth sent Sir Thomas Drury a brave and skilful soldier -with 1500 men and several siege pieces to assist Morton in reducing Edinburgh Castle. On the 17th of April (1573) the English force arrived, but it was a month before the batteries of attack were completed and the gnus placed in position. Drury opened fire on the 21st of May, and continued it vigorously for five days, during which he threw over three thousand round shot into the Castle. The old walls were unable to withstand the new artillery. Battlements and turrets tumbled down in rapid succession, the garri- son threatened to mutiny, and the gallant Kircaldy of Grange was obliged to surrender, and, in spite of Drury's intercession, was hanged by Morton. Maitland, sooner than trust himself into his enemies' hands, took poison, and died as " the old Romans were wont to do." Thus fell these two remarkable men, one of whom Grange at all events, was a high-soukd hero, and deserved a better fate; and thus fell, too, Edinburgh Castle and Mary Stuart's cause in Scotland. t * "The time has come.'" says Froucle, :: \vlien English history may do justice to cue but for whom the Reformation would have been overthrown among ourselves. For the spirit which Knox created saved Scotland ; and if Scotland had been Catholic again, neither the wisdom of Elizabeth's ministers, nor the teaching of her bishops, nor her own chicaneries, would have preserved England from revolution. His wa< the voice which taught the peasant of the Lothians that he was a free man the e<|ual in the sight of God with the proudest peer or prelate that had trampled on his forefather?: which raised the poor com- mons of his country into a stern and rugged people, who might be hard, narrow superstitious, and fanatical, but were nevertheless men whom neither king, noble, nor priest could force again to submit to tvranny." f In the previous year, 1572. Lord Winchester died at the advanced age of ninety-seven, leaving Sir Ealph Sadleir the only survivor of Henry VIII. 's Council. Burleigh succeeded him as Lord High Treasurer. In the Lansdowne MSS. in the ]3ritish .Museum there is a letter from Sir .Ralph Sadleir to Lord Treasurer Ihirleigh. dated January llth. 1572-3) thanking him for settling upon him and his son. Jlenrv Sadleir. the ollice of Clerk of the Hanaper an office which, it will be remembered; Sir llulph held before. SIP. RALPH SADLEIK. 20i> CHAPTER XXTT. "TIIK ELI/ABF.TIIAN AGE." (1573-83.) After tlio storm came the proverbial calm. During the next ten years lonuland enjoyed a brilliant prosperity.* Commerce spread, literature flourished, the reformed religion took root, the people were happy, and Kngland was " inerrie England" once more. The epoch may, in fart, be considered the sunrise of the glorious Elizabethan age. It was during this decade that Frobisher explored the Arctic regions, Ealeigli coloni/.ed Virginia, and Drake sailed round the world ;t that Spencer published his iirst poem, and that Sidney composed his " Arcadia;" that Shakespeare, Lord Bacon, J and Hooker reached manhood ; that Ben Jonson, Massinger, Drayton, Beaumont, and Fletcher were boru. Tr is a fitting opportunity to refer to the general character of the eminent statesmen Burleigh, Bacon, Sadleir, Mildmay, \Yalsingham, principally who, under their sagacious and courageous Queen, guided the helm of slate so safely and gloriously ; and 1 know no language more suitable for the occasion than that of the learned Lord Macaulay: "They were the Iirst generation of statesmen by profession that England produced. Before, their time the division of labour had, in this respect, been very imperfeet. Tho~e who had diiected public atfairs had been, with few exceptions, warriors or priests warriors whose rude courage was neither iruided by seienee nor softened by humanity ; priests whose learning and abilities were habitually deyoted to the defence of tyranny ami imposture. The I lot-purs the Nevilles, and the Cliffords roiiii'h, illiterate, and unreflec- * Iiv'an 1. li'iwi'ViT. wa- iti a stav of iv1>*'!!ion. + JVaki' set i"it iVniii I-iii^lnii'l in Xi'iVfi!il"-r. 1 "> 77. nml sailinj* roun'l South America by tlii 1 M;i_r'ii;i!] S'rait-:. In 1 s.'i/t d '.in rii-li Imuty "t L, r "l'! aiui >ilvcv 1'uUi'jii aii'l precious stones ])i-ii>ni;in the Spanish nii'ivhauN <>t' Chili ainl i'rni. l.a-lm with his precious cargo, he (li'ti-riuini'ii ti> avtiiil risk ut' I'iiiiH.u'i' by ivturniii^ i-iiiiml tiie C'ajii' ot' U^od if opo, through = ..;ix liithi-rto n: \['!'T'''l. I'/aki 1 arrivr 1 in lln^laii'l with }i\~ tiv.i-mv. after an ahsence of Hmv years. Th.' (Jiii--!i went nn I" ar.l lii^ shiji. the "ti.'l'len Hind." at ]>eptt'<>rd. and ktii^hl'd hi':l. Hi- r\j !"!'-. \\{< illsO' veries, and sp >i!< \\c-iv tlie tlielile "f national admirati"!i. and ri'eat'>d. n< Wi 1 nirtv \M'I1 ima^in . a L;rr.it and |-r"iid -i-n-iitinii. .t l-'raii' 1 ;-: i>'H'"ii. ~"H i>{ Sir Nieli la-, tlii' I."i- i I hance'Ior a p"-t \\hich he himself ai't'TA ,:r.i^ a't.iinfd l". !!' ua> IHMMI i'i I'ud. thre.- vear< l>-t''>iv Shakespearo. At the .-jam.' 1 tim<' ( 'ervaiit'^ ilourished iu Spain. .Montaigne iu 1'rauce, aiiJ Tasso iu Italy. 204 LIFE AND TIMES OF ting brought to the Council-board the fierce and imperious disposition which they had acquired amidst the tumult of predatory war, or in the gloomy repose of the garrisoned and moated castle. On the other side was the calm and subtle prelate ; versed in all that was then considered as learning ; trained in the schools to manage words, and in the confessional to manage hearts ; more attached to his order than to his country; and guiding the politics of England with a constant side glance at Kome. But the increase of wealth, the progress of knowledge, aud the reformation of religion produced a great change. The nobles ceased to be military chieftains, the priests ceased to possess a mono- poly of learning, and a new and remarkable species of politicians appeared. " These men came fron neither of the classes which had til! then almost exclusively furnished Ministers of State. They were all laymen, yet they were all men of learning. They were not members of the aristocracy. They inherited no titles, no large domains, no armies of retainers, no fortified castles; yet they were not low men, such as those whom princes, jealous of the power of a nobility, have sometimes raised from the forges and coblers' stalls to the highest situations. They were all gentlemen by birth ; they had all received a liberal education. " It is needless to relate how dexterously, how resolutely, how gloriously they directed the politics of England during the eventful years which followed; how they succeeded in uniting their friends, and separating their enemies ; how they humbled the pride of Philip ; how they backed the unconquerable spirit of Coligni; how they rescued Holland from tyranny; how they founded the maritime greatness of their country ; how they outwitted the artful politicians of Italy, and tamed the ferocious chieftains of Scotland. It is impossible to deny that they committed many acts which would justly bring on a statesman of our time censures of the most serious kind ; but when we consider the state of morality in their age, and the unscrupulous character of the adversaries against whom they had to conn :id. we are forced to admit that it is not without reason that their names are -lill held in veneration by their countrymen. " There were doubtless many diversities in their intellectual and moral character; but there was a strong family likeness. The constitution of their mind was remarkably sound. They were men of letters. Inactive life, however, no men could be more perfectly free from the faults of mere theorists and pedants. No men observed more accurately the signs of the times ; no men had a greater practical acquaintance with human nature. Their policy was generally characterized rather by vigilance, by moderation, and by firmness, than by invention or by the spirit of enterprise. "They spoke and wrote in a manner worthy of their excellent sense. Their eloquence was less copious and less ingenious, but far purer and more manly than that of the succeeding generation. It was tin; eloquence of the men who lived with the first translators of the Bible, and with the authors of the Book of Common Prayer. It was luminous, dignified, solid, and very slightly tainted with that affectation which deformed the style of the ablest men of the next age. " There was something in the temper of these celebrated men which secured them against the proverbial inconstancy of the Court and of the multitude. Xo intrigue, no combination of rivals, could deprive them of the SIK RALPH SADLEIE. 205 confidence of their Sovereign ; no Parliament attacked their influence ; no mob coupled their names with any odious grievance. Their power ended only with their lives. In this respect their fate presents a most remarkable contrast to that of the enterprising and brilliant politicians of the preceding and of the succeeding generation. They all died in office, and in the enjoy- ment of public respect and royal favour. Far different had been the fate of Wolsey, Cromwell, Norfolk, Somerset, and Northumberland; far different, also, was the fate of Ks?e\, Raleigh, and Lord Bacon. 'The explanation of this circumstance is perhaps contained in the motto which Sir Nicholas Bacon* inscribed over the entrance of his hall at Gorham- burv. " Mi'iliofi'iii /!//,/(/." Tliis maxim was constantly borne in mind by himself and his colleagues. They were more solicitous to lay the foundation of their power deep, than to raise the structure to a conspicuous but insecure height. None of them aspired to be sole .Minister; none of them provoked envv by an ostentatious display of wealth and influence; none of them affected to outshine the ancient aristocracy of the kingdom. They were free from that childish love of titles which characterized the successful courtiers of the generation which preceded them, and of that which followed them. Their fidelity to the State was incorruptible; their private morals were without a -tain; their houses were sober and well governed. "f The last remark hardly applied to Burleigh or Sadleir, who kept up magnilicent establishments at their respective mansions, Theobalds and Standon. I'mrleigh is said to have spent between 2,000 and L" :> >, HIM) in entertaining the Queen and her suit* 1 for a few days during one of her progresses; and Sadleir "spent his great estate nobly j knowing that princes honour them most that have most, and the people them oiilv that employ most.";;; The \ear L">7 S was ushered in at Hampton Court by an interchange of costlv new year's gifts between the Queen and her Ministers and courtiers. This list of the presents is on record. Leicester and HaMon (her new favourite) vied with each other in presenting rich jewelrv to their tickle mistress. Sir Ralph Sadleir presented the Queen \\ith L 1 "> in irohl, and in return she gave him -'JH^ ounces of M-I ! ! plate. lu the summer of the same year Kiizaljeth made one of her State "progresses" or tours through the eountrv, bv means of \\hieh she became very popular, \\hile at the same time she made herself better acquainted with her subjects. The people evervwhere iveei\ed her with acclimation, ;11 nl the magnates whom sin 1 honoured \\ith a visit ,-u ,<>/>/< spared neither trouble nor expense in entertaining the roval partv. This year her piMgivss was fur a longer distance and 206 LIFE AND TIMES OF on a grander scale than usual. She went through Suffolk and Norfolk (hitherto disaffected). Stow has chronicled the grandeur which awaited and attended Her Majesty throughout these two shires. "The velvets and silks that were converted into suites and robes, that the shew thereof might have beautified the greatest triumph that was in England these many years ;" the banquets, the processions, the orations, the pageants, and the presents. She made her first halt at Hunsdon House, on the borders of Essex,* the seat of her blunt and brave cousin, Lord Hunsdon ; she thence proceeded to Standon, and remained the guest of Sir Ralph Sadleir for some days. There were several members of the Council in attendance on Her Majesty, and a meeting of the Council took place at Standon on one of the days (24-th of July), during the Queen's visit, at which the Lord Chamberlain (Earl of Sussex), the Earl of Warwick, the Earl of Leicester,and the Vice-Chamberlain (Hatton), were amongst those present. t No doubt the royal retinue included numerous lords and ladies, and we may assume that Standon never witnessed such a noble assemblage before nor since not even excepting the occasion upon which, twenty-five years afterwards, Sir Thomas Sadleir "magnificently entertained" James L, when on his way from Scotland to be crowned King of the United Kingdom. The Queen proceeded from Standon to Audley End,J where she received the Abbot of Dunfermlaine (Pitcairn), the Scotch ambassador; and this draws our attention again to Scotland. The fall of Edinburgh Castle, and the collapse of Mary Stuart's cause (1572) having left Scotland at the disposal of Morton's stern rule, Elizabeth saw no further occasion of maintaining a faction there, 7 O * and was, indeed, glad of an excuse to save monev. The French, on the other hand, eager to recover their hold on the country, went quietlv to work, and their gold again paved a way for the restitution of Mary Stuart and French influence; and at length, in the beginning of 157s, Morton found himself undermined by a powerful partv, headed bv (he Earls of Argyle and Athol. He had to resign the Regency and retire to Loch Leven Castle, while his enemies took the reins of Government, and the friends of Mary Stuart once more occupied Edinburgh Castle. Taking advantage, however, of their disorganisation, Morton soon re- issued from his retirement, and again took t he direct ion o: affair*. The young King was now twelve years old. and il was agreed he should be considered as having obtained his majority, and rule in his own name. Morton saw the necessitv of Elizabeth's assistance, as the SIR RALPH SADLEIH. 207 only means of checking the French and Catholic ascendancy; andiieuce the Abbot of Duufermlaine was sent to her as an ambassador from James, with tempting proposals for a friendly alliance.* The. ambassador at the same time brought a letter to Sir Ralph Sadleir, also from the young monarch, thanking him for the earnest care and goodwill with which he had studied to preserve the amity between Elizabeth and himself, and begging him now to further the Abbot's mission. This letter is a proof (if, indeed, one were wanted) of the powerful influence Sadleir still exercised in State a Hairs. I give a literatim copy of it below. t Hut, despite the ambassador's persuasions and her Minister's counsel, .Elizabeth gave no satisfactory response to the Abbot, and " on she went with her maiden smile/' in continuation of her progress. 'Twas true France threatened to re-occupy Scotland, anil take possession of the Low Countries, and then England would be almost at her mercy; * "The propositions of which lie was the bearer were more favourable than any English sovereign had ever extorted at the sword's point. 'The Xing' (for the message ran in his name) ' having assumed the ivins of Government in his own hands.' was prepared to ratify the Treaty i.f Leilh. to unite with Kngland in a defensive alliance against the malice of the Pope and his friends, to be the enemy of Kngland's enemies, of all foreign powers who sought to injure the Queen, and o! those among his own subjects who were lending themselves ID any such designs. On the oilier side, the Abbot explained the poverty of the Scotch treasury, 'flic Iving was unable to maintain his own State, far less to support Horder police. For the welfare of the two countries, for the sake of their friendship, for the maintenance of the common religion, and the support of the party who. through good and evil, had Mood firm to the Knglish alliance, the Abbot besought Elizabeth to deal liberally, and secure the King's gratitude. " l'Vf her to extend her favoiire toward us, and oure esiait in oure y. >unger aa-e : \ vt > cannot ..mil new by i.ure awin letter to let you understand how thanktull and good part we accept the .-nine. tru>liii_r ye will continue, as ye have worthelie done heretofore-, and be a gude meane unto our said ilearres! su-ter. uponn tiie hearing of our trust v and weill>elovi(- L'ounr-aLir Uoben (.'ommendamr of Dunl'ennling. our principal! Secret ar and Ambas^adoiuv. present ly direct it Imvai'il It r. to furtiier his dispalehe. (mlia being instnictit ot' our lovinf and all'eetiona! i-.iyn.li> tuwar.ls our -aid deare-L suster. and t.) tli-> conservation ,,f t!ie amytie In twix as he will mak you mail' speeialli to understan.l be spechc. \\'e lief the haill to his MiilicieiK-ie. i[uliiiH' we hartlie require you tu credite. An i thus e tvmmitt vou in tlie ;-.-..' ec; i"!! ,,[' (.;,!. At our C'astell i-t' Striviling iSt-'rliiigi. the f. .ur; ,.f Julii. ] ">7S. 208 LIFE AND TIMES OF but Elizabeth had recourse to her old expedient of extricating herself from a political dilemma. Her royal hand was still free, and now she stretched it out invitingly to Alencon,* the last of the French royal Dukes time having somewhat softened down the francophobia caused by the massacre of St. Bartholomew. Alencon was a princeling in search of a throne, and deeming it wiser and easier to become King of England by marriage than King of the Low Countries by fighting, grasped eagerly at Elizabeth's preferred hand. "Monsieur," as he was usually called, was small, pockmarked, and only half Elizabeth's age; nevertheless the Queen appeared more in earnest than on any former occasion, and though she called Alengon her frog, declared she had never seen a man who pleased her so well.t The negotiations and courtship went on for a couple of years ; at length, one November morning in 1581, as Monsieur plied his suit after the approved fashion, in presence of Leicester, Walsingham, and the French ambassadors, the Queen kissed him, and placing a ring on his finger, announced her intention of marrying him ; but a reaction in favour of the objections urged against the match soon followed, and telling her too-patient suitor she had changed her mind, she broke otf the treaty altogether: " All the Queen's wisest Counsellors, and what was hardly of less consequence her most favoured courtiers, opposed the French match with vigour. Leicester, Hatton, Walsingham, Sir Philip Sidney joined in remonstrances, and at length induced the Queen, after much painful irresolution, to sacrifice her dreams of connubial felicity to her usual political prudence. The wholesome arguments by which this change of opinion was at length wrought in her mind are well detailed in the following speech of Sir Balph Sadleir": j " First. To begin with God's cause, which is the matter of religion, it is to be considered that Her Majesty, being- principally noted to be the chief patroness and protection of the Gospel and true religion at this day, and Monsieur specially noted, reputed, and taken to be mere contrary, it will breed no little discredit to Her Majesty with all the princes iu Christendom to match herself in marriage with a papistical prince, being so contrary to Her Highness as lie is in religion. " Also, it cannot but breed not only great hindrance to the good success of the Gospel in all parts of Christendom, but also will breed dangerous factions and parties amongst ourselves here at home ; for that our Papists, bein"' already too bold, will conceive and take a great deal more boldness and * More properly Anjou, as he succeeded to that Duchy on the accession of h to the throuu (1571). f Thi-re was probably some spleen in the remark, for Elizabeth had heard a short time previously that both Leicester and Hattou were privately married. J Sir Walter Scott. Xotc iu Sadler State Papers. SIR RALPH SADLEJR. 209 courage by this marriage (whereof what inconvenience will ensue God knoweth). It may be boldly affirmed that Her Majesty's sister, the late Queen Mary, would not have been moved nor induced to marry with a Protestant prince to have been lady and sovereign of ten kingdoms. "Again. If God should take Her Majesty from us in the lifetime of Monsieur as all princes be mortal as well as others then the Queen of Scots being here within the realm, hoping to succeed Her Majesty, who could be a fitter instrument for her to set her up, or a fitter match for her in marriage than Monsieur, which would be no hard matter for him to bring to pass by the help and aid of our Papists, which indeed do hope for such a day, and also witlvsuch foreign aid as he might procure out of France and otherwise? And so should this realm be governed by a French man and by a Scottish woman, and all our English turned into French and Scottish; and, what worse is, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and true religion should be quite and clear abolished, and all Popery, superstition, and idolatry again restored and set up, as well or worse then as ever it was. The Lord inspire Her Majesty with His Holy Spirit, and give her grace to beware of all Papists ! " Secondly. The union of the two crowns of France and England, which may ensue of this marriage, is a principal matter to be thought on ; as if Monsiev.r be King of France, which he looketh for daily, and have issue a son by Her "Majesty, it must then follow by good probability that both the crowns shall devolve and come to that issue ; and so, because France is the more ample and richer kingdom, this noble realm of England, which these many hundred, yea thousands of years hath been an ancient and royal kingdom and a monarchy of itself, shall become vassal, thrall and subject to the Crown of France ; whereof what may be said hereafter and written in histories to the no little infamy and touch in honour of the noble line of that noble and famous Prince, Henry VIII., it may grieve all true Englishmen to think of it that is, that King Henry's son, in the time of his reign, being in his minority and tender years, was, by means of great rebellion and other troubles in the realm, enforced to render and give up to the French the town of Boulogne, which the King, his father, of famous memory, King Henry VIII., did conquer and win with the travail of his own person a little before he died. Also that Queen Mary, in the time of her reign, by her marriage with Philip, King of Sp.'in, was by him and for his cause moved and induced to enter into the wars with France, whereby she lost the town of Calais, which her noble progenitors won and kept with ijre;it honour almost three hundred years. But Queen Elizabeth, in the time of her reign, by her marriage with Monsieur, heir-apparent to the Crown of France, lost all England, and brought the same into thraldom and subjection to the Crown of France. This will be said, and also written in hi-tory, to remain a matter of record for ever. " Truly these two threat causes, religion and the union of these two crowns, are -ueh, and so many great inconveniences, perils, and dangers do depend upon the same, as in mine opinion ought to move all true Englishmen to mislike of this marnaire. " 1'hirdly. If the French Kinir do die who, by reason of his infirmity and unsoundness of his body is not like to continue long, as it is thought then Monsieur, succeeding to his place, must needs make his residence and 07 210 LIFE AND TIMES OF abode in France ; so that Her Majesty shall either want the fruition of his company and presence, or else must go with him into France, to the great grief and discomfort of all her true and faithful subjects. And in what government the realm may be left in that case, I leave to the consideration of wiser men. " Fourthly. The inequality of years between Her Majesty and Monsieur is, in mine opinion, a matter to move some misliking of this marriage ; he being a very young prince, and Her Majesty of such years as, by the natural course of the same, Her Majesty might be his mother. Now, whether such marriages be godly and acceptable in the sight of God, I am not to dispute ; but sure am I that when this young prince shall be in his best and nourishing age, Her Majesty must needs be so far grown in years, and what misliking may grow thereof, and what matter of unkindness it may breed, it is now to be thought on, lest hereafter, when it is more fitter for Her Majesty to live in her older years in most quietness, it fall out otherwise to her great un- quietness and grief of mind, and to the no little regret and discomfort of all that love Her Majesty. Example we have of the marriage between Her Highness's sister, the late Queen Mary, and King Philip, whose unkind dealing, even in the like case, was a great cause of shortening her days. " Fifthly. What hope we may have of the fruit of this marriage of issue of Her Highness. Indeed, although we are not utterly to despair of it, yet can we not be in so great hope of it now as when Her Majesty was of younger years, and a great deal more fit to marry than she is now. Indeed, I am so jealous of Her Highness's person that I dare not give her advice to marry at these years ; for that we have it in common experience that when maidens do in their younger years forbear marriage until they be grown in years, as Her Majesty now is, commonly either they have no issue, or if they have, the birth of it is so dangerous that few or none escape it. For my part, I am so jealous of her person that I would not like to see her within the compass of that danger. And therefore, since Her Majesty, in all the time of her younger years, could never be affected to marriage, though greatly urged and pressed thereto a thing most wished for and prayed for by all her good and loving subjects, and yet could never be obtained of Her Majesty by anv means, it is to be thought thai Her Maj-Jsty now. in her elder years, cannot be greatly affected to marry. "Lastly. There is another cause of inconvenience depending upon this marriage ; and that is that the aiiie is universally misliked of throughout the realm which is a matter not be neglected ; for in mine opinion it is not good to do things to the general discontentment of the whole realm/' I cannot say for a certainty where or when this patriotic ami Pro- testant speech* was delivered, but it was probably at the meeting- of the Council on the 2nd of October, 1579, at Greenwich, at which Sadleir * Sir Kalph Sadleir deserves credii for expressing himself so boldly ; for about th.-- same time John Stubbs lost bis hand for writing a pamphlet against the marriage, and Sir Philip Sidnev incurred the Queen's displeasure for publishing arguments similar to Snrllfir's. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 211 was present and the Alencon marriage was discussed.* At all events, it was plain spoken, and, considering Elizabeth's character, very clever in the way it touched all the points on which she was jealous or sensitive her sister Mary's stronger mind, the Queen of Scots' pretensions, her husband's inconstancy, her personal danger, the vassalage of England to France. But though the Queen's coquetting with Alencon prevented the French from overtly interfering in Scotch affairs, they secretly worked out their ends, fostering their own party by money, and spreading dissension amongst the Protestants by means of Jesuits a fraternity now becoming known for the first time by its subtle conduct. The well known Dr. Nicholas Sandersf had already stirred up rebellion in Ireland, and in 1580 Esme Stuart Count D'Aubigne, another disciple of the Jesuits, came to Scotland to advance the Papist cause by different means, however. D'Aubigne was a member of the Lennox family, and hence a cousin of the King's, who had been brought up in France ; and under pretence of recovering the Lennox estates in Scotland,, he made his appearance at the Scotch Court, and by his cunning and address soon ingratiated himself into the voung King's O O v O O favour and obtained a great influence over him. All the Papist and Mary Stuart faction gave him their support ; and having gained the power he aimed at, he resolved to use it for the cause he cherished. ifis first act was to accuse Morton, the head of the Protestants, of the murder of Darnley, the King's father. Morton at first thought little of the charge, as he was not present at Darnley's death, and he had, moreover, great confidence in James's friendship for him ; but he was soon undeceived the King ordered a trial. Witnesses were procured to s\vear Morton was accessory to the act. lie was tried and found guilty on the 1st of June, 158 1, and beheaded next day. By the death of Morton the English lost their best friend in Scotland, and Elizabeth now be^an to taste the bitter fruits of abandoning him C; O and his party. French influence again became supreme in Scotland. The English Papists took courage. Mary Stuart's cause revived, and in the course of the next couple of years fresh conspiracies were set on foot for the invasion of England, the assassination of Elizabeth, and the succession of the Queen of Scots to the English throne. But accain v O O the sagacity of the Council and tin: vigilance of WalsinghamJ rose to ' Jtt.vor.l-. of i in 1 Privy Council. t The author of " SchUm in the Kn^ii-di (.'liuivh' 1 ;i lou a^iins! the Reformer* (see j>. L",.) IK- di.-d in Ireland. 15S1. sir Fr.ineis Walsin^h mi wa* 1'orn in l.ViiJ. at Chisellmrt , in Kent, lie was < dueated at Cambridge. "UVo employed liy Klixab-.-th a- ain'-as>ador to France. In 1573 he w;\s appointed Secretary ut' State and knighted. He \va- a Puritan, and a friend of sir Ralph ^adleir'--. whom lie succeeded as Chancellor ot'tue Diieliv of Lancaster. 212 LIFE AND TIMES OF the occasion. In November, 1583, just as a great plot with the above objects was ripe for execution, Francis Trogmorton, the principal agent, was arrested, and when put on the rack made a fall confession implicating several Jesuit priests and Catholic noblemen, the Pope, Mendoza, the Spanish ambassador, the Duke of Guise, and last, but not least, Mary Stuart. SIR RALPH SADLEIK. 213 CHAPTER XXIII. SADLEIR TAKES CHARGE OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS. (1681-5.) .Francis Troginorton* and seven Jesuit priests were hanged (January, 1584), the Earls of Northumberland and Arundel were sent to the Tower, Don Benardino Mendoza (the Spanish ambassador) was ex- pelled the country, while, as a further piece of retaliative defiance to Philip, Elizabeth promised to aid the Prince of Orange and the Protestants of the Low Countries in their endeavours to throw off the Spanish yoke. Open war with Spain became only a question of time.f Mary Stuart the mainspring of the conspiracy escaped with a warning; but Shrewsbury received orders to watch her more strictly, and curtail the comparative liberty which she had been allowed to enjoy at Sheffield Castle for several years previously. Elizabeth again encouraged the Protestant faction in Scotland ; the consequence of which was that Gowrie, Rothes, Angus, and several others, depending on substantial aid from England, undertook to seize the King and break up the Catholic ministry that surrounded him. They seized on Stirling Castle as a first step ; but the Earl of Arran collected a force, and, inarching against them before the expected aid arrived, forced the leaders to fly across the Border, and the followers to scatter without a prospect of reunion (April, 1584-). The defeat of the Protestant lords was a victory for the Queen of Scots; for it was her partisans principally who surrounded the Court and supported the throne of the King, her son. lie himself evidenced a dispo.-itiou to favour her cause, so far as it would not interfere with his own; that is to say, he would gladly see her at liberty, provided she would not take the crown from his brow, or meddle with his royal privileges. Indeed, Mary Stuart's influence in Scotland had never been so powerful since her deposition as now, and the English Government seriously considered the advisability of coming to terms with her. Tiv_;m"ru>n's In-other ami l.'tr 1 1'a^et ui' Beaudesert wore amongst those conspiritori oii<. eseapi i to the (.vutinciit. \\here th.'v received pensions from Mary Stuart. t In the course of ihe next \ear. an Kn^lish armv lauded in Uol.and, and Drake plun- dered ihe rich settlements of the Spaniards in the West Indies ; but it was not till 1563 'hat the would-be-invincible uruiiula tailed to Eny;laud. 214 LIFE AND TIMES OP James VI. of Scotland (since better known as James I. of England) was at this time eighteen years of age a vulgar, conceited, and ungainly youth, but quite alive to his own interests, and sufficiently clever and energetic to make him a valuable ally or a formidable opponent. The English Council would fain ensure his goodwill, but could not tell whether it could be better ensured through his mother's influence or by a direct appeal to his own selfish interests ; for the King of Scots was a " canny " young man, and had learned to keep his private opinions to himself. As for his captive mother, she was still as keen as ever on her restoration to liberty and power, and though the late conspiracy proved a failure, she regarded the success of her party in Scotland as the first gleam of the sun which was at last to regild her destiny. Chafing under the greater restraint recently imposed on her, she made herself most disagreeable to the Earl of Shrewsbury, and he begged to be relieved of his charge. Once or twice before he had entreated the Queen to relieve him, but he was now driven desperate; for in addition to the trouble and annoyance his charge gave him, his Avife* falsely accused him of an adulterous intrigue with the Queen of Scots. Standing on his rights as a peer of the realm, he demanded an inves- tigation, t The Earl and Countess were thereupon summoned to London, to appear before the Council, and Elizabeth directed Sir Ralph Sadleir to proceed to Sheffield Castle and take charge of the Queen of Scots. Sommer an intelligent State agent previously employed in France was " appointed to attend upon and assist him in the said service" as Secretary; and the Queen, in her letter (12th of August, 158-1), assured Sir Ralph that "in regard as well of his long service as of his great years, she would have a care to ease him of a charge a? soon as conveniently may be."j ]N T o Avonder that the Queen had regard to Sir Ralph Sadleir 5 s "long service and great years." He was a Court official before Her Majesty was born, and was Principal Secretary of State forty years back ; he had dandled Mary Queen of Scots as a baby, and engaged her hand for Edward Prince of \\~ales ; he had turned the tide of battle at * " Elizabeth Uarclwick, 'the wicked and malicious wife,' as he himself terms her, of George Talbot. Earl of Shrewsbury. She was proud, furious, selfish, and unfeeling. Some- times she herself intrigued with Mary, sometimes she accused her husband to Elizabeth of doing so in every sense of the word." Sir Walter Scoff. f The result of the investigation on this occasion was that the Countess admitted to the Council she had made a false accusation. Shrewsbury was acquitted of the charge, aiid received a military command from Elizabeth. Queen Mary expressed her indignation to Sir 'Ralph Sadleir with Lady Shrewsbury for her defamatory ivjiurls. Sadler State Papers, Vol. I]., p. 'SsO. In 15SO, and again in 15s3. arrangement^ weiv made to lodge the Queen of Scots at Ashby-de-la-Zouche and Melboum Castle, under tlu guardianship of Sir Enlph Sadleir: but they were not carried out. ftlTl T7ALPTT S.ADT.EIR. 215 Pinkie Cleugh ; he had chased the rebel Ket from Norwich ; he had helped to suppress the rising in the north; over and over again he had solved the vexed question of Scotch politics to England's advan- tage. For flftv years, in short, he had been a wise Counsellor and an active Minister of the State ; and when we recall to mind his pro- digious industry and ability ho\v '' he could not endure losing any hour of the morning between four o'clock and ten ; how his nights were devoted to contemplation and his days to action; how quick and clear were his thoughts, speedy and resolute his performances;"* we may perhaps form an idea of his numerous and important services to the State during the most eventful half-century of its history. But all this was not enough to ensure him repose in his old age. The Queen now called upon him, iu the seventy-eighth year of his age, to undertake the important but anxious duty of taking charge of Mary Queen of Scots. '' Far liefer bail he, in his country hall, l!''i'n reading some old book, with his old hound Couched at In*? hearth, and his old flask of wine Befide him."t And yet he was far from being an idle member of the State. His intellect was as clear as ever, he still took an active part at the Council Board, and he attended with good purpose to his duties as Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire. \\ ritiiiLf from Standon on the 'ord of March (15^1), he informed the Council that he had mustered the county militia, and had "two thousand men levied and furnished with armour and weapons, to counteract the daily and monstrous practices of the Papists. " + The letters and documents relating to the Queen of Scots, while under his charge, form the most interesting series in his collection of State Papers. They are one hundred and nine in number, and extend over a period of eight months. Thev throw light not only on the great political quc-^ions of the dav ; wo can gather from them also peculiar characteristics of the two Queens, Court gossip, particulars of .Mary Siuarl's every-day life, the current prices of provisions, fcc. I camioi do justice to their contents in the few pa^vs to which the remainder of this chapter inn--! be limited; the reader should study them for himself. On Tuesday, the ISth of August (15s 1) Sir Ralph Sadleir^laried cm horseback from Standon. I!.' was attended bv fii'tv :i. f Queen Mary had two Secretaries Is'au for French affairs, and Curie for Scotch rather representative men of their respective nations ; Curie, the Scotchman, being ''nothing so readv nor quick-spirited a-* Nan. yet having a shrewd melancholy nit.'* On a sub< querit occasion. Mary Stuart desired to send Curie rather tlrm Xau in'o Scotland, beeau-e he was more secret and sure to her. and would. ] reover, " g-. r li^htlier bv p'.st. with small >hew. and not with Mich parado as Nan would <'<<>. for hi> reputation (example his costly voyage to the Queen's Majesty).'' .Nau was Physician as well as Secretary. 218 LIFE AND TIMES OP But while Nau's mission was in progress, papers indicating fresh treason were found on one Crichton, a Scotch Jesuit; and about the same time, Curie (Mary Stuart's other Secretary) was discovered carrying on a suspicious correspondence with Baldwin one of the men whom Lord Shrewsbury had left at Wingfield. The conse- quences were that Nau's treaty was broken off, and the nobility and gentry entered into a solemn association, and "took their oath upon the holy Evangelists" to preserve Elizabeth's life and crown from all assassins and claimants; while Sadleir again pointed out the weakness of Wingfield, and recommended the removal of the Queen of Scots to Tutbury Castle, which he suggested could be fitted up for her recep- tion with the furniture of Beaudesert the seat of the fugitive Paget, and which was now in charge of the Sheriff of Staffordshire. Meanwhile, the aged knight importuned the Queen in many letters to relieve him from his onerous charge, pleading his old age and infirmity. His son Henry paid him a visit in October, and went to Couri to plead his cause. " I have," wrote Walsingham, "not been unmindful to put Her Majesty in mind of her promise made unto you that you should not long be continued in that charge. I have acquainted her, upon the report of Mr. Henry Sadleir, with the coldness of that country, and of the foulness thereof of the situation (Wingfield), whereby you are debarred of your wonted exercise, which hath been the chief and principal preservation of your health, which, being accompanied with an extraordinary care in respect of the charge now committed to you, cannot but shorten your clavs. Her Majesty thereupon groweth to some resolution to take present order for your relief, for which I have received orders to send for the Lord St. John, to whom Her Majesty meaneth to commit the charge of that lady. It is also meant that direction shall be given to the Sheriff of Stafford- shire, who is presently in London, for the removal of Lord Paget's stuff to Tutbury ; there will also be somebody appointed for the making of the provisions of wine and beer. Wherein, if we go not so speedily forward as you look for, I pray you to remember there is nothing so rare here as resolution ; wherewith if you were not acquainted, you might condemn your friends of uninindfulness and lack of care of you/'*' Queen Elizabeth's well-known habit of breaking her promise, and her want of resolution, were, as Sir Francis Wulsingham anticipated, again exhibited on this occasion. Tutbury Castle was not put in readiness before the following January, and Sir Ralph Sadleir had to endure the cold all the winter, for no Lord St. John came to his relief. Tutbury Castle, in Xorth Staffordshire, was perched on a round * Walsingham to Sadleir. Hampton Court. 25th of October, 158-1. Bin TJALPTI SADLEIR. 219 rock in the midst of a vast plain, through which the river Dove flowed, and separated the village from Derbyshire. The Castle covered an area of about three acres, enclosed within an embattled stone wall, and was altogether a place of considerable extent, as its magnificent ruins still attest.* Mary Queen of Scots did not at all relish the idea of going there. It removed her from the neighbour- hood of Sheffield, where she had resided for the last fifteen years, and made several friends; having, during the peaceful decade described in the last chapter, enjoyed considerable freedom being Lord Shrews- bury's guest rather than his prisoner. The associations of the place, too, gave rise to unpleasant reflections and surmises. It was from Tut bunt she was unceremoniously hurried awav when the rising; in i . * O the north broke forth. Kenihvorth (the Earl of Leicester's strong- hold) \\as within a forced night's ride; and Mary feared to trust her life to the unscrupulous favourite of Elizabeth and the erstwhile husband of the unfortunate Amy Ilobsart. The Queen of Scots, however, trusted Sir Ralph Sadleir; and though her son proved not to be so " wholly at her devotion" as she thought, and though Xan's treaty was broken off, she still hoped to come to terms with Elizabeth, and professing her willingness to comply with her "dearest sister's" pleasure, yielded to Sir Ralph's persuasions, and consented to her removal to Tutbury. In December Queen Elizabeth wrote to Sir Ralph Sadleir with her own hand, bidding him to "use old trust and new diligence," and promised again to release him shortly from his charge. Sir Ralph evident Iv did not depend much on her promise; for, in thanking his " most gracious Sovereign " for her kindness, he reiterates his request, adding, "so that now, in mine old days, for the short time I have to live in the world. 1 mav serve God and vour Majesty at mine own i \) >, home with such rest and quietness as my old years do require." lie was now anxious to remove to Tutbury as soon as possible, not onlv to withdraw Queen Mary altogether out of reach of her sym- pathising friends at Sheffield, but to have a more defensible abode and more reliable followers than \\ ingfield Castle and Shrewsbury's people afforded. The Karl, moreover, grumbled at still having to supply the establishment there with food; and Christmas did not pass without a fear of provisions coming short. Sir Itaipli's forty horses were not in a better plight than the human beings: corn was scarce in the neigh- bourhood, 'i\\ as impossible to procure straw, and he was obliged to use damp terns as litter, which gave all his horses coughs; whereas lit 1 was informed that ail Lord Paget's furniture had been put into Tutburv, that Mr. Cave had been sent from Court with 500, to put * Tu'lmrv 0;i = ili' \vu> drstri've 1 l>y tlic Ci'omwellijins. t Mary Stuart WPS removoil tr^ni Bolton Castle to Tutbury in 1563. 220 LIFE AND TIMES OP the Castle in good repair, and provide any extra fittings that might be required, while he himself laid in a good store of provisions and fuel. At Tutbury, too, food and forage could be procured at reasonable rates wheat being 20s. a quarter, oats 8s.; hay 13s. 4d. a load; a good fat ox could be bought for 4, and a score of sheep for 7 ; while beer could readily be procured from Burton, which was only five miles off, and even then famous for its ale.* Queen Mary was loath to leave Wingfield, and put off her departure from day to day, making a swollen foot a cause for delay. At length she agreed to go, and on the 13th of January the party set out for Tutburv. Mary travelled in one of the cumbrous coaches of the period, her lame foot resting on a pillow. Sir Ralph Sadleir and Sommer rode beside her coach, attended by the loyal gentryt of the neighbourhood with their retinue, together with SadleiYs soldiers and followers, to the number of about a hundred and fifty. The roads were bad, but Sir Ralph had taken the precaution to have them repaired as far as practicable, and even bridges built. The distance to be travelled was twenty-seven miles too much for one day so the party halted for the night at Derby. Queen Elizabeth afterwards censured Sadleir for going by that high road, and stopping in the town. He replied it was the only road possible for a coach, and there was no gentleman's house en route at which they could have stopped ; and further gave the following particulars of the sojourn at Derby, which are now very interesting : "Touching the information of a great personage, J delivered to him by some officious officer, that this Queen was offered to salute and kiss a multitude of townswomen, and of other speeches that is said she used to them, I do likewise assure, and Mr. Sommer will be sworn if need be, I going before her and he next behind her yea, before all the gentlemen of purpose, saving one that carried up her gown that her entertainment was this : In the little hall was the good wife, beincr O an ancient wid >w, named Mrs. Beaumont, with four oilier women, her neighbours. So soon as she knew who was her hostess, after she had made a beck to the rest of the women standing next to the door, she went to her and kissed her, and none other, saying that she was come thither to trouble her, and that she was also a widow, and therefore trusted that thev should agree well enough together, as thcv had no husbands to trouble them; and so went into the parlour on the same low Hour, and no stranger with her but the good wife and her sister. And there Mr. Sommer stayed until the Queen put oil' her upper * The name '' Alsop" occurs as that of a carrier in the locality. f (ioocl old names Cockayne, Zout-lie, Byron, Manners, and Curzon. t Probably the Earl of Leicester, who may have sent some spies from Keuilworth, SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 221 garment and took other things about her. And further, so soon as she was within her lodging, the gentleman porter stood at the door, to sull'er none to go into the house hut her own people, from their lodgings next adjoining. And then I appointed bailill's to cause a good \vateh of honest householders to he at. all the corners of the town and in the market-place; and eight to walk all night in the street where she lodged as myself, lying over against that lodging, can well testify, by the noise they made all night."* What a fine subject for an historical painting these details suggest! We can picture to ourselves the scene as it occurred in the quaint old town of Derbv on that winter afternoon, three hundred vears a^o : *- *> O The state coach drawn up at Mrs. Beaumont's porch ; the majestic dame limping into the little hall, and returning with Parisian empresse- tticnf the proferrcd courtesy of her venerable hostess; the armour- clad old knight courteously pointing out the way with his plumed helmet, and the obsequious page holding up the Ex-Queen's train with as much care and ceremony as if it were at Holyrood or the Louvre; the stalworth soldiers formed up in front outside; Lord Leicester's sleek minion prying round a corner, in the hope of hearing or seeing something to aid the invention of a tale for his master's too-greedy ear; a but ill-disguised priest, t whose rosarie peeps from beneath a military jerkin, stooping down in dangerous proximity to the heels of an officer's horse, in eagerness to obtain one glance at the blessed Mary on whom' the worldly hopes of his Church still centred themselves; in the background, the homely inhabitants, stretching from the doors and windows of their picturesquely-gabled dwellings, and ga/ing with excitement and surprise for Sir Ilalpll had kept his intended route a secret on the imposing and mysterious cavalcade. The party arrived at Tutbiiry Castle next day, and Sir Ralph was immediately inundated with complaints from the. Queen of Scots and her followers about the coldness of the house and the insufficiency of the furniture. .iolM) had no doubt been spent in repairing the exten- sive edifice, and Lord Paget's "household stuif" had been removed there; but nevertheless it appeared a cold and comfortless habitation after the Marl of Shrewsbury's well-appointed establishments at Sheffield and \VinuTield. The windows and doors were ill-litted; the best of L' 'I'd Paget's tapestry \\.\ \ been sold beforehand, and Queen Mary's two rooms were liuii!^ with coarse and common pieces quite uusuited to her rank; there we're no carpets ou the floor, and not even one pair of curtains in the dwelling, nor a second pair of sheets for any * S;i'lleir to I3ufL;hIi'v. Tutbury, oth uf February, l">81-5. f Hv the Act ot' Parliament which in omsrquem't' of Crichtou's conspiracy was passed tlio ^'oveuibei' previous, popish priests were forbidden to reuiaiu iu England. 222 LIFE AND TIMES OF of the beds ; the beds and pillows were deplorably deficient in feathers. Sir Ralph applied to Walsingham for tapestry for Mary's apart- ments, and Turkey rugs to place about her bed, while he procured from Lichfield and Coventry coverlets, blankets, "linen for more sheets for a change," and "4. cwt. of good sweet feathers." Queen Elizabeth wrote to him to say she " felt her honour touched" at the base way Tutbury had been furnished, and directed him to punish the offenders amongst the rest, the Sheriff of Staffordshire, who had sold Paget's best hangings. Her Majesty was considerate enough to append, in her own hand, " Your very loving Sovereign, Elizabeth R.," and concluded the letter by promising Sir Ralph that he should be " very speedily set at liberty to make your repair utito us, which as we know that you most earnestly desire, so shall we be most glad at the time of your access unto us, to make our acceptation appear unto you of your most painful and faithful service performed in this late charge."* Sir Ralph had still greater difficulty in obtaining a sufficient allow- ance of money to defray the expenses of the vast household over which he presided. The soldiers received eightpence a clay each, and found their own food ; but Mary Stuart and her people (numbering about fifty) and Sir Ralph and his staff and retinue had also to be provided with board. Queen Mary's dinner generally consisted of sixteen dishes, dressed in French fashion; her two Secretaries and the Master of her Household had "a mess of seven or eight dishes, of which their own servants had the reversion ;" while her whole party consumed five gallons of wine a day. "Her household charges and stable (comprehending therein lights, sauces, fruit, and other small courtesies in honour upon need )" were estimated at 5 a day.f Sir Ralph estimated the total expense of the whole household at .'3000 a year; but Elizabeth "misliked the charge/' and thought half the sum sufficient ! Altogether, the old knight felt unhappy and uncomfortable, and * Elizabeth to Sadlcir. Somerset House, 18th of February, 158o. f The stable expenses in summer were small, as all tin; horses in Tutbury Castle were < urned out to grass. An incident which grieved Queen Mary and must have annoyed Sadleir occurred soon after their arrival at Tutbury. It appears a young man who was an "obstinate papist" was confined in Tutbury, and hanged himself, because, it is staled, he was forcibly com- pelled to join in the Protestant services with Sir lialpli Sadleir's servants. ile wan probably a half-crazed fanatic; but I am constrained to own that Sir Kalph held that certain persons "who did not go to church, nor yet had our common prayers or service in their houses, but did nourish certain massing priests, should be induced to go to church according to the law, or else feel the smart of the same." There is no allusion, however, in his papers to this unhappy case of suicide. SIK RALPH 8ADLEIR. 223 earnestly wished to be book at Standon.* As a source of amusement he sent home for his hawks and falconers, and on some occasions allowed his royal captive to join in the sport; but some officious person misrepresented this to Queen Elizabeth, who directed Walsingham to remonstrate with Sir Ralph. The implied want of caution excited the indignation of the veteran statesman, and drew from him the following rather haughty reply : " To Mr. Secretary, " 22ml of March, 1585. "SlH, " AYhereas by your letters of the 3rd of March I understand that Her "Majesty is informed of the liberty that is permitted unto this Queen here to go abroad a hawking five or six miles from this Castle ; or in sort, as your said letters do purport, if it were true in all parts as it is informed, as I will not deny that part which is true, yet if it be not otherwise taken than I meant well iu the doing, I am sure it cannot be interpreted to be any great offence. The truth is, that when I came hither, finding this country commodious and meet for the sport which I have always delighted in, I sent home for my hawks and falconers, wherewith to pass this miserable life which I lead here; and when they came hither, I took the commodity of them sometimes here abroad, not far from this Castle; whereof this Queen hearing, earnestly entreated me that she might go abroad with me to see my hawks fly a pastime, indeed, which she had singular delight in; and I, thinking that it could not be, ill taken, assented unto her desire, and so hath she been abroad with me three or four times sometimes two miles, but not past three miles, when she was furthest from the Castle. And for her guard, when she was abroad, though I left the soldiers at home, with their halberts and arqnebnts, because they be footmen and cannot well toil on foot (the ways here being foul and deep), yet I had always forty or fifty of mine own servants and others on horseback, and some with pistols, which I knew to be a sufficient guard against any attempt that can be made here by any man upon the sudden for her cscape,f whereof I assure you I see no cause of fear, so long as this country remaiueth in such quietness as it is now. But if it were otherwise, and that any such force might be used or attempted in that behalf, as her well-wishers would desire, it is not twenty or thirty soldiers with their halberts and arquebuts, nor the small power that 1 have here, nor yet the strength of this Castle (which God knowctli chy rks tlii'i-e beiiiL,' Locally waited and destroyed, I can \\ell be contented for th' 1 better servk of I1 f .Moreover, th'' magistrates "kept watch and ward in tit places within ten miles of the Ca-tl''." Summer eniitirmed Sir Ralph's statement, adding hn\v grievously he took Her IMajr.-t v's e inerii of him: and further stated that "if anv danger had been offered, or doubt su>pceted. this Queen's, body should have first tasted of the gall." (^IS.. State Paper Oiliee.) 224 LIFE AND TIMES OP is very weak) that could defend us. And therefore, Sir, I have used my simple discretion in granting this Queen this liberty, the rather for that she thinketh herself by means of such comfortable words as of late she received from Her Majesty by Nau to stand now in better terms and to be in better grace with Her Majesty than she hath been heretofore. Wherein I thought I did well, but since it is not so well taken, I would to God some other had the charge that would use it with more discretion than I can ; for I assure you I am so weary of it, that if it were not more for that I would do nothing that would oifend Her Majesty, than for fear of punishment, I would come home and yield myself to be a prisoner in the Tower all the days of my life, rather than I would attend any longer here upon this charge. And if I had known, when I came from home, I should have tarried here so long, contrary to all promises made unto me, I would have refused, as others do,* and have yielded to any punishment rather than I would have accepted this charge ; for a greater punishment cannot now be ministered unto me than to force me to remain here in this sort being more meet now, in my old and later days, to rest at home, to prepare myself to leave and go out of the miseries and afflictions whereunto we are subject in this life, and to seek the ever- lasting qitietness of the life to come, which the Lord Almighty grant to us when it shall be his good pleasure !f And if it might light on me to-morrow I would think myself most happy ; for I assure you I am weary of this life, and the rather for that I see that things well meant by me are not so well taken. But now I trust Her Majesty will deliver me of this burden, and lay it upon one that can better bear it and more wisely discharge it ; though in duty and goodwill thereunto I will compare with all men." In another letter, -written on the 5th of April, Sir Ralph besought, "down in the bowels of our Lord Jesus Christ," his old friend BurghleyJ to continue his solicitation with the Queen for his deliver- ance; and Her Majesty was at last touched by the justice of the demand. Lord St. John suffered from "afflictions happened to his body and mind/' and was unable to take charge of Mary Stuart; but Sir Amyas Paulet a Privy Counsellor, and recently ambassador in France accepted the post, and at length, on the 17th of April, Sir Kalph Saclleir was relieved, and he bid his royal ward farewell. But the Queen of Scots and the considerate old knight were des- tined to meet once more at this side of the crrave ! * Lord St. John refused at first, and only assented when the Queen threatened him. He at last escaped through illness. f 1 Sir Ralph bore in mind that his death could not be many years distant. Vt'riting to Burghley on the 25th of the previous January, he says : " The departure of my old acquaintance, the Earl of Lincoln, putteth elder folk in remembrance to pass that pace; which maketh me the more desire to be in another place, to have yet some comfort among them whom God has blessed me withall to be as staves for my old days." The death of the gallant Clinton must have brought back to Sir Ralph's mind thrilling memories of Pinkie Cleugh and " the rising in the north/' as well as many a moving accident bv flood and field in which he and his " old acquaintance " had been associated. t The name is frequently written Burleigh, but Burgaley is more correct. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 225 CHAPTER XXIV. THE TRIAL AND EXECUTION OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS. (1585-7.) Fortunate it was for Sir Ralph Sadleir that he was allowed to return even when he did to Standon, " to have yet some comfort among those whom God had blessed him with as staves for his old days/'* Even before lie left Tutbury, Mary Queen of Scots kept up a clandestine correspondence with her partisans in France and Scotland, though Sir Ralph did all in his power "to keep her more privately from intelligences;" and during the ensuing summer (L585) the guardian- ship of the captive Queen became a still greater source of anxiety and annoyance to her warden. It did not improve her temper to learn that her son, from whom she expected so much, had thrown her over, and was about to enter into a treaty with Elizabeth. Every day seemed to add to her misfortunes. By the reaction of public feeling then so variable in Scotland the Earl of Arran and the remainder of her party who surrounded the young King became very unpopular, and the Protestant lords, who had been refugees in England since the pre- ceding year, beheld their cause once more in the ascendant. By a preconcerted arrangement with their friends in Scotland, they re-crossed the Border in October, and finding themselves at the head of a strong- force, they at once proceeded to Stirling. Arran fled for his life, but the Castle fell into their hands, and with it the King, who had in vain attempted to escape. The Protestant nobles used their power with moderation. They soon informed James they were prepared to support and obey him, if he would be guided by their advice. Elizabeth took the opportunity of concluding the long-talkcd-of treaty on firm grounds; its due observance by James being ensured by a pension of 5000 a year out of the English Treasurv. The truth of Sir Ralph Sadleir's dictum that, " with Scotland friendly, England need not can for France or Spain," \\as now forcibly illus- trated. During the year, Elizabeth had sent troops into the Eow Countries to help the Dutch to throw oil' the Spanish yoke; and Philip, in return, 226 LIFE AND TIMES OP had joined with the Duke of Guise and the English Catholic leaders in a project for the invasion of England. Mary Stuart gave all her influence to the movement, and, in spite of Paulet's vigilant care, contrived to carry on a treasonable correspondence with her friends at home and abroad. The English Council, like war horses, scented the battle from afar. Bodies of men were drilled in all the towns and villages, and the country was not unprepared for invasion. The favourable turn of affairs in Scotland now put the Government at their ease. The Spanish " enterprise against England " fell to the ground, the Catholic party at home collapsed, and Mary Stuart's deferred hope of being rescued and recrowned made her heart-sick. She vented her anger on her warden " and," wrote Sir Amyas, " she is no niggard of bitter words when moved with passion." Hating the restraint of Tutbury's battlemented wall, she complained of its ill-effect on her health, and saying she " would die there in her bad lodging," requested to be removed elsewhere. To Paulet's sur- prise, he was directed to remove her from that stronghold to Chartley a residence of Lord Essex', twelve miles off and there accordingly the new year (L5S6) found her. The promptness with which her request was so readily complied with is thus explained. The wily Walsingharn, on whom, as Secretary of State, the duty of detecting treason devolved, had established a regular system of secret agents let us call them spies who kept him well informed of everything going on, not only in Catholic circles at home, but in foreign Councils. It is said that even a member of the Sacred College at Rome was in his pay, and dis- closed to him the secrets of the Vatican. He thus knew of, though he could not prevent, Mary Stuart's constant and mischievous plotting with her party, and he determined to meet her and beat her with her own treacherous weapons. To this end he sought for a traitor in the Romish camp, and found him in the person of Gilbert Gifford a young man of a good Catholic family, who was bred up a Jesuit, and whose father's residence adjoined Chartley. Gifford had the confidence of the Papist party, and he found means to introduce himself as a trustworthy person to the Queen of Scots, who Avas looking out for some safe and secret channel of communica- tion with her friends. Chartley, like Tutbury, received its supply of beer from Burton; a barrel of the best brewed being specially furnished for the principal members* of the Queen of Scots' household. Soon Nan got a mysterious hint from Gilford to examine the contents of this cask very carefully, while Paulet received instructions from Walsingham not to be too strict in inspecting the Burton barrels. The result was that Nau discovered a water-tight box in the beer, con- taining a letter for the Queen of Scots; and, in process of time, * Ten in number. (Sec footnote, p. 210.) 8IE RALPH SADLEIK. 227 Gifford withdrew from the empty barrel Mary Stuart's reply, which he promptly sent on to its destination, but not before he had deciphered a true copy of it for Walsingham j and thus a regular post was estab- lished, by means of which Mary and her party hatched a plot and Walsingham discovered it. It is altogether an ugly story of English statesmanship, and I cannot say it was justified by the age or circum- stances; for that particular plot would hardly have been set on foot had not the trap been so temptingly laid for it. It is, however, some gratification to learn that the counterplot was a secret confined to Elizabeth, Walsingham, Paulet (who did not like it), Gifford, and the Burton carrier, who was represented in cipher as " the honest man " an appellation he scarcely deserved, for he took advantage of the important occasion to charge a most exorbitant price for his beer. As summer advanced the plot thickened, the correspondence assumed a decided treasonable hue, Walsingham quivered with excitement, and Mary Stuart's health waxed stronger with her hopes, and she was again able to " handle a cross-bow for killing a deer, and gallop after the hounds on horseback." In July the beer barrel conveyed to her a letter from Antony Babington a young Catholic gentlemen whom she had attached to her cause when he was one of Lord Shrewsbury's pages at Sheffield Castle ; and a few days afterwards Walsingham received through the same channel a copy of her reply, the original of which was carefully forwarded to Babington. Babington apprised his "most mighty sovereign lady and queen" of a new plot for the invasion of England, the rescue of herself, and the assassination of Elizabeth. The Duke of Parma was to lead the invaders. Babington himself, with "ten gentlemen of quality, and a hundred followers, undertook the delivery of her person from the hands of her enemies ; while for the despatch of the usurper, there were six noble gentlemen ready for the tragical execution." Mary, in her reply, thanked "her trusty and well-beloved" for his zeal, recommended the Catholics of every shire to arm, and thus con- tinued : " When all is ready, the six gentlemen must be set to work, and you will provide that on their design being accomplished, I may be rescued from this place, and be in safe keeping till our friends arrive. There arc three ways in which my escape maybe managed: The first, that on a certain day appointed for my going abroad on horseback, on the moors between this and Stafford, where ordinarily you know but few people do pass, let fifty or three-score horsemen, well mounted and armed, come to take me away, as they may easily, my keeper having with him but eighteen or twenty horse, armed only with pistols.* "The second means, to come at midnight, or soon after, and set fire * This method reminds one of her forcible (f abduction bv Botlnvel! ! 228 LIFE AND TIMES OF on the barns and stables which you know are near the house ; and whilst my guardian's servants shall come forth to the fire (your com- pany having duly on a mark whereby they may be known one from another), some of you may surprise the house, where I hope, with the few servants I have about me, I shall be able to give you correspondent aid. "And the third is, some there be that bring carts hither early in the morning ; three carts may be so prepared that, being in the midst of the great gate, the carts might fall down or overthrow, that thereupon you might come suddenly, and make yourselves masters of the house, and carry me suddenly away, as you might easily do before any number of soldiers who lodge in sundry places forth of this place, some half-a- mile and some a whole mile, could come to relieve. Fail not to burn this privately and quickly."* One of the prime movers in this new plot was Ballard, a Jesuit, who, disguised as an officer in a blue velvet jerkin and plumed cap, travelled about the country sounding and stimulating the Catholics. The "noble gentlemen" who had undertaken to murder Her Majesty, were all young enthusiastic men of family, and several of them had found favour at Court from their intended victim. Ballard, with the cunning of his order, proposed " taking away by poison, as most easy and less dangerous to the doer; but the gentlemen liked not this, and preferred to do it valorously in the garden or the park/'f Walsingham was soon in possession of their secret, and arrested Ballard, Babington, and the remainder early in August. Meanwhile, Mary Queen of Scots was enjoying a fooFs paradise at Chartley, looking forward to the future with hope, and ignorant of the fate of Babington and his companions. \Yalsingham had sufficient evidence against her already; but the Council, justly appreciating the importance attached to her person and cause, determined to leave no stone unturned which would tend to establish her guilt. One fine morning in August Paulet proposed a buck hunt at TixallJ Sir Walter Aston's place, near Stafford, and about nine miles from Chartley. Mary gladly assented, and took several of her people with her, including her two Secretaries, Xau and Curie. As they approached Tixall Park, a party of horse suddenly appeared in front. The captive Queen's heart beat high with hope surely it was Babington come to her rescue ! But a few moments undeceived her, when Sir Thomas Gorges rode up, and, touching his cap with courtly ceremony to Mary, presented the Queen's order for her removal to Tixall, and the arrest * The letter is given in extenso in '' State Trials," Vol. I., p. 1180. + Tyrrell's confession, MSS., Mar}- Queen of Scots. I Tixall is about three miles east of Stafford. The woods can be seen from the North- Western Railway. Sir Walter Aston's eldest son Walter (afterwards Lord Aston) married Sir Ralph Sadlcir's granddaughter Gertrude, of Standon, and his younger brother Edward married Anne Sadleir, of Temple^Dinsley another of Sir Ralph's granddaughter?. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 229 of her two Secretaries. She perceived at once the downfall of her cause, and in rage and disappointment at losing the game she was on the point of winning, she ordered her male attendants to draw their swords in her defence ; but resistance was palpably useless against such overwhelming odds. She was conducted toTixall, and Xau and Curie were taken straightway to London, while I'aulct galloped back to Chartley, and, breaking open her cabinets, took possession of all her papers and ciphers. After a fortnight's uncomfortable sojourn at Tixall, Mary was taken back to Chartley, and seeing that her apartments had been ransacked, she angrilv turned to J'aulet and exclaimed, " L have still two things which you cannot rob me of my English blood and the Catholic religion." In the middle of September, Ballard, Babington, and their accom- plices were tried for "conspiring to murder the Queen's most excellent Majesty ; secondly, to bring in foreign invasion; third! v, to deliver the Queen of Scots, and make her Queen; fourthly,, to sack the City of London ; fifthly, to rob and destroy all the wealthy sub- jects of the realm ; sixthly, to kill divers of the Privy Council as the Earl of Leicester, the Lord Treasurer, Mr. Secretary, Sir Kalph Sadleir, Sir Amyas Paulet ; seventhly, to set fire on ail the Queen's ships: eighthly, to cloy the great ordnance; ninthly, and lastlv, to subvert religion and the whole State of Government."* 'The unhappy wretches were found guilty, and executed next dav with appalling cruelty. t ; '-State Trials," Vol. I.. p. lll'L f One- cannot help feeling sympathy for some of these ill-fated young enthusiasts, and more especially fur l'hidi<>ek Titchbuiirne a member of (he old and well-known Hampshire family. Di-raeli, in his (Juriusjtie- ot' Literature." ijives a tuuehiu'j; loiter of farewell from Titehbournc to his youns* wit'.', as well as a copy of these linos, which he composed the nitjht bffi'iv his execution : My prime ut vuuth is hut a (Yost of cares. My fea.-t i 'f joy i-< liu: a di-h of pain. My (Tup of con is lint a ll.-lil <>f t ires. Aii'l all iny jjon ie> i- luit vain h. >pe of _M;U. Th-- day i< ll-'d. and yet I saw 1,0 MIU : And iviw I live. a'i 1 i;ow mv life i~ dim.- 1 Mv >prin^ i- ]>a-l. ind vr! ii hatli not sprung: Th'' fruit i> dead, an < yet the lenves are jrreon Mv VMiith is pa-', and yel 1 am h;i' y.'iin^: 1 >-n\' th.' \vii;-!d. a'i'1 v,-t T - a< n^t Seen: M v t liivsul I* cut, an 1 vet it is nut >pnn : And nnw f live, and !>-i\s" mv hi'i 1 is done! I .iMiLrhi fur d'ath. aivl found it in th-i \vumli ; 1 1" il.t fur lite, and yel it \v:i< a -h:i ie : ] (rude th-' _;r und, an 1 knew it \vu< my tumli. And nu\\- t die. and uuw 1 am hui made. The e-]a>s i- full, and yet mv i, r la-< i- ran ; \ud now 1 live, and uow LUV life is done " 230 LIFE ANT) TIMES OF Meanwhile, Mary Stuart's papers, including letters to her from several noblemen who openly pretended loyalty to Elizabeth, were examined by Commissioners in London, and verified the suspicions which the Government had long entertained against her as the main- spring of every revolutionary movement in the kingdom since she fled across the Border from Langside. Nan and Curie, brought face to face with their own minutes, had to admit the receipt of Babington's letter and the authenticity of Mary's reply. The chain of evidence was complete, and it was determined to try the Scottish Queen by a Commission of Peers, Privy Counsellors, and judges. To this end, it was desirable to remove her to a stronger and more convenient place than Chartley. Amongst other places the Tower was suggested, but Elizabeth " flatly refused " her consent. At length Fotheringay Castle, in Northamptonshire, was decided upon, and thither Sir Amyas Paulet removed his ward at the end of September. The Commissioners appointed to try the Queen of Scots comprised all the available peers, Protestant and Catholic (twenty-four in number*) some Privy Councillors of whom Sir Ealph Saclleir was one the Lord Chancellor (Bromley), and six judges, and the Attorney and Solicitor-General. These Commissioners, attended by the personal followers, amounting to about two thousand men, arrived at Fotheringay on the llth of October, and on the next day they assembled in the presence chamber of the Castle. " At the upper end of the chamber was placed a chair of state for the Queen of England, under a cloth of estate. Over against it, below, and more remote, near the transom or beam that ran cross the room, stood a chair for the Queen of Scots. At the walls, on both sides, were placed benches, upon which sat the peers in order of precedence. Nigh unto these sat the Knights of the Privy Council Sir James Crofts, Sir Christopher Hatton, Sir Francis Walsingham, Sir Ralph Sadleir, Sir "Walter Mildmay, and Sir Amyas Paulet. The judges and their clerks sat in the middle, between the two rows of peers, ^f Habited in her ordinary grey dress, the Queen of Scots entered the court at the time appointed. After some preliminary formalities, the Lord Chancellor briefly charged her with conspiring against the Queen and England. She denied the general charge, and stated that she came into England to crave aid which had been promised to her, and yet she was detained ever since in prison. She was no subject of the Queen's, but was herself an absolute sovereign, and not constrained to appear before the Commissioners or any court ; but she preferred to appear to refute any specific crimes laid to her charge. She was then formally accused of being accessory to Babington's conspiracy ; she * The whole EnjrHsh peerage hardly contained sixty members at this time. + '' State Trial*,'' Vol. I., p. 1171. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 231 denied it. A copy of hi3 ; ^IKTOUJIOII, f!i.' (\MI kin^di'in-i of Mn^land and Scotland \\vro united under Janus 1. a< Kinij. f A I'n!! ' I. <(.!! j-.(i, ii i df tin- inonunicnt will h,- found in tlio Appendix. J KHHt,, Tho wording for the most part is the snruo as in tho original? 236 LIFE AND TIMES OP complete description of Sir Ralph Sadleir on record in his " Memoirs of the Favourites and S transcribed therefrom : of the Favourites and Statesmen of England/' The following is " King Henry understood two things (1) a man, (2) a dish of meat ; and was seldom deceived in either. For a man, none was more complete than Sir Kalph Sadleir, who was at once a most exquisite writer and a most valiant and experienced soldier qualifications that seldom meet (so great is the distance between the sword and the pen, the coat of mail and the gown), yet divided this man and his time ; his nights being devoted to contemplation, and his days to action. Little was his body, but great his soul. Quick and clear were his thoughts, speedy and resolute his performances. It was he that could not endure the spending of that time in designing one action which might perform two, or that delay in performing two that miuht have designed twenty. A great estate he got honestly, and spent nobly, knowing that princes honour them most that have most, and people them only that employ most. Reward (said Sir Ralph, when he was offered a sum of money), should not empty the King's coffers, neither should riches be the pay of worth, which are merely the wages of labour. He that gives it, embaseth a man; he that takes it, vilih'eth himself ; who is so most rewarded is least, since honour hath lost the value of a reward, men have lost the merit of virtue, and both become mercenary men lusting rather after the wealth that buyeth, than after the qualities that deserve it. " Two things, he observed, broke treaties jealousy when princes are successful, and fear when they are unfortunate. Power that had need of none makes all confederacies, either when it is felt, or when it is feared, or when it is envied. " Three things Cato repented of (1) that he went by water when he might go by land ; (2) that he trusted a woman with a secret ; (3) that he had lost time. Two things Sir Ralph relented for; (1) that he had com- municated a secret to two ; (2) that he had lost any hour of the morning between four o'clock and ten. " He learned in King Henry the Eighth's time, as Cromwell's instrument, what he must advise in point of religion in Queen Elizabeth's time as an eminent Counsellors ; his maxim being this that zeal was the duty of a private breast, and moderation the interest of a publick state. The Protestants, Sir Ralph's conscience woidd have, in the commencement of Queen Elizabeth's reign, kept in hope; the Papist?, his prudence would not have cast into despair. " It was a maxim in that time, in another case, that France should not presume nor Spain be desperate. "He saw the interest of the State altered six times, and died an honest man; the crown put upon four heads, yet lie continued a faithful subject ; religion changed, as to the publick constitution of it. five times, yet lie kept the faith. " A Spartan one day boa-ted that his eouutrvmen had been often buried in Athens ; the Athenian replied, ' But we are most of us burn d at home.' So great was Sir Ralph's success in the northern wars, that many a Scotchman found his grave in Kngland ; so exact his conduct and wariness, that few Englishmen had theirs in Scotland the same ground giving them their coiliu SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 237 that (lid their cradle, and their birth that did their death. Our knight's two incomparable qualities were discipline and intelligence ; the last discovered him all the enemy's advantages, and the first gave them none. "His two main designs were (1) an interest by service, (2) an alliance with tlie nobility by marriage;* upon which two bottoms he raised himself to that pitch of honour and estate that time coidd not wear out, nor any alterations embellish ; he bequeathing to his worshipful posterity the blessing of heaven upon his integrity, the love of mankind for his worth, and (as Mr. Fuller saitii), a pardon granted him, when he attended my Lord Cromwell at Home, for the sins of his family for three immediate generations. f "llis last negotiation was that in Scotland, during the troubles there about Queen .Mary.J So searching and pcarcing he was, that no letter or adviso passed whereof lie had not a copy; so civil and obliging, that there was no party that had not a kindness for him ; so grave and solid, that he was present at all Counsels; so close and unseen, that his hand, though unseen, was in every motion of that State ; and so successful!, that he left the nobility so divided that they could not design anything upon the King, and the King so weak, that he could not cast oil' the Queen, and all so tottering, that they must depend on Queen Elizabeth. " Three things he bequeathed such as may have the honour to succeed him (1) all letters that concerned him since of years filed, (2) all occur- rences since he was capable of observation registered, (3) all expenses since he lived of himself booked, j " Kpaminondas was the first Grecian, and Sir Ralph Sadleir was one of the last Englishmen."! " He died," observes Sir Walter Scott, "rich, both in possessions and lineage. The extent of his lands obtained him the character of the richest commoner of England, and although Queen Elizabeth was as parsimonious in bestowing titles of nobilitylf as her successor was profuse, it is probable that Sir Ralph Sadleir might have obtained * I don't know en \vlial grounds this statement was made ; all of Sir Ralph's children married very well, socially speaking, luit none of them married a person of noble rank. t In classing th-> papal absolution with the blessing of heaven and the love of mankind, Llnvd evidentlv thought mure of it than Fuller, who says in reference to it. though, no use was made thereof, much mirth was made therewith.'' J I e;imi<>t find anv iveord of sir Ralph's having been actually in Scotland after the rising in the north, though there is no doubt he guided the policy of England towards Si'' ii land up to the las! y< ar of his life. Th public enjoys tli.' ['.'.<[ i.f tbi'se legacies by means of the Sadler State Papers. The l n< < nf th" second, as Nr waiter SIMM remarks, is a matter of deep regret. 'I'o nn I'T-'an 1 the meaning nf this seeminglv extravagant praise, it must be borne in mind ilia 1 I.!.>vd as d.->cn!'ing the " Statesmen and Favourites of Fngl.ind from the ]Jo. I'ornritinn in the lievol'Uion .'' and that, whereas Oliver Cromwell, and the other tlivat men nf I. l,,v j's ,jav. caused a civil war in Kn_:!ar.d, Sadleir was nne of t!,-s patriotic Statesmen wh'i had contributed s > much to the s | ibility and glory nf the nation by crushin_r intestine ivb'.-!!i'':i and ril'ecting the uninu with Scotland. " She mud-' only seven peer- in her k'lig reign, and at her death the peers of England did in.'! exceed threescore rtl'oguthei-. 238 LIFE AND TIMES OP that rank had he been desirous of aspiring to it. But from various minute circumstances in his State Papers, as well as from the uniform favour which he enjoyed during so many reigns, we are enabled to collect that the prudence of the statesman was greater than his ambition. In his negotiations nothing is more remarkable than the accuracy with which he calculates the means to be used in relation to the end to be obtained; and in pursuit of his fortune, he seems no less needfully to have proportioned his object to his capacity of gaining it with honour and safety."* According to the antiquary, Anthony a. Wood, Sir Ralph died possessed of twenty-three manors, several parsonages, and other great parcels of lands, dispersed in the several counties of Gloucester, Warwick, Bucks, Worcester, and Hertford. A genealogical account of his descendants, abridged from Sir Walter Scott's notes, and brought down to the present time, will be found in the Appendix. It will be sufficient to state here that Sir Ralph Sadleir had three sons viz. Sir Thomas (\vho succeeded him at Standon), Edward, of Temple Dinsley (also in Hertfordshire), and Henry of Everley, in Wiltshire. t * Memoir prefixed to the Sadler State Papers. f Henry VIII. gave Standon to Sir Ralph in the 36th year of his reign, and Temple Diusley in the 33rd. The village of Standon is a railway station 21 miles from London. Chauney's anil Cluttcrbuck's histories of Hertfordshire supply a good deal of information regarding Standon and Temple Dinsley, and the Sadleir family. The former contains a view of Standon manor house, as built by Sir Ralph, and as it remained till the middle of the last century, when, on the death of the fifth Lord Aston, it was sold with the manor and estates, and the family pictures and papers were removed to Tixall Hail in Staffordshire, which became the property of the Hon. Hugh Clifford on his marriage with Barbara, daughter and co-heiress of the said Lord Aston. In 1770 Standon was used as a hunting lodsrc, and after that it. became a "'popish seminary" for some years, until a Mr. Plumer bought the estate, and would nor all iw it to be used for such a purpose any longer. The house then gradually fell into ruin, only the part remaining which the farmer who tilled the land used a? bis dwelling. Quite recently, however (about Is72). the Duke of Wellington purchased the property, and has restored what remained of the old building with considerable skill and taste. The church of Standon has also been restored within thi' last few years, and contains some stained glass windows to recent members of the Sadleir family, as well as the renovated monument of their illustrious ancestor. Evorlev appears to have come to Henry Sadlcir on his. marriage with Mi-" Gilbert, as it is not mentioned in the "inquisition" mi Sir Ralph's property. Loeil chroniclers, probably confounding it with Stmdon. sav Sir Ralph's son eiiteriained Tamos I. here, OH his way from Scotland ! It is abou! !lv,' miles from TVw-y a station on tho irungerford and Uevi/es Railway. In the old dining room is a full-length portrait, about 1 ft. hiijh. of Sir Ralph Sadleir, with a hawk on bis hand, on an old panel, which was evidently removed there from suine oihrr po-i;';on. This is the only portrait of Sir Ralph Sadleir I know of, with the exception of a s-mall old print in my o\vn possession, by Gcrardus, in which be is also repre- sented as holding a hawk. According to the "Encyclopedia Tivitannica," 1S50 (article on hawking). ' : a person of rank scarcely stirred out without his hawk on his hand: and in old paintings this is the criterion of nobility." Tomlo Dinslev is fo ; tr miles south of Hitchen. The innnnr consisted of 1500 neves. SIK KALL'H .SADLEIi;. 230 Sir Thomas, who was twice Higli Sheriff of Hertfordshire, magnifi- cently entertained James I. at Standon for t\vo nights, when on his way from Scotland to be crowned King of the t'nited Kingdom, and thus to consummate that union of the t\vo nations which Sir Ralph had laboured for so long.* Sir Thomas left one son, Ralph, who was also Sheriff of Hertfordshire, lie married Anne Coke, daughter of Lord Lovall, and niece of the Countesses of Shrewsbury, Rutland, and Westmoreland. Ralph Sadleir died without issue in 1000, and the Standon estate, State Papers, and heir looms passed to his sister Gertrude's eldest son, Lord Aston of Tixall. Edward Sadleir, of Temple Dinsley, married the daughter and heiress of the distinguished soldier Sir Richard Leigh. His great grandson Edwin, of Temple Dinsley, was created a baronet by Charles II., soon after the Restoration probably in return for substantial sacrifices to the royal cause; for on the death of his son and successor, Sir Edwin Sadleir, t in 1700, an Act of Parliament was obtained to sell Temple Dinsley in order to liquidate his debts. Richard Sadleir, the second son of Edward, of Temple Dinsley, came in for his grandfather Sir Richard Leigh's property of Sop\vell at St. Albans. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Robert, whose only child and heiress married Saunders of Beechwoocl, in the same county, to whom the Sopwell estate consequently went, and thence passed to the Sebriglit family. Richard of Sopvvell's sixth son, Blount, had a son Thomas, who distinguished himself as an officer of Cromwell's army in Ireland; favoured, perhaps, by the ancestral associations which connected him with his great chief, he became "Adjutant" of the Irish Brigade in 1017, and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General. J He was also, at apers, Appendix, \V1. 11., p. o" 240 LIFE AND TIMES OF one time, Governor of Galway, and he obtained large tracts of land in the counties of Galway and Tipperary. He resided in the latter county, of which he became " Knight of the Shire/' and by royal permission changed the name of his estate there to Sopwell, in honour of the old home in England. A few generations afterwards, Sop well and the mass of General Sadleir' s Irish property passed through the female line to his descendants, Lords Charleville*" and Ashtown. A male and junior branch, however, still survives, the late head of which, Thomas Sadleir, Esq., was High Sheriff of the County Tipperary in 1858. t Had the great statesman been ennobled, like so many of his colleagues, his vast estates would probably have remained in the male line with the title, and the Sadleirs would now stand in the foremost rank of the nobility, along with the Seymours, Russells, Herberts, Cecils, Paulets, Pagets, and Sackvilles ; but, as it is, the male representatives of Sir Ralph have inherited but few acres, and though possessing a prouder pedigree than nine-tenths of the nobility, are struggling to retain their position amongst the gentry ; whilst the fame of their illustrious ancestor, transmitted from such a distance of time through a not exalted medium, has lost much of its original splendour. * The earldom of Cliarlcville is now extinct. t See Sadleir of Ballinderry, Burke's "Landed Gentry." SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 241 APPENDIX. I. DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT OF SIR EALPH SADLEIR IN STANDON CHURCH HERTFORDSHIRE. (Taken from the Sadler State Pajjers.) The monument is supported by two round pillars, with an arch in the middle, in which the following- inscription is placed : " This worthie knightein his youth was brought up with Thomas Cromwell, afterwards Lord Cromwell; and when he came to man's estate he became his Secretarie, by meanes whereof he did writ manie thiuges touching matters of State, and bv that meanes he in continuance of time was knowen to King Henrve the VI II., who, couccaving a i/ood opinion of him as a man meete to serve liim, tooke him from the Lord Cromwell, above the '26ih yeare of his raiiiiie, into his service, and above the 30 yeare of his raigne made him one of his Principal Secretaries. " The Kinge did most employe him in service towarde Scotland, whither he sente liim in diverse and sondrie jorneys, botlie in wane and peace ; in which service he behaved himself with such diligence and lideiite, and he ever came home in the Kinge's favour, and not unrewarded. He was of the Privie Conn-ell with King Henry the V11L; with King Ldward the VI. he was made Kniu'lil Banneret at Muskelborowe h'elde ; and in the 10th yeare of Queue Elizabeth he was made Chancellor of the Duehie of Lancaster, in whiche office he continued until his deal he. lie was a diliuente and tru-tye servante to hi-* prince, and faythtul to the State, and beloved in his conntrie. He died in the >Uth yeere of his a^e, A.u. 15S7, and in the 29th yeare of Queue Kli/abeih, and is here buried." Under this inscription is the effigy of a knight in armour, lying upon a piece of stone cut in the form of a mat, linger which is inscribed his motto. Jx'lou arc the etiigies of his three sous and four daughters kneeling. The monument is surmounted with his coat armorial, which by patent dated Feb. 4, 157~>, is the following: "He beareth Or., a L\on Rampant, parly per Fe>emi Lyon Rampant A/.ure. crowned with a J'ucal Coronet, Or. Motto, Si- r riw l)>-u Sajtere." At the toot of one of the pillars is the following inscription : " Ambitioni ho-tis, in conciUis apertns, tidelis regis famulus at scmpir amator patri.T virtute civvit." Xv ur the monument stood the standard which he took from the Kill!!' ot Scotland, armed with iron, and as high as a horseman's sword could reach, [feeep. lli.j 31 242 LIFE AND TIMES OP On a stone in the chancell of the church is the following description : Radelphus Sadleir titulam sortitus equestram Principibus tribus arcanis, e censibus unus Auspiciis sum Crornwelli deductus in aulam Henrici Oetavi quern secretarius omni OfEcio coluit Begique Gregiqur* fldelis Vexilarem equitem me Muscl ^-rgia vidit Edwardus Sextus Scotiam cum frangeret armis Ducam Lancastrensis sublime tribunal Cancellarius ascendi quod pondus honoris Elizabethan mean possuit diadema senectze Expleat natura sua et gloria partis Maturus facili decerpor ab arbore fructus Obiit An. Dorn. 1587, 29 Eliz" 1 ., etatis 80." Richard Vernon Sadleir, Esq., of Southampton, paid the following tribute at the tomb of his great ancestor : Verses on a visit to the Monument of Sir Ralph Sadleir, Knight Banneret, at Standon, in Hertfordshire. Spirit revered ! If aught beneath the sky Can for a moment's space engage thine eye ; If tender sympathies are felt above, And souls refined retain parental love : Listen, and with a smile of favour see Him, who descends by lineal birth from thee ! In pensive mood, with awful tread, I come To feed reflection at thy hallowed tomb. Though dormant lie the honours once our boast, Though much of wealth and much of fame be lost, Enougli of wealth remains, enough of fame, To save from dark obscurity our name. And when the strange vicissitudes I trace Which sunk to humbler life thy generous race ; "When the false pride of pedigree would rise, And wake ambition by its fruitless sighs, My conscious spirit bids me not repine At loss of treasures which were never mine, But raise the look of thankfulness to heaven, "Who, though withholding much, content has given. Rivers that flow full copious at the source, By time's strong hand impell'd, forsake their course ; But He, who rules the world with stronger hand, Can bid new fountains rise t'enrich the land. Oil ! if He wisdom give. I'll ne'er complain That others now possess thy wide domain. While in the vale of tei'iv 1 seek the road That leads through darkness to the blest abode Where all distinctions cease where sou and sire, Monarch and slave, to praise their God conspire. E. V. S. SfR 1,'ALT'TT S II. POST MORTEM "INQUISITION" ON SIR RALPH SADLEIR' s PROPERTY. (Translated and allreviatedfrom the Latin Original in the Record Office.) This indented inquisition taken at Hertford, in the aforesaid county, on Tuesday viz., on the 13th day of June, in the 2Dth year of our Mistress Elizabeth, by the (iracc of God Queen of England, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c., before \\ illiam Curie, gent., Escheator of our said Lady the Queen, rfn diem rlvvsll c,rtrentHm, to enquire after the death of the late Ralph Sadleir, Knight, mentioned in the aforesaid writt directed to the said Escheator, and annexed to this inquisition by the oaths of Thomas Parsons, Ksq., John Gybbes, Francis De la Wood, Thomas Brand, John Adams, &c. (20 in all with Escheator), good and lawful men in the aforesaid county, who say on their oaths that the aforesaid Ralph Sadleir, Knight, mentioned in the said writt, long before his decease was seized in his posses- sion as in Fee, and in the manor of Temple Dyousley, in the aforesaid county of Hertford, and Bedford, with all and singular its rights, members, and appurtenances belonging to the said manor, and being so seized by a certain fine in the courts of our said Mistress the Queen, before the justices at Westminster, on the 3rd of Hillary, in the 13th year of the reign of the Queen, levied between Creorge Horsey, Edward Eske, William Dodds, and Henry Conynsbyc, Esqrs., Plaintiffs, and the aforesaid Ralph Sadleir, Knight, Defendant, by the name of the manor of Temple Dyonsley, with its appurtenances, and of 20 messuages, 20 cottages, 50 Tofts, 40 gardens, 40 orchards, 1500 acres of land, 100 acres of meadow. 200 acres of pasture, 300 acres of wood, and 12 rent with their appurtenances in Temple Dyonsley, Kitchen "Walden, Regis Pollet, Offlye, and Gosmer, amongst other things for the fulfilling and by the formation of certain agreements con- tained and specified in certain indentures bearing date on the 25th day of October, in the 12th year of our said Mistress the Queen Elizabeth, between Richard Lee of Sopwell, in the county of Hertford, Knight, on the one part, and the aforesaid Ralph Sadleir, of Standon, Knight, of the second part, and Edward Sadleir, one of the sons of the said Ralph Sadleir, of the third part, for the considerations in the said indentures specified, recognised the aforesaid manor, tenements, and rents to be the riirht of George himself, as those things which the same George, Edward, \\illiam, and Henry held by the gift ot the aforesaid Kalph Sadleir, and these Lee remitted to them and quit, claim for himself and his heirs to the aforesaid George, Edward, William, and Henry, and the heirs of George him.-elf for ever, which fine was to the uses and interests contained and specified is the same indenture vir., to the use of the said Ralph Sadleir, Knight, for the term of his life, without impeachment of any wa>te, and after his death to the use of the said Edward, and Anne his wife, and the heirs of the said Kd\vard Sadleir lawfully begotten or to be begotten, and for want of such issue to the heirs of the said Ralph Sadleir for ever, as by the said fine and the aforesaid inden- 244 LIFE AND TIMES OF tures coming in evidence before the aforesaid jurors on the talcing the inquisition will more fully appear and be manifest, by virtue of which fine, and by the strength of a certain Act of Parliament for the transferring the uses of Lands and Tenements into possession, made and perfected in the 27th year (153fi) of our late King Henry VIII., the same Ralph Sadleir, Knight, was seized of the Manor of Temple Dyonsley aforesaid, and the other premises in his possession, and by free tenement for the term of his lite, and the aforesaid Edward Sadleir in his demesne as in Fee tail, which Edward indeed having issue, a certain Lee Sadleir, lawfully begotten on the body of the aforesaid Anne, died during the life of the said Ralph Sadleir, and the said Anne sur- vived the same Edward, and is yet a survivor in full life, and is now seized of Temple Dyonsley, in her desmesne, as of free tenement during her lifetime, and the same Lee is a survivor, and being in full life is seized of Temple Dyonsley aforesaid, as of Fee tail. And also the aforesaid jurors say on their oaths that the same Ralph Sadleir, Knight, before his decease, was likewise seized in his desmesne as of fee of, and in the manor of Standon, alias Stonden, with its appurtenances, and of the town Standon, or of that manor commonly called L e Burough de Standon, and of and in the manor of Plushes, with its appurtenances, &c., and of and in the Rectory and Church of Standon, with all Lmcls, glebes, tenths, and other commodities whatsoever belonging or appertaining to the said Rectory ai'd Church of Standon aforesaid, in the said county of Hertford, and of the advowsun and right of patronage of the vicarage and chinch of Standon, and oi and in the manor or capital messuage called Doos, or Dowas, with its appurtenances, and of and in the manor or capital messuage called L e Buckplace, or the Stone House, with its appurtenances, and ot and in certain lands and pastures called Stowefelde and Pondcroft, in Standon afore- said, and also of and in the manor of Temple Chelsyn, with its appurtenances in the said county of Hertford, and of all the lands, tenements, meadows, parks, pastures, woods, and hereditaments belonging to the said manors, rectories, and advowsons, and any of either of them in Standon, Brauithinge, Great Hadham, Little Hadham, Bunting-ford, King's Walden, Offhe, Preston, in the said county of Hertford ; and the same Ralph Sa Heir, Knigiit, being so seized of those premises just recited \i/.., Standon, Doos, Stowefeld, Stone House, Pond croft, Temple Chelsyn afterwards, to wit, on the 27th day of April, in the year of our Lord 1.". 84. in the year of the rei^n of our said Mistress Elizabeth now the 2()th, the aforesaid Ralph Sadleir made and declared his last will, in the writing and form following, to wit : " First, I will and bequeath unto my said dearly beloved son and heir, Thomas Sadleir, all my lordship, manor, and borough of Standon, with all and singular the appurtenances, in the county of Hertford, and my manor of Plashes and Doos, otherwise called Oouces, with ail their appurtenances, in the said county; mv parsonage and Rectory ol Standon, with their appurten- ances, and all my lands, tenements, and hereditaments of late by me purchased of Sir Edward Herbert, Knight, and also all other my lands and tenements in the parishes of Standon and Buntillgford, to have and to hold all m\ said manors, lordships, parsonage, lands, tenements, ke., to my said son Thomas, and to the heirs of his body lawfully begotten, and for lacke of SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 245 such heirs the remainder thereof to my son Henry, and to the heirs of his body lawfully begotten, and for lacke of such heirs to the right heirs of me, the said Sir Ralph, for ever. Also, I will and bequeath to ray said son Henry all that my manor of Temple Chelsyn, in the said county of Hertford, its appurtenances, &c., to have and to hold the same unto my said son Henry, and the heirs of his body lawfully begotten, and for lacke of such heirs the remainder thereof to my s' 1 . sou Thomas, and to the heirs of his body lawfully begotten, and (or the lacke of such heirs to the right heirs of me, the said Sir llalph, for ever." As will be more fully clear and apparent by the aforesaid will shown in evidence to the aforesaid jurors in the caption of this inquisition; and further the said jurors say upon their oaths that the said Sir llalph Sadleir, Knight, at the time of liis death was likewise seized in his desmesne as of fee of and in that whole college of Westbury-on-Trym, with all the manors appertaining to the same in the county of Gloster, to wit of an in the manor of Clifton, with all its apurtenances, of and in the manor of Aylemondestre with its appurtenances, with all lands, tenements, and appurtenances whatsoever to the same college or manors belonging or appertaining, and of an in the site of the late college of St. Laurence, near the city of Bristol, with its appurtenances and all and singular the lands, tene- ments, and hereditaments to the said late Hospital belonging or appertaining, and of and in the manor of Bishop Stoke, alias Stoke Episcopus, with its appurtenances, and of and in the manor of llenbury in Saltmarsh, otherwise called llenbury Saltmarsh, with its appurtenances, and of and in the Hundred Liberties and Franchise's of llenbury aforesaid, in the said county of Gloster, and of and in the advowson, donation, and right of patronage of the vicarial church of llenbury, and of and in the manor of Twyning, with its appurten- ances in the said county of Gloster and \\orcester, and of and in all those tenths in Twyning aforesaid, lately belonging to the monastery of Winch- combe, and of an in the manor of Allesborongh, with all its appurtenances in the said county of Worcester, lately belonging to the monastery of Pershore, and of the tenths within the said manor of Allesborough, and of and in the manors of Oldestone, otherwise Oivestone, with its appurtenances in the said comity of Gloster, and of all lands, tenements, meadows, parks, pastures, wo.ul-s and hereditaments whatsoever to the same college, manors, site, Hundred Liberties, Franchise-, Adsowsons, meadows, closes, wood, and tenths aforesaid, to any of them belonging or appertaining in the said eountys of Gloster and \\ orcesler. And the aforesaid Kalph Sadleir, Knight, being so seized, as is aforestated, at .Maudon, in the sai 1 county of Hertford, on the JJOth dav of March last aforesaid, before the day of the caption of this inquisition, died of such of hi- estate thru sei/ed : and farther, the aforesaid juror- say on oath that the aforesaid manors, kc , are of the value calni- o/' i-ac/i i// ori/jinnl, L/'f (hiiilii"/ fi'Oni III-- translafioii. And that the aloivsaid Kalph Sadleir, knight, named in the said writ, died at Staudon, on the IjOlh of March la-t past, before the day of the caption of this inquisition, and that Thomas Sadh ir, Lsipiire. is his sou and next heir, and was 50 years old and more on the said o'Uh day of March 246 LIFE AND TIMES OF last. And the aforesaid jurors say on their oath that the aforesaid Ralph Sadleir had not, nor did not hold, any other or more manors, lands, tene- ments, or hereditaments in dominion of service or reversion of our said Mistress the Queen, or from any other, as to them at present can appear. In testimony to which things the aforesaid Escheator, and the aforesaid jurors, have put their seals on the day, year, and place first aforesaid. W. CURLL, THOS. PARSONS, JOHN GYBBES, THOS. CRABBE, FRANCIS DE LA WOOD, &c., &c. SIB RALPII SADLEIR. 247 III. GENEALOGY OF THE DESCENDANTS OF SIR RALPH SADLEIR. (As given in the Sadler State Papers.)* There is an honourable pride of pedigree which, like many other mixed passions, fortifies the cause of virtue, though it is not her immediate offspring. It is indeed a part of our nature that, as fathers, we fondly anticipate a long and flourishing descent ; and, as children, look back with complacence upon the virtues and fame of our progenitors. If this feeling admits of misappli- cation, and becomes the ground of a childish assumption of superiority, instead of an incentive to generous emulation, it only resembles our other passions and propensities, which are alike capable of being guides to good or evil, as the habits and principles of individuals shall decide. The following account of Sir Ralph Sadleir's descendants has been com- piled from the common authorities, compared with and corrected by three family genealogies. One of these appears to have been drawn up for the use of Sir Edwin Sadleir, Baronet, who died in 1706, and the editor was per- mitted the use of it by Richard Vernon Sadleir, Esq., of Southampton. The second, which is fuller, though of more modern date, was kindly sent to the editor by Thomas Sadleir, Esq., of Seapark, near Swords, in Ireland. The third is that of the representative of the baronial family of Aston, drawn up by Edmund Lodge, Esq. These pedigrees agree in general, but such dis- crepancies as occur between them are noted below. SADLEIR OP STAXDON. 1. Sir Ralph Sadleir married Elen. Barre, aliter Mitchell, a near relative to Lord Cromwell, by whom lie had issue three sons viz., Thomas, Edward of Tc-mplc Dinesley (from whom the families of Sadleir of Sopwell, \\ iltshire,f and Sopwell in Ireland, are descended), and Henry of Everly.J near Hunger- ford, in Uiltshire; and four (.laughters namely, Anne, married to Sir George Horsey, of Digwell; Mary, married to Thomas Bollys, aliter Bowles, of Wallington ; Jane, married to Edward Baesh, of Stansted, Esq.; and Dorothy, who married Edward Ellington, of Berstall, county of Berks. He died 30th March, 15 >7. fouii'l a \\vll authenticated pr>li._,T>e nt'his own family, which probably be^au "several years before til.' i'\ist,'iuv .!' Sir Ralph." F, S. S. J A Uii/har.l Su'lli'ir pivseuted a .MS. tivati-e n li'ir-emanship to his father, Sir Ralph, in 1~>1~. a~ a H'--A year'< ^ifi : an 1 in the dO'li^aM. >n he thank- Sir Ralph fur hi-- knowledge of h'>r>e:li.-!i. as U'-li a- I'm- the lilnral <' lmMtiii he lia.l received at Patavia in Italy, ftt Cambri>li:<'. an 1 in G'Tiuanv. Clutlerbuek think- he was illegitimate. F. S. S. 248 LIFE AND TIMES OF 2. Sir Thomas Sadleir, his eldest son and heir, was sheriff of the county of Herts in 37th Eliz. He first married Ursula, daughter and co-heir of Sir Henry Sherrington, of Lacock, in the county of Wilts, by whom he had no issue. By his second wife, Gertrude, daughter of Robert Markham, of Gotham, in Nottinghamshire, he had issue one son, Ralph, and one daughter, Gertrude. James I., on his journey from Scotland to London, A.D. 1603, was magnificently entertained by him at Standon for two nights successively. He died 6th January, 1606 ; and the following inscription was placed on his monument at Standon : D. O. M. ET Memoriae Thomas Sadleiri, Equitis Aurati Hie situs obdormit Christo, Christoque resurgat Thomas Sadleirus stemmate Claris eques Quo micuere simul bonitas. prudentia, candor, Cum probitate pudor, cum pietate fides. Hsec illurn decorant. hrec sunt monumenta sepulto Qui Tumulo decus est et fuit ante suis Attamen hoc posuit monumentum filius illi Ut constet pietas officiosa patri. Under this inscription lies a knight in armour, with a lady on his right hand, and two lions rampant at their feet. The effigies of his son and daughter are placed under them, upon their knees, with this inscription between them, on the side of the monument : " Here resteth, in sure hope of resurrection in Christ, Sir Thomas Sadleir of Standon, Knight, son and heir of the Right Hon. Sir Ralph Sadleir, Knight Banneret, Privy Counsellor to three princes of the land ; which Sir Thomas lived in honourable reputation for his religion, justice, bounty, love to his country, favour of learning, and all other virtues ; and as lie lived he ended his life most christianly, leaving Ralph and Gertrude, by Gertrude his wife, daughter of Robert Markham, in the county of Nottingham, Esq. To whose memory, Ralph, his sorrow full son, in dutifull affection, erected this monument as his last duty. He departed this world 5th January, 1606." 3. Ralph Sadleir,* his only son and heir, succeeded him. He married Anne Paston, eldest daughter of Sir Edward Coke (Lord Lovall), by his first marriage with Bridget, daughter and co-heir of John Paston, of Huntinglield, in Suffolk, third son of Sir William Paston of Paston, Kniirht, whose portion amounted to 30,000, and who was related to many noble families ; her aunt Eleanor, sister to her father, being married to Thomas Earl of Rutland, by whom she had Henry Earl of Rutland ; Gertrude married to George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury ; Anne to Henry Nevil, Earl of Westmoreland ; and Frances, wife to Henry Nevil, Lord Abergavennay. Ralph Sa>lleir died without issue 12th February, 1660. No monument has been erected for him, unless it was one that stands at the east side of the chancel, of which the brass has been taken awav. But in the vestry a small monument of black and '* Isaac Walton thus refers to Ealph Sadleir in his " Complete Angler '' : '' To-morrow morning we shall meet a pack of otter dogs of noble Mr. Sadleir' s, on A.m\vell Hill, who will be there so early that they intend to prevent the sun rising." i". S. S, SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 249 white marble is placed in the wall, bearing the following inscription : " Here licth the body of Anne Coke,* eldest daughter of Sir Edward Coke, Knight, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, by his first and best wife Bridget Paston, daughter and heir of John Pasfon, of Norfolk, Esq. At the age of fifteen she was married, in 1601, to Ralph Sadleir, of Standon, in Hertford- shire. She lived his wife 59 years and odd months. She survived him, and here lies in assured hope of a joyful resurrection." His sister Gertrude succeeded as heir to Ralph Sadleir, on his death tans issue. She married Sir Walter Aston, of Tixall, in Staffordshire, Bart. one of the first created baronets, and raised to the dignity of Baron Aston of Forfar, in the kingdom of Scotland, on the Sth of November, 1027. SADLEIR or TEMPLE DIXESLEY IN HERTFORDSHIRE. 2. Edward Sadleir, of Temple Dinesley, in Hertfordshire, the second son of Sir Ralph Sadleir, Knight Banneret, married Anne, daughter of Sir Richard Leigh, Knight, of Sopwell, near St. Alhan's, county of Hertford, to whom she was sole heiress, after the death of Dame Mary, relict of Sir Humphrey Coningsby, Knight, her other sister, without issue. He thus acquired a very large inheritance, together with the addition of the bearings of Chute and Trott, besides her paternal coat, now worn by this branch of the family. He had issue (as appears by writt dc inquisitione post mortem, at Hertford, 2nd December, 35th VAh.) (1) Lei^h, of Temple Dcnnesley and Aspley Guise; (2) Richard, of Sopwell, ancestor of the branch of Sopwell, in Ireland; (3, 4) Edward and Thomas, who died unmarried. Edward Sadleir died 4th April, SHt'n Kliz., in the lifetime of his father Sir Ralph, leaving Ann his wife, who soon after married Ralph Norwich, Esq., but had no issue. 3. Leigh Sadleir, his eldest son, succeeded him at Temple Dinesley, and married Elizabeth, daughter of 1'aseall, in Essex, gentleman, by whom he had Thomas and Ann. The latter married the Honourable Edward Aston, brother of Walter Lord Aston. 4. Thomas Leigh Sadleir, married Frances Berry, of Bickering Park, county of Bedford, by whom he had issue four-aml-twenty children, whereof eight sons and live (laughters are upon record in the Herald's Office viz.. (1) Thomas, who died underage; (2) Kdwin, (3) Ralph, who died unmarried; (4) Leigh; (.">) Edward, who died without issue: ((',) William, (7) Richard, and ( s ) Robert, who both died without isMie. The daughters, Elizabeth, Frances, Anne, Jane, and Sarah. Thomas Sadleir, Esq., was trained up to the study of the laws, in the Inner Temple, and rose to the dignity of Sergeant of Laws and Justice of Quorum for the County of Bedford, where, * According to tin' writer in the " Gentleman's Magazine,'' 17*-. Ralph Sadleir lived with hi< uiie Anne C"ke " in sjnn IconvspmuloncooOyuai 1 :! in tin- same house, yet. according tcr Symomls, rector of Daventry, eountv of Northampton, and had issue three sons Thomas, Ralph, and Francis. G. Thomas, eldest son of William, married Mary, daughter of Robert Smith, of Bolton, in Bedfordshire, and had issue, Robert and James. 7. Robert, his eldest son, married Frances, daughter of William Hancock, the tenth made Chancellor of the Dutehey of Lancaster; which stations ho held to his tlecen.se. tie was I'rivv Councellor fur above iO years, in the several reigns of Henery the Vill., Ldward the VI.. and Queen Llizabeth; ami. for the most part of the time, a constant member of Parliament tor the county of Hertford, anil alhvays faithfull to his prince and couiitrey, anil a great promoter of the reformation of the Church of England. lie died, aged SO, at Staudon ; possessed a noble estate, which he had got honestly, enjoyed honourably, and then left iiitiiv to his posterity \i/... twenty-three manors, several parson- ages, and other great parcels of land, disper.-eil in (the) several counties of Gloucester, "Warwick. LJurks. Worcester, and Hertford. Being descended of an ancient family, seated at Hackney, in the county of Middlesex, and where himself was borne. ' George Sadleir. of Aspley Guise, aforesaid, is also of the same family; being only sou and heir of Leigh Sadleir, who was son of Leigh, fourth sou of the above-mentioned Thomas Leigh >adleir. The said George intermarried with Jane Stileman. niece of John Stiieman, of London, merchant, by \\hom he had issue George and Jane. The above-mentioi ed coate \\a.- an alteration trom another too :i.uch contused mixture oi' too inanv tilings in oue .-hit-Id, by Ucbert Cook Clareucieux, and William 1'lower Xorry, who ratilied and assigned the said coate the 1th I'. -by.. l~n~>. in the Isth year of the reign of (^ii'-eii Lli/a'i'cih (;n lieu of the aforementioned confused heaivinir. which was granted by Ciiri-tophe:- 1'iarkrr Garter, by hi- letter* j)atent. dale I tiie 11-th May, in the .'!lth v.-.ir of the r.-i_ni of King Il.-nery the Vlll.j. to Sir Kalph Sadleir. ot' Standoii. in the county of Hertford, Knight, made banneret at the battle of Musclehorough, in Scotland, and at the date hereof Chancellor of the Dutehey ot' Lancaster, and one of the CJuecii's most honourable I'rivy Council. ho bad eiijoved the .-aid alteration." "* This i- the account _'i\en in the genealogy ot' Mr. Sadleir. of Southampton, in that of the In-h l.iraneli, Lei^h Sadlt-ir. fourth .-oil < I Tnonias. i.- sai.l to have had b.-tu- oi.e .-on, Leigli >adleir, who was living in li'.7-', in Londm!. ail 1 inarrie 1 to Mary Unid-'u, da ighter of George Had Ion. o| Ivin^hain, (\>. Oxen, by \\ limn h-- had t:,ree >ons Tliomas. llalpli. and A\"ii!iaiM : of \\ho-e progeny the L.'i'ne:llo^i-i pr. f. --e- hiin-i-'.f ignorant, but s'lppo-es them to have b' -en the ance-iors of three 1'amili'--. lie-c.-ndants of ~ir i;:ilp!i Sadleir. one ot' which is settl.-d at Ap-ley Gtu.-e. one in \Var\\iek.-i.ire.andth'- tiiird in llamp-iiirc. (See the extract t'r'.)in Anthony Wood, in the preceding note.) 252 LIFE AND TIMES OF of Southampton, by whom he had one son James, who died at Pennington, near Lymington, 24 Feby. 1788, without issue. Robert, secondly, married Elizabeth, younger daughter of Robert Vernon, alderman, of Southampton, and had issue by her three sons and one daughter viz., (1) Robert Smith, died young; (2) Richard Vernon; (3) Thomas, who died 12th October, 1785, without issue. Robert Sadleir died in August, 1778, in the 89th year of his age. 8. Richard Vernon Sadleir, his second son, a widower of great age, living at Southampton, is the present [1809] male representative of the family.* SADLEIR OF SOP\VELL, IN IRELAND. 3. Richard Sadleir, of Sopwellbury, second son of Edward Sadleir, of Temple Dinesley, and grandson to Sir Ralph, married Joyce, daughter of Robert Honeywood, of Charing, in Kent. He died in 1024,-f and had issue (1) Robert, (2) Ealphael.J and (3) Richard, died unmarried the latter in 1669; (4) Thomas, (5) Edward. (6) Blount, (7) Henry, who died without issue ; and three daughters Mary, Dorothy, and Margaret. 4. His eldest son, Robert Sadleir, married Helen Dickenson, daughter of Thomas Dickenson, of Hollingden, county of Middlesex, and died 21st Car. II., leaving an only daughter viz., Helen Sadleir, who married Thomas Saunders, of Beechwood, county of Herts, by whom she had an only daughter namely, Anne who married Edward Seabright, of Bessford, Esq. Thomas Sadleir, fourth son of Richard, died, leaving two daughters, Elizabeth and Alice. The latter married Ilosse, Esq.! Edward Sadleir, fifth son of Richard, married Susan, daughter of Frances Underwood, of Whittlesey, in the Isle of Kly. According to the genealogy transmitted from Ireland, where the name of his wife is not mentioned, he had two daughters viz., Anne, married to Peapis, Esq., and another married to Leaver. The genealogy of Mr. Sadleir, of Southampton, gives him four daughters, but does not mention their names. * See Moody, of Apsley Guise, Burke's ' : Landed Gentry." F. S. S. f Interred in St. Peter's Church. St. Alban's. F. S. S. J Raphael, and the three daughters, are not mentioned in the genealogy of JMr. Sadleir of Southampton. This is the account given in the genealogy of the Irish liraneh. According to that quoted in the preceding note, this Robert married Ellen, daughter of Thomas Hancruft, of Satonhouse, in Norfolk, and had issue three sons Edward, Robert, and Thomas who all died without issue. || According to the Southampton genealogy, Thomas married Ann. daughter of Good- rich, of St. Alban's. relict of Stead, Hertfordshire; and had is -UP one son, Thomas, of JJallingarry and Kilnnlagh, county of Tipperary, in Ireland. The ^rand-m of the latter married Frances, daughter of Robert Olliver. of Clone!, county of Limerick, Ireland, and had issue throe sons Thomas, living in 1'>:)2, at the age of 12 years ; Charles, then 8 years old ; and Robert, then G years old ; and three daughters, who were all unmarried in 1G9-. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 253 Blount, sixth son to the said Richard Sadleir (styled in the will of his father, citi/.en of London), married Mary, daughter of Thomas Sharp, of London. He left issue, according- to the genealogy of the Irish branch, one son, vi/ : 5. Thomas Sadleir, who was Lieutenant -General and Adjutant of the Irish Brigade, A. n., llil?. He married Honiwood, and went over to Ireland with Oliver Cromwell. A patent dated 19th Car. II., granting lands in the county of Tipperary, to Colonel Sadleir, i- iu the possession of his descendant, the Karl of Cliarleville. It directs that the lands of Killnalagha should thenceforth bear the name of Sopwell Hall.* He was Knight of the County of Tipperary till his death, which happened about the year 1692. He left issue one son, Thomas, and four daughters (1) Judith, married to John Brills, of Dunstable, county of Bedford, and of Castletown,f county of Tipperary. His second daughter married Colonel Daniel Abbot, of Xenagh, in the same county. The third married Henry Foxwell, aliter Fox, of Fox- glade, county of Kbor. and of (iraigne, in the county of Tipperary. The fourth married Ormsby, of the same county. ('). Thomas Sadleir, only son of the above, married Mary Oliver, daughter to Charles Oliver, of Kilmailock, county of Limerick, and died A.D. 1710, leaving issue Thomas, Charles, and Hobert ; and two (laughters Bridget, who died unmarried, and Anne, married to William Vaughan, of Golden Grove, in the King's County, Ireland. 7. Thomas Sadleir. his eldest son, married Kathcrine Tilson, and had issue Francis his only sou. 8. Francis married Catherine Wall, daughter of William Wall, of Coolna- mnek, county of Waterford. He died Ikh December, 1797, and left issue two daughters, vi/,. : 9. (?} Kathcrine Sadleir, married tirst to William Charles Burv, of Cliarleville. Kind's County, who-e .-on is the present Lord Cliarleville ;| and, secondly, to Henry 1'ivtty, of Killboy, county of Tipperary; by whom she had i-sue llenrv. now Lord Puiiallv. '* A copy of the pnlent i- uppnndcrl. F. S. S. f Mr. !'.i-!_'^- S,,M Castli'-to\vn t" his lirot!u>r-in-l;iw, Thomas Satlleir. who left it to his sec 'nil s,>n. ( 'h:ir!c<. -I-". S. S. I Th" till,' . I'Chavl.'villt' is (1^77) rxtincf. One of tlu- l:i-t Ear's sv>Ll liis sliaro ..f the Sa.ll.-ir piMperty in Tipperary tn his relative T..u-,l Ahto\vn. .if Sopwell Hull, who is there- fore 110 \v the head representative of General Sudleir in the female line. F. .S. S. 254 LIFE AND TIMES OF Joseph Grave, of Ballycommon, in the King's County. He died 26th October, 1756, leaving an only son, viz. : 9. Thomas Sadleir, of Castletown, county of Tipperary, and of Seapark, county of Dublin, barrister-at-law. He married (1) Rebecca Woodward, eldest daughter of William Woodward, of Cloughprior, county of Tipperary, Esq., by whom he hath issue two sons, namely 10. Thomas, of Castletown, and the Eeverend Francis Sadleir, Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin; and three daughters viz., Anna-Maria, Sarah, and Katherine Sadleir.* 10. Thomas, the elder son, married Margaret, daughter of J. Watson, of Brook Watson, county Tipperary, and had issue five sons Thomas, William, Henry, Edwin, and Ralph and three daughters Rebecca, married Daniel Falkiner, Esq. ; Maria, married Thomas Brereton, Esq. ; Abigail, married Kev. Ralph Stoney, M.A. 11. Thomas, the eldest son, High Sheriff of the County Tipperary, 1859, married Ellen, daughter of Owen Saunders, of Ballinderry, County Tipperary, Esq., and had issue one son : 12. Thomas Owen Saunders Sadleir, the present representative ; and five daughters Jemima, married Richard Hacket, Esq. ; Annette ; Adelaide, married Frederick Falkiner, Q.C., Recorder of Dublin; Georgina, married Richard Falkiner, of Mount Falcon, County Tipperary, Esq. ; and Eleanor, married John S. K. Masters, of Shrewsbury House, Shooter's Hill, Kent, Esq.f SADLEIR OF EVERLY, COUNTY OF WILTS. 2. Henry Sadleir, third son of Sir Ralph (according to the genealooy of Mr. Sadleir, of Southampton)^ married Dorothy, daughter of Gilbert, of Everly, and had three sons (1) Thomas, and (2) Henry, who both died with- out issue ; and (3) Francis. 3. Francis married Lncretia, daughter of Hercules Stourton, of Little Langford, Wilts, and had issue five sous; (1) Stourton, and (2) Henry both died without issue (3) Thomas, (4) Francis, (5) Giles died without issue and four daughters. * Here ends the pedigree of the Irish branch given iu the Sadler State Papers. f See Sadleir of Balliuderry, Saimders of Largay, Stoney of Kyle Park, and Falkiner of Mount Falcon (IJurke's '-'Landed Gentry.") F. S. S. J The genealogy of the Irish branch differs widely with regard to Henry Sadleir and his descendants. According to that account, he married first Dorothy, daughter of Gilbert, of Everly, near Hungerford, and had issue by her, Gertrude, Grace, and Helen, and hvo sons. Thuuias and Henry ; all of whom died in their infancy. He secondly married Ursula, daughter of Jo. Gill, of Wideal, by whom he had no issue. SIR RALPH SADLEIR. 255 4. Thomas, his third son, married Mary, daughter of Draper, aud had three sons Thomas, Hercules, and Stourton. 4. Francis, fourth son of Francis, married Judith, daughter of Jerome Massell, of Steple-Langford, Wilts ; and had four sons Francis, William, Jerome, and Stourton all living in 1694-. 'i. Francis, the eldest son, married Alice, daughter of Thomas Rose, of Pevi/.cs, and had two sons Francis Ally, at Devizes, and Thomas ; and one daughter, Alice, all living in 1694. 1* know not if any descendants of this branch of Sir Ralph's family be now existing. * The editor Sadler State Papers. 256 LIFE AND TIMES OF IV. COPY OF CHARLES II/s PATENT, CONFERRING LAND IN THE COUNTY TIPPERARY ON COLONEL SADLEIR.* UPON SEARCH, It appeareth that the Inrollment of the Grant remains of Eecord amongst the Rolls in the Bolls Office of Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery in Ireland, of which the following is an Extract : Charles the Second, by the Grace of God, of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. To all to whom these presents shall come greeting, Know Yee that we of our Special Grace, certain knowledge, and mere mocon, by and with the advice and consent of our right trusty and right entirely beloved Cousin and Councellor James, Duke of Ormond, our Lieutenant-General and General Governor of our said Kingdom of Ireland, and, according to the tenor and effect of a certain cer- tificate under the hands and seals of our well beloved Councellors Sir Edward Dering, Baronet, &c., our Commissioners appointed for putting in execution two Acts of Parliament lately made in our said Kingdom of Ireland, the one intituled an Act for the better execution of His Majesties gratious declaration for the settlement of his Kingdom of Ireland, and satisfaction of the several interests of adventurers, soldiers, and other his subjects there, and the other intituled an Act for the explaining of some doubts arising upon an Act intituled an Act for the better execution of his Majesty's gratious declaration, Sic., bearing date the 6th day of July, in the 18th year of our reign, and in the year of our Lord, 1666, and upon the humble request of our well-beloved subject Colonel Thomas Sadler, producing and presenting the said certificate, and according to and in pursuance of the said several Acts of Parliament, Have given, granted, and confirmed, and by these presents for us, our heirs, and successors, we do give, grant, and confirm unto the said Colonel Thomas Sadler the several lands, tenements, and hereditaments following; that is to say, in Bally volvessa 33-4 acres of profitable land and 80 acres unprofitable, in Cloghbeagh 7 acres profitable land and 46 acres unprofitable, in Cuilnalagha 98 acres of land, Kilkenn, part of Lysbryan, containing 173 acres of land, Lismacrory containing 192 acres profitable land and 32 acres unprofitable, Clannan, part of Gamine, containing 163 acres of land, in Ballyvonin 128 acres of land, Farran M'Kannell, containing 49 acres profit- able land and 41 acres unprofitable, in Garrane 282 acres of land, Killcony- hemmore containing 602 acres profitable land and 60 acres unprofitable, * I am indebted to tlie Hon. Charles J. Trencli for a copy of this interesting document, which shews the connection between Sopwcll in the county Tipperary and the old Sopwcll at St. Alban's. SIl; liAI.HI SADLKIF;. 257 Killyconyheinbcgg containing 9 ! acres profitable land and 154 acres unprofit- able, Ballynelieneit! containing 1''7 acres profitable laud and 72 unprofitable, Carriek (pail of the -nine) containing :>^S acres of land, Ballingarry contain- ing oHil acres profitable land and ('.5 acres unprofitable, Tiplagh containing 51 acres profitable land, ilathmane containing 1(10 acres of land, Criragh containing 207 acre- of land, killnalagha containing 10 (5 acres profitable land 21 acres unprofitable, which said lands of Killnalagha we do hereby uTaut and declare be for ever hereafter named and called bv the name of Sopwell Hall; in Dromaniire ?'' acres and 2 roods of land, Lismallin containing 1^5 acres of land, Ballyliua containing 257 acres of land, in Clarekiele l.'Sli acres of land, in Ballvbrinn ( Jl acres and 2 roods of land, in (Jnrtine ;>!',) acres of land, all situate, Ivinir, and being in the Barony of Lower Ormond and Conntv of Tipperary, with the reversion and reversions, remainder and remainder-, of all and singular the premises, all which -aid lands, tenements, and hereditaments do appear by the aforesaid certificate of our said Commissioners to have been sei/ed, request red, disposed, distri- buted, sett out, or sett apart, by iva-on of or upon accompt of the late horrid rebellion or war which be^an or broke out in our -aid kingdom of Ireland upon the three and twentieth day of October, liill, and to be thereby forfeited to and vested in us according to the true intent and meaning of the said Acts, and to the intents and uses in and by the said Acts limited, men- tioned, and appointed, and the said Colonel Thomas Saddler is by the aforesaid certificate of our said Commissioners, adjudged and decreed to be by the aforesaid Acts to him and his heirs lawfully and rightfully intituled thereunto. And furl her of our special grace, certain knowledge, and mere inocon, bv and with the advice and consent aforesaid, \\ e do bv these presents for us, our heirs and sucecs.-ors, grant unto the said Colonel Thomas Sadler, all and -insular ea-tles, manors, messuages, mills, lofts, houses, cottages, buildings, lawnes, barnes, stables, orchards, gardens, lands, tene- ment-, \\oods, underwoods, meadows, pastures, feedings, commons, common of pasture and turbary fur/es, heathes, hoggs, loughs, mountains, moores, marshes, way-, wastes, waters, watercourses, fishings, weares, quarries, duties, services, and all and singular other profits, commodities, rights, privileges, jurisdictions, advantages, emoluments, and hereditaments whatsoever to the said premises or to any part or parcel thereof belonging or in anywise apper- taining. To have and to hold all and -insular the above-mentioned lands and premi-es, together with their and every of their rights, mem 1 ) r-, and appurtenances whatsoever, to him, the -aid Colonel I homas Sadler, his heir- and assigns for ever, to the only use, benefit, -aid Colonel Thomas Sadler, hi- heir- and assigns for ever, To be he d of us, our heirs, and sneecs-ors. as of our Ca-tle o! I' toceau'e. \ieldiugaiid paving therefore and ther:, : , n. i txj olautaHon mea-uiv, amounting to ^i.vcn tnou-and nuie iKa.uuJ ;,.u. ;\ -<...'. 258 LIFE AND TIMES OP SIR RALPH SADLEIR. acres two roods and thirty-nine perches English statute measure, the yearly rent of 75 L9s. 9J. sterling, to be paid at the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, and the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, half-yearly, by even and equal portions, saving and hereby reserving to the said James, Duke of Onnond, his heirs and assigns, all such cheif'rees, tenures, rent, and services as were of right due and belonging to him on the 22nd of October, 164:0, for and out of the said lands lying in the said Barony of Lower Onnond and County of Tipperary. In witness whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patents, Witness our aforesaid Lieutenant-General and General Governor of our said Kingdom of Ireland, at Dublin, the 16th day of October, in the 19th year of our reign. Inrolled the 6th day of November, in the 19th year of his said Majesty's reign. THOMAS BEERY, D.K.K. THE END. University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. tioov JTHS A 001 438479